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How Allied Landscape Built a $22M Commercial Maintenance Business with Loren McIrvin & Marty Grunder

📅 June 24, 2026 ⏱️ 44:48 🎤 Marty Grunder, Loren McIrvin

Chapters

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  • 0:00
    Asset Management Framework
    Loren introduces his framework for landscape management, focusing on risk reduction, opportunity identification, clear communication, and making clients' jobs easy.
  • 0:47
    Allied Landscape's Approach
    Loren explains that landscapes are valuable assets, and the industry needs to quantify and communicate this value to clients and internal teams.
  • 1:11
    Allied Landscape Overview
    Loren shares details about Allied Landscape, including its $22M revenue, 5 locations, and 225 employees, specializing in commercial landscape management.
  • 1:32
    Long-Term Planning for Sales
    Loren discusses how annual sales campaigns, long-term roadmaps, and budgeting with clients help generate consistent enhancement sales, rather than reactive proposals.
  • 2:40
    What Clients Really Want
    Loren identifies that property managers primarily hire landscapers to reduce risk, identify opportunities, communicate effectively, and make their jobs easier.
  • 3:09
    Advisors, Not Salespeople
    Loren outlines his strategy for training account managers to be humble, trusted advisors by focusing on active listening, building relationships, and providing solutions.
  • 4:24
    The Allied Road Map
    Loren details the Allied Road Map, which involves inventorying landscape assets, assessing their value, age, risks, and opportunities, and then collaborating with clients on a maintenance plan.
  • 5:00
    Client Selection Strategy
    Loren explains Allied Landscape's approach to screening clients and the importance of a 'hire slow, fire fast' mantra for both employees and customers.
  • 5:46
    Protecting the Quarterback
    Loren emphasizes the critical role of operations in supporting account managers to ensure the team is aligned in growing enhancement sales and delivering on client expectations.
  • 6:58
    Future of Landscape Maintenance
    Loren concludes that the future of landscape maintenance is landscape management, emphasizing continuous learning from mistakes and pushing to raise industry standards.

Speakers

M
Marty Grunder
Host — Grunder Landscaping Company and The Grow Group
L
Loren McIrvin
Allied Landscape

Key Takeaways

✦

Frame your landscape services as 'asset management' to align with client perspectives, as they are accustomed to managing other property assets.

✦

Develop a 'road map' or long-term plan (1, 3, or 5 years) for client properties to help them budget proactively and avoid reactive sales.

✦

Implement annual sales campaigns based on a horticultural calendar and customer mindset, allowing for preliminary education and consolidated operations.

✦

Train account managers to be humble, trusted advisors by prioritizing active listening, understanding client needs, and demonstrating care, before focusing on sales.

✦

Collaborate with clients on asset inventory, identifying risks (e.g., compliance issues, inefficient irrigation) and opportunities (e.g., property value improvement) to drive enhancement sales.

✦

Ensure your operational team 'protects the quarterback' (account manager) by prepping sites before client meetings and actively identifying enhancement opportunities.

✦

Adopt a 'hire slow, fire fast' mantra for clients; prioritize early assessment of partnership potential and be willing to self-terminate contracts if collaboration isn't effective.

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