Their mom, Lois Hyatt, helped mow during the week, and their dad, Lowell Hyatt, joined them in mowing on Saturdays.
“We had a little JCPenney lawnmower and a broom,” Ken said.
The business name was eventually changed to Village Green Lawn & Landscape. Twenty years ago, the business moved to its location on J Avenue in Plano.
Although Ken is the sole business owner, his family is still involved.
“Keith is a teacher in Allen, but in the summer, he still works here,” Ken said. “Dad does our books, and Mom does our statements for us.”
The business now offers a wide range of services, including lawn health; irrigation repair and maintenance; and landscape design and installation.
Ken said the lawn health program starts out with the signature plan, which is fertilization and weed control.
The business offers irrigation-repair service packages that range from three to five calls per year. They repair sprinklers, set the controller for the proper settings for that time of year and make sure the system covers the yard correctly.
The available landscape services range from a renovation to a complete overhaul.
“People are wanting simpler landscapes that are easy to maintain. They are shifting away from the hedges, what I call cubes and beach balls,” Ken said. “They want something that is drought resistant, and, here lately, they want something that is freeze resistant.”
Ken, a Plano resident, said popular shrubs that fit these extreme weather criteria are nandinas and aucuba. For smaller plants the company often uses heuchera and giant liriope plants.
Teaching his staff leadership and industry skills as well as educating his customers on how to have a nice landscape are Ken’s favorite elements of business ownership. He said he feels successful when customers’ eyes light up when a landscape job is complete.
“They can sit in their backyard and enjoy their time outside,” Ken said.
Village Green Lawn & Landscape
1316 J Ave., Plano
972-495-6990
www.villagegreen-inc.com
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun. closed
