Today we will discuss grounds maintenance contractors and whether there is any special training they are required to undertake. Information is power, and the information shared in this article will give you the power to hire a qualified, affordable, and trustworthy grounds maintenance company.
We are Keith’s Tractor Mowing, serving the Greater Fort Worth area with affordable acreage mowing. Call us at 817-991-4318 for more information and to arrange for a job quote.
What are grounds maintenance contractors?
Grounds maintenance is the process that maintains outdoor and green indoor areas. It can include everything from planting trees and pest control to mowing lawns and keeping a sidewalk free of snow. The main goal of grounds maintenance is to maintain property value and ensure that landscaped areas retain functionality and remain pleasant.
Keeping these areas clean, organized, and aesthetically pleasing cannot be underestimated. A study from the University of Vermont found that landscaping and groundskeeping can add up to 14% to the value of a building and grounds.
Special training needed?
Just a partial list of skills needed to be a grounds maintenance worker would include the following:
- Landscaping design
- Horticulture knowledge
- Irrigation management
- Pesticide application
- Turf maintenance
- Equipment operation
- Soil fertility
- Tree pruning
Most grounds maintenance contractors training is “on the job” training, meaning it is acquired by actually working for a company and being trained by management of that company. There are no training certificates, per se. There are, however, classes which can be taken to be certified as specialists in several of the areas listed above. Are those certificates required? In most, if not all states, the answer is no, and this simple means there is no real way of knowing if someone is skilled or not. The simple truth is this: anyone can claim to have the skills listed above. Whether they do, in fact, have those skills is something which will become obvious after they are hired to do a job.
So, how do you know who is qualified?
We do not point this out to be mean or critical. We are simply stating facts. There is no way of knowing the real qualifications of one company from another other than doing some investigative research prior to hiring a contractor.
Ask for references and then call those references. Yes, you can also seek out online reviews like Google or Yelp, but not all of those reviews are accurate or believable. Our suggestion, for the best results, is to take the old-fashioned approach and call the references.
In a tough, competitive economy, where everyone is trying to gain a toehold and make a buck, finding qualified help/services is tough, like trying to find a four-leafed clover in an acre of pasture. Protect yourself by doing the footwork before signing a contract.
A final word about Keith’s Tractor Mowing.
Keith’s Tractor Mowing is locally owned and operated, a trusted name among homeowners, ranch owners, farmers, governments, and companies. Call us for ranch mowing, pipeline mowing, cemetery mowing, church mowing, HOA services, any job over an acre in size within a seventy-five-mile radius of Fort Worth.