Going Lean Within His Means
By K. Schipper
BATTLE GROUND, Wash. – Place a call to Woody’s Custom Landscaping, and these days it’s likely you’ll have to leave a message.
The reason: the crew at Woody’s is a little thinner than in the past, and owner James “Woody” Woodhead is out on the jobsite, pitching in as they install what he refers to as “incidental landscaping and lots of hardscape.”
Click photo to enlargeYears ago, the hardscape route isn’t the one he thought he’d be taking: his college degree is in ornamental horticulture. However, his first post-college job put him in the workforce of a company that emphasized hardscape, and over the years it’s become his bread-and-butter.
“It’s a niche I saw that was open,” he says. “We started very early and caught the wave.”
COMPACT COMPANY
Woodhead has seen a lot of changes over the years, including locations. A graduate of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., he began his career working for a landscaping company in the San Francisco area.
He then spent an additional 11 years running his own landscape-contracting business in the Bay Area before moving to the Portland, Ore., area and launching Woody’s 23 years ago.
“When I was small, we had a farm in Centralia, Wash., and I wanted some acres and some acreage,” he explains. “It’s very hard in the Bay Area to get any kind of acreage. You can do it, but it’s too much money.”
Click photo to enlargeBy relocating to Battle Ground, Wash., a community of fewer than 5,000 residents northeast of Portland, he was able to buy five acres that serves as home and business headquarters.
“The office is based out of my home,” Woodhead says. “I have a large barn for storage, but I do allow my guys to take the trucks home.”
He adds that most jobs Woody’s takes on are large enough to stage most of the equipment onsite. He also doesn’t run with a huge amount of equipment; besides four dump trucks, he has a couple mini skid steers, a Ditch Witch® trencher and a lot of masonry equipment.
“I try to keep everything compact,” he explains.
Being compact is something of a philosophy with Woodhead. Today, Woody’s runs with four employees – the same number he had when he first relocated 23 years ago. In the interim, he’s run with as many as 13 crew members.
“The economy hit me between the eyes,” he observes. “Plus, I’m 60, and getting closer to retirement. I’ve decided this is a good thing.”
In much the same way, Woodhead has done a bit to condense his service area. After years of serving clients throughout the greater Portland area, he opted to give up his Oregon contractor’s license last year.
