Spanning over one hundred acres, this community college campus serves as the main hub for one of Southwest Florida's premier educational institutions. From humble beginnings inside an old high school in 1958, today, the university supports over 11,000 full-time students. It also provides professional development and community education programs for an additional 14,000 students. This campus is minutes away from Sarasota Bay, providing countless educational opportunities, noteworthy athletic complexes, art centers, and a dental hygiene clinic.
Challenges
An urgent challenge led to Yellowstone Landscape’s partnership with this small college. Storm damage from a hurricane was too much for the in-house grounds crew. They were already stretched thin, so our team was called in for a substantial storm clean-up.
That initial project led to us being contracted to handle future hurricane responses for the university. During those discussions, we learned more about the long list of duties the college’s grounds crew was tasked with. The hard-working team was trying to maintain common areas while keeping athletic fields in tip-top shape and being held responsible for routine building repairs, like plumbing and HVAC.
Those details shifted the conversations to ways Yellowstone could take the burden off the university’s groundskeepers. These are valuable, experienced staff members who no one, including our company, wanted to replace. A related challenge was the landscaping equipment already purchased by the school. What would be done with newer mowers, for example, if our company took over the commercial landscape maintenance?
Results
A small community college may not need to rival an Ivy League school’s expansive, historic grounds. But we believe every student deserves quality outdoor spaces. Here are a few solutions our company used to achieve that aim while overcoming numerous challenges.
- Having multiple branches, we brought in extra resources for the initial hurricane clean-up, allowing the college to reopen sooner.
- Yellowstone Landscape arborists were on-site first to ensure everyone’s safety around potentially hazardous trees and limbs.
- After being chosen as the landscape storm response provider, we compared the in-house grounds team’s maintenance list with our maintenance programs.
- We pinpointed services we could provide that would give the university staff the most relief.
- Our branch manager sat down with the university’s grounds supervisor to discuss the division of landscape maintenance tasks.
- The university’s landscaping equipment was taken into consideration and Yellowstone actually purchased some of the high-end equipment as part of the new maintenance contract.
- Ensuring this small university receives efficient use of its budget, we focus landscape enhancements at arrival areas to make great first impressions for students, faculty, and visitors.
- Florida native and drought-resistant plants have reduced maintenance needs and labor costs.
- Our “right plant, right place” philosophy adds to the school’s sustainability initiatives while ensuring durable, long-lasting flowers and greenery.
- Solid communication between our branch manager and the grounds supervisor helps with contract adjustments that benefit the college’s groundskeepers.
Property Accolades
"Our students, faculty, and staff certainly have noticed Yellowstone's presence on campus. Keep up the great work!"
“Good value for the education, and the campus is gorgeous.”
“High-quality campus and individualized experience.”
A Common Goal
This is one of our favorite case studies because of how the partnership originated. If not for a damaging hurricane, Yellowstone Landscape may never have crossed paths with this client. The college needed a speedy storm clean-up from an experienced provider, and we were available. This could have easily been a one-time project.
However, that’s where communication plays a vital role in the landscaping industry. Many providers would have swooped in, cleaned up the storm debris, and then moved on to the next job. Our local manager, instead, had a long discussion with school officials while assessing the initial project, then did the same with the grounds supervisor during the clean-up. These conversations were eye-openers for how Yellowstone could take the pressure off the college’s overextended employees.
And there was never any effort to “take over” the landscaping. There were simply talks about what would help the client make the most of their budget, utilize their staff effectively, and keep the campus tidy. The actual maintenance details to create an attractive campus were already in Yellowstone’s comprehensive maintenance programs. All that was needed was to tailor the program to the needs in this unique case.
The result is a community college looking its best, maximizing its landscape budget, and better utilization of the in-house groundskeepers. Contact Yellowstone Landscape for a consultation if your community college needs a unique perspective on landscape solutions from a provider willing to listen to your needs.
