Albert Lauze would never admit to being the ideal contractor. But to his customers that’s just what he is. As president of A&V Paysagistes Inc. in Lemoyne, Quebec, Lauze does just about everything right. His properties are manicured. His equipment is spotless. His employees are professionals. He even brings Espresso coffee to the job site for his customers and his employees. And that’s not all. Every Monday night, 12 months out of the year, you can find him playing hockey with his suppliers and clients. This contractor is connected — to his properties, his clients and his suppliers. From his point of view, that’s what contractors must do today to compete. “When I first started this company in 1973 there were 15 landscape contractors in the Yellow Pages. Today, they fill the pages. Contractors like myself have to find a point of difference and capitalize on it.” For Lauze over the years, that difference has taken on several dimensions. He not only bonds with his customers and suppliers and goes the extra mile, but he also looks for perfection from every job, and he never shies away from a challenge. In other words, if a customer wants it done, he’ll do it. Among his 32 primarily high-end commercial customers, three have big rooftop gardens, and one is on the 27th floor. “We used a crane to bring trees up to that property,” he says with a smile. Projects like that are few and far between, Lauze admits. Furthermore, his six employees today are spending more time than ever maintaining properties, and less time providing new construction services. Providing both requires retaining more employees, and finding good people is difficult in Quebec, he says.The winters are long and layoffs last up to five months. Fine TuningLauze spends his “down time” looking for ways to enhance his operation. He has taken several horticulture courses, and 10 years ago he spent three weeks at Disney World in Orlando learning its enhancement and maintenance practices. “One approach I immediately incorporated into our operation was Disney’s mass planting of Impatiens,” he tells. Today, he relies on his wife Collette to mix and match color arrangements, sometimes calling her from a project to get advice. “One of her hobbies is painting, and she understands colors,” Lauze adds. New technology has also taken a high profile in A&V’s operation. Crew members use Palm Pilots to track job costs, with worksheets now a thing of the past. “Job costing is more accurate, today,” tells A&V employee Dave Dery.“And by using the Palm Pilots we save a least a couple of hours a week.” Being able to save time was one of the reasons Lauze purchased his Walker Mower last October. Equipped with a 20-hp engine, 42-inch GHS deck and large grass catcher, the mower is used on at least half the company’s properties. “The Walker leaves a great cut, and saves us two to three hours at our shopping center properties just by how easily and quickly it picks up debris,” tells foreman Marco Allaire. The machine also dramatically reduces the time spent removing leaves in the fall. What used to be accomplished in several steps (blowing leaves in piles and removing them) is now done in one step with the Walker. “I saw my first Walker at the Cincinnati grounds maintenance show,” Lauze remembers. “It was a funny-looking machine. But when I talked with other contractors, they told me how much time the Walkers saved on their properties. If they saved time, I wanted to save time.” Since there weren’t many Walker Mowers in the area, Lauze felt the machine would also give him another point of difference from other contractors. So he purchased the machine from Walker dealer Vinco in nearby Lachine, and the rest, as they say, is history. The Walker has allowed A&V to work toward its goal of taking on more maintenance work without increasing employee rolls. On Walker-used properties, for example, Lauze’s crew can mow and pickup the property with the Walker in less time than it took with two mid-size mowers. The “left-over” operator is free to help with other maintenance chores, adding value for the customer and saving allimportant time. “I’ll go anywhere to learn how to save time,” Lauze emphasizes. “You can’t expect your employees to meet high expectations if they don’t have the tools. I’m wild about technology for that reason, and that’s one of the reasons we purchased a Walker. “In the Montreal area, we still have other time challenges to overcome, including travel time. Today, we lose 30% of our time on the road. As we move forward, we have to find ways to become more efficient in our operation to keep travel time to a minimum.” In the meantime, Lauze and his crew are busy interacting with clients and suppliers, and overall networking within the industry “We have a good trade. All we need to do is take care of it,” he adds. |
Albert Lauzé n’admettrait jamais être l’entrepreneur idéal, mais il l’est aux yeux de ses clients. En tant que président d’A&V Paysagistes Inc. à Lemoyne, au Québec, monsieur Lauzé sait répondre à toutes les exigences. Des terrains soignés, de l’équipement impeccable et des employés professionnels, voilà la clé de son succès. Albert sert même le cappuccino à ses clients et employés. Mais ce n’est pas tout: chaque lundi soir, douze mois par année, vous le trouverez en train de jouer au hockey avec ses fournisseurs et clients. M. Lauzé assure une gestion rigoureuse des terrains dont il a soin, ainsi que de ses relations commerciales. Ce sont, à son avis, des principes que les dirigeants d’entreprises doivent appliquer pour demeurer compétitifs. «Lorsque j’ai démarré cette compagnie en 1973, il y avait quinze entreprises paysagistes dans l’annuaire. Aujourd’hui les pages jaunes en regorgent. Les entrepreneurs comme moi doivent savoir se démarquer afin de rester concurrentiels» Au fil des ans, Albert Lauzé s’est distingué de diverses façons. Il ne s’est pas arrêté à créer des liens solides avec ses relations professionnelles et à toujours donner le maximum; Albert cherche constamment à atteindre la perfection dans son travail et ne s’est jamais découragé devant un défi. En d’autres mots, si un client a un projet en tête, il le réalise. Parmi sa trentaine de clients, plusieurs constituent des propriétés exclusives. Certaines d’entre elles sont pourvues de jardins sur les toits dont un au 27e étage d’un immeuble. «Nous nous sommes servis d’une grue pour hisser les arbres là-haut », se rappelle M. Lauzé. «De tels projets sont peu communs, d’autant plus que ses six ouvriers s’emploient principalement à l’entretien des propriétés plutôt qu’à la composition d’arrangements. «Offrir les deux services nécessiterait plus d’employés et la main-d’œuvre qualifiée est rare au Québec» déplore M. Lauzé. «Les hivers sont longs et la mise à pied saisonnière dure jusqu’à cinq mois. » Les Fins Ajustements De La TechnologieAlbert Lauzé réfléchit constamment aux moyens d’augmenter sa productivité. Il a suivi différents cours d’horticulture dont un d’une durée de trois semaines à Disney World, où il a pu constater les techniques d’aménagement et d’entretien qu’on y applique. «J’ai immédiatement adopté une des approches de Disney: la plantation massive d’impatiens » admet-il. M. Lauzé peut compter sur Collette, son épouse, pour l’orienter dans le choix des couleurs des fleurs. Il lui arrive même de lui téléphoner d’un site de plantation pour solliciter son avis. «Colette s’adonne à la peinture, elle connaît donc parfaitement les agencements de couleurs» note fièrement M. Lauzé. Les nouvelles technologies ont aussi trouvé leur essor dans les opérations de la compagnie A&V. Les membres de l’équipe utilisent des ordinateurs de poche pour comptabiliser les dépenses liées à un projet, rendant ainsi les feuilles désuètes. «La tarification est désormais une tâche exacte» dit Dave Déry, un employé d’A&V, «et en utilisant l’ordinateur épargnons plusieurs heures par semaine.» L’économie de temps est d’ailleurs ce qui a motivé M. Lauzé à faire l’acquisition d’un tracteur Walker en octobre dernier. Équipé d’un moteur de 20 cv, d’une tondeuse 42 po. et d’un grand ensacheur de 9.5 boisseaux, il est utilisé sur plus de la moitié des propriétés dont A&V a la responsabilité. «Le Walker permet une coupe parfaite et nous fait gagner deux ou trois heures sur les terrains des centres commerciaux vu son efficacité à collecter les débris» constate Marco Allaire, contremaître. De plus, la machine réduit de façon appréciable le temps passé à ramasser les feuilles en automne. Le Walker accomplit les deux phases d’un nettoyage (le soufflage des feuilles en amas et la collecte de ceux-ci) en une seule étape. «J’ai vu un Walker pour la première fois à Cincinnati lors d’une exposition d’entretien paysager» se souvient Albert Lauzé. «La machine avait une drôle d’allure mais en discutant avec d’autres entrepreneurs, j’ai appris à quel point le Walker s’avérait un outil indispensable pour gagner du temps. Si les autres en profitaient, je le pouvais aussi!» Comme les Walkers étaient encore rares dans sa région, monsieur Lauzé comprit que l’appareil deviendrait pour lui un élément de distinction. Il a donc fait l’acquisition d’un Walker du détaillant Vinco de Lachine et on connaît la suite. Le Walker a permis à A&V d’atteindre son but: effectuer plus d’entretien sans augmenter ses ressources humaines. En se servant du Walker, l’équipe de Lauzé peut tondre et nettoyer un terrain en moins de temps qu’elle ne le faisait avec deux tondeuses moyennes. L’employé ainsi libéré est disponible à réaliser d’autres tâches, accroissant ainsi la valeur du service rendu. «J’irais n’importe où pour apprendre à gagner du temps» insiste Albert Lauzé. «On ne peut pas demander à nos employés de répondre à nos attentes s’ils n’ont pas les outils appropriés. C’est pourquoi je suis un mordu de technologie, et c’est ce qui a justifié l’achat du Walker.» «Dans la région de Montréal nous avons d’autres défis à relever au niveau temporel, notamment la durée des déplacements. Nous passons actuellement 30% de notre temps sur la route. Il nous faut trouver des façons d’être plus efficaces dans nos opérations afin du réduire les périodes allouées au transport. » Entre-temps, Albert Lauzé et son équipe s’appliquent à maintenir d’excellentes relations d’affaires et à se bâtir un réseau de connaissances dans l’industrie. «Nous exerçons un métier formidable. Le truc, c’est d’offrir le meilleur de nous-mêmes» ajoute-t-il. |
The Right Man for the Job
Posted by
Walker on Jan 1, 2002 2:00:00 AM
Filed under: User Profiles, Stories, Canada, Walker Talk 19, A&V Paysagistes Inc.
Filed under: User Profiles, Stories, Canada, Walker Talk 19, A&V Paysagistes Inc.
Manage your Walker Talk Subscription
Need to change your address, go paperless, or cancel your subscription?
Show Me
- User Profiles (240)
- Stories (222)
- Bob's Column (55)
- Editorial (49)
- Videos (35)
- Walker Talk Europe 1 (29)
- Five Star Dealers (28)
- WT50 (27)
- Walker Ware (24)
- New Product Introduction (23)
- News (23)
- Now and Then (23)
- Newsletter (20)
- WT58 (17)
- Walker Talk 47 (15)
- Great People Video (14)
- Walker Talk 46 (13)
- Walker Talk 48 (13)
- Bob Walker (12)
- Press Release (11)
- Versatility (11)
- Walker Talk 49 (11)
- Europe (9)
- Walker Family Reunion (9)
- Press (8)
- WT52 (8)
- WT53 (8)
- WT55 (8)
- Walker Talk 12 (8)
- Walker Talk 8 (8)
- wt56 (8)
- Spring (7)
- WT51 (7)
- WT54 (7)
- WT57 (7)
- Walker Talk 3 (7)
- Walker Talk 33 (7)
- Walker Talk 9 (7)
- Business (6)
- Canada (6)
- Decks (6)
- Walker Talk 10 (6)
- Walker Talk 11 (6)
- Walker Talk 13 (6)
- Walker Talk 14 (6)
- Walker Talk 15 (6)
- Walker Talk 16 (6)
- Walker Talk 17 (6)
- Walker Talk 18 (6)
- Walker Talk 19 (6)
- Walker Talk 2 (6)
- Walker Talk 20 (6)
- Walker Talk 21 (6)
- Walker Talk 22 (6)
- Walker Talk 23 (6)
- Walker Talk 24 (6)
- Walker Talk 26 (6)
- Walker Talk 27 (6)
- Walker Talk 28 (6)
- Walker Talk 29 (6)
- Walker Talk 30 (6)
- Walker Talk 32 (6)
- Walker Talk 34 (6)
- Walker Talk 35 (6)
- Walker Talk 36 (6)
- Walker Talk 37 (6)
- Walker Talk 38 (6)
- Walker Talk 39 (6)
- Walker Talk 4 (6)
- Walker Talk 41 (6)
- Walker Talk 42 (6)
- Walker Talk 43 (6)
- Walker Talk 44 (6)
- Walker Talk 5 (6)
- Walker Talk 6 (6)
- Walker Talk 7 (6)
- demo request (6)
- leaf cleanup (6)
- walker talk video (6)
- Contests (5)
- Netherlands (5)
- WT59 (5)
- Walker Factory Day (5)
- Walker Talk 1 (5)
- Walker Talk 31 (5)
- Walker Talk 40 (5)
- Belgium (4)
- France (4)
- R21 (4)
- Switzerland (4)
- Tech Talk (4)
- Tips (4)
- Walker Talk 25 (4)
- Walker Talk 45 (4)
- cup holder (4)
- test drive (4)
- Autumn (3)
- B23 (3)
- B27i (3)
- Dealer (3)
- Events (3)
- Family (3)
- Germany (3)
- Model R (3)
- Mowing (3)
- Mulching (3)
- Norway (3)
- Ryan Walker (3)
- Sweden (3)
- Walker Live (3)
- Austria (2)
- Clean Cut (2)
- Colorado (2)
- Dean Walker (2)
- Denmark (2)
- Dethatcher (2)
- England (2)
- Hi-Dump (2)
- Italy (2)
- Model B (2)
- Monthly News (2)
- Non-Collection (2)
- Obituary (2)
- Productivity (2)
- Retail Financing (2)
- S14 (2)
- Spain (2)
- Startup (2)
- T-Shirts (2)
- Ted Walker (2)
- The Walker Advantage (2)
- Top Notch Lawns (2)
- Walker Leaf Cleanup (2)
- addons (2)
- beautiful cut (2)
- ds61 (2)
- fall (2)
- fertilizing (2)
- A&V Paysagistes Inc. (1)
- Absolute Lawn Care (1)
- Akehurst Landscape Service (1)
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Albuquerque Grounds Maintenance (1)
- All Terrain Grounds Maintenance (1)
- Allin Companies (1)
- Anderson Lawn Care (1)
- Announcement (1)
- Australia (1)
- Awards (1)
- BJ Services (1)
- BYU-Idaho (1)
- Babe (1)
- Baptist St. Anthony’s Hospital (1)
- Barb King (1)
- Bash Lawns & Services (1)
- Belle Fourche (1)
- Belvedere (1)
- Ben May (1)
- Ben Stauffer (1)
- Bloomin’ Flowers and Grass Inc. (1)
- Branding (1)
- Brandon Matthew Sneed Field (1)
- Breeze Landscaping (1)
- Buying Advice (1)
- C&D Landscape Company (1)
- Campbell (1)
- Camross Landscaping (1)
- Carson Landscape Industries (1)
- Catalana D'Espais Verds, S.L. (1)
- Chateau on the Lake (1)
- Cimitero Comunale di Correggio (1)
- Classic Lawn and Garden Maintenance (1)
- Clean Cut Lawn Care (1)
- Collins’ Landscaping & Lawn Maintenance (1)
- Colony (1)
- Comfort Seat (1)
- Congress 2021 (1)
- Cousineaus (1)
- Cox (1)
- Cut It Lawn Care Services (1)
- Cutzgras (1)
- D & R Groundskeeping (1)
- D&D Lawn & Landscaping (1)
- DHD Construction Inc. (1)
- Dan Viehmann Landscaping (1)
- Dandy Lawn (1)
- David Teper (1)
- Dealer Feature (1)
- Del Tura Country Club (1)
- Desert Care Landscaping, Inc. (1)
- Dick Heim Lawn Service (1)
- Diversified Landscape Maintenance (1)
- Down to Earth (1)
- Down to Earth Inc, (1)
- Drielanden (1)
- Dun-Rite (1)
- E.J. Jaxtimer Builders, Inc. (1)
- EDA (1)
- EGC & Co. (1)
- Earthworks, Inc. (1)
- Ed Castro Landscape Company (1)
- Elizabeth River Lawn & Landscapes, Inc. (1)
- Elon College (1)
- Equip Expo (1)
- Erwin Jakober AG (1)
- Escola de Policia de Catalunya (1)
- Espaces Verts & Jardins (1)
- Farley & Son Landscaping (1)
- Faulkner (1)
- Filoli (1)
- Firefighter (1)
- Foothills Landscape Maintenance (1)
- Forever Green Landscaping (1)
- Front Deck (1)
- GIE+EXPO (1)
- GMV (1)
- Gamma Verde (1)
- Gamma-Rent (1)
- Garden of the Gods Club (1)
- Gardner’s Irrigation and Landscaping Co. (1)
- George (1)
- Get On It Lawn Care (1)
- Gjennestad Gartnerskole (1)
- Grand Mesa Landscape Maintenance (1)
- Grass Masters (1)
- Grass Roots Inc. (1)
- Grasshopper Property Maintenance (1)
- Green Acres Landscaping (1)
- Green Care (1)
- Greengable Gardens (1)
- Greening-Up (1)
- Greenlife, Inc. (1)
- Greenscape (1)
- Grimslov (1)
- Groen & Bouw (1)
- Groenprojekten Weverling (1)
- Groom (1)
- H37i (1)
- HOA (1)
- Hats (1)
- Hearthstone Property Services (1)
- Hein Lawn Service (1)
- Heritage Insurance (1)
- Horticulture Services (1)
- Humke Elementary (1)
- Hungary (1)
- Image Lawn and Landscape (1)
- J&C Lawn Service (1)
- JC Lawncare (1)
- James A. Martin Co. Inc. (1)
- Jason’s Lawn Care (1)
- John W. Dorris Lawn Service (1)
- Johnson & Sons (1)
- Jonny Heinz Landscaping (1)
- KK Enterprises (1)
- KLV Landscape Services (1)
- KRANSCO (1)
- Kids (1)
- Kohler (1)
- Lakeside Cemetery (1)
- Lancaster Bible College (1)
- LandCrafters (1)
- Larsen's Landcare (1)
- Latvia (1)
- Lawn & Turf Landscaping, Inc. (1)
- Lawn Masters (1)
- Lawn Stylists (1)
- Lawns by Les (1)
- Leisure Village (1)
- Leisure World (1)
- Longue Vue House and Gardens (1)
- Longwood Gardens (1)
- Luke Brothers, Inc. (1)
- M&P Lawn Service (1)
- M&S Connection Landscaping (1)
- Mac’s Landscaping (1)
- Mark's Pro Services (1)
- Max Walker (1)
- McClure & Sons Landscape Services (1)
- Meadows Apartments (1)
- Mel’s Lawn Maintenance (1)
- Michael’s Complete Lawn Care (1)
- Middleton Place (1)
- Mike Kavanagh Gardening Services (1)
- Mikroprofit Ltd (1)
- Montana (1)
- Monte Vista Christian School (1)
- Montreal Botanical Garden (1)
- Mowin' Ranger (1)
- Multi Deck (1)
- Munk (1)
- Nansemond Lawn & Garden (1)
- Ned (1)
- New Method Lawn and Garden (1)
- New Zealand (1)
- Newell Coaches (1)
- Nick's Lawn Care (1)
- North Carolina (1)
- Nyborg Kirkegary (1)
- Ocean County (1)
- Ocean Front Landscaping (1)
- Oslo (1)
- Ostra Torsas Kyrkogardsforvaltning (1)
- Outdoor Equipment Distributors (1)
- Ouwendyk (1)
- Padgett (1)
- Park Pollentier (1)
- Paton (1)
- Pearson’s Anything Goes (1)
- Pellitteri Property Services (1)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Polite Lawn Care (1)
- Predella (1)
- Product Catalog (1)
- Progazon (1)
- Puget (1)
- Quality Lawn Care (1)
- Randy Hawse (1)
- Ratigen (1)
- Ray Albert Landscaping (1)
- Real Estate Maintenance Co. (1)
- Recall Bulletin (1)
- Reid's Lawnmowing (1)
- Reynolds Landscape Maintenance (1)
- Rick Blosser (1)
- Rogers & Company Landscapes Inc. (1)
- Ross Lawn and Landscape (1)
- Sam S. Russo Landscaping (1)
- San Joaquin Gardens (1)
- Scapes (1)
- Schloss Au (1)
- Schōnbrunn (1)
- Scott and Company (1)
- Sloan Landscape Maintenance (1)
- Soccer (1)
- Sposato Landscape (1)
- Springcreek Cemetery (1)
- Stadtmiller (1)
- Statens Vegvesen highway department (1)
- Stebbins (1)
- Steinhauer (1)
- Steve's Lawn and Garden (1)
- Stitt Melk (1)
- Stonebridge Landscaping Lawn Services (1)
- Suspension Seat (1)
- T & S Landscape (1)
- T&M Mowing (1)
- TOPS (1)
- Tammaro Landscaping (1)
- Ted Pendagast (1)
- The Planter’s Touch (1)
- The Walker Way (1)
- Think Greene (1)
- Tom Emmett Landscape Company (1)
- Top Job Landscaping (1)
- Top Notch Services (1)
- Total Lawn Care (1)
- Tracy Public Schools (1)
- Training (1)
- True Trim Lawn Care (1)
- Turfmaster (1)
- ULS Maintenance & Landscaping (1)
- University of Alaska Fairbanks (1)
- University of New Mexico (1)
- Used Mower (1)
- V. Henderson Landscaping (1)
- Valley Landscape Services Inc. (1)
- Victor Crowell (1)
- Vienna's Castles (1)
- Vissenbjerg (1)
- Walker Talk Revisited (1)
- Walker Vintage Vehicle Show (1)
- Walker World Championship (1)
- Web (1)
- Westervelt (1)
- Where Are They Now (1)
- Woburn Abbey (1)
- Wright Way Lawn Care (1)
- Xavier University (1)
- Yard Perfect Lawn Care and Landscaping (1)
- Zero-Turn (1)
- autopay (1)
- digital landscape (1)
- ds56 (1)
- leadership (1)
- power tilt-up (1)
- s18 (1)
- stan hywet (1)
- winter (1)
- wt60 (1)