Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/217626
A Star in His Own Right Rod Pappas has pioneered landscape practices on several fronts in the Southwest desert. BY BILLY R. SIMS I n the 1970s, Rod Pappas was intent on becoming a rock star. He played lead guitar and vocals for various bands in the Phoenix, Arizona, area. His hair was shaggy, as was the trend, and his voice full of vigor and enthusiasm, singing songs such as "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Rebel Yell." It was a lifestyle, he says, that was "on the edge and not conducive to family life or a relationship of any kind." True enough, and when the gigs dried up, he found himself looking for other work, eventually finding his way into the landscape business as a laborer and then going solo in 1983 as a subcontractor. From digging ditches to starting his own business in Phoenix 30 years ago, Pappas hasn't looked back – although he still strums the guitar and sings along with son, Derek, for family and friends. His company, Xeriscapes Unlimited, grossed $2.4 million last year, and Pappas expects it to reach $3 million this year. The company has 40 clients, primarily large commercial maintenance contracts – two of which are homeowners associations (HOA) that span a square mile each. In the process of building his business, he gained an understanding years ago, before it became the imperative it is now, to seek ways to carefully shepherd water usage and encourage the use of native vegetation and natural features in landscapes like boulders and desert granite in place of water-hungry turf. Along the way, Xeriscapes has become a star in its own right in the Arizona landscaping industry and an award-winning company noted for sustainable practices. Simple steps "The first day running my own business as a subcontractor in the '80s, I put in a 16-hour day," D E C E M B E R 2013 TotalLa nd s ca p eCar e.com 27