Mike Bogan admits he’s a creature of habit and enjoys his routine. Even when he’s on the road, he tries to keep things static. “I try to wake up, exercise and eat the same at the same times,” says the CEO of LandCare, which ranks 10th on Lawn & Landscape’s 2020 Top 100 list.

But that may not have always been the case, especially as a father raising young kids with his wife Rebecca, a landscape architect. “Our kids are grown and on their own, so life has evolved in the last five years and is very different than it looked as we raised our family,” the San Diego resident says. Here’s Bogan’s average day.

I wake up at 5 a.m. I’m happiest when I have 8 hours of sleep, so I try to in bed by 9 p.m.

For the first several months of COVID-19, I immediately checked my phone – which is a direct contradiction to the way I want to start my day. Living on the West Coast, areas of the company have already been at it for a few hours, so news about people’s safety was available and important to me.

Now, I am back to my preferred habit, which is to hold off on external information until 7 a.m. So, I start my day with 10-15 minutes of stretching, during which I try to be grateful for the blessings I have in life to start my mind in a positive place. I exercise from 5:30 to 6:30, alternating running with weight training.

I live near the beach, so when the tides are right, I’ll do 6 miles along the Torrey Pines shoreline. This gives me a connection with nature, a chance to watch the sunrise and often fellowship with a friend. Other days, its CrossFit with a group I joined a few years ago.

Then, I return home, fix my breakfast and pack my lunch for the day and read the news while I eat and have coffee. Usually, it’s toast with avocado and egg whites or tortillas, egg whites and Soyrizo.

I’m on my way to the office at 7:30. I only have an 8-10-minute drive to the office, so I usually ride in silence while I think about the day’s priorities.

I’m in at 7:45 and I’ll greet my team members while I make a cup of coffee, then take 10-15 minutes to organize my objectives for the day – usually with a “to do” list – before opening my computer and checking email.

Including calls and video chats, I have between three and six meetings – sometimes more. Most of my day is interacting with others, not working independently.

When others are working at the office (pre-COVID-19) we eat together at noon. Most of us bring our lunch. For me, it’s usually leftovers from the night before. My wife is an amazing cook and prepares most of our dinners, so it’s always something healthy and tasty.

Post-lunch, I’m responding to email and other inbound requests. I know the east half of the company is wrapping up soon, so I try to get back on issues for those who are on eastern time.

I usually work until about 6:30. I really like the last hours of the day. The office gets quiet, there are no interruptions and I can be very focused on my objectives.

I try to stop looking at work-related items when I leave the office. Unless there is a current crisis, I attempt to keep work between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

On weekends, I’ll often put in a couple of hours from home on Saturday and Sunday, but there are plenty of days when I don’t. I try not to email people as I know it interrupts their weekend, so I’ll cue mail up to send on Monday morning.

I also listen to a lot of podcasts while I do chores or exercise on the weekend, which can be professionally enriching, and I’ll be anxious to put those ideas into action the next week. My top three are Freakonomics by Stephen Dubner, This American Life by Ira Glass and Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell.

The big news in the world of trucks is the new Ford F-150, due out at the end of the year.

The 2021 model is less of a revolution and more of an evolution as Ford continues adding new options and features but keeping things similar enough to keep its fans loyal. Here some more on what to expect in 2021.

New for 2021

• Hybrid option:

The gas-electric hybrid model isn’t a pure economy play. The most powerful version of the 2021 F-150, Powerboost engine mates the twin-turbo Ecoboost 3.5L V-6 with an electric motor. The company is targeting 700 miles of range and 12,000 pounds in towing capacity from the hybrid. The Powerboost model boasts 430 horsepower (hp) and 570 lb-ft of torque. The 35kW (47hp) electric motor will be powered by a 1.5kW/h lithium-ion battery, slightly larger than the 1.4kW/h battery it uses in current hybrids such as the Fusion sedan.

• Exterior cosmetics:

The truck’s front fenders are slightly higher, giving it a taller look, and the wheels are larger and slightly farther apart (0.75” farther out per wheel). Buyers will have 11 grille options, depending on model selected.

• Tech upgrades:

The truck will be able to update software over-the-air, eliminating the need to visit dealers for minor patches. Updates to the Sync connectivity system support more apps and add-on services. On hybrid and non-hybrid models, users will be able to use the truck’s engine as a generator to run tools and other devices.

• Safety:

Some optional features are now standard, such as pedestrian-detection systems and an emergency system that pre-tensions seatbelts if it senses an accident is about to take place. Late next year, the truck will offer Active Drive Assist, Ford’s answer to Tesla’s autopilot or General Motors’ SuperCruise, a system that will allow drivers to take their hands off wheel in some cruise situations. That feature will come as an over-the-air update.

The Ram 1500 was new last year, and the General Motors products (Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra) were new in 2019. So, there will be minor changes to both of those, new special editions, new colors, etc., but even those cosmetic upgrades will be delayed, likely into mid-2021 because of COVID-19.

Operating in this environment is difficult, and working through plant upgrades can be even tougher, so companies are delaying anything other than the completely necessary. Ford's new model involved tearing up existing assembly lines, and those balls were already in motion when COVID-19 hit. Swapping out colors in the paint shop is much easier, so those sorts of things will be delayed indefinitely.

electric trucks

In 2021, electric vehicle startups will be really active in the truck space:

• Lordstown Motors plans to launch the Endurance pickup in early 2021. When it launches next year, Lordstown’s Endurance EV (Electric Vehicle) pickup will use electric hub motors in each wheel instead of following the traditional EV layout of a large electric motor with a transmission that sends power to the wheels. You can learn more about that by visiting bit.ly/trucktrend2020.

• Nikola is taking pre-orders on its Badger EV pickup. They haven't given a release date, but it'll likely be late 2021 or early 2022. GM is partnering with Nikola to make the Badger and supply batteries for it for an 11% stake in the company.

• Rivian, an EV startup that bought a former Fiat Chrysler plant in Illinois, plans to launch three EVs next year, an SUV, a delivery van for Amazon and the R1T electric pickup.

• GMC Hummer EV, GM is bringing back the Hummer name as an electric pickup from GMC. It goes into production in late 2021, probably as a 2022 model. The company is promising extreme performance numbers (1,000 hp, 1,100 lb-ft of torque, 0-60 mph in 3 seconds).

• Ford electric F-150. So far, Ford has only committed to the 2021 model year hybrid F-150, but an all-electric model is in the works, probably as a 2022 model. No details yet.

• Tesla's Cybertruck goes into production in late 2021, so it probably won't be available until 2022. The first vehicles will be more expensive ($50,000 to $70,000) dual-motor and tri-motor pickups. The $40,000 single-motor option doesn't go into production until late 2022. The company is promising more than 500 miles of range, 14,000 lb. of towing capacity and less than 3 seconds for 0 to 60 mph.

• Bollinger B2, the most expensive of the new EV trucks at $125,000, the all-aluminum model is built in Detroit and should launch early next year.

• Atlis XT Pickup may launch late this year, but I doubt it. The company made a lot of noise in 2019 but hasn't said a word this year, so either they're keeping their heads down and working on launching the truck or they've run out of cash and are hoping someone buys their intellectual property.

The author is editor of Lawn & Landscape’s sister publication Today’s Motor Vehicles.

As a captain in the Tulsa Fire Department, Butch Dellis has to make quick, high-pressure decisions to lead firefighters safely through emergencies. But when he got serious about growing the supplemental lawn care business he tended to on his days off, Dellis faced a whole new challenge of knocking out figurative fires in the business world.

“You can’t equate growing a business to time-compressed decision making on a fire ground incident,” says Dellis, 47, who has been a firefighter for 21 years and owned his company for 19. “But there are definitely crossed paths when it comes to managing people and solving problems.”

Through decades of balancing a full-time firefighting career with his company, Nutri-Green Professional Lawn Services, Dellis developed systems to keep his crews operating smoothly while he was off fighting literal fires. By borrowing leadership lessons from the fire service, Dellis took a tactical approach to building Nutri-Green from a one-man side job into a million-dollar revenue machine – and growing.

“Training is one of the keys to our success. I have to instill processes that put everyone on the same page, because I have to be more hands-off (as an owner with another full-time career).” Butch Dellis, owner, Nutri-Green

Balancing act.

With a baby on the way in 1996, Dellis needed some additional income to supplement his engineering job. When his friend requested help mowing lawns around Tulsa, Dellis agreed to join him in the field after work.

After a couple years, Dellis sold his half of the small lawn business to his partner to pursue his dream of becoming a firefighter. After joining the Tulsa Fire Department in 1999, Dellis – who was still working as an engineering consultant on the side – realized how much he missed lawn care. He approached his old partner, who agreed to refer his mowing clients to Dellis for weed control and fertilization. In 2001, Dellis launched Nutri-Green with a steady flow of business.

For several years, Dellis juggled three jobs. His fire service schedule – revolving 24 hours on, then 48 hours off – allowed him to work other jobs on his days off. “I would go spray some accounts, and then I’d work as an independent engineering contractor, then I’d be at the fire station,” he says. “On my days off from the firehouse, I’d get up super early and start working on my commercial accounts (while it was) still dark outside.”

To supplement lawn care treatments for weed control and fertilization, Dellis took on any odd yard jobs clients requested, from cleaning gutters to trimming trees. After all, as a firefighter, he was comfortable climbing ladders. “Being honest with my customers (about my schedule) was key,” he says. “They knew I was a firefighter working on my days off.”

Dellis worked alone for several years, eventually bringing his sister-in-law to help in the office and his brother-in-law in the field around 2007. He finally eased out of engineering work, but kept Nutri-Green small while he focused on raising his daughters and pursuing fire service promotions.

From side hustle to grind.

While Nutri-Green provided “a nice side income” for his family, Dellis realized he was sitting on an untapped gold mine by keeping the company small. “There were a lot of jobs I wasn’t taking, so I knew I could generate some good revenue,” he says.

With limited promotional opportunities in the fire department and two growing daughters to support, Dellis decided to focus on growth – sparking the “rebirth” of Nutri-Green around 2012. “That transition period was tough,” he remembers. “I was juggling my time between knocking on doors, making calls, training and being in the field. It was very chaotic and stressful.”

To boost his growth strategy, Dellis began attending industry trade shows and networking with successful lawn care operators, who opened his mind to “more aggressive sales approaches, which created bigger spouts of growth,” he says. For example, Dellis learned about software and digital marketing strategies that could propel his company forward faster than just knocking doors and mailing postcards. Leveraging advice and classes from industry conferences, Dellis transitioned from manual estimates to an automated marketing database and started using social media to drive more referrals.

Dellis’ relentless “grind” of sales efforts generated more business as he added digital and mass marketing to his mix. “As I grew my customer base, it allowed me to hire people to do the fieldwork,” says Dellis, who relied heavily on Craigslist to find employees. “My aunt began managing the customer accounts, which (allowed me) to focus on selling. As something got bigger, I would bring in a new person to handle it.”

By gradually growing his team and delegating responsibilities, Dellis began tapping into new revenue potential as he expanded Nutri-Green’s market share.

University training.

Tactical training is a critical component of fire service and safety, with intensive assessments and problem-solving exercises to sharpen firefighting skills. It comes as no surprise, then, that training became vital as Dellis built his Nutri-Green team.

“Training is one of the keys to our success. I have to instill processes that put everyone on the same page, because I have to be more hands-off (as an owner with another full-time career),” says Dellis, who formalized a program called Nutri-Green University around 2015. “The extensive training that we do solves problems before they occur.”

Nutri-Green’s initial training is tailored around Oklahoma’s applicator technician certification, with hiring dates scheduled a few days before the Department of Agriculture offers the licensing exam twice a month. Nutri-Green sends study packets to new hires as soon as they accept a job offer, then they review the material during orientation.

After acing the state applicator exam in the morning – with a 100% pass rate – Nutri-Green employees begin field training that afternoon. “They’re assigned a trainer in the field for extensive training that covers everything from customer service to equipment,” says Dellis, including a half-day in the office where they’re exposed to administrative work.

For example, the equipment training module teaches employees how to safely and properly use, clean and calibrate spraying equipment to get consistent results. To put this training in action, Dellis sets up equipment obstacle courses – similar to the fire truck driving courses used by the fire department – with orange cones creating serpentine paths and narrow clearance zones that crews might encounter on customer properties.

As new hires float around to different route managers, trainers check their progress using checklists that indicate when each topic has been “introduced,” “in progress” and ultimately reached “satisfactory” understanding. This typically takes two or three weeks. At that point, the trainer steps back to observe while the new hire takes charge of the route for at least a week before going off on their own.

As a check-and-balance, Nutri-Green’s production manager evaluates performance through random property checks and monthly ride-a-longs for new and experienced employees alike. To keep employees sharp, Dellis also gives random pop quizzes about turf issues or customer service policies. For example, he might share a picture of a weed in the company’s Microsoft Teams chat room, and employees will send him private messages to identify it for a chance to win a small prize like a candy bar. Other times, he might hand out a small five-question quiz about weed control during the Wednesday morning team meeting, or call out individual employees to explain how they’d respond to certain customer service scenarios.

Crews also go through mandatory half-day training sessions before each of Nutri-Green’s seven annual weed control treatments, where they review the chemicals they’ll be spraying and the weeds they’re targeting. Vendor reps sometimes provide detailed presentations about common insects or diseases. To keep employees engaged, Dellis provides food, performance awards and even equipment competitions with his obstacle courses “to make it fun, break up the monotony and develop skills at the same time,” he says. “We’re trying to create an environment of learning where people keep striving to be better.”

Smooth operation.

Between two 24-hour shifts at the firehouse and 40 hours at his business, Dellis regularly swings 90-hour workweeks – but he can’t be everywhere at once. This balancing act demands that he puts processes in place to keep operations running smoothly at Nutri-Green while he’s fighting other fires.

“If you have good people and they understand and execute your policies,” Dellis says, “then good people can make great choices, so you have fewer problems.”

With no operations manager on his team, Dellis instead holds employees accountable to themselves and each other with an incentivized bonus system. Instead of basing salaries on hourly rates alone, Nutri-Green offers up to $20,000 a year in potential incentives that employees earn by hitting certain metrics related to service, production and quality.

For example, Nutri-Green tracks employees’ net promoter score (which measures their customers’ willingness to recommend their service) using an app called Podium that crews use to text customers a link to review them after each visit. To earn the quarterly NPS bonus, employees need an average score of at least 75.

To reward production, Nutri-Green incentivizes employees by paying 5% for every dollar of work they produce. Once they exceed $240,000 of production in a year, they earn an additional 3% bonus. While most incentives are individualized, the team can also earn an extra $50 each month if everyone meets their biweekly team production goals. Dellis says this promotes teamwork, where crews help each other to reach goals together.

Service call volume offers another potential bonus. By dividing each employee’s service calls by the number of production stops on their route, Dellis calculates a percentage of service calls per production to keep it fair regardless of route size. A service call rate of less than 2-3.5% in a month earns another $50.

“We put a lot of responsibility on our route managers. That’s why we call them route managers, not technicians, because they’re not just there to do a technical job; they’re there to take care of the customer’s needs,” Dellis says. “Since we moved to this system, I’ve had route managers tell me that they’re finding themselves slowing down in the lawn and making sure they’re more thorough.”

Growing success.

Extensive training, team goals and transparency keep Nutri-Green employees accountable, whether Dellis is in the office or at the firehouse. By implementing these systems, Dellis grew Nutri-Green from $152,000 in 2012, past the million-dollar mark in 2018 and is on pace to hit $1.4 million in 2020.

While Dellis admits that he’s missed out on some growth opportunities because half of his time is devoted to another career, he believes that his dual nature adds value to both ventures by honing his leadership skills.

“I found two careers that I’m very passionate about, and I love what I do,” he says. “There’s a commonality in the two professions that really resonates with me, and that’s being able to see other people be successful. In the roles I play as a captain and a business owner, I’m able to train, teach and develop people, and that’s the reward I get from this.”

Eric Berg says that after using a robotic mower for his own yard, he quickly decided to invest in the technology.

“I have three little kids at home. And there was never a good time to cut my lawn…so, my lawn never looked good,” says the owner of EMBerg Ventures in Milwaukee, Wis. “It saves me time, it saves me money, it’s environmentally-friendly and cost effective. It really checks all the boxes from a consumer standpoint, which led me to the technology as a consumer and as an entrepreneur as well.”

Berg signed with Robin Autopilot in December 2018 and launched in the spring of 2019. Prior to investing in robotic mowers, Berg had no experience in the green industry.

“The majority of my clients pay us a weekly fee, and we install and maintain a robotic mower,” Berg says. “We will also sell them outright and install them, but the real niche is using it as a service – using the technology to maintain the lawn without someone on a gas-powered mower showing up every seven to 10 days.”

Nathan Laughlin, owner of Robo Lawn Salon in Edmond, Okla., has offered robotic mowing since 2018.

When we brought the robotic mower over, their eyes kind of lit up with excitement for everything it could do.” Emma Trizzino, general manager, Greenspace Associates

“I was looking for something where the business model would be residual,” he says. “With the way I do the lawn mowers, people essentially lease them from me, so it’s very residual.”

Laughlin says offering robotic mowing services is very adaptable.

“My model is whatever makes the customer happy,” he says. “If they want to buy it outright, I’ll sell it outright; if they want to buy it over the course of time, I’ll finance it to them; if they want to lease it, I’ll lease it to them. People appreciate that I’m really flexible in that aspect.”

Laughlin and Berg say that their clients appreciate the hands-off and worry-free approach of robotic mowing.

“You can be 100 miles away and it is still doing its job,” Berg says.

While the robots are mowing the customers’ yards daily at times, Laughlin says he offers other services to his customers to take care of the finishing touches.

“It’s really however the customer wants to do it,” he says. “Most of my customers do their own, but I offer edging and trimming. I do it all myself.”

Laughlin says the price of his service is comparable to other landscaping or even the cost of a ride-on mower in the long-run.

“I usually charge a one-time install fee and install it and then they’re typically paying March through October on the robot if they’re leasing it,” he says. “The monthly fee depends on the size of the yard, the kind of robot and the services they want. I start out at about $79 or $89 a month. And that’s just for the robot…it also includes the monitoring and maintenance of it.”

Berg says that by owning the mowers and leasing them out, he’s able to repurpose them if need be.

“If that client stops service or moves, I will recover the mower and re-deploy it at another client’s property,” he says.

For Greenspace Associates in Bettendorf, Iowa, crews use robotic mowers in a commercial setting rather than residential, says Emma Trizzino, general manager.

The company first used them three years ago, and Trizzino says the limited maintenance and prep work for the mowers has been nice.

“You just come in and plug the remote in overnight, so it’s ready the next day,” she says. “Other than that, you’re good to go.”

SAFETY FIRST.

Trizzino says that the crews can safely and effectively use the robotic mowers on tough landscapes including dikes, cliffs and steep hills.

“It’s made the work a lot safer and a lot more efficient,” she says. “It’s been a great asset to our company. One of our larger maintenance contracts has a lot of steep dikes and it was taking six guys all week to string trim it safely and cut down the weeds. So, we looked into getting a robotic mower. It’s cut it down (from) six guys all week to now one guy operating the mower.”

Trizzino says that before making the switch to robotic mowers, the terrain was known to cause problems for crews.

“Before you always had to worry about someone rolling an ankle or walking through the tall weeds string trimming and not knowing what they’re stepping on,” she says. “Now you’ve got a guy who is standing back a ways and can just control the mower with a remote control and not have to worry about those dikes and live animals.”

For now, Greenspace crews are only using the mowers at one site, but Trizzino says the property owners are very impressed with the quality of cut and safety measures.

“They are big on safety,” she says. “That’s one of their top priorities. So, if it rained or anything like that, we were never allowed on the dikes to mow because they’d be too slippery. When we brought the robotic mower over, their eyes kind of lit up with excitement for everything it could do.”

Trizzino says having the robotic mowers has even helped the company through a shortage of labor.

“I’m sure every landscaping company has labor shortage issues with finding the right guys and getting a number of employees to show up every day, so reducing our need for more employees to control and maintain these dikes has been nice,” she says.

“As people learn about the technology and the cost structures for these mowers, and the time savings, I think people with larger yards will absolutely go this way. I truly think it will change the lawn care industry totally.” Eric Berg, owner, EMBerg Ventures

HANDLING HICCUPS.

While there are plenty of advantages to robotic mowers, Laughlin says he has had to deal with managing expectations.

“It’s not a perfect fit for everybody,” he says of customers who’ve cancelled services. “They wanted it to be 100% hands off. And often times the mower gets stuck, or you have to make sure it isn’t stuck under your vehicle or something like that. Some people just don’t want to hassle with it.”

Laughlin says his limited knowledge of the mower’s capabilities early on caused him to lose a few clients. He explains that when a mower is installed, a wire is run around the perimeter of the property. If there is anything in the middle of the yard that the mower should avoid, those are called islands and wire is ran around them as well.

“I had a customer who ended up with 23 islands…and his yard was over an acre and a quarter,” he says. “I had two robots on his yard and after two or three months of trying to get the two robots to mow his yard, he had to call it quits. The robots really couldn’t keep up.”

Berg adds that some customers are hesitant to make the switch because they are so used to traditional landscaping.

“There’s definitely a learning curve,” he says. “We’re the same, yet we’re different. We do the same thing as a traditional lawn care provider, but we just use a totally different technology to do it. It’s picking up but there has been a learning curve.”

Laughlin says he feels suspicion around the mowers has also kept them from gaining more momentum.

“I think there’s a large gap in the awareness. People don’t really know much about these mowers and are skeptical when they find out about them,” he says.

FITTED FOR THE FUTURE.

As people learn more about them and see more in their neighborhoods, Berg thinks more people will come around.

“To me it’s not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when,’” he says. “As people learn about the technology and the cost structures for these mowers, and the time savings, I think people with larger yards will absolutely go this way. I truly think it will change the lawn care industry totally.”

Currently, Berg and Laughlin say their clients are tech savvy individuals who enjoy testing out the latest trends and gadgets.

“I do think a lot of our customers are early adopters,” Berg says. “They have a hybrid vehicle, or electric vehicle, already. They are tech-forward people who don’t necessarily do things the way they’ve always been done. As we see people get more used to it and acquainted with the technology, I think we’ll see more people sign on.”

Laughlin says he too thinks robotic mowers will continue to make their way into the industry slowly, but surely.

“I think a lot of the yard maintenance companies will start transitioning to this,” he says. “Because long-term, it’s a huge money saver.”