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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Landscaper Reaps Kudos For Retail

Stay Green Inc. recently won a batch of trophies for commercial landscaping, but the big prize is winning the accounts to care for some of the biggest shopping centers in the Valley region, including the Americana at Brand in Glendale and the Promenade at Westlake in Thousand Oaks. “We’re proud to provide landscaping that enhances visitor experience,” said Chris Angelo, chief executive of the Santa Clarita company. “The awards are a gold standard.” The family-owned landscaper also won awards for its work on homeowners’ association properties, including the Siena Villas in Valencia and the Ranch at Fair Oaks in Santa Clarita. The awards were given by the National Association of Landscape Professionals, a national trade association with nearly 100,000 members. With more than 500 employees, Stay Green focuses on large landscape footprints like retail properties, colleges and hospitals. When Angelo’s parents started the company in the San Fernando Valley in 1970, it only served residential areas as a typical small landscaping business. Since then the company has grown organically with very little acquisition at double-digit growth rates, said Angelo. In mid-1990, the company dropped the residential service business to stay competitive. “When you build out a large organization, you create management and other layers of costs where you can’t stay competitive in the consumer market,” said Angelo. “It had to do with the overhead costs of building out a large crew, trucks and trailers.” The company also invested in multiple certifications in water monitoring, pest control and in aboriculture to expand in the business-to-business landscape sector. But the real driving force of his business is a great company culture, Angelo believes, based on integrity, accountability and teamwork. He said it’s the most important element in the landscaping business. “Our biggest investment is in people because it’s a service industry and over 50 percent of our operating budget is spent on wages,” he explained. The company plans to expand in the next few years into states like Arizona and Utah, riding the rapid growth in central California. – Iris Lee

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