10. Weatherhead 100
While the economy has been down the past couple of years, Chas Moscarino hasn’t used that as any sort of excuse as president of landscape company Moscarino Outdoor Creations Inc.
“We’ve been aggressive,” he says. “Through the down economy, we’ve turned up our marketing and got more aggressive with sales and hired more salespeople. … A lot of people were laying off their help, and we were taking the best talent we could find.”
He looks at it as a long-term investment for the company, because he feels that people are one of his biggest assets and keys to success.
“If we could get quality people in a down economy, we were going to take that and make it work,” he says. “They came in knowing the expectations that if they stuck it out, they’d be rewarded for it. They’re starting to see it now, especially with the growth.”
On top of hiring new talent, Moscarino just got done building a new facility last year and went through moving locations to this new building, a big task to take on. He wasn’t sure if he was making the right move, but after consulting with his CPA and a consultant who works with the company on an annual basis, they decided to take the risk, which is already paying off.
“You have to take risk,” he says. “You have to take calculated risks. Make sure you look through all the pros and cons before you make a decision, but at the end of the day, you have to take that risk.”
As he looks toward the future, he anticipates hiring more talent and people who have knowledge of the industry, especially in the sales departments. He also is looking to add another branch in the next three years and to increase the company’s marketing efforts every year.
“We track everything and have a niche for what works for us,” Moscarino says. “A lot of the companies completely cut out the marketing, and we turned it up, and that made a huge difference in our sales.”
How to reach: Moscarino Outdoor Creations Inc, (440) 236-9000 or www.createmylandscape.com
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