I started Grunder Landscaping Co. when I was just a kid and my brother, Rich, and I were the only two "employees." As the company grew, we hit milestones along the way where I had to bring on more team members to do work I was doing myself. First it was having crews working without my direct supervision, then having.

If you've been following me for a while or have visited my company in Dayton, you probably already know that I'm a nut for a good system. Grunder Landscaping Co. has long been known for doing high-quality work consistently and the best way to ensure that happens is by having established standard operating procedures.

Happy New Year! I hope you had a great holiday season with your family and friends.

It's nearly 2026, and as you look ahead to the calendar changing over later this week I want to talk about New Year's Resolutions.

By the time you read this, most of us are wrapping up our final jobs and site visits of the year. And depending on what snow might be coming for our friends in snow markets, the week between Christmas and New Year's offers something rare: actual quiet.

When I first started Grunder Landscaping Co. in 1984, I was just a kid trying to earn extra money for college. But there was one thing that changed everything for me: a monthly newsletter I'd receive in the mail that spelled out exactly what landscaping business owners should be doing and when.

Looking at our 2025 numbers at Grunder Landscaping Co., we performed over $150,000 in warranty work. That's a big number, which had us asking some hard questions about where we could tighten things up for 2026.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving spent with your loved ones. I was lucky to have all four of my kids, their significant others, and my two granddaughters in town this week. It was so nice to have everyone under one roof!

Vince Torchia and I were talking recently about why some companies hit their growth goals while others fall short. The issue isn't usually the goals themselves - it's the milestones leading up to them.