September 2023 Contractor of the Month is: Gulf Coast SodScapes

Can you tell us about your business?

We started Gulf Coast SodScapes as primarily a lawn maintenance and new sod installation company servicing two counties in south Alabama just three and a half years ago. Paul and I were each in business for ourselves with no full time employees when we formed a partnership that allowed us to grow much quicker than we could have anticipated. Now, we design and build comprehensive Outdoor Living spaces in 3 states with over 20 team full time team members and a service area spanning over 300 miles along the Gulf Coast.

How did you get into the landscape lighting business?

Lighting became a natural part of growth. Our goal is to provide our customers an outdoor space that their friends and family can use year round to create lasting memories. The ambiance that lighting helps to create is in most cases, the finishing touch to achieving that goal.

What percentage of your business is landscape lighting/what other services do you provide (ie: landscaping, irrigation, electrical…)?

Lighting is a large part of the finished touches. While not every customer is ready to have a professional system installed it accounts for a decent amount of our work. We provide landscaping, hardscape, irrigation, and lighting.

How long have you been installing landscape lighting?

Approximately 2 years. It has progressively become more frequent of a request.

What AMP products do you prefer to use? Which fixtures are your favorite?

We like to use the Summit Pro Path lights, Hardscape Lights, and RGBW spots. The RGBW is personally my favorite. Being able to create color scenes has been one of the most rewarding aspects of lighting not only for our customers but for us being able to WOW the homeowners.

What tips or tricks have you learned that have benefited your work from a design/installation perspective?

Using RGBW fixtures has allowed us to get very creative, which our customers LOVE! Having the homeowners be able to change colors has really given us the power to create some really stunning results.

Tell me about your sales process. How do you find your customers? What is your sales process? Do you use sales tools such as a free demo…

We market our business in several places, but generally our clients find us on Google, Facebook, and through referrals. We do in-home consultations for 90% of our sales. Our designers always keep AMP fixtures with them to show clients.

Where do you find inspiration for your lighting designs?

Our professional designers do a ton of research about industry trends, and new styles and techniques in order to stay up to date. Not only have we gathered inspriation from past installations but also looking at what other Contractor of the Months have done.

What do you feel is the most personally rewarding part of installing a lighting system for a client?

The sense of pride lighting their home provides customers is really cool. The ambiance hardscape lighting provides sitting around the fire is also rewarding. We get pictures all the time from customers showing their families just hanging out which is great to see.

Tell us a little bit about you personally: What do you like to do outside of work? What are your hobbies?

Besides work, I like to hang out with family and friends. Enjoying a late night out or even staying inside and watching sports.