LANDSCAPE ONTARIO
GREEN THUMB L A N D S C A P I N G Burlington, Ont. By Kelli M. Maddocks
“Y
ou can’t fight and move forward.” These are the wise words of Kathy Thomas, owner and president of Green Thumb Landscaping in Burlington, Ont. Kathy’s story of moving forward begins back in 1971, when she and husband John launched their landscape business. Working through long and tiring days, raising a family with three children, and taking on the growing world of the landscape profession, Kathy and John built Green Thumb Landscaping into a successful and thriving business. Little did anyone know at the time, their process of moving forward would also become one of the biggest challenges that Kathy, her family, and the business all would face. In 1993, suddenly and without warning, John died of a heart attack while playing hockey. Kathy became a widow, single mother, and sole business owner in the blink of an eye. Everything changed. Beyond her own terrible grief, Kathy had to address the “new normal” of the business. “It was such a difficult time,” Kathy says. “While I was navigating through grief, taking care of my family, and figuring out the next steps in the business, I was also having to deal with a senior employee who wanted to take control of the business.”
While co-workers and friends wanted Kathy to fight, she decided to part ways, keep her business as a sole owner, and continue on. “I told them, you can’t fight and move forward at the same time.” A family business all around And move forward she did. She invited sonin-law Todd Rainey to join the company initially as operations manager. He is now a partner in the business. “Todd was just amazing,” Kathy says. “He had no landscaping experience, but he’s the type of person who can figure things out fairly quickly, and his partnership has become essential to both our family and our company.” Family is a word that Kathy uses quite often: “Family is everything, and that sentiment follows through to our entire team and all of our clients. We have staff that have been with us for over 27 years, but they are so much more than staff, they are family.” Kathy’s youngest daughter, Keri Wilby, has also joined the Green Thumb leadership team. After a short hiatus spent starting a family, she’s now back in the business development and client care role. Kathy states, “Even as a leadership team, we are whollyengaged with staff and our clients. On any given day you’ll find one of us checking on the properties, and making sure staff have everything they need to ensure a positive and productive day.” Continued >
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