Concrete Curbing Business Success Stories
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Curbing business looks to gain edge on competition
Greenville firm says landscaping option popular
GREENVILLE — Dennis Schroeder admits there are times when he's not the easiest guy to work for.
"I think my employees get a little mad at me sometimes because if what we're doing isn't quite right, I'll make them start all over again," he said.
Schroeder's meticulous approach may be why his new business, CurbWorks of Greenville LLC, is catching on as a landscaping option in the area.
CurbWorks builds decorative, concrete landscape edging or "curbs" around things like flower beds, trees, mail boxes, pathways, walkways, patios, ponds, pools, fences and property lines. CurbWorks also does projects at parks and golf courses.
"Dennis is a fanatic about attention to detail," said CurbWorks employee Gini Voight. "He does all the finishing work and he's so picky. Everything has to be just so. But it turns out just beautiful."
In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, curbing work increases property value and eases the lawn mowing process. Concrete curbing looks and feels like authentic brick and stone, and is more economical and durable than traditional lawn edging. It doesn't disturb existing landscaping and won't rust like steel or decompose like wood.
"We get rid of that ugly black plastic edging you see a lot and by the time we leave, customers are really happy," Schroeder said. "It's really a nice, clean look. Curbing is a concept that started in Australia and it's really starting to catch on."
Voight added: "The possibilities are endless with concrete curbing and it's maintenance free. You can run your mower wheels right up on it. It eliminates a lot of weed-eating, trimming and mowing. People really like that. One big plus we offer is free removal and disposal of sod and the black plastic edging."
Schroeder's sons, Mitch and Eric, are employed at CurbWorks, along with Jared Lessor. Dennis Schroeder, who also works as an electrician at Neenah Paper, started the business in January. Voight oversees much of the daily operation. CurbWorks operates during the nonwinter months.
"We're getting very busy now and we expect June and July to be our busiest months," Voight said. "We know the Fox Cities has its share of curb companies, but we wanted to concentrate on Greenville west. We're right in the ballpark where other companies are (in terms of fees) and we give discounts and we're very generous about them.
"People that give us a call won't be disappointed. We stand behind our work and the quality of our workmanship is very good."
CurbWorks completes most jobs in one day — usually within a three- to four-hour period — and offers a two-year guarantee on most projects.
Employees don't mind being observed by their customers.
"We actually like the homeowner to be there," Voight said. "That way, we can ask them, 'How does this look for you? Is this the color you anticipated?' We haven't had any complaints and have received a lot of good feedback. We've done some small jobs and some real big jobs."
"Our first year in business has been strictly part-time as we have full-time jobs elsewhere. With us curbing in the evenings and on some Saturday's, we were able to install almost 20 thousand linear feet of curbing. I don't think that is too shabby for being part-time, first year, and a supplemental income source".
The Curb Depot is the manufacturer of CurbWork's curbing equipment and training/support center during their startup. Training, support, and quality equipment is the focus of The Curb Depot and helps people make the transition into small business successful.
CurbWorks of Greenville LLC
N1403 Ellen Lane, Greenville
920-572-2872
www.curbworksofgreenvillewi.com
Portions of article and image first appeared in The Post Crescent, June 2007
