In This Episode You'll Discover:
In this episode of the Partner Interview Series, Weathermatic President, Lex Mason welcomes Loren McIrvin, CEO of Allied Landscape to discuss how they've transitioned their business from an irrigation repair focus over to a more sustainable water management practice. Click here to watch the full interview with Lorin McIrvin of Allied Landscape.
Full Transcript:
Lex – How has water management become an important part of business alongside landscape management? And how has water played a role into that asset management resource initiative?
Loren – From a business perspective, to look at landscaping as just going out there and giving haircuts to the grass and plants is not enough. Over the last 15 years, we've seen property managers and community managers become very stretched. They're covering more property, more square footage than they ever have before and they're looking to lean on vendors and contractors. So, we’re shifting more to asset management… like being able to go to the customer and breaking down the landscape into pieces that need to be replaced or improved.
Water management is also becoming a humongous issue, just based on the rising costs! We have seen a 10% year over year increase in the California Bay area!
Lex – That’s a great point. That it’s not just a haircut, but managing an asset. Talk about how you've changed the way that this solution, a smart irrigation upgrade, is presented. How are you able to incorporate it as a standard part of the business versus selling it as a large capital expense and having to go through budget seasons and wait for approvals?
Loren – The fact that Weathermatic is helping on the front end with that capital investment and allowing us to spread out the cost of the equipment… then offering a unique warranty tied to that has really helped us push things forward with our customers! It's part of the reason why I partnered up with Weathermatic, I think Weathermatic has a history of being an innovator and thinking outside the box.
Lex – How are you delivering a “different” service that beats the competition?
Loren – I think when we can go to them and show them that we have visual dashboards that show you what's going on, we are leveraging technology to be able to have better efficiency, to be able to monitor what's going on with the controller. For us, what that means is making sure that we're on the front end of problems, versus our customers needing to call us.
The automation tied to having a master valve, a flow sensor, a control system that can automate some of those responses, like a shutdown and send out a text message and provide a dashboard in the morning for our employees that come into the office saying…. you have a problem on this commercial property. You need to get out there and let the customer know what a valuable tool it is. It's fantastic. That's a humongous shift. And think our customer base is going to start to expect it a lot more. And I think more and more of our peers around the country, really need to harness what's available to you. It's no different than having an air conditioner in your home in 1970s [it] would be far from the air conditioner that you would have [now].
Lex – How has your team really grabbed the software and, what's been their kind of... their acclimation period?
Loren – What's unique about Weathermatic is that they’ve been around for a long time, and I think they know the workforce that's working with the [irrigation] system; and I think the intuitive design behind your control system enables our field staff to harness that technology a lot easier than some of the other technology we've tried. I would say our entire staff has embraced Weathermatic technology, easily.
I would say, also, that [experience] relates to the doubt tied to new technologies. It was important for us to find a longstanding partner that had a lot of time, and that would support us. It's less about the widget on the wall, as much as it is the manufacturer that will stand behind it, offer that training and guide us through that. That’s what I've experienced at Weathermatic!
Lex – Well, that means a lot to hear. It’s a different model that we've had to build! And so, I'm thrilled to hear that it's working and that your team has taken advantage of it.
Loren – Well, you know, one thing I do want to add is: as much as I think Weathermatic has been great at developing and engineering new technology and that the support is there, I think the Save Water, Give Life campaign means something to me as well! Offering sustainability for my company and my employees and my customers – it's important! And part of the reason why we're happy to be partners with Weathermatic
Lex – Absolutely. We take for granted that we can walk over and turn on the faucet in the morning and get clean water and fill up our water bottles, brush our teeth, all that good stuff and not have to think twice about it. But, there is still a good portion of the developing world that lacks access to clean drinking water. So, if little old Weathermatic over here and its partners can help impact change, then we want to do that!
Loren – I do want to add just one piece that I think resonates with a good chunk of our industry. You know, the landscape industry has been lucky to have, a strong Hispanic workforce. And to see you guys give back to Latin America means a lot!
Lex – That’s certainly the intention! When we had to make the decision of what part of this world do we want to try to impact… it was a no brainer! Think of how much the Hispanic community has given to this industry. Countries in South and Central America have often been the focus. So, I appreciate that. Appreciate all that you guys are doing!
Click below to watch the full interview with Lorin McIrvin of Allied Landscape. If you enjoyed this interview, be sure to check out the rest of our interview series on our YouTube channel!
Want the advantage of SmartLink Certification and premium-paying customers? Weathermatic offers a solution.To learn more about our Smart water technology packaged in our Premier Partner Program, contact us today!