Friendly Competition

Rob Estes jumped in with both feet after he graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in landscape architecture.

“After I graduated, I began working for Landers Landscape Design as vice president of the design department,” Estes remembered. “Mr. Landers really gave me the opportunity to get my name out and start my own business.” Now, Estes’ name really is out there. As a result of some strong business deals, he is now the owner of both Estes Lawn Maintenance and Estes Landscape, Sharpsburg, Ga.

“In the summer of 1996 I purchased the stock in Landers Landscape Design and changed the name to Estes-Landers Landscape Design,” Estes explained. “I bought the stock from Landers Lawn Maintenance in 1997 and by 1999 I had grown the design and installation business from annual sales of $600,000 per year to $1.9 million. That’s when I purchased the property from Mr. Landers.”

But as Landers’ maintenance and design/build businesses changed hands, changed names and increased in revenue, Estes held onto one significant business approach he learned from his predecessor: the value of multiple companies working together.

In 1996, several other companies were located on the Landers/Estes property, all of which rented space from Landers. “Working under Ray Landers, he started the scenario of having a location for people to buy mulch, plant material, etc., all on one site,” Estes described. “But he had a vested interest in the businesses, and I could see that didn’t work. The competitors wouldn’t buy from the nursery or they wouldn’t buy mulch because they were basically putting money into competitors’ pockets.”

In a twist on the original idea, Estes has formed what he calls a “business park” approach on his property. Six companies, including Whitley Lawn Care, Vining Stone, Stovall Irrigation & Nursery Supply, Georgia Professional Sprinklers, Rios Masonry, and P.E.P. (Erosion Control) rent space from Estes and, along with his two companies, create an eight-business complex in the middle of booming Coweta and Fayette counties.

“This setup is very convenient for everyone,” Estes assured. “I don’t have to stock chemicals and I purchase my plant material straight off the nursery lot. When we open the doors at 6:30 in the morning, we go out, get the plant material we need, load it onto the truck, and that really cuts down on deliver fees and that sort of thing.

The fact that the companies share 14 acres of property and an office building make forging business deals very convenient, since all eight businesses subcontract with one another frequently.

“We all generate a lot of business off each other in terms of subcontracts,” Estes noted. “The companies I have the most contact with are Vining Stone and Stovall Nursery as well as Whitley lawn care, and we subcontract our irrigation with Georgia Professional Sprinklers.” Whereas some clients may hire contractors with their hands in a little bit of everything, risking a “jack of all trades, master of none” scenario, Estes explained that a significant benefit of the business park is each company’s dedicated abilities.

“We have eight different companies here on the property that all specialize in individual portions of the green industry, so we don’t really compete against each other at all,” he explained. “Instead of calling a much larger company and trying to get everything, our clients have one-stop shopping and can use each of our services – knowing that we’re all very specialized in what we do.”

Estes related that working in a business park has truly cut down on certain business costs and downtime, thereby increasing his bottom line. But this, like any business venture, hits its snags.

“We have 14 acres, but we’ve become increasingly overwhelmed with space issue,” Estes reported. “Parking has become the biggest issue because Vining Stone and the nursery are generating so many walk-in customers – it makes it difficult for us to move.” Because Estes’ crews are offsite for the majority of the workday, space isn’t as much of a problem for them, but it does keep Estes from expanding the business park even more. “If we had more room I think two other companies I would seek to really provide everything would be lawnmower sales and repair,” he reasoned.

Despite logistical issues like this, Estes is thoroughly proud of his accomplishment and expects his business park approach to remain unique for some time. “To find qualified people who I would refer my customers to and who would share the same business idea would be difficult,” he commented. “I’m very fortunate that we’re right between Coweta and Fayette counties – two of the top-10 fastest growing counties in the nation. We’ve surrounded ourselves and been particular about trying to negotiate with possible tenants who would be leaders in the industry.”

The author is Assistant Editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at lspiers@lawnandlandscape.com.