The Early Years
Beginning at an early age, my parents promoted hard work and self-discipline, making sure that my sister and I knew that we had to earn things ourselves and were not just entitled to them. Above all else, our parents taught us that we would only get out of life what we put into it.
Growing up I was like many kids my age, wanting to play sports and ride four-wheelers. However, unlike some kids who were just handed a seemingly endless supply of cash to support these hobbies, my parents taught me to work for these privileges. These lessons instilled in me a healthy appreciation for a hard day’s labor, and made the rewards only that much sweeter for having earned them myself.
The High School Years
Later, as a high school student, my best friend Chris Ezbiansky and I started mowing lawns as a way to make some money during the summer. We both played baseball and had a hard time finding traditional summer jobs that didn’t conflict with our baseball schedules, so we saw an opportunity to make jobs for ourselves.
The Following Years
This initial interest in the green industry lead me to a seasonal (off-season) position with the Umlauf family at Pinebrook Hollow Tree Farm, where my interest and knowledge of all things horticulture continued to grow. The strong family values that my parents had been instilling in me from a young age were further reinforced and strengthened as the Umlauf family accepted me like a son of their own, and continued to show me the value in hardwork and persistence.
Today
As an adult, I can now see that I owe my work ethic to my father, my discipline and reason to my mother, and my skill at effectively managing a small business based on family values to Greg Umlauf. Without these people, I would not be where I am today, and neither would Saylor’s Lawn and Landscape, Inc.