Facing the unexpected

See June’s edition of Lawn & Landscape for a more in-depth look at how the three Turnaround Tour companies are doing. The issue goes live Monday, June 8!

Custom Landscaping and Lawn Care

The coronavirus pandemic has hit the New Jersey-based business hard, with multiple employees contracting the virus.

“It’s been really challenging,” says Frank Leloia. “We have had 19 cases of the virus.”

Leloia estimates that around 75% of the company has been tested for COVID-19.

 Leloia says having so many employees out has made it difficult to keep up with the workload.

“It presented a lot of challenges, but we were able to work through them,” he says. “We’ve been working seven days a week, and 80 hours weeks.”

Lawn & Pest Solutions

The team at Lawn & Pest Solutions in Mississippi has been busy. Owner Paul Welborn and company beat its production goal for April by 17% and new sales are about 5% ahead of 2019 levels.

However, Welborn says they budgeted for a substantial increase in new sales but that hasn’t materialized yet.

If the COVID-19 restrictions on social distancing relax without increased health concerns, he expects to see at least a portion of the increased budget come through.

Hawkins Landscaping

David Hawkins Jr. says the annual frenzy of new jobs is slower this year, but his company, Hawkins Landscaping, is managing the COVID-19 crisis as best they can.

Hawkins says he can use everyone staying at home to his advantage. He pitches his services as creating a “staycation” environment and tells them it’s something they’ll always have.

Hawkins’ employees are still doing physical appointments and keep their distance.

“When we go there, if they have their mask on, I put my mask on. A lot of people are really appreciative of that,” he says. “Like everything else, you have to be an opportunist. You have to have a little nerve and take a chance on it.”