In this episode, Jeffrey Scott sits down with Ivan Katz, founder of Great Lakes Landscape Design just outside Detroit, Michigan. Ivan’s been in the game for 37 years, but he’s moving like he’s just getting started. They dive into four surprise questions—from what he wants attendees to notice during his new facility tour, to the one thing he believes he does better than almost anyone else (hint: it’s not just design work). Ivan gets real about the hardest transition he’s made: moving long-time, loyal employees off his leadership team and bringing in outside talent without blowing up the culture. He also calls out where too many contractors settle—especially around training and promoting people into roles they’re not ready for. Plus, Ivan shares why he keeps bringing big teams to the Summer Growth Summit year after year, and what’s changed now that he’s co-hosting. If you’ve ever struggled with scaling, loyalty vs. performance, or keeping your team hungry, this one’s for you.

Summer Growth Summit (Aug 18-20):
The super early bird discount ends May 8th. For more info and to register, click this link: https://jeffreyscott.biz/summer-growth-summit-26/

Key Takeaways:

• Facility as a growth tool: Ivan’s new 33,000 sq. ft. space isn’t just bigger—it’s designed around workflow, team movement, and intentional growth. He’s staying disciplined to avoid “deferred maintenance” creep.
• 70%+ repeat business isn’t luck: Most of their revenue comes from existing clients, and over a third is recurring contract work. They treat projects like annuities, stretching big visions over multiple years.
• Hardest move? Removing legacy leaders: Ivan pulled four long-term employees off his leadership team—including a 24-year vet—to make room for new thinking. It was emotional, messy, and necessary.
• Where owners settle: Promoting a good foreman to production manager without real training. Ivan says the industry gets complacent—real growth means building people up intentionally, not just filling seats.
• Bringing the whole team to a summit: Ivan’s not just attending the Summer Growth Summit anymore—he’s co-hosting. He’s using the event as a catapult, giving his people speaking slots, Slack channels, and real ownership over the experience.
• Being present > being busy: After losing his phone and dealing with IT outages, Ivan’s doubling down on showing up fully—with family, team, and clients. Clear words and real presence beat speed every time.
  

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In this episode, Jeffrey Scott sits down with Desiree Bouchard, Integrator and General Manager, and Ellen Moore, Director of Continuous Improvement — both from Great Lakes Landscape Design in the Detroit, Michigan area. These two have built one of the most intentional leadership structures in the green industry. Des shares how she rose through the ranks over 13 years, from office support to becoming the obvious choice for integrator when the company adopted EOS. Ellen brings an unconventional background — from nuclear power to an MBA to landscape — and now serves as what she calls “the integrator’s integrator,” diving deep into process fixes so Des can focus on running the company. Together, they break down the real work of operational leadership: building meaningful KPIs, implementing daily huddles that actually stick, standardizing sales estimating in LMN, and using tools like the Five Why’s and tabletop customer journey exercises to eliminate process breakdowns for good. They’re honest about what change management actually requires — patience, persistence, buy-in strategy, and the courage to go through the hard stuff, not around it. If you’re a landscape business owner, integrator, or anyone trying to scale with better systems and a stronger culture, this one is packed with actionable insight straight from the field.

🌱 Great Lakes Landscape Design will be co-hosting the Summer Growth Summit — August 18–20th! Des and Ellen will both be speaking, and you won’t want to miss it.

👉 Grab your spot here — Super early bird discount ends May 8 – https://jeffreyscott.biz/summer-growth-summit-26/

In this episode, host Jeffrey Scott sits down with Doug Taylor, CEO of Frontiers Design Build in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Doug shares the fascinating 18-year journey of evolving his business from a landscape design-build firm into a high-performance construction company. He opens up about the real-world challenges of managing two vastly different business models—landscape and construction—under one roof, and how he navigated the financial tightrope to find the perfect balance. Doug also dives into his latest chapter: pivoting into multi-unit affordable housing by applying high-performance building principles. Finally, he offers a masterclass on moving beyond basic AI usage, explaining how he’s built a “knowledge base” to turn AI into a true strategic thought partner for business development and marketing.

Registration is Now Open for the 2026 Summer Growth Summit: https://jeffreyscott.biz/summer-growth-summit-26/

Key Takeaways:

• The Financial Trap: Why mixing a high-margin landscape business with a lower-margin construction business creates forecasting chaos unless you stabilize your overhead model.
• The “Gravy” Strategy: How Doug intentionally shifted to an 80% construction / 20% landscape model, treating the higher-margin landscape work as a stable “gravy” profit center.
• Defining High Performance: An explanation of what high-performance homes are (energy efficiency, occupant comfort, durability) and how they differ from standard builds.
• The Value Over Cost Pitch: How to sell high-performance building by focusing on long-term occupant outcomes and generational durability rather than just upfront costs.
• The Pivot Playbook: Why Doug advises landscapers against simply “dabbling” in winter renovations unless they are willing to acquire outside talent and accept a completely different operational structure.
• AI as a Thought Partner: Moving past using AI to write emails; instead, building a “knowledge base” (uploading SOPs, org charts, and even DISC profiles) to turn AI into a strategic partner for marketing and business development.
  

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