Down but not out

With the busy summer winding down, the team at Pratt’s Lawn Care & Landscapes has been working through a rollercoaster of a season. Weather and labor threw some curve balls at owners Jennifer Davies and Bob Naylor, but the duo has been making strides to push forwards and end the season on a successful note.

Last time we checked in, a potential housing solution for prospective employees was turning out to be a waste of money. A client’s home that wasn’t being used was rented to the landscape company, but it sat empty as Davies said they weren’t able to get the labor they needed to fill the rooms. Fortunately, after an expense of about $14,000, the client let them out of their contract.

“(The housing) was a gamble that did not pay off this summer,” Davies says. “I would be hesitant to commit to something long term after this trial run.”

The greenhouse project is well underway, and Davies says they’ve had some good progress made since the project began. They’ve been able to secure a supplier for the nursery operations, one of the largest retail buying groups in Canada.