Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/165924
landscaper of the year finalist Sacrifice Equals Success BY JENNY AGEE-ALDRIDGE With everything on the line, this landscaper pushed through the recession, refusing to fail. GRIT. It's not a word used often, and when it is, it probably conjures up images of John Wayne and cowboy movies. But it perfectly encapsulates Darin Brockelbank's entrepreneur spirit. He's not a cowboy or a fictitious hero, rather a hardworking business owner who built a multimillion-dollar business by his early 20s, only to lose everything when the economy took a turn in 2008. When bill collectors came knocking, Brockelbank and his wife, seven months pregnant at the time, briefly considered folding. "We talked about filing for bankruptcy, but we knew we couldn't stay here and look people in the eye if we did," Brockelbank says. "This was our career, and with children in our lives, it didn't seem like we had any other option but to sacrifice, work hard and succeed." And that's what they did. Together, Darin and Heather chose to travel the more difficult path, keeping an eye on the future and the doors of their company, Metro Greenscape, open. The couple sold their house, their truck and the company's equipment, laid off 30 employees and moved in with S E P T E M B E R 2013 TLC0913_LOY2.indd 35 TotalLa nd s ca p e C a re . c o m 35 8/27/13 10:17 AM