Five Minutes with Arbor Enterprises
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from left: Sandy Matheny, Office Secretary; Paige Moody, President/Owner; Perry Jordan, General Manager
by Paige Moody, President, Arbor Enterprises, Pittsboro, NC
In business since 1991
Number of employees: 20 peak, 5 seasonal
Member of NCNLA since 2000
Favorite offerings from NCNLA: Education, Green & Growin’, Lasting friendships
1. How did you get into the business?
Fortunately, I have always known what I wanted to do. I started in interior plants when I was 16, moved to nursery production in college, then to garden center work and finally to landscape design. Arbor started as a minority business subbing our work to LanArc and Tom Pruitt. Bill Wilder helped me get to North Carolina and then Tom gave me my start as a business owner.
2. What’s a typical day like for you and your staff?
As everyone in the business knows, there are no typical days! My general manager Perry Jordan and I do schedules for crews the day before and then we wait to see who shows up! We schedule work weeks before and then adjust based on the elements. Seriously, I may have several meetings after laying out jobs for crews, followed by choosing material for a project to be picked up later. There will be discussions concerning equipment purchases; employee concerns; and conversations with my secretary (who is my mother-in-law) about billing or baby presents or condolence cards. We have a dedicated group where our bottom line is service to clients, the community and each other.
3. What has been the most rewarding part of your career?
Being able to work with family members and offer jobs to sons and daughters of clients and friends is a real treat. Associations with fellow VPI (now Virginia Tech) graduates like Bob Lyons and Mark Weathington, and relationships with my NCSU Family: Barb Fair, Lee Ivy, Bryce Lane, Mike Linker, and Ted Bilderback to name a few, are priceless. Arbor has won several awards for quality work and we were just named Best Landscaper in Chatham, my home county. It is incredibly rewarding to be recognized for our hard work and dedication to quality.
My father-in-law is a Vietnam veteran, so we worked with him and other vets to upgrade the local VFW Post in Pittsboro. Garvey Rain installed the irrigation and Nature Select maintains the turf — all free of charge. Giving back to the vets and the autism world like Camp Royal is unbelievably rewarding.
4. What is your company best known for?
I have always said "if you can't get along with Arbor something is wrong." We make every effort to make the landscaping experience a fun one! Our customer service is truly exceptional. And, of course the quality of our plants, thanks to our N.C. nursery friends, is superior. When you are passionate about your work, people want to be a part of that experience.
5. What issues are you concerned about as a company in the green industry?
Labor, labor and labor! After 30 years, we have started subcontracting some of our mowing, and that has helped. We have always subbed out electrical, lighting, guttering and power washing, doing all hardscaping in house, as well as irrigation (since 2015). And I do worry about ethics. It concerns me when I see 'employee stealing' and 'client poaching.' But you have to run your own race and I can only control Arbor's.
6. What have you gained from your involvement in the NCNLA?
I have formed friendships that would not have been possible if not for NCNLA. Being a female in a male-dominated industry has never been a hindrance in part to those 'brothers from a different mother' relationships. I could not have asked for a better group of people to guide me through my career.
7. What advice do you have for someone interested in or just starting out in the industry?
I read Ruth Currins’ advice in the last issue, and mine is the same! Don't reinvent the wheel! Spend time talking to colleagues and listen. Value family and friends above all and always be fair and truthful in your dealings. We have a sign in our shop "Don't surround yourself in mediocracy." When you get burned out — and you will — remember why you started in the first place. For me, I just focus on the plants and their beauty in design and my world always comes back into focus.