Lawn Doctor featured in Turf Magazine

Lawn Doctor was recently featured in Turf Magazine in an article titled, "Men in Blue Keepin' it Green."  The article features two Irvington Police Officers who are also Lawn Doctor franchisees: Sgt. John Pelliccio is the Lawn Doctor of Wappinger Falls and Brewster-Carmel-Mahopac and Police Officer Jean-Marc Grollier is the Lawn Doctor of Rockland, NY. The article discusses why both active police officers not only pursued the lawn care industry, but why Lawn Doctor was the right fit for each of them. For the entire article click here or begin below.

Men in Blue Keepin' it Green
By: Pamela Walton

The rhetorical question posed in the Top Cops theme song is directed at the criminal element. But for two Irvington, N.Y., police officers it's also aimed at the weeds and pests they arrest.

Sgt. John Pelliccio (Officer of the Year) and Jean Marc Grolier fight crime by night, and as Lawn Doctor franchise owners, fight weeds and pests by day. Voted one of the country's best franchises by Success Magazine, Lawn Doctor's trained technicians use specialized equipment to provide quality lawn, tree and shrub care and pest control services to customers across the nation. 

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Lawn Doctor featured in Fairfield County Business Journal & Westchester Business Journal

Lawn Doctor was recently featured in the Fairfield County Business Journal & the West Chester Business Journal in an article titled, "Lawn Doctor franchisee sets the bar."  The article focused on Jeff Angus’ story of how he came to be a franchisee for Lawn Doctor. Further, the article discusses Jeff’s business background and why he decided to get into the lawn care service industry instead of staying in the corporate world of marketing for hotels. The article also provided a great photo of Jeff and one of his Lawn Doctor trucks.  Click here to read the entire article or begin below.

Lawn Doctor franchisee sets the bar
By: Patrick Gallagher

After a nearly 20-year run in the hotel industry that took Jeff Angus from Seattle to Atlantic City and nearly a dozen locations in between, he was ready to settle down and open his own business.  

Now, 12 years after reaching that goal, Angus, a New Canaan resident, unexpectedly finds himself at the helm of ten Lawn Doctor franchises in Westchester and Fairfield counties, making him the company’s largest franchisee.

It all started when a series of hotel mergers in the mid-1990s left Angus with a choice: Relocate from Westport to Seattle – where he had been immediately before moving to Connecticut – or find a new employer.

“Having spent every Monday in the corporate boardroom with a suit and tie on, I thought about going back to the hotel field but … I didn’t really want to do that, so we said, ‘Let’s buy a small business,’” said Angus, who worked in sales and marketing for Red Lion Hotels Corp. for 15 years before the chain was acquired by Doubletree by Hilton. That was followed by a short stint with HEI Hotels & Resorts in Westport until it was bought by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.

In 1997, Angus responded to a classified advertisement in The New York Times, in which the owner of three Fairfield County Lawn Doctor franchises said he was looking to sell.

“I met with him one Monday afternoon, and as I drive into the parking lot, here’s this guy in a Jeep Wrangler with a cutoff shirt and jeans,” Angus said.

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Franchisee Profile: John Pelliccio

Location: Rockland, NY

Opening: 2001

Email: group501@lawndoctor.com

Q: Tell us about yourself. What was your career before franchising?

I have worked for the Irvington Police Department for the past 23 years— 12 years as a Patrolman and 11 years as a Sergeant. On June 15, I will be recognized by the River Towns Lions Club as the Officer of the Year for my service to the community.  I had wanted to be a police officer since I was a little boy, and I grew up in a family where several members have served on the force. I work 12 hour overnight shifts, so I found that I had a lot of free time during the days. I owned a couple of insurance agencies, which I eventually sold back to the carrier, but afterwards, I was looking for something to do during the days and toyed with the idea of retirement. I kept coming back to the fact that I liked working outside and taking care of my own lawn.

Q: How did you learn about the Lawn Doctor brand?

After doing a lot of online research, I realized lawn care was a good industry to get into and would compliment an already stressful work life with the police department.  Lawn Doctor was a great fit because I didn’t know anything about running this type of business and their experience in the industry  helped me to feel capable to hit the ground running. I started with Lawn Doctor in 2001 and with the help and support of the Lawn Doctor Franchisee training program, I now operate four franchises in Pascack Valley, Rockland County and Bergen County while maintaining my role as a sergeant in the police force.

Q: What was appealing to you about joining the Lawn Doctor franchise system and why do you feel that Lawn Doctor is a good fit for you?

One of the selling points for me was that I didn’t have to be tied down by the business all day, every day. The business structure allows for flexibility. I also liked the actual work and liked that once I sold an account I had a recurring income.

When I bought the business initially, my plan was to build something up so that I could retire from the force and continue working as a Lawn Doctor. I’ve been able to successfully manage both careers, so retirement isn’t on the radar just yet.

Q: What makes your business different?

As a police officer, I’m heavily involved in the community and now I also service the lawns of Rockland County. I also like to think of my business as family-run, as my two nephews work for me, as well as my wife who works in the office alongside me.

ABOUT LAWN DOCTOR

Founded in 1967, Lawn Doctor is a 460-plus-unit franchised American brand with local owners. The award winning franchise has established itself as a leader in the lawn care industry through innovative technology, its ability to satisfy the needs of consumers on a national level, and its development and expansion within the industry. For more information on Lawn Doctor, visit www.lawndoctor.com. 

Lawn Doctor featured in Green Industry Pros

Lawn Doctor was recently featured in Green Industry Pros in an article titled, "Women Get Grass."  The article discusses how women are becoming more prevalent in typically male-dominated service industries, such as lawn care. The article features three recent Lawn Doctor women franchisees: Odalys Berrens, Jodi Lewis and Kim Toth. The women discuss why they became Lawn Doctor franchisees, despite none of them coming from a lawn care background, and how they’re running successful business for themselves, but not by themselves.  For the entire article click here or begin below.

Women Get Grass
By: Gregg Wartgow

How They're Doing It

·         Develop a detailed financial plan that is sales-, profit- and goal-oriented

·         Become an educator

·         Be realistic with expectations

·         Offer "natural" services so you don't miss out on this growing market

·         Use promotions to develop a solid base of business early in the year

·         Reach out to past clients to win them back

·         Provide consistent, reliable service

·         Be attentive and responsive

·         Become a valuable member of the community you serve

·         As the owner, remain the face of your company

Women have assumed a more prominent role as business leaders over the past few years. In fact, U.S. Census Bureau data suggests that nearly one-third of small businesses are now owned by women. Furthermore, the growth rate of women-owned small businesses is much higher than the national average.

Though not nearly as dramatic, positive trends are also being seen in the Green Industry. For example, Green Industry PRO's March/April issue featured contractor http://www.greenindustrypros.com/article/10626082/express-yourself, a female horticulturalist who has built a thriving multi-service landscape business in Montana.

Over the past year, three ambitious women have abandoned successful white-collar careers to become franchisees. Their unique perspectives on sales, customer service and environmental stewardship have helped them to quickly build strong foundations for businesses that can continue to grow and profit. Here are their stories.

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