Lessons learned
By now, word has gotten around about Pro Lawn in the market areas it serves. The crushing opportunities currently available are plentiful, Houssain says, with his six crews keeping busy.
Houssain is eager to grow Pro Lawn further, but he also realizes there’s a right and a wrong way to grow. Loyalty matters to Houssain, who isn’t about to chase the next job simply because it presents itself.
“Say what you’re going to do and do what you’re going to say,” Houssain says, citing sage-old advice that’s vaulted Pro Lawn to this point. “Customers know we’ll work night and day for them if we have to. That’s a big part of our thing: We’ve got great guys who will push on through, and they like doing it. A lot of our guys like crushing.”
Clearly, aggregate producers are taking notice.
“I got a call from the president of another Indiana aggregate producer,” Houssain says. “I did work for him, and he said: ‘I will pay you a premium if you finish a job.’ Another crusher started this job for him and never finished it.”
Turning down work, of course, is not easy for Houssain. It is, however, a good problem to have.
“Our growth is like 40 percent every year,” Houssain says. “Our accountant said he’s never seen anything like it.”