Jenn & Jeff Hartin, Owners of Agassiz Landscape Group

LEADERSHIP

@7000ft

Advancing a Strong Community

This month we are proud to spotlight Agassiz Landscape Group, who provide outdoor beauty in the Flagstaff community. The owners, Jeff and Jenn Hartin, tell what is so important for the company, and what led to their passion in landscaping. They pride them seleves on being an influential part of the community, and enjoy all of the outdoors Flagstaff has to offer.

Photo Credit: Barbara Sherman

AGASSIZ LANDSCAPE GROUP, LLC

210 W. Benton Ave. Flagstaff, AZ 86001 algflag.com | (928) 525-0300

WHY ARE YOU IN YOUR BUSINESS OR PROFESSION? There are so many days of the year you can be outside, enjoying Flagstaff’s climate and natural beauty. We enjoy creating spaces for this – extensions to your home, places for hospitality and fun and/or personal introspection and refreshment. Landscaping is an investment with large returns, both by increasing the value of your home and improving the quality of your life.

HOW LONG HAS YOUR COMPANY BEEN IN BUSINESS OR HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THIS PROFESSION? Jeff has been working in the landscaping/ nursery industry for nearly 30 years and took the ownership plunge forming Agassiz Landscape Group in 2002. Jenn has been in business management for a little over a decade.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST WORKPLACE THRILL OR ACCOMPLISHMENT? We like to give people a “second chance” by offering them a job when no one else would. Several employees used that opportunity to change their life for the good and are now part of our leadership team. It’s inspiring to see their success – and an honor to have been a small part of it.

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WOULD YOU CHANGE YOUR PROFESSIONAL PATH? IF SO, HOW? Jeff would have been a cowboy…only he’s not very good around horses.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE JUST STARTING OUT IN YOUR PROFESSION? Work hard in the field and learn as much as you can from those around you. Mastering a trade requires years of labor, so be patient. Landscape construction involves attention to detail, leadership, creativity, math and engineering, and lots of skills that you can

only learn by doing. It takes dedication and commitment to become a foreman or manager, when you can then pass along all the expertise you have gained to the next generation.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL BRAND? All of us at Agassiz Landscape Group are truly committed to service and integrity. We’ve been in business in Flagstaff for 17 years and will be here for many more to come. We do what we say we’re going to do, and we always strive to make our clients thrilled with their new or remodeled outdoor living space.

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN? We enjoy camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing, and hanging out on our patio, playing darts and barbecuing. Jeff also enjoys vegetable gardening and beer brewing, and has recently planted a vineyard. Jenn likes cooking with all the organic veggies and meat he provides through his efforts and loves to spend time with our adult children and friends.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU? We believe that God wants us all to become the best versions of ourselves and that inspires us to do our best, every day. From how we treat our employees to what we do for our customers by creating beautiful and functional outdoor living spaces, we try to offer our best effort and attitude.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE AND STAY IN FLAGSTAFF? Community! After living in Flag for thirty years, it’s hard to go anywhere and not see people you know. It’s good to be a part of that. We’ve been to a number of really cool places, but it’s wonderful when you’re driving home to round that bend and see the Peaks. It always makes us happy to know we’re almost home.

WHAT IS WORSE THAN FAILURE? We wish we could say we don’t fail, but, even with our best efforts, failures happen. We’ve

had several, but none really rise to the top as the “worse”. Failures are opportunities to learn and do better next time. In the midst of a letdown, we’ve learned to be honest with our clients and do all we can to make it right.

WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU TODAY THAN IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO? Health and wellness are things we don’t take for granted anymore. So much of what we love to do depends on us being strong and healthy, so we are doing a better job of taking care of ourselves now than we did when we were younger.

MY NUMBER ONE RULE WHEN STRIVING TO BE GREATER IS? We believe it is important to be patient and forgiving with people. Everybody makes mistakes: us, our employees, our clients. We do better when we offer forgiveness, learn how the problem occurred and move forward.

WHERE DO YOU HOPE TO BE IN 10 YEARS? Sipping a glass of Hartin-made wine, from our vineyard on our patio, playing darts with our kids (and hopefully grandkids!).