Grass Trimmer Sweepstakes Winner Focuses On Maintenance

Planet Green performs lawn and landscape maintenance, such as mowing, hedging, trimming and debris removal, as well as lawn care, irrigation installation and sodding, throughout the Gonzales, Prairieville and Baton Rouge areas of Louisiana. Rogers said the company’s service area is located in the second-fastest growing area in the state, which is experiencing a real estate boom of mostly commercial buildings.

"In the area that we’re in, there’s a lot of new businesses opening up, so we’re hitting those as we see the construction start and getting that business lined up," explained Rogers.

Along with the boom, Rogers has welcomed an increase in commercial customers, bringing his client base to a mix of about 60 percent residential and 40 percent commercial. He’s hoping to continue to grow the commercial side of the business. "Residential is a mainstay for most of the guys, but we’d really prefer commercial if we can get it," he related. "With residential, someone can come in and underbid you by $5 and they’ve got the work. With commercial, if they’re satisfied with your work, then you don’t usually lose that business as often."

Other reasons Rogers cited for increasing his commercial client base are the advantages of securing yearly contracts and reducing paperwork with monthly or quarterly billing. "We’re targeting real estate agencies with that same approach," Rogers continued. "We’re going in and taking properties and not being paid until time of sale." He said a combination of cold calls, word-of-mouth referrals and advertising on a local cable station have contributed to his success in obtaining new clients.

Planet Green Lawn Care & Maintenance started in 1998 after Rogers became burned out working in the professional medical field. "[Landscaping] seemed to be more of a relaxed, laid-back type career," he noted. "There were a lot of people in this area, so I knew the demand had to be great. I just knew that if we got into it and offered a good service, we’d be able to take some of that business, and we’ve done well with it."

Rogers keeps a base of about six to eight employees busy year round and hires part-time help as needed. Because of mild winters in Louisiana, the company has a constant flow of work lined up. "We cut grass from the end of March sometimes up through October," Rogers said. "In winter we do a lot of maintenance, such as bed preps and irrigation lines. There’s always something going on."

Future plans for Rogers include the possibility of opening a retail business at a local strip mall. He would sell consumer products, including fertilizers, yard care items and insect control products, to the do-it-yourself homeowner market.