Welcome to the Aspire Case Studies

Ted Ventre became the owner of Hively Landscapes in 2010, a company originally founded in 1968. When he purchased the company one of his first priorities was the management system. He felt the company’s software was outdated. So he went on a software search. “Companies I looked up to were implementing the Aspire platform so I began to do my research. I knew Kevin Kehoe was involved and I’ve always liked and respected his work in the industry. I find that he is insightful, easy to understand, and ahead of the current trends—which is key for me and for my team when it comes to software.” Ted elected to invest in Aspire in 2017 because one of the key benefits of using the platform was the emphasis that Aspire Software places on the deployment process and ensuring client success.

In 2001, at the age of 23, Ben Collinsworth started Native Land Design in Austin, Texas. After six years of residential and commercial construction, the company shifted to focus on commercial maintenance. The pivot was a success. In 2009, Inc. Magazine named Native Land Design one of the Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America . The company now employees 250 people in peak season and exceeds $15 million in annual sales. They cover Austin, Houston and the McAllen area. In 2015, Native Land Design became one of the first 30 companies to adopt the Aspire Landscape business management platform.

Don McCoy started McCoy Landscape Services in Marion, Ohio in 1977 as a side gig to help pay for his six kids’ college education. After his oldest son, Matt, completed his education at Ohio State University, he and his brother Mark teamed up to grow the family business. That first year, the McCoys recorded around $100,000 in sales. Today, McCoy Landscape Services is a $3M company with 45 employees serving a 60-mile radius in central Ohio. The McCoys specialize in commercial maintenance and generate 35% of revenue from residential design-build work. “Our market is hyper-local, so recurring revenue is imperative,” says Matt McCoy, CEO. As such, the company focuses on quality work and reputation management, aiming for retention rates of 90% and above.

There’s something special about a company that passes from one generation to the next. Business gets interwoven with family and the experience becomes deeply personal. Such is the case for Ken Raffety, CEO of Old Village Landscaping in Sacramento, California. Old Village was started in 1978 by Ken’s parents, Bob and Norma Raffety_,_ and has served the Central Valley for over 30 years. In the early days, the company provided residential construction, landscaping, and maintenance services. Today, it’s a full-service commercial maintenance operations with 35 year-round employees, generating $2.6MM annually.

C. Caramanico & Sons, a landscape contractor company based in Philadelphia, was founded in 1946. Now, with 125 employees and operating as a $12.7 million-dollar business, Caramanico & Sons strives to provide its customers—including universities, hospitals, apartment complexes, and retirement communities—with landscaping maintenance, enhancements, and construction that improves property value and curb appeal while driving client retention.

Brian DuMont started Yard-Nique in 1997 when he was a 21-year-old student at North Carolina State. DuMont, now Yard-Nique’s president and CEO, wanted to build his own landscaping business after working for an employer who treated his crews badly.

Munie Greencare Professionals is an Illinois-based company that specializes in grounds maintenance and lawn care services. Over the past 40 years, Munie has expanded operations to provide landscape maintenance for large multifaceted sites, athletic complexes, military housing communities, and more. The company currently has clients in ten states.

Property Works was founded in 2007 by Tony and Jason Batallan, two brothers born and raised in southern Florida. The brothers owned about 200 commercial rental properties in Palm Beach County and the surrounding area and created Property Works to manage the landscape maintenance work on those properties. Over the years, the company grew as the Batallans met other property owners and began to maintain landscapes on other sites in the region.