The Latest at Focal Pointe
News and stories for friends like you.
The Blueprint for Building an Effective Advisory Board
If you’ve reached the point in your company’s journey where it becomes clear you need the expertise of an advisory board, building this board successfully requires careful planning and consideration.
Establishing an advisory board goes beyond simply identifying engaged, knowledgeable individuals. It involves crafting a structure that aligns with your company’s goals and ensuring the board delivers tangible value. Our Founder and CEO John Munie sat down with Jill Odom at the National Association of Landscape Professionals to discuss what steps companies should take to ensure that their boards are effective. To read the full article, …
Lesa Peterman Joins Focal Pointe as Director of Talent & Team Development
Focal Pointe has named corporate recruiter Lesa Peterman as Director of Talent & Team Development. In her new role, Peterman will lead staffing and career development as Focal Pointe continues to grow and expand across the Midwest.
Before joining Focal Pointe, Lesa gained experience across several industries, including healthcare, landscaping, manufacturing, and hospitality. Notably, she held leadership roles as Senior Technical Recruiter at Saige Partners and Senior Recruiter at Gateway Wireless, where she developed expertise in talent acquisition and workforce development.
“Lesa understands what makes Focal Pointe unique,” said Company Founder and CEO, John Munie. “During her …
Focal Pointe Wins Green Star Grand Award for CITYPARK
Focal Pointe was recognized by The Professional Grounds Management Society® (PGMS) with a 2024 Green Star Grand Award for CITYPARK, a zero-waste stadium and home to St Louis’ Major League Soccer franchise, St. Louis CITY SC.
The awards were presented in conjunction with PGMS’s annual conference and expo in Louisville, KY, October 15-18.
St. Louis CITY SC is the only MLS facility to have its stadium, performance center, and headquarters all in one location. Located in Downtown West area of St. Louis, the complex partners with the city of St. Louis, Great Rivers Greenway, and the Missouri …
When a board makes sense
When does an advisory board make sense for your landscaping business? Our Executive Advisor Bruce Wilson from Bruce Wilson & Co. shared his thoughts with Lawn & Landscape Magazine where he described the key difference between joining a peer group and establishing your own dedicated advisory board. Click here to read or listen to the full article: https://www.lawnandlandscape.com/article/when-a-board-make-sense/
Focal Pointe Partners with WashU to Attain Level III Arboretum Accreditation
The Arboretum of Washington University St. Louis, serving the Danforth Campus and the St. Louis region, earned unique status as a Level III Arboretum by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program.
The WashU Arboretum team, led by WashU horticulturist and curator, Chris Anderson, pursued the accreditation program in partnership with campus and arboretum landscape partner, Cody Azotea, account manager with Focal Pointe, a regional leader in sustainable landscaping and campus beautification.
The accreditation is a result of a multiple-disciplinary collaborations within the campus community, including WashU Facilities Planning and Management, Department of Biology faculty and students, WashU Office …
Focal Pointe Expands Presence in Kansas City with Acquisition of Messenger’s Lawn & Landscape.
Focal Pointe announced its acquisition of Messenger’s Lawn & Landscape, a Stilwell, Kansas-based landscape and irrigation firm serving the greater Kansas City metropolitan area since 1999. Messenger’s will be unified under the Focal Pointe brand as part of the Company’s Kansas City operation led by Kansas City Branch Manager, Curt Marchand.
The acquisition doubles Focal Pointe’s footprint in the Kansas City market, brings a high-quality team of professionals into the company, and gives Focal Pointe the depth and scale needed to service large, complex sites that require unique capability.
“They’re a perfect fit for us,” said Marchand. …
Kalyn Soltice joins Focal Pointe in Kansas City
Focal Pointe, a regional leader in commercial landscape services, is pleased to welcome Kalyn Soltice to its Kansas City team as Partnership Executive. In this newly created and expanded role, Soltice will support all client partnership, business development and relationship-building activities throughout greater Kansas City’s commercial real estate and property management community.
Soltice reports to Focal Pointe Kansas City Branch Manager, Curt Marchand, and Kansas City-based Vice President Marketing & Sales, Gregg Hibbeler.“We are thrilled to welcome Kalyn to the Focal Pointe team,” said Hibbeler. Her expertise in strategic partnerships and her consultative approach to client …
Luke M. Williams Appointed as Chief Financial Officer
Focal Pointe today announced that Luke M. Williams has joined its executive leadership team as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Williams’ appointment follows a period of accelerating growth for Focal Pointe as the firm continues to bring best-in-class service and value creation to its stakeholders throughout the Midwest.
“It’s a great privilege to join Focal Pointe at such a pivotal time in their growth,” said Williams. “The team’s unwavering commitment to being people-first, combined with their focus on technology sets them apart to deliver outstanding value to customers and stakeholders. I’m looking forward to collaborating with a …
John Combs named Director of Irrigation & Water Management
CASEYVILLE, Illinois, July 24, 2024
Focal Pointe announces that long-time irrigation manager John Combs has been promoted to Director of Irrigation and Water Management.
Combs has an impressive track record and a wealth of expertise, with over 10-years of experience at Focal Pointe in landscape irrigation, irrigation technology, and irrigation training. In his new role, he will oversee and support irrigation and water management operations across the Focal Pointe organization. He is an Irrigation Association Certified Irrigation Technician, and pursuing certifications in irrigation auditing and water management.
“It’s an honor being part of an organization that deeply cares …
From Bishops to Cardinals: Landscape Management feature story
Taking a look back at the early years of Focal Pointe is a periodic reminder of just how bright our future can be. Landscape Management Magazine Associate Editor Rob DiFranco interviewed our founder, John Munie to dive into our history, the foundational beliefs Focal Pointe is built on, and what can be expected in our future. Discover how our dedicated team turned a small business into a powerhouse, all while focusing on our people and creating a community-driven, lifestyle company.
Read the full story on Landscape Management Magazine website: www.landscapemanagement.net/2024-lm150-from-bishops-to-cardinals-and-beyond-with-focal-pointe/
Daniel Cottier to lead Focal Pointe’s Plant Health Initiative
CASEYVILLE, Illinois, June 4, 2024
Focal Pointe announced that Daniel Cottier has joined its team as Director of Plant Health Care (PHC). In his new role, Cottier will oversee a full scope plant health program across the firm’s landscape operations in Kansas, Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma. The multi-season program will expedite the process of plant disease diagnostics and solutions, and will focus on health and vitality of plants and trees, the assessment and monitoring of invasive pests and disease, and proactive measures to increase soil and ecosystem health.
“I’m excited to join the Focal Pointe team …
Curt Marchand Joins Focal Pointe as Kansas City Branch Manager
Focal Pointe, announced that Curt Marchand has been named Branch Manager, Focal Pointe of Kansas City. He will report to Focal Pointe Chief Operating Officer and Partner, Brett Gordon.
“I’m pleased that we can bring together two highly respected leaders for our next chapter,” said Focal Pointe Founder and President, John Munie. “Curt and Brett are long-established members of the Kansas City community who bring experience, market knowledge and relationships to a region our team is excited to serve. Together, Curt and Brett have already built our culture of servant leadership within the team, which will …
Level Up: Focal Pointe is Creating Impactful Environments for People
Founder and President John Munie was featured in the most recent edition of Level Up, a blog series from the National Association of Landscape Professionals. The series aims to give companies the tools to reach the next level of business, discussing a range of industry philosophies from business development, recruiting, culture building, and more. In this edition, John briefly describes his journey as a business owner before diving into the details of our ideal partners, our keys to success, and our strategies for recruitment and team member retention. Click here to read the full post: …
Season of Giving 2023
During this season of Gratitude, Hope, and Joy, your Focal Pointe team is in the spirit of giving! Our fourth Core Value calls us to “Inspire Communities” not only by creating beautiful landscapes throughout, but by living life in a humble, generous manner.
As many fiscal calendars are coming to a close, we have customers contacting us about year-end enhancements for their properties. As a result, we saw the opportunity to make those purchases more purposeful and make December our “Season of Giving.” In that spirit, for any landscape enhancement sold in December, for an off-season …
Focal Pointe Acquires Signature Landscape, Landworks, Inc., and Rite-A-Way Lawn Care
CASEYVILLE, Illinois, August 8, 2023 ~ Focal Pointe Holdings, LLC, a leading landscape services company located in Caseyville, Illinois, has acquired three privately-owned landscape companies: Landworks, Kansas City, Kansas; Rite-A-Way Lawn Care, Cottleville, Missouri; and Signature Landscape, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Together, these acquisitions are expected to contribute 39% to total Focal Pointe revenue for fiscal year 2023. In total, the acquisition adds 220 employees across Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and represents a combined client portfolio in excess of $17M.
The move confirms Focal Pointe’s strategy of supporting its employees and creating a firm that offers recognized …
Kevin Kehoe Joins Bruce Wilson on our Board of Directors
Focal Pointe, Inc. is excited to announce that Kevin Kehoe will be joining Bruce Wilson on our newly formed board as an executive director!
“Kevin joins our board at a transformative time in our history as we create a bold vision for our future, with clear objectives and a plan for achieving them.” said John Munie. “I hired Kevin in 2010 as a consultant, and his impact on me and on our team was immediate and enduring. His level of thought, organization, and grit is unmistakable. He will be a difference-maker as we expand throughout the …
Bruce K. Wilson Joins Focal Pointe as Executive Director
Focal Pointe is excited to announce that Bruce Wilson will be joining our leadership team as Executive Director! Bruce joins us from an illustrious 50-year career in the landscaping industry, whose experience and willingness to lead has influenced many in the industry.
“Bruce has been an extraordinary industry leader and advisor to us over the years, and his expertise will be invaluable as we embark on a new era of growth,” said Focal Pointe president, John Munie. “Bruce and I are aligned in how we define success, and I’m confident he can be a great and …
Focal Pointe Receives a National Award of Excellence
For Immediate Release
Caseyville, IL November 9, 2020) – Focal Pointe, Inc. is proud to announce it has been awarded an Award of Excellence by the National Association of Landscape Professionals [NALP.]
The award was presented for Focal Pointe’s landscape execution of the Woodlands Edge Estate project, a residential property in St. Louis, Missouri. The six-acre property includes hillside perennial gardens that incorporate native woodland perennials, a dry creek bed that serves as drainage for surrounding properties as well as formal lawn areas, a playground, and a contemplation garden. The design was provided by Doug Hoerr of …
Recognition for Rapid Growth
For Immediate Release
Focal Pointe Receives Recognition for Rapid Growth from the St. Louis Business Journal
Caseyville, IL November 17, 2020 – Focal Pointe, Inc. was once again named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s list of the 50 fastest-growing companies in the region. Joining just 5 other firms to be included on the “Fast 50” list for three years running, Focal Pointe ranked 43rd on the 2020 list. The Business Journal compiles revenue data for privately held companies in the St. Louis region that had sales of at least $1 million in 2017 and experienced a …
Focal Pointe Ranked 5th Fastest Growing Landscape Company by Landscape Management Magazine
Landscape Management magazine recently published its 2020 list recognizing the top 150 landscape companies in the country, ranked by 2019 sales volume. Collectively, this list represents $12 billion in revenue, breaking 2019’s record amount of $11,148,081,125.
In 2018, Focal Pointe made its debut on the list at #150 and the following year moved up to #142. This year, our continued growth (33%!) earned us the distinction of the 5th fastest growing landscape company in the country and a spot on the list at #130.
Additionally, we were ranked #24 in the Midwest region, which includes the very …
Focal Pointe Completes 2019 St. Louis Green Business Challenge
The St. Louis Green Business Challenge, a program of the Missouri Botanical Garden, has just completed its tenth year of work with companies across the bi-state region to advance sustainability as a business solution. At an awards celebration held Friday, December 6 in Lakeside Café at the Saint Louis Zoo, 61 businesses, non-profits and local government entities were recognized for their work this year to integrate sustainable policies and practices into their operations.
Twelve companies received Awards of Achievement for participation at the Challenge Apprentice Level, including Focal Pointe, Inc. At the Apprentice level, companies work …
Focal Pointe Ranks Among St. Louis Business Journal’s Fast 50
For the second year in a row, Focal Pointe has been named one of the 50 fastest-growing private companies in the St. Louis metro area. To create the list, the Business Journal gathered revenue data from local private companies for the past three years (2016 – 2018) and then ranked the 50 companies with the highest growth percentage over that period. Focal Pointe was ranked #36 with 70.8% growth over the last three years!
This honor goes to our hard-working team of professionals whose shared passion to reflect the ideals of those we serve, makes all …
Focal Pointe Receives National Safety Award
Focal Pointe was recently awarded an Overall Safety Achievement Award from the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP).
The award, part of NALP’s annual Safety Recognition Awards Program, honors those companies with thorough, high-performing safety programs that create and maintain safe work environments in the lawn and landscape industry. It is designed to reward lawn and landscape companies that consistently demonstrate their commitment to safety.
Focal Pointe was evaluated on number of accidents, number of days that employees were away from work, and number of employee injuries and illnesses. In addition, a checklist was used to rate the …
Welcome, Sandra Gonzalez!
Focal Pointe announces the addition of Sandra Gonzalez of Wright City, Missouri as the firm’s Director of Talent and Team Development. In this position, Sandra will lead all aspects of Focal Pointe’s recruiting, hiring, and new employee onboarding. She will also work with management to retain qualified employees through competitive compensation, benefit plans, and ongoing training.
“We are very pleased to welcome Sandra Gonzalez to Focal Pointe as our Director of Talent and Team Development”, said firm Founder and President, John Munie. “Sandra has experience in human resources and management in a larger corporate environment which …
Elevating The Industry In The Public’s Eye
Perception is powerful and tough to change, believes John Munie, owner and founder of Focal Pointe, St. Louis, Missouri. Unfortunately, much of the public perceives the services the green industry provides as not being on the same level or having as much value as the services of other trained professionals.
While the industry, in large part, has itself to blame for this, Munie and thousands of other company owners in the industry believe they can dramatically elevate the industry’s reputation. But it has to happen one company at a time.
“Each business owner needs to understand and …
Focal Pointe Celebrates Smart Irrigation Month
Focal Pointe is celebrating Smart Irrigation Month by helping customers save water, save money, and see better results.
Smart Irrigation Month is an initiative of the Irrigation Association, a non-profit industry organization dedicated to promoting efficient irrigation. Each July (traditionally the month of peak outdoor water use), this public awareness campaign highlights simple practices and innovative technologies to:
Make maintaining green spaces easy and convenient.
Minimize overwatering while keeping lawns, gardens, and landscapes beautiful and healthy.
Save money on utility bills.
Help protect community water supplies for today and the future.
Property owners and managers often overwater, unintentionally wasting money every …
Focal Pointe Named One of Area’s Fastest Growing Companies
This week the St. Louis Business Journal named Focal Pointe among the area’s Fastest Growing Companies from 2015-2017. Thank you to our hard-working team, whose diligent efforts, unwavering commitment to our customers, and high-quality work are the foundation of our growth.
We also want to use this news as an opportunity to show how dynamic the landscape industry is. If you, or someone you know, enjoy spending time outside, has a desire to serve others, and is looking for the satisfaction that comes with being highly productive in a growing industry, consider a career in landscaping. …
Hansel and Ettling Earn Master Lawn Irrigation Installer License
Focal Pointe announces Eric Hansel, Technical Services Manager, and Brad Ettling, Lead Irrigation Technician, recently passed the examination to receive the Master Lawn Irrigation Installer License through the St. Louis County, Missouri Board of Plumbing Examiners.
The exam covers principles of irrigation design and theory, St. Louis County plumbing codes, and business, law, and project management topics. The Master Lawn Irrigation Installer License allows the holder to test, certify, and repair lawn irrigation backflow prevention devices in St. Louis County.
“This is another example of how the Focal Pointe team continues to grow professionally and add value …
Victoria Vogt Promoted to Operations Manager
“Victoria has been a valued employee for over 4 years,” said firm founder and president, John Munie. “She is an asset to our company. I look forward to seeing the positive impact that Victoria will have in her new position.”
Vogt brings more than nine years of experience in landscaping, with a specialty in horticulture. She is a graduate of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, with a Master of Science degree and a Horticulture Science specialization. Victoria was recently named the Outstanding Young Alumni for 2017 at the 66th Annual College of Agricultural Sciences All Ag Banquet at Southern …
Searching for Olympic-Grade Talent
Focal Pointe employs the best and brightest landscape professionals in the nation. Our latest search for young talent brought us to the Tar Heel State, where we attended the 2018 National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC) at Alamance Community College in Graham, North Carolina. The competition, known as the “Olympics of the landscaping industry,” is landscaping’s largest recruiting event.
The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) describes the competition as an annual three-day powerhouse event that brings together the best landscape and horticulture students, top industry companies, and dozens of the biggest industry manufacturers and suppliers. This year, …