Change with the seasons — Landscape companies deal with rising costs, slow winter
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This year's mild winter was a boon for drivers, who mostly didn't have to contend with snow-covered roads on their daily commute, but the lack of the white stuff was a bust for landscaping and lawn care businesses.
"We rely on snow removal," said Rich Huber, owner of ProLawn Landscaping Co., Altoona.
Huber has many commercial accounts, so the two or three weeks of snow in January and one in February didn't do much to supplement his business over the usually slow winter months.
"It hurts the bottom line," Huber said, but noted that businesses can no longer depend on snow removal for income as the region seems to have realized a shift in its climate.
While the snowfall was sparse and the weather mild, Huber's team were able to get out and work on some retaining wall projects, he said.
Joe Beck, owner of Beck's Maintenance and Landscape Center of Duncansville and Pittsburgh, said the lack of snow allowed work to proceed on some projects left over from last year. It also helped him get a start on some spring work customers wanted done sooner rather than later, he said.
Beck said his business does a lot of snow removal, so years when that work is light "that had a large impact on us not just financially but keeping guys working."
Without mounds of snow getting in the way, landscapers have been able to get a jump start on their spring work.
"We've always started no later than March 1 as long as there is no snow on the ground," said Russell McCloskey, owner of McCloskey's Landscaping Inc., Tyrone. This year, spring cleanup started the last week of February, he said.
"We can start doing spring cleanups earlier and can get a start on pruning work if the temperatures are high enough," said President Jeff Adler of Adler's Landscape Nursery Inc., Altoona.
The mild weather means Adler's "definitely got a head start this spring," he said, adding that people are already chomping at the bit to get work done.
"People usually don't call until mid March or April to seed their lawns," he said. "We had a lot of people already calling for spring cleanups."
While Mike Foose, franchise owner of Lawn Doctor of Altoona, said his business is up and running now, "if we get snow, the brakes go on."
Tony Luther, owner of Luther Lawn Service, Duncansville, said his crew have been able to do some early excavating work and other jobs, thanks to moderate temperatures.
But, as area residents know, the weather can change quickly at this time of the year.
"It can be 60 degrees one day and snow a foot the next day," Huber said.
Rising costs a concern
Landscapers said rising fuel and material costs has been a concern for a number of years.
"Material prices took one of the largest hits in my 27 years of business," Beck said, stating a lot of the increases have to do with the economy as well as the weather.
"Everyone is trying to make up for the loss of revenue," he said.
John Sinisi, owner of J.J. Sinisi Landscaping and Lawn Care, Altoona, said diesel fuel prices continue to rise, a concern as he uses diesel-powered landscaping equipment.
That coupled with the costs of materials means that some companies have had to increase their prices.
"We've increased our prices a little bit to compensate for gas and materials," Huber said, adding that insurance goes up every year, too.
Beck said services have increased a little bit this year, "but we don't want to scare our customers."
Many are trying to hold the line on prices while keeping an eye on the economy.
"We are trying to maintain the same prices as last year unless something drastic happens," Sinisi said, noting he has a lot of older customers on fixed incomes.
McCloskey also is working to keep prices the same and said "we will make adjustments if we need to. We don't want to put more on our customers than the government has."
"We adjusted our prices last year and we will hold the line this year," Luther said.
For McCloskey, the cost increase of materials "hurts a little. I am trying to stay competitive and be fair with prices."
Willing workers an issue
Hiring workers continues to be an issue, but Huber said he has "a good crew of guys and gave them some raises."
Finding quality help is difficult, Foose said, blaming the free money handed out during the COVID-19 pandemic as spoiling a lot of people.
"If you have to choose between making $18 an hour at Rutter's or Sheetz or work in 90 degree temperatures doing digging and hauling and pushing wheelbarrows, it is a different breed of people who want to do this kind of work," Adler said.
Other challenges dog landscaping and lawn care companies, including the weather and the economy.
"Weather is always a challenge ... and environmental conditions," McCloskey said.
Middle class people don't have a lot of extra money in this economy, Huber said. "Landscaping is the last thing people are concerned about."
Despite the challenges, it looks as if business will be steady.
Huber has been steady, with some jobs left over from last year, and once the temperature gets into the 50s and 60s he expects people will get out "and then the phones will start ringing."
Sinisi said a warm spell a couple of weeks ago had people reaching to line up projects.
"We're pretty well booked," he said, noting that customers started calling in February.
McCloskey, Luther and Foose said they, too, expect to keep busy.
"We have good customer retention as far as maintenance contracts," McCloskey said. "We will keep our nose to the grindstone and stay busy."
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.