For over four decades, Gavin Lingo has poured his heart and soul into building the thriving business The Lingo Group, Inc. What started as mowing lawns for his uncle has grown into a full-service landscaping company with 50 employees, 45 trucks, and a 22-acre nursery. That growth did not come overnight. Instead, it was the result of a commitment to quality service and purchasing some great government surplus.
Fulfilling the Job with Family
The Lingo Group is versatile in what they do, handling just about every aspect of outdoor projects - design, build, maintenance, plant installation, irrigation, lighting, and audio systems. The diversification has allowed for steady growth.
“And we do some other stuff, too. We have some dumpsters and camera service and pipe cleaning and stuff like that.” - Gavin Lingo
At the core of The Lingo Group is the Lingo family itself. Gavin and his high school sweetheart wife have been side-by-side since day one building the business. Eventually, that included raising four children too. Now grown, three of their kids work in the company. Family provides much of his motivation in life, obvious when he spends time with his five grandchildren. Much to Gavin’s glee, there’s a sixth one on the way!
One of The Lingo Group's fleet vehicles at their nursery, complete with an audio setup.
Gavin Lingo in the office.
“I think early on we built the family and raised the business and the kids and everything, and I think that was always mine and my wife's dream. Like, oh, eventually the kids will come into the business. Now they are and we're trying to take it to a different level for them and what they bring to the table now.”
“In the last 10, 15, 18 years, things have changed a lot because we've grown that much. And it's been good. It's been very good.”
“For me, I put my heart and soul into it, and my kids do, my wife does, it's our name, it's our business. And it means a lot to us.” - Gavin Lingo
Running a seasonal business does make balancing work and family time challenging at certain points in the year. Spring through fall are especially busy as the phone rings constantly. Clients are eager to get on the schedule for outdoor projects. Winters can get busy with commercial snow removal work and the occasional hardscape project if conditions allow.
The Lingo Group has scaled up considerably from its humble beginnings. Their 22-acre tree nursery has doubled in size from where it was two years ago. Today, Lingo grows many of the trees and plants used in their landscaping installations. Norway spruces, which often grow up to 26 feet tall, are a company specialty. Their nursery also produces arborvitae, holly, boxwoods, and other plants that are used in their projects and sold to other regional landscapers and garden centers.
Lingo Group hard at work during the winter season.
Transporting Trees on Trucks
Moving landscaping material from the nursery to job sites requires an extensive fleet of trucks and equipment. Lingo makes use of tractor trailers, dump trucks, hook trucks for dumpsters, tree spades, skid steers, and more. Keeping all of that running smoothly requires good upkeep.
“I have one full-time mechanic. We have one part-time mechanic. So as far as keeping everything, we're really big on maintenance. We're huge on that. You know, PM wheel changes, greasing, power washing the machines when they come back from job sites. Really just keeping everything in tune and ready to go for the next job. So every time someone comes back into our shop, it goes through maintenance.”
“Right now, we have a wheel loader in the garage and that just got power washed and it's clean. It'll be going out next week to another job. Because again, that's what makes us efficient and helps the guys do the job and get it done safely, properly, efficiently, all that, all the above.” - Gavin Lingo
While Gavin's wife thinks he may have too many trucks, he insists they help make the company more efficient.
A Lingo fleet truck transporting landscaping materials to a worksite.
Government Surplus Builds Small Businesses
Purchasing government surplus has been a savvy way for The Lingo Group to cost-effectively add to their fleet. One of their buys, a 1991 Vermeer trencher bought on Municibid for under $8000 (compared to $90,000 new), paid for itself in just one large irrigation and lighting project. Lingo also scored a deal with some used fire trucks, which they currently use for promotional purposes and watering plants. The trucks, complete with 750 gallon tanks and high power audio systems, are a hit at local parades and birthday parties.
This is Lingo's 1991 Vermeer trencher that they won on Municibid.
“We've watered everything from sod to trees to shrubs. We use them for washing down facilities. We do some cleanup and maintenance on the other facilities when they ask us to come down and wash down an area.”
“We've done a bunch of birthday parties with them. And surprisingly, the three-year-old and five-year-olds love it. And so do their 40 and 50-year-old parents. They love it even more. It's really funny.” - Gavin Lingo
Gavin advises others considering surplus auctions to do their homework. He says to look carefully at photos and descriptions, call and ask questions, and set a max budget to avoid getting carried away in the excitement of bidding. Some municipalities maintain their equipment very well, which may make you want to spend more money.
The Lingo Group in the community with a fire truck.
How Quality Service Leads to Reputation
Lingo’s community-oriented approach is a reflection of the company’s values. Gavin estimates that 95% of their business comes from referrals and word-of-mouth. Despite their current size, he, his family, and staff all still believe in the importance of personal relationships. They answer the phone directly, meet with clients on-site, and follow through on their promises in a world where that level of service is increasingly rare. These examples are a testament to the quality and reputation of Lingo, and the reasons why they are booking sizable, multi-faceted hardscaping and landscaping projects.
“We've done some pretty large projects, so there's been some interesting ones. We've done a large, very large cobble driveway on a farm project. So, that was very involved. It's actually a cobble lane that they can drive on, but it's like the old Germantown roads, you know? They had their actual real cobbles, so it was a really massive project.” - Gavin Lingo
Lingo Group team hard at work on new landscaping.
Successfully coordinating these complex projects requires constant communication between crews, subcontractors, suppliers and clients, especially when unexpected issues crop up like bad weather or unmarked buried utility lines. It's not uncommon to encounter shifting project scopes and timelines as well, which is why flexibility amongst his team has been key.
The most rewarding projects, he finds, are complete backyard transformations, taking a nondescript grassy space and crafting a beautiful, fully-functional entertainment area complete with a pool, patio, lighting and audio. He relishes the process of guiding a project from initial design through installation and seeing the resulting joy on a client's face.
Conclusion
If you’re considering starting your own landscaping business, Gavin suggests patience and controlled growth. Resist the urge to expand too quickly at the expense of quality service. You can even follow his mantra.
“And I don't want to be a little bit good at it, I want to be really good at everything we do.” - Gavin Lingo
As for working with family, Gavin feels blessed to have his wife and children as an integral part of The Lingo Group's continued success. After 38 years, they show no signs of slowing down. They plan to keep doing what they do best - providing intimate and quality service. Now, with a second generation increasingly involved, the company is well positioned for the future. The little company that started with a teenage boy pushing a lawnmower has grown up, but it sure hasn't forgotten its roots.
