Tree care and landscaping – while very different – often go hand in hand as many tree care professionals offer landscaping services or vice versa. That means versatile equipment is a must. Marty Grunder, president and CEO of Grunder Landscaping Co., knows this all too well. Grunder, who owns a successful landscaping company in the Midwest says business is booming and without his Vermeer mini skid steers, he’d be lost.
“The Vermeer mini skid steer has been great — it can do the work of several people. I don’t know where we would be without them,” Grunder said.
Brett Newendorp, landscape market manager at Vermeer says that labor continues to be an issue faced by landscape and tree care industries. With the use of a Vermeer mini skid steer and attachments, contractors can have a machine do a lot of the work on the jobsite traditionally done with labor.
He goes on to say it is not always about “replacing people,” but utilizing a Vermeer mini skid steer to split crews into smaller groups to help accomplish more. Leveraging technology and equipment solutions continues to help the landscape industry fight a labor shortage while the economy continues in strength.
Grunder suspects the recent surge in landscaping requests is closely related to an uptick in the economy and the popularity of several home improvement TV shows airing…
“Let’s face it, landscaping is a luxury,” Grunder said. “It’s not something you have to do, but when someone’s stock account goes up like it did for some people last year, they start wanting to invest in their homes and businesses.”
Now that customers are looking to invest, Grunder has been recommending Vermeer mini skid steers as a tool to add versatility to tree care and landscaping businesses. He said his team has used mini skids for both commercial jobsites and residential settings.
“People are seeing what is possible with their property,” Grunder said. “On the commercial side we’ve had a lot of requests for things like outdoor break areas to get people to enjoy their workspaces more.”
Grunder said his Vermeer mini skid steers have been helpful in each of these situations. The track-driven models help his crew members maneuver efficiently around tough worksites but are gentle enough to protect yards.
“(Vermeer mini skid steers) are also small enough to fit through 3-foot (.9 m) gates and that has been a huge help,” Grunder said.
The variety of attachments available help make this small-but-mighty machine adaptable, not to mention productive. To learn more about the attachments that Vermeer has to offer, visit Vermeer.com/miniskidsteers.
“The Vermeer mini skid steer has been an asset — I tell people to, at the very least, rent it once to see what I mean,” Grunder said.
Newendorp mentions the versatility of a Vermeer mini skid steer to help landscape and tree care customers stay productive with one product. With a universal attachment plate, there is a wide variety of Vermeer approved attachments that can efficiently be interchanged on the machine.
Learn more about Vermeer mini skid steers or find your local Vermeer dealer.
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