Newspaper Profiles Indiana Landscaping Company

Don’s Lawn Service & Landscaping 
 
Address: 8721 Droege Road, Decatur. The business is in Allen County although it has a Decatur postal address.

At a glance: The landscaping company handles weekly yard maintenance for commercial and residential properties. Don’s Lawn Service & Landscaping designs landscaping and irrigation systems. The company also handles snow removal and construction jobs in the offseason.

Past construction projects include the 12,000-square-foot Meyer’s Furniture store in Decatur.

“We have specialized in hardscapes – in other words, brick patios, brick outdoor living areas,” co-owner Don Scheumann said. “We see the trend going toward outdoor living spaces.”

Employees: Six to 14, depending on the season

Annual revenue: About $1 million

How old is the company? Scheumann started the company on a part-time basis in 1975 and turned it into a full-time business in 1990.

Biggest accomplishment in the past 12 months: The Indiana Concrete Masonry Association honored the company with its hardscape design award in January. Don’s Lawn Service received the award for building a multilevel courtyard at Fellowship Missionary Church on Tillman Road. The 5,000-square-foot stone courtyard features a brook with a waterfall and a wedding arbor.

“We find that to be a trend that’s leading into the residential – to make areas outside that you can relax in with water and different kinds of plants,” Scheumann said.

What are the key challenges facing your business or industry? “This year has been a really slow start because of the cold weather, and the last couple of years have been extremely hard because gasoline prices have soared to almost double what they used to be years ago,” Scheumann said.

“And in our industry, it’s very competitive, and the price is somewhat dictated … by what our competitors are charging. It makes it a challenge to fit into that market and cover your expenses, with the rising cost of gas and the weather being like it is shortens up your season.”

The company tries to tackle as many projects in the offseason as possible to avoid a time crunch, Scheumann said.

What are your growth projections for the next five years? “We would like to see a steady increase of 3 (percent) to 5 percent, or 10 percent, over the next five years,” Scheumann said.

What’s one thing about your business that people may not be aware of? Don’s Lawn Service sends supervisors to training sessions each year. Scheumann wants the staff to be experts on the latest technology and trends in the landscaping industry.

“We have really tried to train and specialize in things and have the right people in place,” he said.

Source: Don Scheumann, co-owner