landscaper of the year finalists
Dream
BIG
BY KEN WYSOCKY
Diversifying and tracking their business helped these
landscapers reach their goal of serving high-end clients.
W
hile still attending college in 1998,
Jason Cromley and Matt Seiler
started up Hidden Creek Landscaping
in Columbus, Ohio, equipped with
little more than a pickup truck, some shovels and a
simple business plan: dream big, work hard.
In the ensuing years, they aggressively expanded their services when opportunities arose, emphasized great customer service, invested earnings
in productivity-enhancing equipment and learned
— the hard way — how to maximize profits through
more accurate job estimating.
The results speak for themselves. Hidden Creek
now employs 45 people, owns roughly $750,000
worth of vehicles and equipment and offers customers everything from grounds maintenance to
design/build landscape installations for affluent
residential clientele, including hardscaping, plantings and irrigation systems. In 2012, the company
generated about $3 million in gross revenue, and
A P R I L 2013
TLC0413_LOY.indd 35
TotalLa nd s ca p e C a re . c o m 35
3/25/13 4:16 PM
