 Curry, sitting at lunch at Chad's Blind, at 1230 Fifth St. in
Lincoln, says that activity is really starting to pick up in the
landscaping portion of his business. And landscaping and creating
unique, one-of-a-kind outdoor living spaces is not only something
that he and his crew enjoy doing, but it is something they excel at.
Outside the restaurant is a 7,000-square-foot beer garden, waterfall
and pond area that is like a giant business card for the company.
"Yeah, people all the time tell me how much they enjoy the
outside garden here," Curry noted.
Ryan started in the lawn business back in high school with a
mowing service. He followed that up with an internship, as it were,
at Greenview Landscaping in Bloomington before starting up his own
business three years ago.
"We are more than just mowing," Curry confirmed. And as the
conversation continued you could tell that Ryan not only has a
passion for what he is doing but also knows what he is doing. That
is important when changing a homeowner's backyard into their dream
vacation right outside their door.
"I think a lot of people are cutting back on expensive vacations
right now and deciding to spend their money on home improvement,"
Curry said.
He was quick to point out that a well-landscaped outdoors is an
investment in the property's total value and not a cost that is
spent and gone forever when a person returns from a few days of
vacation.
Every yard or home's grounds is unique to start with, and Ryan
enjoys "walking" the grounds with a homeowner to see what they have
in mind, what budget they want to stay within, and what special
features or look they would enjoy having every day of the year at
their home.
"I make sure I go over everything with them to make certain they
know exactly what we are going to do and why," Curry said.
It is this total inclusion of the client in the design process
that brings a finished product just like the homeowner wanted
without any surprises.
Curry said that a good portion of his business also includes
grading property. Too often a home has been graded so that water
flows toward the house rather than toward the property line, and he
and his crew, with the proper equipment, can flip-flop a person's
yard so that basement water problems are a thing of the past.
His company also lays a great deal of new sod. He says that last
year his company laid five semi loads of new sod for clients.
Curry believes a client should be able to enjoy their new outdoor
living space as soon as possible and says new sod can be enjoyed
from day one, whereas grading and seeding a new lawn can take an
entire year before it can be enjoyed; plus, it costs about the same
when everything is taken into account.
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Ryan appreciates his clients' business and tries to get a job done
as soon as possible so that the customer can enjoy their investment
sooner rather than later. In the case of one large property that
required a resodding of 12,000 square feet of lawn, he had a dozen
knowledgeable laborers working to get the project done quickly. He
has four regular employees right now but looks forward to adding as
business dictates.
Down the road Ryan can see his business having its own retail
nursery where trees and plants can be seen, purchased and even
planted by his company.
Ryan enjoys the fact that his landscaping and outdoor living
space business is as varied as tastes dictate. With no two projects
the same, there is a creative partnership between Ryan and the
client that makes the job enjoyable, especially when what was talked
about becomes reality.
Curry offers free appraisals of a potential client's needs and
wants, and he says that the possibilities in outdoor living space
are as limitless as a person's imagination.
He appreciates a client's business, whether it is a small project
or a complete new creation for an entire backyard.
Walking in the beautiful beer garden at Chad's Blind, Curry
pointed out several nuances that he put in to make the area more
user-friendly. "Word of mouth is important in my business," he
offered.
Looking at what he did at Chad's Blind shows that quality and
details in the creation of a great outdoor space are also important.
"This was a parking lot when we started here," Ryan said. Now it
is a showcase of just a few of the outdoor possibilities that
homeowners can bring to their door.
Anyone interested in turning their backyard into a year-round
vacation place can call Ryan at 671-5296.
[By
MIKE FAK]
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