For many years, the founders and owners of our company, Mike and Julie LaBahn, have humbly and patiently requested synthetic turf for their front yard. For years the answer has always been the same: “It’s not a good time.”, “The budget just won’t allow for it.”, or “The team is just too busy.” So, they continued to wait. They would be the first to make a sacrifice for our business, and at times, they have had to sacrifice greatly. They will be the first to respond in times of crisis. Mike and Julie are often the first people to respond when a team member is in need. Once everyone has gone, they will often be the last ones to continue working, loving, serving, and sacrificing.
Two years ago, our CEO Joanna LaBahn instituted “Founder’s Day”. Each year on the first Friday in March, we will celebrate our founding family in various ways. The goal is to remember and honor the past, honor our founders, and say THANK YOU! Because of their sacrifice, which continue to this very day, our team of 100 strong have jobs and we continue to make a positive impact in the communities in which we serve.
For Founder’s Day this year, we planned a surprise for Mike and Julie. Joanna worked with Julie to whisk Mike away for a “spontaneous” weekend away for his birthday. They left on a Sunday, and planned to return on Wednesday, Mike’s birthday. Our work began weeks ago planning this event, and the 
installation of brand new synthetic turf. On Monday, our construction team along with our entire management team, and we mean our entire team, came together to pull it off. Production managers, account managers, office staff, business development, our landscape designer, directors of finance and operations, and our CEO all started work at 6:00 AM!
As a thank you, we removed the old grass together as a team. We capped the sprinklers, removed grass and a couple of inches of dirt, and fixed a poor looking stucco wall. More importantly, we laughed and worked HARD. We came together as a team, as a family. That is who we are at LaBahn’s Landscaping. We are a family owned and operated business, and we are a team who treats each other like family.
We are family.
Here are some of the responses from our team:
“[It was a] wonderful team building experience while at the same time thanking the founder for a job that I wouldn’t have, had he not been motivated and courageous enough to set his sights on a successful future in landscaping.” -Jennifer Schmauss, Account Manager
“Mike’s turf removal was awesome. We had a great time working as a team and the outcome could not be better. Mike, thanks for all you do for us and the effort you did to make ALL this happen. Me and my family are really grateful for you.” – Fabian Salazar, Production Manager
“Mike has been influential across San Diego in so many positive ways, creating jobs, beautifying the city’s landscapes, and being an innovative star within the local landscape industry. He well deserves this, and it was great to be a part of it!” – Kurt Davidson, Director of Operations
“Mike is a good man. It is easy to work for a family that is genuine, who embodies the tenants of our business. We do what we say. We make it right. We want quality over quantity. We are honest. These are traits that Mike and Julie LaBahn lived first, it is part of our DNA. Celebrating Founder’s Day was an honor and working together with our team was HARD, but rewarding. And I learned some things too!” – Nathan Cornett, Director of Business Development
From our family to yours, thank you for your business! Thank you for your support of our business, through thick and thin! We work every day to ensure that your communities, hotels, businesses, and cities are maintained with excellence and quality. And we will treat you like you are a founder too, because without you, we wouldn’t be here!
Watch the video to see how we pulled it off!
Nathan Cornett
Director of Business Development, LaBahn’s Landscaping
619-823-5974
ncornett@labahns.com
Check out all the photos from that day:
