A note from Tom…
A decade ago, I made a tough call – waving goodbye almost entirely to our commercial and residential snow removal business. Walking away from 15-30% of our revenue, depending on the seasonal snow totals, wasn't a decision I took lightly. The 2007 and 2008 economic downturn forced us to tighten our belts. In fact, for the next 10 years, we held back on many major investments and major equipment purchases. I recognized that to be successful, our snow fleet desperately needed almost $200,000 in improvements, but the numbers just didn't add up. More importantly, the morale didn't align.
Snow removal had always been important to our business. What had changed?
The answer was simple, our landscaping season had stretched from 7-8 months to 9-10 months. Being able to work outside from March to Christmas became the new norm. After a grueling 10 months of outdoor labor, enduring the elements of every season, our crews needed downtime, and a chance to reconnect with their families.
I'm a snow enthusiast, but if it's snowing, I'd rather be sledding, skiing, or hiking through a snowy forest. But when plowing was needed, I would find myself halfway into a 24-hour plow shift with invoicing and equipment repairs looming, instead of enjoying off-season activities and downtime.
But more importantly, I wanted to focus on what truly fuels my passion for the horticulture industry: Landscape Design, designing unique, creative spaces tailored to our clients' goals. I'd rather tour nurseries for specimen trees or explore the latest landscape lighting technology than worry about how many transmissions failed the night before. I recognized that I would not only prefer these activities, but they offered a more valuable
Now, a decade later, we're not buried in snow, but in design, which is what we love. We're creating outdoor rooms for all seasons, pools that dazzle all summer, veggie gardens that rival Martha Stewart's, and outdoor spaces so inviting you won't want to go inside. Our incredible clients understand that this is our time to focus on designs, free from the distractions of inspections and job deadlines. We're immersed in design, using creativity, sketching on paper, sharing ideas, and transforming them into 3D visualizations for our clients to envision.
If it snows, I might leave the office early to relish nature. If it doesn't, you'll find me and the rest of The Barn Design Team doing what we love – gearing up to turn dreams into reality. And if we don’t see you this winter, remember spring will be here soon to Frosty The Snowman into a puddle!
Tom Kusmerz
