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Tip: "As a design/build and commercial grounds maintenance landscape contractor in Columbia, South Carolina, that specializes in maintaining high-end corporate, commercial, and industrial property as well as entrances and common areas for large homeowner associations, Green Earth Services, Inc. has always been involved with providing seasonal color," states David T. Livingston, CCLP, president of the company. "More than four years ago, I began to take more notice of a company in our market that was solely focusing on seasonal color and, as such, realized that the potential was there for us to lose some of our color business. Being the hard-nosed competitor that I am - and because of my entrepreneurial fire - I decided to completely separate all that we were doing with seasonal color from the rest of our business and to set it up as a separate entity." And, thus, Bloomers, Inc. was born.

Livingston had three distinct reasons for making this move.

1. To be able to compete more directly (on a level field) with another company offering the same product, knowing that his company could do it better and provide superior service its customers.
2. To be able to improve this part of the business beyond what they were doing as just Green Earth Services, Inc.
3. To be able to meet the challenge of growing and developing another company that would have increasing value and that perhaps some day could be sold (the entrepreneurial reason).

"My youngest daughter (who was 11 at the time) actually came up with the name 'Bloomers,'" notes Livingston. The company incorporated in 1997 and officially started business in January 1998. To date, Green Earth Services, Inc. is, of course, Bloomers, Inc.'s largest customer, but interestingly, Bloomers is now also working with more than six other landscape contractors who either don't want to deal with seasonal color beds or who perhaps do not have the necessary expertise to make them look their best.

Bloomers, Inc.'s primary focus is the design, installation, and maintenance of seasonal color beds, and the company provides this service to both residential and commercial customers. Its weekly service - to deadhead blooms, trim, water, and fertilize as necessary and to weed, freshen mulch, replace weak or dead plants, and interface with customers - has been the strength of Bloomers' success. "We are also doing more with perennials and have even done some small landscape installations, Livingston adds. "It has become a neat little niche business!"