1 Key to Success
“I think where we’ve done a good job is trying to slow down before we speed up, to make sure we’re putting the right processes in place and the right people in seats to continue delivering an exceptional experience.”
Since Chase Mullin founded his eponymous landscape company in 2007, he hasn’t shied from thinking big.
The New Orleans-based firm specializes in commercial and industrial projects, earning $23.5 million in annual revenue and employing a team of 250. It invested $1 million in a second location that opened in Baton Rouge last April and has a third location planned for Lafayette in 2026.
A UNO alum, Mullin launched the business at age 22, finding inspiration in landscaping’s role in post-Katrina rebuilding. His company’s initial focus was residential installation and maintenance.
“My vision of what a landscaping company could do at that point did not stretch very far beyond that,” Mullin says.
But within the first year, that changed. Mullin visited Grunder Landscaping, a large landscaping firm in Dayton, Ohio, that had positioned itself as an industry model. During a formal field trip, Mullin was moved by the company’s fleet of branded vehicles, uniformed employees and multimillion-dollar profits.
“I knew within five minutes of showing up, that that’s exactly what I wanted to build,” he says.
Mullin saw continued success with residential contracts, landing high-net-worth clients and consistent referrals. Adding a commercial division pushed the company to become adept at faster turnaround times and higher levels of employee safety.
In 2015, Mullin saw the growth potential of the commercial side of the business and began making it an operational priority. He added a new industrial division in 2024 and jettisoned residential work altogether earlier this year.
“It’s helped to put all of our focus on growing the part of the business that we think we’re absolutely the best at,” Mullin says, “and where we think we have the most opportunities to scale.”
Growth remains a key goal. The company’s teams, including 50 employees in Baton Rouge, handle jobs across an expanding geographic area from southern Mississippi to Lake Charles. To stay efficient while scaling, Mullin deploys a wide range of AI technologies, including programs that streamline estimating and increase safety through vehicle monitoring and worker PPE compliance.
Mullin says the company’s culture embraces growth.
“We’re going to keep trying to deliver high-value landscaping and career opportunities as we expand markets,” he says. “I think that’s what gets our team excited, to know that the ceiling here is really high.”
