Secrets to decades of service

After roughly two years of building a golf course, Blair List realized he wanted a career change.

The course – now-defunct Winding Hollow in Ohio – gave him an opportunity to stay on and be an assistant superintendent, but he found quickly that he wanted to be a builder, not a maintainer. He had also recently married and wanted to stay in the Columbus area, and he knew a few landscape contractors and developers. So, he figured he’d “roll the dice" and give irrigation a try.

That's when List founded Rain One Irrigation & Drainage, which has now been in business for roughly 28 years.

"Maintaining the course was boring at some point," List says. "I liked that thrill of creating."

Now employing around 45 people, Rain One equally balances installation and maintenance. Additionally, the company offers seasonal snow removal, something that most irrigation companies don’t offer but it’s an additional source of revenue they’ve always had.

“We irrigate water, we drain water with drainage, and we deal with frozen water,” List says. “It’s been nothing more than hopefully a way to keep full-time staff. On the average, it’s proven to be successful.”

List is also a member of a peer irrigation group with Midwest contractors, which he has been invaluable for him to learn more about the industry. He says keeping tabs with other contractors who use similar software, don’t share the same clients and are of similar size to his company.

Of the things he's learned in his experience running Rain One and from his peer group, List also recommends contractors keep the following in mind:

• Manage growth wisely: List says 2008 was a great wake-up call for the they're practicing how to prepare for a recession. List says he wants to maintain small growth, not rapidly expand and bite the bullet for it later. In fact, he prioritizes recurring maintenance work in some ways over finding new clients because he knows those jobs will remain once a client is hooked. “We found that, as bad as things got for some people, they still had enough money to turn the water on and make sprinkler repairs,” List says. “It didn’t mean we were out doing installations. That took a big hit. We’re just kind of selectively a little picky, but we don’t have to bid every single job that comes to our plate. It’s got to be the right job for us.”
• Know how to attract new recruits: List says understanding generational changes is critical. He’s 53 years old, and he says he can’t deal with a 20-year-old the same way he would with somebody his age. “It’s a different process, we talk a different way about projects,” List says. “It’s a young person’s game. When’s the last time you saw a guy 60 years old on a crew cutting grass?” Appealing to those younger employees takes talking with each employee about what they want out of the position. Many younger folks are less willing to go work outside, List says, so finding ways to make them feel like their voice is heard will help retain their employees.
• Manage your equipment: “Aside from labor, equipment is the backbone of your company. List says Rain One enjoys a fair amount of equipment, but he's adamant about replacing it cyclically and staying on top of those replacements. He has it set up so every year, they shed roughly a third of their total equipment but buy new versions. If they hit financial trouble, however, he could be down to a third of his equipment within two years. "That helped me sleep at night," List says.