NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE (Click on Photos to Enlarge)

FALL 2001

Dear Readers:

When I committed myself to writing a newsletter, I had hoped to write one every other month. However, nearly a half of a year has passed since I wrote the last one. I guess that I have been pre-occupied with the operation of our business. Its success is very important to me; after all, our business no longer supports just I…it also supports nine other employees and their families.

During this past spring and summer, our demand has grown tremendously. All of our clients are very important to us; nevertheless, previous clients are our priority. We refuse to become "spread too thin" so as not to be able to maintain the level of customer satisfaction and service that our clients' desire. This means that we are sometimes forced to decline new projects or to defer them to a later date. I always tell our employees that if we cannot take pride in our work, than we might as well be doing something else.

This has been a record year for us in many ways. We have completed several new landscape projects, and we continue to manage the health and growth of many others. Did you know we maintain over twenty-five residential landscapes, excluding lawns, on a monthly or semi-monthly schedule? Did you know our field employees, on average, have been with our company for 2.5 years? Not too bad for a five year old company. Employee retention is important to us, although it is rare in this field. Did you know we completed landscape projects, this year, for three homes whose individual home value exceeds two million dollars? Did you know we installed over twelve semi-loads of mulch this past spring, nearly 880 cubic yards or 7,920 three cubic foot bags? Did you know we installed over 3,200 square yards of sod this past spring and summer?

While I have the chance, I must, of course, comment on our weather. I have only one quote: "Only in Kansas City." Where else can there be a record cold winter that kills or injures so many plants, a record rainfall for June that watered all of our spring replacements, and a miserably hot and humid summer? Only in Kansas City. The weather has kept us guessing, and it has often made scheduling and completion of projects a challenge.

I would like to officially welcome and introduce our Project Coordinator, Nate Helland, who joined us this spring. Many of you have already met Nate, yet I am still getting used to having such a fine plantsman working for the best interest of our clients. Nate has a degree in horticulture from South Dakota State University. He selects nearly all of the plants for our projects and his expectations are very high.

Before I close, I would like to take this opportunity to wish a happy birthday to my grandfather, Raymond Frazee, who resides in Worthington, Minnesota. He will turn eighty on September 17, of this year. "Happy Birthday, Grandpa!"

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES

SPRING 2008

WINTER 2007

SPRING 2006

SUMMER 2005

SPRING 2005

WINTER 2004

FALL 2003

SUMMER 2003

WINTER 2003

SUMMER 2002

SPRING 2002

WINTER 2002

FALL 2001