Dear Friends,

We are starting our 51st year thanks to all of our wonderful clients and I can’t help but wonder how my dad would feel about the current outlook for business after growing up under extreme economic hardship. Southern Italy was as poor as poor could be during the 30s, 40s and 50s. Since he passed away in 1973, I personally have guided the company through a few tough recessions and the damaging effect of runaway inflation! Frankly, we buckled down and worked harder, and I would like to think, smarter than our competition. We always put our clients’ needs first knowing they would appreciate and remember the effort.

Well, here we are again. The new recession is here and some pundits are even mentioning the “D-word.” All I know is that these times do feel different than past recessions. If I buried myself in reading and watching the news I think I would have to be taking anti-depressants, but those of you who know me know that won’t happen! Instead of worrying about things we can’t control, we are looking at things we can control and are committed to being a better company. When our nation comes out of these difficult times, we will be stronger than ever. We did it before and we can do it again.

How, you may ask? Let me share what we have already started to work on. To work at Mariani you have to be the best in your field. If we hire someone who doesn’t have the desire to excel, they don’t last – plain and simple. We run lean and efficient by design. Right now we are inundated with resumes and applications from all over the country and beyond. People are worried that their current company will not be solvent. This spells opportunity to us and will allow us the pick of the litter to fill our needs for the future.

Typically, we take our profits and buy new equipment – be it trucks or mowers or computers – you name it. This year we will only buy things that will improve our efficiency or make us more “green” and sustainable. Our investments must allow us to keep our pricing as low as possible without compromising service and quality. Although the recent housing crisis, compounded by the stock market crash, will affect business, I believe that more of us will be spending time at home with those who mean the most to us – our family and friends. We hold dearly the fact that you have allowed us the honor of being responsible for your home and gardens and we do not take that responsibility lightly! We are committed to employing the best associates possible. We want you to feel secure with the associates we have working at your home. We constantly train our staff to develop the best workforce money can buy.

At the same time, we are looking at ways to lower costs and improve the environment, even though our costs are going up – health insurance, fertilizer, labor, etc. We have done a good job of identifying more efficient ways to do business in order to keep our pricing in check.

This winter we would like to enlist your support and in turn reap some benefits! If we could increase the number of homes we service in your neighborhood, we could accomplish much:

• Reduce travel time
• Reduce fuel usage
• Reduce wear and tear on our equipment
• Increase supervision on jobsites
• Increase contact with clients
• Reduce pollution substantially
• Probably the most valuable benefit – consider the opportunity to have all the landscapes in your neighborhood maintained on the same day instead of hearing the mowers / blowers every day of the week. Yes, I mean major noise reduction!

If you can assist us in gaining access to your neighbors, we will all reap the reward. We will give you a referral bonus for every client we sign up for annual maintenance.

In addition, many nurserymen are feeling the housing market crunch. We expect some very good opportunities to buy top quality plants at bargain prices, so now is the time to invest in your landscape. We can redo a section or the entire yard and make your garden a destination point for you and your family. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact us at 847.234.2172.

Frank Mariani, CEO

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