Lin's Landscaping Service Raking Up Growth

RICHMOND, Va. -- L.W. Diacont III's father taught him early that the ground would always breed weeds, and that weeds can breed a profitable business.

The elder Diacont knew weeds: He whacked them on occasion for his landscaping business, Complete Landscaping Service. And in the three decades since his son started his own company, the younger Diacont has whacked them, too. And then some.

"We've carved out a unique niche in the marketplace," said Diacont, 50, a resident of Stud- ley in Hanover County. "We don't want all the work in Richmond. We just want a little of the good work."

Working at Mechanicsville-based Lin's Landscaping Service Inc., now celebrating 30 years in business, will always involve some weed-whacking, but the $1 million company shows how much landscaping has changed since the elder Diacont, who died in 2002, ran his company.

Lin Diacont, a father of three, has spent the past 30 years diversifying services at the company. It has moved beyond basic lawn care to include installation of ponds and putting greens, low-voltage lighting, irrigation systems, power-washing and snow and ice removal, to name a few.

Diacont, president of the company, also has moved beyond beautifying properties. He tries to do for the reputation and image of landscaping what good landscaping can do for the most unattractive land.

But ask Diacont how his business differs most from others and he talks about relationships. Good relationships with his 27 employees and with customers have been important in promoting his business and the landscaping industry.

With his wife, Kathy, who works as secretary-treasurer, and his younger brother Richard, who is vice president, Diacont makes Lin's public-relations efforts obvious from the moment a customer steps into the office, located at the end of a long gravel driveway off Pole Green Road.

"Customers can come in, give us a hug, say, 'Nice to see you,'" Diacont said. "And we're very proud of that."

Plenty of customers are familiar with the new office, a converted four-bedroom house. But many also remember when the office was on Sliding Hill Road, where it had been for 30 years before the business relocated in March.

The firm's customer base spans cities, states and years, though most customers live in the Richmond area.

"We keep our [customers] 12 months out of the year," Diacont said. "In the landscape business, that's pretty much unheard of."

The recent relocation was a must. As Lin's grew - Diacont estimates he has more than $500,000 worth of trucks and other landscaping equipment - so did its space needs. The staff will use the new property's 15 acres to showcase services, with a large retail component planned for the 4 acres closest to Pole Green Road.

But while improvements will continue, the company doesn't fear competitors. Apart from the range of services, which Diacont says companies rarely offer, there is the focus on loyalty - to customers and employees.

"I've enjoyed working with them. They treat me fine," said employee Roger Mitchell, 70, a Mechanicsville resident who knew Diacont as a high school student - his student.

Mitchell taught shop and agriculture at Lee-Davis High School for 35 years. These days, he is known as "the legend" and for 13 years has done a bit of everything at Lin's.

"I made straight A's in that class, didn't I?" Diacont asked Mitchell.

Mitchell chuckled heartily as he trimmed some red impatiens. Then he was off to do other chores. "I do anything they ask me," Mitchell said, smiling.

Carl Dempsey, 46, of Ashland has been working for Diacont since 1984 - longer than any other current employee - and said he, too, enjoys his relationship with the company.

He like its close-knit, family atmosphere, Dempsey said. "The things we do around here other corporations don't do. We throw horseshoes."

Diacont said he's not sure whether Lin's will remain family-owned after he hands the reins to someone else. His 20-year-old son, Chip, is working there now, but he would have to work his way to the top, he said.

"If they want it, they'll have every opportunity," he said. "But I don't want to push them."

Not that his father pushed him. The elder Diacont had a great influence, but his son was interested enough in the work to begin helping out when he was 8 years old. As his father taught him about weeds and other landscaping fundamentals, Diacont knew his destiny.

"I can remember when his customers asked what I was going to do when I grew up," Diacont said. He told them he was going to be in the landscaping business too.