At LaurelRock, each new year brings a surge of new energy, excitement, and creativity! This year, 2020, began with added enthusiasm as it marks our 45th anniversary: a milestone our team is proud to announce.
Throughout our 45-year journey, LaurelRock has grown and matured, but what has never changed in all that time is our exceptional company culture built on our solid core principles. Every day we base our work and decisions on these “E-T-H-I-C-A-L” principles to positively influence our team, clients, and business partners. As we commemorate this year, we’d like to share how we exemplify our principles, even today, enabling us to remain a leader in our industry and local community.
EMBRACING TEAMWORK & THINKING CREATIVELY
Our approach embodies creative thinking, clear communication, and trusted leadership to keep our team strong. As we have all experienced, COVID-19 has brought unique challenges on many fronts. To deal with this head-on, LaurelRock immediately formed an internal COVID Response Team that has worked diligently to define new protocols, ensure crewmember safety, and maintain unsurpassed customer service. This team continues to meet weekly, collaborating, and adjusting policies as necessary to protect all whom we serve. Empowering people to respond collaboratively to challenges in intelligent and appropriate ways enables us to be the best we can be.
HONORING OUR CLIENTS
Providing continuous, excellent service builds trust and loyalty with our clients. It is an honor for us to have worked with several of our steadfast clients for more than 20 years and many others for over a decade. We promise to continue to honor every client relationship through our words and actions, and we remain grateful for those we have the opportunity to serve each day.
INVESTING IN THE COMMUNITY (AND CAUSES)
Getting involved with non-profit organizations in our community and within the industry allows us to make a positive difference in others’ lives. Currently, our President, Burt DeMarche, sits on the Board of Directors of Come Alive Outside, whose mission is to create awareness, intention, and opportunity for people to live healthier lives by spending more time outdoors. In 2019, LaurelRock developed an ongoing partnership with the Aspetuck Land Trust to preserve and expand green corridors and pollinator pathways within the communities that we serve. LaurelRock also supports the Northeast Organic Farmers Association (NOFA), New York Botanical Gardens (NYBG), Connecticut Nursery and Landscape Association (CNLA), American Society of Landscape Architects Connecticut Chapter (CTASLA), National Public Radio (NPR), National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), and more.
CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING BY LISTENING, LEARNING, AND LEADING
Being open to discovering new ways to serve our clients better is a way of life at LaurelRock. We’ve recently upgraded our management software, added battery-powered equipment in the field, and introduced SMART irrigation controllers and robotic mowers onto properties. As pioneers in creating best practices, LaurelRock continually searches for efficient, sustainable, and eco-friendly solutions that will enhance our clients’ experience and make it easy to do business with us.
ACTING WITH INTEGRITY
Hiring and training are also rooted in our core principles, starting with individual integrity. For us, integrity is built on reliability, trust, and professionalism: must-have traits for our team members. Weekly meetings open with each associate outlining an example of where they witnessed an act of integrity being carried out, either by themselves or another team member. Sharing and celebrating these moments creates intention and awareness around integrity, making it part of the fabric of who we are.
As we look to the future, we remain confident in the strength of our core principles, driving us ever forward to live out our mission of “Making a Positive Difference.” May we continue to see every challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow, and every success as reinforcement that we are indeed achieving our goals. We are filled with gratitude as we celebrate this 45-year milestone, and we thank you for your support. It is our pleasure to work in such a wonderful community to design, build, and maintain some of the most exceptional landscapes in the country.
