Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/85697
cover story The Business Savvy Partner Most contractors know how to landscape. It's the day-to-day administrative and managerial opera- tions that often prove to be the most challenging part of running a landscape business. In that regard, the Ohio Valley Group boasts an exemplarily partnership. Husband Andy Dangelo manages the landscaping and wife Kathleen, an attorney, handles the business operations, such as hiring new staff, writing contracts, marketing and fi nancing equipment. "We're a good example for the industry. We're a husband and wife team who are equal, yet bring dif- ferent skills to the table," Kathleen says. Their winning combination led to the Dangelos being nominated as TLC Landscaper of the Year Finalists in 2009. The couple started the Ohio Val- ley Group nearly 20 years ago in a spare bedroom of their home, while Kathleen, now 46, was in her second year of law school. Since then, it has grown into a multimillion dollar, full-service business. When she graduated from law school, Dangelo went to work for a large, corporate fi rm in Cleveland but still helped manage the landscaping business on the side – all the while raising three small children. She then turned in her corporate briefcase and went to work full time for the family business. It gave her more fl exibility with her children, she says. "Coming into the business as a lawyer garnered me instant respect [with male employees and within the industry] that I may not have received other- wise," she says. "We are a husband and wife team who are equal." Her legal expertise also gives her business insight others may not naturally have. "My law background helps me see problems sometimes before they arise, helping us to avoid them," she says. Dangelo hires all of the company's employees and says gender plays no role in the selection process. The team includes two female offi ce administrators, a female fi eld manager and two female crew leaders. "Diversity is always good. I don't want to work with people exactly like me because I would miss some 22 TOTAL LANDSCAPE CARE / March 2012 Women in Landscape National Association of Professional After attending several male-dominated land- scape industry networking events, Angelia Woodside Beckstrom came away feeling lost and unconnected. But the experience inspired her to create the National Association of Pro- fessional Women in Landscape (NAPWL) early last year. "I knew I needed to fi nd a professional as- sociation that worked for me where I didn't feel like the little lady or an ornament." she says. After attending an industry event spon- sored by John Deere Landscapes, which pro- vided classes and networking opportunities for women in the green industry (the next Women in the Green Industry event is scheduled for late September in Newport Beach, California), Beckstrom saw a light at the end of the tunnel. "The event completely inspired me. I stood a little taller the following year and knew I had to make it to that event every year. It was like my oxygen." Currently, NAPWL has 700 members and is forming new chapters across the country. "The organization is a neutral ground that welcomes any woman who touches landscape. Everyone is welcome and respected," Beck- strom says. "People listen to each other and ask ques- tions. It's a good place to cross train and edu- cate yourself." For more information, visit napwl.com. of the best ideas." Adding women to staff also creates positive peer pressure to eliminate the machismo culture that can often make male and female employees and custom- ers uncomfortable, Dangelo says. The VP Being in the landscape industry, you've probably heard of ValleyCrest, one of the largest businesses that manages projects and properties across the