Being Active in the Community Drives Mike Gonzalez Jr. and Pro Outdoor LLC
Tuesday, March 24th, 2015
In the five years since he left high school, Mike Gonzalez Jr. launched his own landscaping business – Pro Outdoor LLC, served as logistics chief for Albany-Dougherty Search & Rescue, raced cars on dirt tracks throughout the Southeast and entered the market for rental properties. Being active in the community is a big part of Gonzalez' business strategy.
"I am building a name – Pro Outdoor LLC – that people are coming to recognize in this community and that's what we want," Gonzalez said.
"We hit customer service hard. I don't think we've ever lost a residential customer unless they've moved. And we get most of our business through word-of-mouth and a solid reputation built from satisfied clients."
Handling All Outdoor Needs
According to Gonzalez, he launched Pro Outdoor LLC in 2010 to "provide people a solution for their outdoor needs from front yard to back." The company serves homeowners and commercial property owners located within a 50-mile radius of Albany. It does landscape installations, including flowerbeds and wildlife food plots, and provides maintenance service usually on a biweekly or every-10-day basis. Other services include irrigation repair and drainage installations to handle water run-off.
"We also provide woods management and maintenance for hunting properties," Gonzalez said.
Pro Outdoor runs incentives for existing customers, which are usually marketed through direct mail. Most incentives include a discounted price for service for customers who refer new customers to the company.
"We also provide big incentives for new customers that come on board," Gonzalez said.
From School to Business
According to Gonzalez, he always saw himself as an entrepreneur. He cut grass to earn money during high school and upon graduation decided to start his own landscaping company. At the same time, he began to volunteer for Albany-Dougherty Search & Rescue.
"Basically I did everything I could think of to avoid going to college. But I did attend and graduate from South Georgia Technical College in Americus in the motor sports technology program," Gonzalez said.
As a member of Albany-Dougherty Search & Rescue, Gonzalez volunteers at events like the Albany Marathon where the search-and-rescue team helps provide medical support and communications for the thousands of people participating in the race. Albany-Dougherty Search & Rescue is an all-volunteer, nonprofit community service organization.
Gonzalez is in the process of updating the Pro Outdoor website at prooutdoorllc.com. More current postings related to Pro Outdoor LLC are available on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProOutdoorllc.
For more information, contact Pro Outdoor LLC at (229) 344-2926.
