L&L Insider

Pillars of the community

A Virginia nursery and landscaping association lent a few hours to spruce up a local housing development.

They say timing is everything. That was the case for the Central Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association’s (CVNLA) participation in a recent community project.

While many of the members do service projects on their own, the group wanted to do one together. They were talking about working with Habitat for Humanity on a community service project, when a week later an opportunity fell right in to their collective laps – The Pillars at Oakmont, Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity’s multi-family, mixed-income development.

“Jack Thompson with Richmond Habitat came to Glen Allen Nursery looking for help with the plants for The Pillars and in that conversation mentioned if we knew of anyone who could do the installation,” said Jim Hassold president of CVNLA and sales manager at Glenn Allen. “Upon mentioning this opportunity to our board, we immediately accepted the invitation to help with the planting.”

The project was broken down into two phases. The first phase, which was planted in late February, consisted of 125 native trees, shrubs and perennials along a buffer area and in the water retention pond area at The Pillars.

More than 20 CNVLA members took about three hours to help with the installation of the plants. More native plants will be installed around the completed homes during phase two, which was scheduled for late April, after L&L went to print for this issue.

“In Virginia, there has been a concerted effort on the behalf of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Plant more Plants Program to encourage planting native plants in the landscape to help mitigate stormwater pollutants from entering our local streams and, eventually, the Chesapeake Bay,” Hassold said.

The native plants made The Pillars a perfect choice due to the sustainable design of the development. In the planning stages of this development, Richmond Habitat partnered with the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment to develop sustainable designs for the Pillars at Oakmont, said Kristin Vinargo, communications manager for the Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity

“The development is a prime example of green, sustainable building practices,” she said. “Energy efficiency and environmental friendliness were taken into consideration in every step of building this neighborhood, from the planning stages all the way to completion.”

Hassold said he hopes service projects become a regular occurrence with the CVNLA.

“Although this is the first team project that the CVNLA has taken on in some time, with the positive feedback we’ve received from this planting, we are looking for additional projects and hope to work on at least two or three each year,” he said.”

Photos courtesy of the CVNLA and the Pillars
 

 
Born for the business

Lawn care pioneer Michael Kravitsky dies at 81.

By Chuck Bowen

Michael Kravitsky III, the founder of Grasshopper Lawns in Wyoming, Pa., died in early April. He was 81.

“My dad, he lived, he ate, he slept – he did nothing but lawn care. He loved this business so much it was annoying at times. He would talk about it so much to anybody and everybody. You’d go over to the hospital, you wouldn’t find a doctor or nurse that doesn’t know Grasshopper Lawns,” said Kravitsky’s oldest son, Michael Kravitsky IV.

From left: Michael Kravitsky IV, Kravitsky III and Shawn Kravitsky enjoy a drink.

In fact, Kravitsky spent his last days pushing lawn care services on his medical team. “Until his dying day, all he talked about was lawns,” Michael says.

In a fitting tribute, the Kravitsky family custom-painted his casket in Grasshopper Lawns blue with orange stripes and a company logo.

In 1964, along with his wife, Eleanore, Kravitsky bought two Lawn-a-Mat franchises in Scranton and Allentown, Pa. Eventually, the business grew into the independent Grasshopper Lawns. Kravitsky was also one of the founding members of the Lawn Care Association of Pennsylvania and a member of the Professional Lawn Care Association of America.

Kravitsky’s sons and Shawn and Michael Kravitsky IV now run the business, and Michael says his father outlined the core values of the company early on.

“It was always do more than what you say you’re going to do. That was simply his legacy to us. Do more than expected,” Michael said. “He made is simple for us. He said, ‘Lawn care is pretty easy boys. Make it green, kill the weeds and fill in the bare spots. You have to take care of your customers. Give them what they want and give them a little bit more.’ That’s the way we’ve been running our business since.”

Michael, who went along with his father on sales call as a child, praised his father’s dedication and connection with each of his customers, and his focus on small details. At every call, he would ask the homeowners for a newspaper as they sat down at the kitchen table. After a puzzled look, he would explain that he wanted to lay the paper down so his metal clipboard wouldn’t scratch the table’s finish.

Kravitsky III stands next to a 1952 Dodge, which was the first truck he owned.

Michael and Shawn officially took over the business in 2009, but had been increasingly responsible for the day-to-day operations for many years. Every winter and early spring since the 1970s, Kravitsky and Eleanore would take a three-month vacation to Acapulco, Mexico. In that time, Michael and Shawn learned the business first hand.

“I’m kind of glad they would go away in the wintertime, because it forced us to step up to the plate and learn,” Michael said. “That kind of taught me to do it myself. He was a good teacher.”

Joe Kucik, who runs RealGreen Systems, counted Kravitsky as a customer and long-time friend.

“He never worked for anybody else. He always was in business for himself. He was just a hardworking, blue-collar, honest guy,” Kucik said.

In lieu of floral tributes, the family requests memorial contributions in Kravitsky’s memory to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the Franklin Township Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Department, Orange Road, Dallas, Pa., 18612; or to St. Mary’s Protection Byzantine Catholic Church, 321 Chestnut Ave., Kingston, Pa., 18704.