Landscapers gear up for busy season

MOULTONBOROUGH — Mark Stephens thinks this will be a good year for landscapers.

He has seen an uptick in business that he thinks may be attributable in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There’s been huge demand, higher than ever to be honest with you,” he said Tuesday.

There's been an influx of people to the Lakes Region who are working remotely and would rather do so from their vacation home than their residence in a city, Stephens said.

“People from out of state are up here earlier than normal. They spend time outside, see projects they would like done and give us a call.

"I think there's no shortage of work out there for a reputable company. I’ve been talking to other colleagues in the business, and they feel the same way.”

Workers with Stephens Landscaping Professionals have been busy building outdoor living spaces, patios, decks and cooking facilities.  

While the pandemic seems to be helping with customer demand, it can be  disruptive when it comes to hiring employees.

Most years, the 60 landscaping positions at the company would be filled by now. This year, 20 jobs are still open.

“It’s definitely been a challenge,” Stephens said. “With COVID-19, people are definitely scared to go into work.

“A lot of our employees come from Puerto Rico and they are nervous about leaving their families.”

He expects to be fully staffed within the next two weeks. The workers from Puerto Rico stay in company housing. Under quarantine procedures, they are to either be at the housing or at work during the two weeks after their arrival.

Belknap Landscape Company has filled most of its more than 75 positions, said Jeff Sirles, the firm’s brand coordinator.

He was hired a year and a-half ago to recruit employees, a position he said is unusual in the landscape industry.

In some ways, landscapers practice social distancing day in and day out, Sirles said.

“We get plenty of fresh air and we can stretch out,” he said.

A couple of the new workers have come from the restaurant industry, which has been hard hit by restrictions put in place to stem disease spread.

Landscapers also must take precautions related to the pandemic.

“In the past, we’d have employees show up in our yard and car pool in company vehicles to a job site. Now we ask as much as possible for them to take their own vehicles to a job site and not to share,” Sirles said.

“We have hand washing stations for all of our jobs. Employees who work within 6 feet of another person are required to wear masks. They wear gloves. Our office staff has been doing a lot of work from home.”

He said demand for the company’s services has been sufficient.

“The thing about landscaping is the grass is always going to grow. Trees are going to grow. It’s going to continue to happen.

“Our clientele are not typically do-it-yourselfers.”