Two Landscape Companies Among Finalists For National Better Business Award

DeSantis Landscapes Inc., Salem, Ore., and American Beauty Landscaping Inc., Boardman, Ohio, are both finalists in the same business size category for the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) National Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. Although competing for the same award, both companies noted that having two landscape companies as finalists among the variety of industries entered in the contest means the landscaping industry is making strides professionally.

"It speaks very highly of the industry," noted Roger Myers, CEO of American Beauty Landscaping. "I don’t think that as an industry we get enough credit for what we do. The award shows that the industry has a lot of class and has very business-minded companies."

"The fact that there’s two of us in this listing is wonderful," added Tony DeSantis, president of DeSantis Landscapes. "It’s good for our industry, and I think there are a lot more companies out there that could be getting some kind of recognition if they put their name out there."

HONORING ETHICAL BUSINESSES. With entries from for-profit national and local businesses that serve retail and wholesale markets, the BBB National Torch Award recognizes businesses for their commitment to exceptional standards in relationships to their consumers, employees, suppliers, competitors, shareholders and surrounding communities.

One national winner will be announced Oct. 1, 2001, at a Nashville, Tenn., awards ceremony from each of four size categories. An independent panel of judges with expertise in business ethics determines the winner. The size categories include:

• Category I (1,000 employees or more);
• Category II (100 to 999 employees);
• Category III (11 to 99 employees); and
• Category IV (1 to 10 employees).

DeSantis Landscapes and American Beauty Landscaping are among eight finalists from 42 entries in Category III. Other finalists in the category represent the following industries: certified public accounting, replacement windows, water conditioning, labels and ribbons, machine parts and moving and storage. The wide variety of finalists within Category III represents the diversity of companies entering the awards program overall and shows the rarity of two companies within the same industry being among the finalists in a particular category.

MAKING IT TO THE FINALS. The application process for the BBB National Torch Award is long and arduous, according to Myers. "If I would have known how much time and effort it took ahead of time, I probably wouldn’t have gotten involved," he joked.

Myers and other staff members at his 22-year-old design/build company compiled an extensive binder of materials documenting projects, business practices, community involvement and customer testimonials. Although time-consuming, Myers found the time to submit an entry with the thought that a national award could help his business. "Any avenues you can use as a marketing tool to let others know what type of company you are, the better position you can put yourself in to make others aware that you are a very professional company," he said. "The more ways we can get that message out to both clients and to potential employees, the better."

DeSantis also noted the importance of separating his design/build business of 27 years from local competition and suggested that business relationships were likely the key to DeSantis Landscapes being a finalist for the award. "A big part of what we had in our binder was letters from customers, vendors and peers in the industry that cooborated the other things we had said about ourselves," he explained. "I think it all comes down to relationships that you build. Relationships are everything."

Besides general business practices, DeSantis said community involvement was surely a key to becoming a finalist, as his company has worked on community projects, such as an outdoor play and learning center at a children’s museum and a community gardening project. "It not only feels good to help out your community, I think it’s the right thing to do. It’s also a smart business practice," he explained, noting that he has found many clients through his involvement in a local rotary club.

LIVING UP TO ETHICAL STANDARDS. "Our mission statement is pretty simple," said DeSantis. "It is to create beauty, build trust and continually improve. And building trust is all about letting our customers or potential clients know who we are and what we’ve done."

DeSantis explained that trust results from developing relationships with all customers. "We try to treat all customers as if they were long-term customers, even if they’re not, because someday they may be if you treat them that way," he said. He explained that relationships develop by achieving a level of understanding with a customer. Once that develops, tolerance quickly follows, and DeSantis said tolerance is the key to any relationship, whether it is with clients, employees or vendors. "That tolerance allows you the freedom to make mistakes and freedom to try new things. You can then become creative," he explained. "You can take chances when you’re trying to find solutions for people."

With the ability to exercise creative freedom, DeSantis makes sure he keeps the lines of communication open. Even if his company makes a mistake, he said he lets the customer know what it was and how it will be solved. If trust is built, customers know the company will rectify the situation and also know that the company stands behind its work. "It’s not uncommon for us to go in and tear something out and do it all over again if it isn’t quite right," said DeSantis. "We’re not afraid to spend that extra dollar because it always comes back to us. The key to integrity is that you stand behind it, bite the bullet and fix it. That’s what gains trust and keeps customers coming back."

The importance of trust also spills over into the human resources realm. Myers explained that American Beauty Landscaping focuses highly on professional growth among its employees. With the wide variety of educational resources the green industry offers, Myers said it is easy to find ways to teach his employees about the industry. "They have every opportunity to learn more about the profession and to move forward. We take advantage of those opportunities," he said.

Myers noted that by developing individuals into professional employees, positive results fall into place. "We actually put more work in our own people than we do in trying to get customers," Myers explained. "If you have happy employees, you’re going to have happy clients."

AWARDS LEAD TO REWARDS. Naturally, award achievements are used in marketing materials to potential clients. Additionally, Myers noted that professional distinctions can be useful in recruiting and retaining employees. "When we have certain achievements, we want others to know what we are doing," he said. That notification includes alerting local media of accomplishments and creating an awareness of the company. This awareness has lead to people walking in the door looking to apply for positions at Myers’ company - a rare occurrence in an industry plagued by labor problems.

"We’re attracting great people, and that means you get the ball rolling," he continued. "You create a momentum of positive energy, and you will attract positive people - it just continues to grow, be it staffing, recruiting or clientele."

DeSantis said creating a good public perception of a company should be one of the top priorities of a business owner, and he said a good place to start is by submitting applications for awards. "More landscape companies need to toot their horn. We aren’t that unique. There are a lot of very good companies out there that aren’t getting recognition," said DeSantis. "The public needs to know how professional our industry has become."