fter a rigorous

selection
process, North Shore
resident, John
Redden, had the
cutting edge to win
an award from North
Vancouver-based
lawn mowing
company, Jim’s
Mowing B.C.

The Jim’s Mowing
Entrepreneur Award,
valued at $12,000, is
given in the form of
a company franchise
to a deserving
graduate of the
Landscape
Horticulture Program
at Capilano College.

“This is the first
year for the
entrepreneur award,
says Lana Robinson, the College’s
Foundation director. “The president of
Jim’s Mowing, Dennis Reidy, selected
our Landscape Horticulture program
because he was so impressed with its
quality and with the calibre of its
graduates.”

The award is open to all students
enrolled in the program’s second term.
The successful candidate must have a
cumulative grade point average of 2.0,
display an ability to work as a team
player, and be highly service-oriented.
The award is only given if a qualified
candidate is found.

“The Horticulture program at
Capilano College has a wonderful
reputation,” says Dennis, a North Shore
resident since 1981. “It’s widely
recognized throughout the province and
to raise the skill level within our group,
it was important for us to appeal to the
program’s graduates. It’s a win-win
situation.”

The award recipient graduated from
the program in the spring of 1998 with
a GPA of 3.74. John was a strong
academic student who had already
operated his own gardening and
landscaping business with three
employees.

“John wanted to enhance his skills,
so he sold his business and went back to

”

Landscape Horticulture
student a cut above

school,” Dennis says. “By doing this, he
displayed a great deal of independence,
which is very important if you’re going
to be a business owner.

“Being part of a franchise is a team
effort,” Dennis adds. “If John’s
successful, we all are.”

With just $24 in his pocket, franchise
originator, Jim Penman, started Jim’s
Mowing in Australia in 1982. The
company has since blossomed into a
successful worldwide operation, with
more than 1,000 franchises in the United
States, Canada, Australia, and New
Zealand.

In April 1997, Dennis recreated his life
when he bought the Canadian rights to
the lawn care company. He heard about it
in a pub in downtown Vancouver when
he asked an Australian if he knew of any
exciting business opportunities in
Australia.

At that time, Dennis was the Western
Canadian vice-president of Triathlon
Financial Services. At age 50, he felt it
was time for a change, so he toured
several of Jim’s Mowing franchises
“down under” and did some extensive
research on marketing possibilities in
Canada.

“T went to Australia, looked at their
operations, and was blown away by the
success of the business,” Dennis

Standing behind
the new truck of
Landscape
Horticulture
graduate, John
Redden, are, from
left: Dennis Reidy,
John, and Trevor
O’Donnell. (Photo
by Edna Sakata.)

explains. “What really astounded me was
the quality of the people. I saw the
opportunities for B.C. where great service
is often the exception, rather than the rule.”

Last February, Trevor O’Donnell moved
from Australia to North Vancouver,
becoming the company’s national
operations manager.

“Trevor was an original franchise owner
in Australia,” Dennis says. “He has been a
real asset in getting the company up and
running in B.C. This organization wouldn’t
exist in Canada if he didn’t move here to
help us out.”

In the past year, Dennis has added 16
franchises to Jim’s Mowing B.C., with
another eight coming on board in the next
four to six weeks. He markets them as an
alternative lifestyle for people who are
tired of others controlling their destiny.

“People have left their jobs in forestry,
law, finance, and the restaurant business to
become a franchisee,” says Dennis, whose
son, Craig, is also a franchise owner. “You
work hard, you make people happy, you
make a decent living, and you have more
time to spend with your family or living the
lifestyle you want to enjoy.”

For 12 months of the year, franchisees
provide multiple services such as lawn
mowing, gutter cleaning, tree pruning, and
soil conditioning. For more information
call Jim’s Mowing at 878-0787.

@nformer