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QA/Test Version - orders will NOT be processed
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| LESCONEWS Spring 2004
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Spring
2004
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LESCONEWS
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Vol.
42 No. 2
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On-site crews are
something to consider
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When
Metheny Commercial Lawn Maintenance takes on new accounts or expands existing
business, one of the decisions the company must make is how best to manage
the work. Because many of the properties are quite large and the range
of services provided extensive, maintaining an on-site crew is often the
way to go. We asked Andrew Metheny to share some details of how this system
benefits both the company and its clients. Here's what he had to say.
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Q.
How do you determine which jobs are best suited for on-site personnel?
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A.
We believe a property must require at least 2,000 annual labor hours
before having someone on site is realistic. That being said, in
about half the situations the customer requests we assign someone
to their account fulltime. They value the personal involvement and
recognize how important it can be on a large site. In other instances,
we explain to the customer that we can more efficiently manage the
work by assigning someone to the site fulltime.
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Q.
Is there always a supervisor on site?
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A.
We have properties large enough to warrant a full-time site manager
and crew. Others are staffed by an individual gardener or crew and
supervised by a site manager who also has jurisdiction over other
properties. For example, one of our larger accounts is home to a
five-person full-time crew and a supervisor who spends 50 percent
of his time on the property. He splits the remainder of his week
between two other accounts. Every situation is a little different
so we look at each account individually to determine what will work
best.
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Q.
When you assign staff to a property, do they perform all the work
that client requires?
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A.
No. Even on properties where we have full-time crews of up to five
people, we still bring in the mowing crew to cut the grass and do
the edging. The allocation of equipment has to be taken into account
and it would not be feasible to provide each site with mowers. How
self-sufficient a site is depends on many variables including size,
the number of people we have there and the degree of service required.
Many have the all the tools they need, with the exception of mowers
and other major or specialized equipment.
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Q.
How do the on-site full-time crews impact your company?
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A.
These jobs create a huge burden on capital and require a major commitment
of personnel, equipment and time. To be successful, it is important
to make sure everything is in balance and that you account for all
costs. We do, however, like managing our larger properties this
way because it strengthens our customer relationships and allows
us to provide exceptional service - right down to picking up litter,
for example. Our clients appreciate that we are working for them
every day and handling a variety of duties rather than just showing
up at a predetermined time to do specific tasks.
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Q.
How do your employees feel about being permanently assigned to one
site?
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A.
Our associates find these assignments motivating because the work
involves multiple tasks and they develop a sense of pride and ownership
in the property. Corporately, we like this approach because we can
empower our employees and bring them up through the ranks. These
jobs require our top people because they demand a strong knowledge
of all aspects of landscape maintenance as well as good time management
and relationship skills.
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