For over three decades, Carbondale-based Good Earth Landscaping & Maintenance has made it their business to enhance Valley homes and buildings. Originally started by David and Melanie Crandall, the company has been owned by business partners Jeff Margulies and Josh Austin since the winter of 2017/18.
Good Earth focuses on high-end landscaping in Aspen and throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. The company offers year-round landscape maintenance for both residential and commercial properties, in addition to landscape design. As contractors, Good Earth’s team consults clients based on budget feasibility as well as scope and layout of desired outdoor spaces.
Margulies, who serves as managing partner and operator, spoke with The Sopris Sun about ways Good Earth has grown and changed.
What originally inspired you to get involved in the landscaping business?
While neither Josh nor I come from landscaping backgrounds, we saw an opportunity to use what we had learned over the course of our careers in other industries to grow and elevate an already-great company — and what better place is there to create beautiful outdoor spaces than the Roaring Fork Valley!
How has the company changed and grown?
We can really only speak to the change that has taken place over the past several years; however, we’ve certainly changed a lot in that time! We’ve grown several times over, which has required the development of new processes and investment in our people and equipment.
We’ve developed a number of new capabilities and service offerings, from landscape and irrigation design to fencing installation. We’ve really focused on implementing best practices and developing trainings at all levels of the organization so that we can provide consistent, expert services to our clients.
What are some of your guiding philosophies in your work?
Over the past several years, we have really focused on developing a culture of customer service at all levels of the organization. We really want to make sure that we have a clear understanding of what success looks like to our clients so that we can ensure that we meet or exceed those expectations. Internally, we are also highly focused on promoting positivity and teamwork.
Especially during the busy season, we spend as much (if not more) time with our colleagues as with our families. So we want to make sure that our teams enjoy working together, that we are helping one another, and (though the work we do is hard) that it is a positive part of our daily life.
Are there specific types of projects you particularly enjoy?
We love transforming and maintaining outdoor spaces to make them more usable, sustainable and enjoyable for our clients. That can mean a lot of different things depending on the nature of a property or project, but we enjoy our work most when we have the opportunity to work collaboratively with our clients and when they recognize the value of their environment through us.
What do you think is important for people to know about landscaping in our arid climate?
Not only do we live in an arid climate, but there are very distinct microclimates throughout the Valley. It is really important to have an understanding of site-specific conditions to make horticulturally-informed decisions that will lead to success. That means understanding soil composition, sun exposure, appropriate plant material and designing or augmenting irrigation systems that will meet the landscape’s needs while conserving water.
Anything else you’d like to share?
We feel so lucky to be able to make one of the most spectacular places in the world a little more beautiful every day!
Good Earth’s services include masonry and cement installations, erosion mitigation and irrigation, water and lighting features and garden design and maintenance. You can learn more about the company at www.goodearthaspen.com