NFIB/TEXAS MEMBER OF THE MONTH | MAY 2016

Date: May 17, 2016 Last Edit: June 14, 2016

For our May Member of the Month we would like to introduce you to a NFIB Member who is an expert in all things flowers, plants and more.

Meet Jim Evans, owner of Landscape Lubbock. Evans began his career in landscaping in 2000, as a one man operation mowing a few yards for side money after he would get off of work from his job at a local nursery. He moved up through the company and learned many facets of horticulture simply by having to answer each question that came into the store. Customers would sometimes not feel completely confident in taking on an entire landscaping project at their house, so they would ask Evans for design ideas and plant selection while offering to pay him for his help. Some customers even asked him to do the project for them. Very soon Evans was making more money designing and installing landscapes and waterfalls on the side than his full-time career in the nursery. With a new family to feed, he began to think about starting his own small business and Landscape Lubbock was born. 
Landscape Lubbock, is a full-service landscape company that specializes in both residential and commercial projects. Evans loves owning his own small business because for him his industry gives him the opportunity each day to see what beautiful things the human mind and hands can create. He says, with a crew of guys and the will to work, a property can be transformed in a relatively short time allowing his team to step back at sunset and visually see measurable progress made.

Evans recently joined NFIB in 2013. He felt NFIB was like a co-op for him with many small businesses joining forces to make sure their voice isn’t drowned out by large corporations. Evans doesn’t think large corporations are a bad thing but says for small business it’s like being a cricket on the freeway. It’s hard to hear that cricket. He notices that some people think Landscape Lubbock is a large company, but to others, he is thought of as a minuscule operation. In the eyes of big government, he’s not sure Landscape Lubbock even exists! By being a member of NFIB he knows he will not be overlooked. 
Landscape Lubbock is seasonal, so the number of employees fluctuates. Evans keeps a foremen, assistant, and bookkeeper year-round and adds staff as spring approaches. He feels his company performs at peak efficiency with a small crew of 7-10 workers. Evans said his biggest obstacle is finding qualified labor to do the skills and physical work required while trying to keep his cost as low as possible to survive in the competitive marketplace. Evans said if he could tell the Texas Legislature one thing they could do to help his business grow and thrive it would be to NOT raise the minimum wage. For Landscape Lubbock, labor is Evan’s largest expense and he says higher minimums only raise the costs of living in the area leaving the business owner without a raise to keep up. Evans believes a minimum wage increase just makes people broke at a higher level.
Evans has been making Lubbock beautiful for 16 years. Evans holds an early morning prayer for fifteen minutes once a week. It is not mandatory, but he allows his employees to clock in if they are there. Some say he works hard but he likes to think of it as getting to see the magnificent sunrise and finding something productive to do until he and his employees can watch the sky change colors again, because it’s all about the sky in West Texas. Thank you, Jim Evans, for bringing your passion, heart and hardworking small business to NFIB. We appreciate your dedication and spirit for small business. Let’s hope NFIB and small businesses in Texas continue to grow just like your flowers! 

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