Swingle Lawn, Tree & Landscape Care.

• Author: Caley, Nora
• Position: SERVICES

TOM TOLKACZ, CEO OF SWINGLE LANWN, TREE & Landscape Care, says things are improving in the landscaping business. "People are generally more confident," he says of the 20,000 or so customers the company has in the Denver and Fort Collins areas. "We have seen an uptick in business through the 2012 season."

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Last year, customers saved money by ordering lawn fertilization but not tree trimming, for example. Not so this year, as the economy improved and people were eager to get their trees sprayed and new plants installed. In fact, the Christmas season has started, at least for decorations. Swingle's field workers started installing lights on customers' homes and businesses in September. "The holiday decorating business took a big hit during the recession," says Tolkacz, who joined Swingle in 1987 and has since purchased the company. "Now we have residential customers who say, 'Everybody in the neighborhood likes my lights so I can't cancel this year.'"

Swingle installs lights on homes and also on commercial sites including the Denver Botanic Gardens. It's a way to keep the company's 200 employees working year round. The installation takes a long time because the workers...