Garrett started cutting grass as a way to fund his hunting habit and after breaking a window in someone’s home, decided it’d be a

good idea to become a legitimate business. What began with just he and a helper about seven years ago has grown into business of 52 (fifty-five) employees and allowed Garrett to leave the Shreveport Fire Department three years ago to work the business full-time.

Matthews Landscape specializes in lawn and landscape maintenance, irrigation, landscape design and fertilization. Last year, they handled 472 new install projects among his cus- tomer base which is about 30% Commercial, 70% residential. They also work with a number of builders and handle some commercial accounts you may have heard of: Lennard Proper- ties, Chesapeake Energy, Progressive Waste and more. His clients span as far as Minden, Marshall, Oil City and Natchitoches. They also now have a Bush-Hogging division for gov- ernment and parish contracts.

What sets Matthews Landscape apart…they focus on things they can do better than others, the most important being Customer Service. It all comes down to hiring the best and train- ing those employees to specialize in their designated task. Garrett expects each employee to be the best they can be at their particular job. You won’t find flowerbed staff mowing grass as there is no cross over. Their employees are also always connected to their database and receive their orders and routes via cell phone.

When asked about mold and fungus, Garrett believes prevention is the key rather than try- ing to get rid of it after it is found. They have programs set up to treat your lawn & beds ap- propriately year round. The key to watering is to do so around 3-4am and to saturate your lawn well a few times a week instead of frequently watering a lesser amount throughout the week. This allows the water to go deeper into the soil and the roots of the grass to reach deeper into the ground.

As with many landscape businesses, the winter time is a little bit slower than others. Mat- thews Landscape can also handle installing Christmas lightswhich has turned into huge business for them. They offer free estimates and have lights custom made and designed for your home/office. For your convenience, they also handle the take down and storage for you.

Whatever your outdoor beautification needs are, home or office, CEO members have you covered. Make sure your lawn and landscape is handled by our fully insured and licensed Landscaping Horticulturist Contractor…