Mike Gonzalez isn’t someone to let the grass grow under his feet. The 26-year old Albany native started his own landscaping business in 2010. He says when started “cutting grass for a living” he couldn’t even legally drive yet. 

And now this ambitious self-made business owner is growing his expanding his Pro Outdoor LLC. Gonzalez recently acquired Merry Acres Landscape & Lawn Maintenance. 

“My goal is to grow my business to be a healthy, honest and solid business in my community. And I want to leave my mark while giving back to my community.”

Gonzalez says adding another trusted local business to his portfolio was a great opportunity that presented itself at the perfect time in his business plan. With the added business, Gonzalez will grow his staff to 12 full-time employees while servicing a 50-mile radius around the Albany area.

“I like to refer to my business as a full-service landscape management firm,” he says.  “My goals have and will continue to be, providing the highest level of service, through a trained and knowledgeable team” 

And his commitment to making plans and sticking with them is something that he says he has learned along the way. So, what’s his advice for growing a business from the ground-up at a young age? 

“I see so many people try to skip five years’ worth of learning curves. Slow down; do it right the first time. Those experiences--good and bad-- are knowledge earned. Make a plan and stay focused on that plan.

“And that’s what I’m going to do—continue to follow the plan I have made. The next 10 years of my business plan are on paper, and I’ll do my best to stick to that plan. I know where I’m going. And I plan to invest 100 percent of myself into the Albany community, through Pro Outdoor and Merry Acres.”