As a facility manager of an educational institution, you have a lot on your plate and quite a bit to worry about to keep your property running smoothly.
From interior building issues to working with different teams on your property, it’s easy for landscape duties to fall to the bottom of your to-do list.
But a well-maintained educational facility with well-maintained grounds and sports fields can improve a school’s student appeal, raise enrollment numbers, improve students’ attention and grades, enhance safety, and project a quality brand and reputation.
The Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (CVCA), based in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, prepares students academically, socially, physically, and spiritually for college and beyond. And the facility needed a professional company that communicated regularly, performed quality work, and responded quickly to concerns.
Commercial Landscaping Challenges for CVCA
When it comes to educational facility grounds maintenance, you want a proactive approach that includes everything your property could benefit from.
At the same time, you want a company that is thinking about solutions that will help your property instead of just offering you cookie-cutter services or things you don’t need.
The Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy is a 6th- to 12th-grade college-prep middle and high school committed to academic excellence in a supportive, distinctively Christian environment. Its biblically integrated curriculum is delivered by a dedicated faculty serving 900-plus students from seven counties on a 70-acre campus.
The facility found that mowing was difficult to schedule and complete due to faculty members, students, and sports coaches and teams on the move throughout the day.
The sports fields at CVCA also must be maintained at a certain height and mowed two times each week. The campus is large, and the school lets out at 3 p.m. All sports fields must be mowed prior to school release time so that games and practices can occur. Also, the baseball infield requires push mowing twice weekly. This was another logistical challenge for the school.
Since the property is quite large at 70 acres, choosing the right equipment, amount of people and crew organization has also been a challenge to perfect.
CVCA as a professional organization was also seeking a professional company that had clean uniforms and trucks, as well as professional behavior, to represent them and their brand on the site. Their previous commercial landscape service provider was unprofessional and CVCA was looking for a change.
They also had issues with building and lawn damage from unmaintained, inferior mowing equipment.
They wanted to work with a commercial landscape company in Northeast Ohio that they wouldn’t have to micromanage or one that would cause them to worry about when they would show up or if they would show up if they needed them.
CVCA Commercial Landscaping Solutions
Turfscape wanted to offer an educational campus maintenance program for CVCA that would satisfy what they needed, as well as go above and beyond for this important client.
They began their work on the site in 2022.
CVCA has a long and vibrant history and reputation to maintain in the area as they began in 1967. For over fifty years, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy has been committed to high academic standards intentionally framed by a biblical worldview and philosophy.
And they needed commercial landscaping to match their mission and goals.
1. Elminating Micromanagement For the Client
You hire a commercial landscape company to take your landscape maintenance worries off of your plate. You certainly don’t want to have to micromanage the company you hire; that would defeat the purpose of hiring a professional you trust to take care of the job for you.
CVCA hired Turfscape to provide the facility with a full-service grounds maintenance program that includes lawn care, mowing/maintenance, trash patrol, spring and fall cleanup, and regular pruning, mulching, as well as landscape design and plant installations on any new additions or renovated areas.
Turfscape professionals built a level of trust with the facility manager, so he doesn’t have to worry about whether or not the contractor is going to show up to maintain the site. Turfscape shows up every week on the same day.
Turfscape crew members spend time on the site, getting to know how vehicle and pedestrian traffic moves, what areas need enhanced safety and security, and what sections need improvement. They do their homework so they can alert the facility manager to issues and become experts on their client’s landscape.
This also helps them remain sensitive to school hours, the timing of various sporting events on the property, as well as regular classes and busy times. As such, Turfscape crews turn off equipment when large groups are passing by, clean off mowed areas and ensure the educational facility remains tidy during and after maintenance tasks.
2. Hire a Partner, Not Just a Vendor
Turfscape believes your professional landscape team should become an extension of your educational facility staff.
Your school involves constant movement from vehicles and pedestrians throughout the day, so having landscape crew members that take the time to learn how you operate and what you need is important.
CVCA chose Turfscape as their landscaping partner in 2022 because they built a relationship that is something more than just that of a landscape contractor and educational institution. It’s a relationship between people where you know each other on a deeper level than just surface – better understanding the client’s needs and pain points.
Relationships are built on communication. Turfscape professionals take the time to get to know the client personally during the bidding process and then on a regular basis, as well as professionally, to ensure the needs of the property are being met.
Turfscape regularly communicates with the head of grounds and maintenance at CVCA. They communicate and meet with the contact weekly to discuss any concerns or needs on the property. If weather is an issue, they move the schedule around to ensure the grass gets cut.
3. Hire a Commercial Landscape Business That is Proactive, Not Reactive
The professional commercial landscaping crew members who perform work on your campus are the most essential parts of keeping your educational facility looking good, positively boosting your image and reputation and proactively meeting your demands.
This means they suggest improvements within your budget restraints before you even have a chance to think about them.
Turfscape’s partnership with CVCA emphasizes this proactive approach. This makes the facility manager’s job and life a lot easier because he doesn’t have to worry about his grounds.
As the school grew in 2022 and created a new addition to the building, Turfscape was able to provide a landscape design for the area in front of the school. Along with the design, Turfscape was awarded the contract to install the plant material.
Build a Powerful Professional Connection for Your School Landscaping
Just like the students at CVCA, your current and potential students are taking notice of your educational facility landscaping.
As such, you don’t want to miss out on providing commercial landscaping in Northeast Ohio that can keep your school landscaping fresh.
But you have a lot on your plate, and you don’t have time to micromanage a landscape company or worry about whether your facility is being neglected by the service provider you choose.
We understand. You’re busy and your time is valuable. Let Turfscape help. We can discuss your priorities and build a relationship of trust with you so you feel like we’re really listening to you and your needs. We can proactively share impactful ideas with you to boost areas of your property that you didn’t even know needed attention. We can prioritize communication and a professional image and high-quality work, so you don’t have to think about perception issues or potential damages on your site. You don’t want to hire a company that adds worries to your plate; the goal is to take worries OFF of your plate. Turfscape is here to help.
Want to learn more about our commercial landscaping services in Northeast Ohio? Get started today with a free quote. We’ll review your options together so you can make a great choice.
