Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/85697
landscaper of the year fi nalist Hardscape projects were one of the fi rst successful add-on services for Phelps. Utopian Landscapes operates on property that was once a nursery. that belie his youth. "I believe in the product we of- fer," he says. "If I didn't, it would be hard to sell and succeed in such a competitive market. "If you're confi dent about what you're working with and you believe in it, your skills and your level of expertise matter more than how old you are." ONE-STOP SHOP Last year, Utopian Landscapes grossed nearly $500,000 with Phelps and his crew of six offering 42 TOTAL LANDSCAPE CARE / March 2012 full-service property manage- ment, design/build services with a focus on hardscaping, landscape lighting and storm water management, which yields about a quarter of the company's business. No wonder, this part of Pennsylvania had record rainfall in the past two years, including devastating fl oods in 2011 as a result of hurricanes Irene and Lee, and Phelps was quick to provide remediation services and create a line of business that other landscapers were ignoring. "Our recent growth has been a result of added services," Phelps says. "We listened to our clients, and what we heard was 'I prefer to deal with one person for property manage- ment needs.' "We developed into a full-service company and took care of managing subcontractors when neces- sary for work we don't do." Phelps converted one of the former greenhouses into a storage space, covering it with black poly plastic to keep out sunlight. As he steps inside, he