Tony Cantin began making money mowing lawns in 2002 at the young age of 16. Seven years later, after earning his business degree from North Carolina State University, he determined that his lawn mower could continue being his primary income generator. He just needed to figure out how to mow as efficiently as possible, so his company could remain profitable as it grew.
This was also around the time Tony caught his first glimpse of a Walker Mower.
“I’d mainly been using walk-behind mowers to this point,” says Tony, owner of Antony’s Landscaping in Willow Spring, North Carolina. “I saw this different kind of mower sitting outside an equipment dealership, so I stopped in to see what it was all about. It was a Walker Model T. I ended up buying it, and have been an avid Walker user ever since.”
Tony has also been an avid follower of a popular industry business consultant. “That consultant always talked about how saving just a few minutes a day in unbillable time could help save enough money to pay for a new mower,” Tony says. “He actually sent me a magnet with that saying on it. I hung it on my refrigerator. After looking at it morning after morning, a lightbulb finally went on. I realized I could build a nice company if I could find ways to make this job easier.”
Doing so would require the right processes and equipment. Standardization would be the key to success.
Passing the Test in the Transition Zone
Aside from the occasional use of a push mower on small lawns, Tony has standardized Walker Mowers across his four maintenance crews. The company owns nine machines, a combination of Model T’s and Model B’s, along with one Model C19.
Figuring out how to properly balance grass collection and mulching has been key. Antony’s Landscaping is located in what’s referred to as the country’s “transition zone,” which means the climate is such that neither cool- nor warm-season grasses are used exclusively.
“We’re managing over 30 combinations of turfgrass types,” Tony relates. “Some lawns need to be kept shorter, and some longer. We always need to be careful about fungus due to all the humidity and rain we get, especially on lawns with a lot of fescue.”
Antony’s Landscaping’s customers receive several lawn applications throughout the year. Tony hires a subcontractor to deliver those services. The Antony’s Landscaping maintenance crews play their own role in minimizing the risk of lawn disease. In normal conditions, Tony likes to see crews mulch with a Model B for three weeks, and then collect with a Model T the fourth week. This helps prevent the thatch layer from getting too thick, which helps reduce the likelihood of disease. At the same time, mulching for three weeks saves time while also leveraging the agronomic benefits of returning clippings to the lawn.
“Our guys know this isn’t a rule that’s set in stone, though,” Tony points out. “If the grass is six or seven inches tall, we’ll often knock it down with a Model B. Then a secondary operator on a Model T will come through and vacuum it all up. That helps to greatly reduce the volume of clippings we’re picking up, but still cleans up the lawn.”
Sometimes mulching with a Model B is all it takes. Other times, one operator will collect in the front yard while another mulches in the back. Other times, such as when the backyard has a nice pool and outdoor living area, it makes more sense to collect the entire yard. That’s why each crew carries both a Model T and Model B, and each crew is trained and empowered to adapt to conditions as necessary.
Tony Cantin, owner of Antony’s Landscaping, mows a customer’s property in North Carolina using his Walker Model T25i. Antony’s Landscaping crews like to collect with a Model T at least one week per month on most properties, and for some properties, will use a Model T exclusively in high-visibility and other sensitive areas.
From Hopper to Trailer
Since crews do collect clippings on a regular basis, Tony has long obsessed over how to efficiently handle all that grass. After collaborating with a local fabricator and a truck builder in Florida, his vision for the perfect truck/ trailer became reality in June 2024.
“We needed a faster way to get all our clippings onto our trailer,” Tony says. “We also wanted to gain versatility in working year-round, going from fall cleanups to mulching and planting. Crews needed a system to efficiently haul loose debris and bulk materials, without compromising the space needed to also transport two or three Walkers and other equipment.”
The solution is a flatbed truck with a bed-mounted debris loader and debris bin.
Quite a bit of customization was needed to get the overall system dialed-in perfectly. A chute for the debris loader was designed by Maverick Metalworks in Fuquay- Varina, North Carolina. The chute needed to be wider and more flared to produce the air volume needed to pull wet clippings through, and also make sure those clippings are evenly dispersed into the debris bin.
Speaking of the debris bin, it has a 10-yard capacity and is hydraulically powered for easy curbside dumping. The top of the bin is made of lightweight aluminum, which helps keep the overall truck weight down so the driver doesn’t need a CDL.
Tony says the crew can operate all day and never run out of grass-handling capacity. The Walker Model T’s already do a great job of reducing the size of clippings. Then the debris loader chops them up even more. Other efficiency-enhancing features include a hydraulic ramp to load the Walker Mowers, onboard fueling, and plenty of storage compartments for gas cans, tools, etc.
“Making our truck concept a reality wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Mark Fisk and Sunset Chevrolet Buick GMC in Sarasota, Florida,” Tony points out. “I also have to thank Scott Lavieri and Premier Truck Center in Palmetto, Florida, for taking on an upfit of this magnitude and building a great product. It’s in our business plan to add another truck in 2025, and additional trucks in future years. We want this to be a template for all our crews, and the Walker Mower is at the center of that template.”
Tony Cantin’s custom-made flatbed truck and onboard debris-collection system.
Building the Base and Standardizing Contracts
Antony’s Landscaping employs roughly 10 people. The four two-man maintenance crews have been generating 80% of the company’s revenue. The other couple of employees deliver additional services like landscaping, hardscaping, and tree cleanup.
Tony’s wife, Christina, began working full-time in the business during the summer of 2024. Armed with a background in healthcare administration, she’s a stickler for work processes and systemization. Along with managing the financials and marketing, Christina spends a lot of time searching for additional ways to standardize different aspects of the company.
One of those aspects pertains to contracts. Antony’s Landscaping likes to establish fixed-rate, 12-month contracts with their residential customers—even though they only mow an average of 42 weeks a year. “We provide customers with a base for mowing, edging and blowing, and then they can add all the toppings they want,” Tony says.
During those 10 or so weeks when they aren’t mowing, crews are doing more pruning and weeding, and eventually, leaf cleanup. Antony’s Landscaping also provides snow removal services in those rare instances when the Raleigh area gets a light snowfall.
Going hand in hand with the 12-month contracts are the employee compensation plans. Except for those who are still on a 90-day probationary period, employees are salaried. With the fixed client contracts in place, Tony knows how much money is available for salaries because he also knows how much his trucks and equipment cost to operate. It’s all part of the simplifying and standardizing he and Christina are after.
Christina was actually a bit hesitant to invest as much as they did to have the first truck built. But it has been a huge productivity booster. Plus, the marketing aspect alone is providing a solid ROI.
“That truck has become a rolling billboard,” Tony says. “Now we want to put a QR code on the side so people can scan it when they see it parked, and go directly to our Facebook page where they can send us a message. All of those inquiries go right to Christina so she can follow up.”
Antony’s Landscaping is servicing roughly 176 properties these days, mostly residentials in the half- to one-acre range. Tony loves working in clusters, and the new truck is helping to pack those clusters full.
“There’s nothing better than dropping the gate on our trailer, driving our Walkers off, and mowing seven lawns,” Tony says. “We offer financial incentives when neighboring properties sign up right there. We’re still making good money because we’re servicing all those yards in the same area, as opposed to driving 20 minutes just to do one lawn.”
Tony thinks back to when he bought his first Walker Mower in 2009. Yes, the price tag was higher than a lot of other mowers. “But to be honest, price has never been a concern for me—much like the cost of our custom truck was never of importance,” Tony relates. “It has always been more about how an investment can help us save time so we can do more work. In the upscale turf management sector of the market we’re in, lower-end mowers and truck/trailer setups just don’t fit the bill anymore.”
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