Ask David Brown, executive manager and CFO for Land Expressions, LLC, Mead, Washington, how the company reached and exceeded its growth goals over the years, and he responds with seven words: niche, creativity, employees, innovation, improvement, travel, and organizations. These seven words, or, more aptly, what these words mean when placed in a Land Expressions" context, explain how a company moved from a startup position in 1987 to one that has design/build projects all over the United States and has even plied its craft in Japan.
As explained by Brown, who has been with the company full time since 1996, Land Expressions" niche is the design and construction of water features, particularly natural-looking water features that give the impression they have been there since the dawn of time. Rocks, large boulders, pea gravel, and other natural or natural-looking elements, then, take precedence over man-made elements in the design and construction of ponds, streams, and waterfalls that are meant to highlight exterior and interior landscapes.
Work with Water Features
"Company owner Dave Nelson always enjoyed the outdoors, including water, and just took it to the next step when he started the company," explains Brown. "He had landscaping in his blood, since his father, Duane Nelson, was a past ALCA president. After graduating from Washington State University with a degree in landscape architecture, he spent time with several firms around the country, finding out what excited him and learning how to apply what he learned in school. When he returned to the Spokane area to start Land Expressions, his new company was virtually the only one around that focused on water features."
The word spread and soon the company was adding water to landscapes in other states. "One of our strengths has been that we are willing to travel," adds Brown. "We have completed projects all over the United States and Canada. We recently completed one in Japan. The Japanese project entailed designing a very large water feature, including a 10-foot-high waterfall, for a kindergarten campus." The project was interesting from several vantage points, he adds, not the least of which was the overall design, which company personnel thought would necessarily be smaller and more subtle than what they were used to designing. To the contrary. 'the school wanted big, loud water features that wouldn't go unnoticed," Brown relates.
He continues, "One of our other strengths, or weaknesses, is our desire to try new things. If nothing else, innovation keeps our employees interested and energized." Two years ago, for example, a national clothing retailer asked Land Expressions to design an interior water feature for 13 of its stores across the country. Company personnel did some research and found a new polyurethane product that allowed them to incorporate very natural-looking rocks in their water scene. They mass-produced the features (including a waterfall and pool) with the hard plastic rocks, and three two-person crews installed them before Christmas.
People Power
Brown emphasizes that niches are not carved out in a vacuum. They require motivated and creative people to pave the way. Land Expressions has both. The company takes special pride in giving its employees the freedom to be creative and, at the same, motivates them with what Brown calls 'some of the best benefits in the industry" and an opportunity for professional growth.
"We value our employees very highly," he explains. "Not only do we offer great benefits and high pay, we also have fun with summer and winter parties, golf outings, and picnics. The company also reimburses employees for continuing education."
As he relates, always looking for ways to improve is fundamental to both employee and company growth. "We have five Certified Landscape Technicians on staff, and being a CLT is required to be a lead foreman for Land Expressions. Ideally, we would like every crew to have a foreman with a CLT. Becoming certified helps define an employee's attitude. It means that he or she is willing to learn and improve, and that helps everyone."
According to Brown, over the years, Land Expressions has looked to both regional and national organizations to help lead the way. They provided the resources, including certification and other educational tools, to help the company take its product and attitude to a new level. Just how high that level will get is anyone's guess, but one thing is for certain: Land Expressions did not make its mark building or resting on plateaus.
2/03
By Rod Dickens, ALCA Contributing Writer
