Over three years ago the lawn experts at Vision Scapes recognized the need for a lawn care service provider that focused on a new, environmentally friendly treatment system. Knowing the difference these products and services could make, they believed the Fort Wayne market was ready for a safer, better, healthier approach to lawn care — enter Lawnganics in 2019.
With proven expertise in lawn care management and a 23-year reputation in lawn and landscape services, owners Cristi Spilker, Mark Nolot and Mark Worrel knew they could make this new division work, but the growth of Lawnganics has exceeded even their expectations. “In the past three years we have seen a spike in this organic growth,” says Nolot. “We’ve added several hundred customers each year.”
Now that the company is well past its learning curve, Lawnganics is working on growing its footprint and in 2022 hopes to expand its reach even further.
Lawnganics is also partnering with top-of-mind Fort Wayne community innovators to bring a healthier approach to their lawns as well. “There are too many companies to name them all,” says Nolot, “but a few we treat organically include the TinCaps stadium, Indiana Tech and some of the cities finest local parks as well.”
If you never knew these companies use an organic solution to lawn care, that’s the point. “You’re not sacrificing a beautiful lawn with Lawnganics,” says Worrel. “You’re just adopting a safer approach. If you put one of our lawns up against a lawn using traditional, synthetic fertilizers, you would have a hard time noticing the difference.”
While customers and the general public might not see a difference in the end result, the soil just under the surface of those beautiful, green lawns does. That’s because Lawnganics operates under the philosophy that better soil equals better grass.
“We’re essentially reducing residuals in the soil,” says Worrel. “With a synthetic fertilizer, half the effectiveness is used up in the first ten days after the application, thanks to the high levels of quick-release nitrogen.”
The effectiveness of these traditional applications begins to drop after 30 days, requiring more treatments to keep up appearances. Organics, on the other hand, remain in the soil longer, giving customers a longer feeding zone with a lower environmental impact.
Lawnganics is invested in providing the best lawn care for customers, which means investing in its employees as well. “For every couple hundred customers we gain, we’re adding another technician who needs his or her own truck and customized training,” says Nolot. It’s real growth that is making an impact in the economy as well as the environment. “Our goal is to be the leader in organic lawn care by maximizing customer education and providing superior products to our customers,” says Spilker.
As employees demonstrate loyalty and dependability, Lawnganics also focuses on career growth opportunities by promoting from within. “We love rewarding talent and dedication with better pay and more responsibility,” says Worrel.
Nolot concurs. “We plan to continue our growth by building our service area while also building our teams,” he says. “We mentor our crews and are ready to show the young men and women of our community that we offer a career pathway that can help them realize their short-term and long-term financial and family goals.”
So what lies ahead for this forward-thinking company? Nolot has the answer. “We are continually growing our footprint.” Whether they’re treating lawns, training teams or giving back to community programs, one thing’s for sure; Lawnganics is providing Fort Wayne with healthy lawns and healthy business.
Owner(s): Cristi Spilker, Mark Nolot and Mark Worrel
Address: 6608 Saint Joe Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46835
Phone: (260) 492-LAWN
Website: lawnganics.com
Years in Business: 3
Number of Employees: 7
Products & Services: Organic lawn treatment solutions, mechanical and liquid aeration services, overseeding & grub control