In July of 2026, the annual Lawn and Landscape Top 100 reception took place in Arizona. Our Founder and CEO took a handful of our team members with him to attend the reception. This was his daily message to us the following morning:
Happy Thursday Everyone! Today’s Core Value is: We Embrace Results.
Last night, Dana Fritsche, Lisa Stoner, Adam Benes, Molly, and I accepted Focal Pointe’s plaque at the Lawn and Landscape Top 100 ceremony. What they measure is top line revenue, but there is so much more to running a world-class business, and when I overlay those additional metrics, I almost get a lump in my throat. Each of you has to know, and needs to share with your family, what an incredible company you have built. Need proof of the value of Embracing Results? Consider this:
Revenue
- Ranked # 55 out of approximately 650,000 landscape companies in America
- Ranked # 24 if you exclude the companies owned by private equity
Growth
- $25M in new commercial maintenance sales over the past three years
- STL Business Journal Fast 50
But when a company gets big, or grows too fast, it loses touch with its customers, employees, and/or profitability. Right? Not when 650+ team members stay focused on their Core Purpose. As a result of your focus, the really important metrics only appear to be strengthening…
Employee Engagement
- USA Today Top Workplace
- Excellent Culture recognition
- Gallup Employee Engagement Survey – multiple KPI’s in the 90+ percentile
Customer Satisfaction
- Net Promoter Score: 71 (From what I can find online, that score appears to be better than Chick-fil-A, Ritz Carlton, and Southwest Airlines – all iconic customer service companies that I have looked up to for years)
- 95%+ annual client retention rate = top tier, certainly when compared to other large landscape companies
- Over 50% of our new sales come from referrals
Profitability
- We continue to produce sustainable profitability, resulting in additional investments into the customer experience, employee development, quality equipment/technology, and smart branch facilities.
I share all of this with you for two reasons. First, I hope you print this off and share with your loved ones. All five of us on stage last night felt more responsibility to represent you well, than any pride on our part. We are building an amazing company together, and your family should be so proud of you.
Second, I recorded July’s podcast with Dana, Lisa, and Adam before the reception. In doing so, we recalled some tough times along the way, and I know Brett Gordon had some tough times in OKC’s early days as well. He and I are just so proud of your commitment to writing an amazing story, and so grateful to be building something like this with each of you.
When I stack up all the results your commitment is creating, beyond top line sales; I’m at risk of needing to acknowledge that we just may have created one of…if not the…finest landscape companies in the country today. That is difficult for me to accept but may objectively be true…and there’s so much more we have to do. Pretty incredible.
Have a great day! John
These reflections are part of our internal Morning Messages, shared daily with the Focal Pointe team. They are meant to encourage thoughtful leadership, gratitude, and perspective as we begin the day. From time to time, we choose to share select messages here for a broader audience who values purpose-driven work, service to others, and growth from the inside out.