Green Paradise

Employee Morale, Job Efficiency Increases With
Green
Paradise Landscaping, Inc.’s
Purchase Of Vermeer Mini
Skid Steer

By: Tammy Boone
Photos: Terica Messmer

Green Paradise, Inc. using their Vermeer S600TX to prepare the topsoil for sod.

For the past seven years, on every job that Green Paradise Landscaping, Inc. completed, the employees finished every facet by hand. The beginning of May, the company purchased a Vermeer S600TX mini skid-steer and the benefits of owning the piece of equipment have been instantaneous.

“We wanted to buy machinery that would take the place of manpower so that we wouldn’t have to lay employees off in the slow months,” explains Ryan Burt co-owner of the company. “Owning the Vermeer has been a huge morale booster for the men. You just don’t realize how intimidating it is to see a 40-yard pile of dirt and know that you’re going to have to move it all by hand, with shovels and a wheelbarrow.”

Green Paradise Landscaping has recently completed a job where the benefits of the S600TX were more than evident.

Ryan says that the versatility of the machine, as well as a day of demoing it, sold Green Paradise on it. “The day we demoed it, we trenched, tore up grass, and dumped concrete,” he says. “It took about 20 minutes to learn the controls and to feel fairly comfortable in my ability to run it.”

Green Paradise completes a variety of landscaping projects for homeowners, including installing: irrigation systems; sod, grass, plants & trees; flagstone and boulders; low voltage lighting; waterfalls and ponds; concrete mow curbs; stamped colored concrete; barbecues and fire pits; garden walls, and all clean-up.

In addition to the Rancho Cucamonga project, the new machine has earned its keep on several jobs over the past 1.5 months. The crew used the augur attachment on a project where they were planting six 30-inch box palm trees. Ryan says that before the machine, this would have taken all day with the men having to dig each hole by hand, but the machine made it into a 1 1/2-hour process. Also, the company used to subcontract out concrete removal, but can now do this work with the S600TX. Another recent job called for the removal of a 3000 square foot concrete driveway. Again, Ryan says that before they would have broken the concrete up by hand and loaded it into a wheelbarrow.

(Top & Middle) The Vermeer S600TX being used to transfer the topsoil. (Right) Foreman David Salgado and co-owner of Green Paradise, Inc., Ryan Burt.

“I wish I would have bought this machine a lot sooner,” Ryan comments.

Green Paradise Landscaping has six full-time employees and hires temporary help in the summer during their busy season. The company did $1.2 million in work in 2006 and, according to Ryan, increases that amount each year by about $400,000. Their employees can be found working on three different jobs at any one time.

Ryan and his partner, brother-in-law Andy Ericson have more than 10 years combined experience in the landscaping and agricultural industry. Andy grew up in the nursery business and has worked with landscaping companies doing both residential and commercial work. His expertise is in knowledge of plant material and an eye for design. Ryan began working for a landscaping business while in college. Along with his landscaping experience, he brings a keen business sense and attention to detail to the table.

Green Paradise Landscaping was born when Ryan and his wife Heidi purchased their first home and wanted to landscape their yard in a way that differentiated it from the other homes in the neighborhood. They installed dividing walls, a front walkway and lush, tropical landscaping. The neighbors took notice and wanted to know who had done the work. When the Burts replied, “we did”, they began to get inquiries to complete landscaping at other homes in the neighborhood. They ended up landscaping four other homes and the company was born.

Until June of this year, Ryan has pulled double duty as a police officer for the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department, along with the landscaping business. He is now retired from the police force and looking forward to the continued growth of the company. Heidi handles all the office work.

The company currently completes projects in what Ryan calls the foothill communities of Southern California: Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, La Verne, Claremont, and Fontana. They also do work in the Corona area and further south in Norco. He sees the company expanding into the Redlands and Yucaipa areas where many new residential developments are going in.

Ryan says that Green Paradise is a company focused on complete quality of the product and customer satisfaction. “We are complete pros, to the point that everyone on the jobsite wears a collared polo shirt,” he explains. “We give a six-month warranty on all work which has caused our referrals to go through the roof.

(Above) Vermeer S600TX transferring topsoil. (Right) Compacting the soil to prep for sod.

“Not every job goes perfectly, but we take care of all the detail work, which may take more time, but pays off in the end,” Ryan adds. “We are firm believers in working a job from start to finish. We don’t start a project for a homeowner and then come back two weeks later to complete it.”

The company pays attention to all the little details on each project, as if they were working on their own yard.

“It gives our customers a level of comfort to know that we are going to be straightforward,” Ryan explains.

Most of the company’s business comes from referrals, with a smaller percentage coming from advertising in a bi-monthly home design magazine.

For more information look online at http://greenparadise.org or call (909) 463-2679 Cc

(Bottom Left & Right) Completed jobs by Green Paradise, Inc.