![]() Not a moment behind the wheel is wasted because he plans in advance. A hands-free phone system in his truck – “You can talk your life away on it” – and a good, old-fashioned notepad with an agenda steer his time. “The only way we can pull off what we do in that time is human appreciation for each and every member of the crew.”ĭrive time means catch-up time for Steve Pearce, general manager at Sebert Landscaping in Bartlett, Ill. “We all eat together and just about sleep together,” he jokes. “If they feel ownership in the company and like they are appreciated, they put that much more effort in,” he says, noting that days start at 4 a.m. Making the most of a tight schedule demands appreciating the time of his people. “We draw a plan for the week on a white board, and during busy installation time I print out schedules to make sure everyone is well aware of what’s coming,” Barnwell says. Meanwhile, Monday morning crew meetings keep his people on track so time is maximized. “If I have a five or 10-minute ride, it’s a perfect opportunity for me to check in with suppliers,” he says. “And with Mackinac Island being such a resort community, there is an insane window of time to get the whole island cleaned up and colorful for the tourists.”Ī great deal of this calling can happen while Barnwell is riding his bike to jobs. “If they don’t answer the phone, the whole freight train can come to a screeching halt and it can screw up days, if not weeks, of time,” he continues. “I have a unique supply chain, and I make sure they understand how much we appreciate them – the patient people who answer the phone every single time I call so that there is no lapse in my chaotic and extreme timing,” he says. Staying organized is paramount, and Barnwell relies on his suppliers answering the phone so the tight transport timeframes can be met. “To get one large tree to the island can take four or five phone calls,” Barnwell says. Items are labeled so when they arrive on the island, the horse company and his own crews can load materials on to carts and ensure that the supplies are transported to the proper sites. ![]() He calls the excavating company or trucking firm to get the soil to the boat docks, and then he phones the freight company to load and organize the material by project on the vessel. ![]() So, Barnwell’s phone calls are all about making sure materials get from source to site without a hitch (or with a hitch attached to a horse). Horse-pulled wagons can carry two yards of soil at a time. “You can’t just call up and have a truck rush to the job site and dump 20 yards of soil during the summertime,” Barnwell says. They gifted him the hands-free device, and now Barnwell steers with at least one hand.īike time is used to manage logistics, mainly. “My wife and family and everyone was sick of seeing me ride around with one hand on the phone and the other hand eating my lunch out of my bike basket, while riding job to job, with no hands on the wheel,” Barnwell says with a laugh. Barnwell rides up to 20 miles per day – and thanks to a Bluetooth device, that time is now spent with both hands on the wheel. That’s why Barnwell’s mobile office for Barnwell Landscape and Garden Services is his bicycle, an attached cart that carries paperwork and some weather gear because he can’t just jump into a truck to take cover during a torrential downpour. The logistics of working on the island dictate Barnwell’s mode of transport. ![]() But for Jack Barnwell, at left, all of that time is spent on his bicycle, steering around Mackinac Island, Mich., where his landscape firm designs, installs and maintains showy projects at resorts. Ninety minutes of road time each day might not sound like a lot. How do you make the most of that windshield time while reducing the pile that builds up on your desk while you’re away? Lawn & Landscape talked to three contractors about how they manage their time when their schedules demand many hours on the road. But clocking miles on the road to visit clients, branch locations, job sites and vendors can eat away a good chuck of time. The last thing an owner wants is a bunch of downtime to blow productivity during work hours. ![]()
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