“I think we have a good story to tell,” says Larry Overley, president and CEO, Landtech Contractors, Inc. “After so many years of experience, I am excited to share what I have learned and to mentor up-and-coming contractors.”

Overley founded Landtech in Pitkin County on the Western Slope in 1987 with six people. Kevin Overley, the younger brother by 12 years started part-time back then while going to college in Denver and has been there ever since.

Two years later Landtech moved to the Front Range and opened an office in Aurora. Today, with more than 300 employees, this commercial landscape construction and maintenance company services all of the Front Range from three offices with yards and has plans for more growth.”

Strategic growth model
From the beginning, Larry Overley wanted to focus on commercial properties, which now account for 100 percent of the company’s construction and maintenance projects.

“Lateral growth is our model. We wanted to spread out, not stay concentrated in the same region,” he says. “We set up in a location and grow to support costs. Then continue to grow until we are maximized in the location while looking for new locations. That’s our model.”

Here’s how it worked for Landtech
Landtech expanded to the south when it opened its Colorado Springs branch in 1996 serving The Springs, Pueblo and further south. In 2004, a new Colorado Springs facility was constructed on acreage.

With southern Colorado and the Metro Denver areas covered, Landtech continued to close service area gaps in northern areas by opening a third branch in Longmont in 1999 and in 2017 moved to their new facility in Loveland.

In 2003, Landtech built a large state-of-the-art facility in Aurora on 5 acres that accommodates a fleet of trucks and plenty of equipment, as well as 12,000 sq. ft. of office space. “For the Denver-Aurora region, our Aurora facility is operating near maximum,” Overley discloses. But he believes there are multiple opportunities for lateral expansion. Landtech strives to be one of the largest players in its service areas but not necessarily the biggest in a region.

The management team is constantly looking ahead for new opportunities. Before a location reaches its maximum, they are planning future lateral expansions. For example, there may be opportunity in west Metro Denver such as Golden. Already Landtech does business in Cheyenne, Wyoming and is licensed for work in Utah and Nevada. Additional out-of-state options could have promise such as New Mexico and Arizona.

Big, fast production requires the latest and greatest
Both Larry and Kevin Overley emphasize “extremely fast production, build to spec and 100 percent customer satisfaction” are the foundation of Landtech’s success as a commercial landscape construction and maintenance business. To stay at the top of the game requires professionalism in all areas. That is why Larry says “it’s rare to see a Landtech truck older than three or four years. We make sure to have good, newer and dependable equipment so we can confidently do the work for our clients without any downtime.” After all, Landtech has a promise to keep— to be a one-stop shop for construction, maintenance, irrigation and design, 365 days per year.

Professionalism at Landtech also includes staying at the leading edge of technology. “We were early adopters of GPS, electronic time capture and using mobile phones and tablets in the field,” says Larry. “Job files are stored in the cloud and are accessible by tablets in the field. Accounting and project management systems are state-of-the-art and systems talk with each other. These electronic systems have improved efficiency and effectiveness of the business by sharing information faster and easier.”

Invest in people
“We have some people who have been with us 20-plus years,” says Larry Overley. “And we have some of your regular employee turnover but our upper management team is very stable. Employees are our best asset and we have to invest in them.” Though Landtech uses some H-2B workers, he says the company is always looking for good people and is constantly advertising and interviewing people at all levels for the right fit with the culture. “Positions come up mostly because of growth, but some due to turnover. We have developed our own database of people but sometimes use recruiters.”

As Kevin Overley points out “the customers make our company who we are. They provide referrals and give us repeat business. Of course, that speaks to the workmanship of our crews—the quality of their landscape and irrigation installations and maintenance activities. We also warrant plant health, typically for a year.”

Branches and maintenance departments are profit centers
Landtech’s growth has thrived using profit centers. Branch offices in Colorado Springs and Loveland are profit centers, as are the maintenance operations at each of the three locations.

Branch leadership are “given” the facility, fleet, and equipment and then empowered to carry out production and manage projects. Branch department heads are responsible for their own financial condition and statements and are fundamentally stand-alone entities. Branches do their own hiring and conduct extensive training. Sometimes branches do their own estimates.

The general manager of maintenance manages three separate maintenance profit centers—Aurora, Colorado Springs and Loveland. Each is reviewed separately and then rolled into one statement monthly.

Key administrative processes, such as payroll, budget reports, and various project management reports are centralized and handled through the main office in Aurora. Administrative costs are fixed for branches and they know their percentages of costs. Most of the bidding is also done through the main office.

“Good things happen between our branch profit centers,” says Larry. “Branches share information, including gross profits, and support each other. It’s working for us.”

“We have accomplished a lot in these 30 years but I still remember the time and effort I put in during the early years. I like to share my experience with employees. It creates cohesion which is what it’s about. I think that’s how we’ve grown into one of the top commercial landscape companies in the state.”