With the trees showing off new, fresh leaves and bright flowers blooming, spring is in full swing in New Tampa. But, you may have noticed your lawn and landscaping still has the winter blues. It’s that time of year when homeowners should take stock of their lawn and refresh it with new landscape design or much-needed maintenance.
Don’t know where to start? Totalscape Solutions can help.
With more than 12 years in commercial landscaping in the Tampa Bay area, Totalscape Solutions added residential landscaping about two years ago.
President and owner Mark Gonzales says the company ventured into residential service when he and his employees kept turning people away.
“We do a lot of common areas for homeowners associations, such as Covington Estates in Cross Creek, and people kept asking us to do their homes, too. We had to say no, because we only did commercial. We decided that since we’re out at these neighborhoods anyway, it made sense to serve the residents who want us, too.”
For residents throughout New Tampa, Totalscape Solutions provides lawn maintenance and irrigation service, but specializes in landscape redesigns (see below). “When someone has a sprinkler that won’t shut off, a geyser in their front yard, or standing water, that’s when we get calls,” Mark explains. “We are bringing commercial quality to residential service.” He explains that Totalscape Solutions’ processes are what set them apart from other residential services.
“With the yards we maintain, we do the same thing on every lawn consistently,” he explains. “We have processes that everyone follows for both duplicity – the idea of “next man up” – and simplicity. We keep a binder on every property that includes an irrigation map, property map and service records.” He says these binders are maintained meticulously, so records are available whenever clients have questions or whenever he meets with them.
“The best model in business today is the franchise,” says Mark. “The reason it works so well is because everything (about the business) has a process.”
Although he says he isn’t interested in setting up his business as a franchise, he wants Totalscape Solutions to be run as efficiently as any national chain.
Mark explains that his full-service company handles, “everything in your yard, or nothing.” This includes mowing, edging, trimming, pest control, fertilization and a quarterly run-through on your irrigation system to be sure your lawn is watered properly.
“Our goal is the same guys, on the same truck, servicing the same properties on the same days,” says Mark. “Of course, some days Mother Nature intervenes, but that’s still the goal.”
And, he says that same truck will pull up to your home with employees wearing a uniform and a neat appearance.
“Image is important to us,” Mark says. “So, our employees keep their shirts tucked in, and they don’t smoke on your property.”
“We’re not looking to be the cheapest,” he adds. “But, we want to provide the best service on the block.”
Audrey, a Tampa Palms resident, as well as her daughter and son-in-law who live next door to her, have been using Totalscape Solutions for lawn maintenance for the last couple of years.
“We switched to Totalscape because they do everything,” says Audrey. “If anything goes wrong with my lawn, such as insects, they take care of it. Plus, they do things throughout the winter when they don’t need to mow as often, such as trimming the trees.”
When she first hired Mark and his team, they suggested moving some plants around and added a few shrubs to improve the look of her landscaping. They also recently re-sodded her entire yard.“I’ve been here for 10 years and my grass got real bad,” says Audrey. “Now that the new sod is in, there’s a dramatic difference.”
She says she likes working with Totalscape Solutions and recommends them to others. “They’re good,” she says. “Any concern I have, they handle it.”
Designing Landscapes
Totalscape Solutions also specializes in landscape redesigns for both commercial and residential customers.
“Over the last 12 years, we’ve learned a lot, as far as knowing what plants to plant in New Tampa,” Mark says. “For example, everyone wants palm trees, but there are certain ones you don’t put in because we typically have a couple of freezes each winter, and those types of palm trees will freeze.”
He also emphasizes the importance of putting the right plants in the right places, too, so sun plants are planted and remain in sunlit areas, and shade plants are planted and maintained in the shade. Also, Mark says it’s important not to mix irrigation zones, so Totalscape doesn’t put plants that need a lot of water next to ones that don’t.
“We give people a landscape design that will be as low-maintenance as possible,” says Mark. “That’s what everyone wants: high-profile and low-maintenance, so it looks nice and doesn’t take a lot of work to keep it looking nice.”
In the 10 years that current Totalscape customer Lois has lived in her Lutz home, she says she has had her landscaping professionally designed twice before, but she has never quite been happy with the final product.
“I was ready to have it redesigned again, and someone recommended Totalscape Solutions to me,” she explains.
She says that now she is thrilled with the results. “I’ve never had compliments like I have now,” Lois says. “One of my neighbors told me my yard had been looking like a jungle. Now, that same neighbor says I have the nicest landscaping on the block!”
She says she gave Mark a list of exactly what colors she wanted and what plants she did and didn’t want, and he and his team were accommodating.
“They have very nice taste, and they did exactly what I wanted,” Lois says. “And I didn’t pay as much this time as I did twice before.”
Mark and his team, she adds, “are, without a doubt, the nicest people to work with, too.”
A Culture Of Caring
And that’s exactly the kinds of comments Mark wants to hear. He says his vision for his company has always been about happy clients and happy employees. “In the corporate world, you can go from hero to zero quickly, and you’re only as good as what you did last month,” he says. “I wanted to create a company that people want to work for and are proud to work for, a place where I would want to work.”
Totalscape Solutions has 26 employees, which includes four maintenance trucks, a detail crew to trim hedges and trees, a full-time technician who handles pesticides and two technicians who handle the inspecting and maintenance of irrigation systems.
“I treat my employees well and have guys who have been with me for all 12 years,” says Mark. He adds that the employees receive fun perks, such as an annual fishing trip.
“The guys are paid for the day, but they spend (the time) on a fishing trip that’s provided by the company.”
He also encourages his employees to make both their families, and serving their communities, top priorities.
“We put our families first,” Mark says. “I expect you to take care of your family, just like I take care of mine.” His family includes Amber, his wife of 21 years and their children, ages 15, 4 and 2.
Mark says he also encourages his guys to look for ways to perform acts of service. “Like, if they see a car on the side of the road, they can stop and use our gas to help,” Mark says. “We’ve also mowed yards for free for people in need.”
He explains his motivation for this: “Better employees make a better company. How can you not be a better person if you’re (always) looking to help others?”
Mark and his staff are certified in Green Industry Best Management Practices, a science-based educational program for lawn care and landscape maintenance professionals, offered through the University of Florida Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences’ “Florida-Friendly Landscaping” program. Mark also is certified to teach this course to his employees and to others.
For more information, or for a complimentary consultation on landscape redesign, lawn maintenance or irrigation services, call Totalscape Solutions at 348-0960, see the ad on page 53 or visit TotalscapeSolutions.com.
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