By DEB BENTLY
Staff writer
Tyler Baumann, 37, opened Matawan Landscape Supply for a range of reasons. Perhaps lowest on the list is pulling in a large profit margin. “I like helping people,” says Baumann. “I like being outside.
“I love the feeling of gratification when a project turns out,” he says enthusiastically. “It can transform a whole yard.”
Residents of Matawan, Baumann and his partner Amanda Weckwerth have been working together all through the past four months to build their landscaping business. Posted on the garage, which is in the process of becoming their showroom, is a huge sign saying “Under Construction.” An additional note enthuses “Exciting improvements ahead.”
Their business is located in the far southeast corner of the county in the small, but once-thriving town of Matawan. Some of the company’s products can be seen displayed on a triangular piece of property along Matawan Avenue which they believe was once a city park. Getting ready to open their business included revitalizing part of the one-acre area, since a former owner had left things in a bit of disarray.
The area now has regained its park-like appearance; mounds of various types of mulches, sands and soil display some of the materials Matawan Landscape Supply has to offer. Galvanized edging for raised garden beds glints in the sun; white cedar planter boxes sport a variety of thriving plants. However, Baumann and Weckwerth explain, there is even more to their business than can be seen from the street.
Their website, www.matawanlandscapesupply.com, lists a variety of landscaping equipment which can be rented at a flat fee for four hours at a time: trailers, tillers, a power broom, a pressure washer, pole saw, and more. Also not visible to a passerby are some of the items kept indoors, including grass seed, fertilizer, erosion control fabric, edging, and the like.
But perhaps the most significant offerings are the experience and goodwill of Baumann and Weckwerth themselves. The two have worked together “flipping” houses and also own some rental property. They explain landscaping has been a significant element of those enterprises, including as many as a dozen projects a year. They say they have already used the contacts, knowledge and experience they have gained in helping some of their customers who have less practice.
“We’ll give people whatever level of help they need,” says Baumann. “We can help them get a good price on the supplies, we can do some of the more labor intensive work and let them finish up, or we can do the whole job for them.
“Our goal is to give them that same level of satisfaction we always feel when the job is done and the project looks good.”
Baumann says he loves the idea of being approached by a customer who has been told his or her project is “impossible.”
“I would just love to prove that wrong,” he comments.
Weckwerth and Baumann mention that, through the spring and first part of the summer, their business has been building only gradually. The year’s odd weather set a number of projects back, and kept Baumann busier than usual with his rental properties.
Still, Baumann says, they have helped quite a number of property owners with a range of projects. He and Weckwerth are happy with their progress so far and intend to keep expanding. Their 24-foot by 32-foot garage, for example, is on its way to becoming a showroom where even more products will be displayed.
“It’s a long-term goal to be more full service,” Baumann speculates. “We would like to have seasonal employees who go out and do these projects all over the area.”
By this time of the year, Baumann says, many people have either completed their intended projects or the end-of-summer temperatures have led them to postpone them to next year. Grass seeding or fertilizing to take care of bare spots will be best left to fall, since grass does not propagate well in the heat.
“We’re here for people who still have projects,” he assures. “And we’ll have even more to offer next spring.”
“I’m excited,” observes Weckwerth. “We’re open. We’re helping people, and we have an even bigger future ahead.”
At this time, Matawan Landscape Supply is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. Baumann is also open to receiving phone calls both during business hours and at other reasonable times: available numbers are 507-340-1247 or 507-200-4674. He also encourages folks to visit the matawanlandscapingsupply.com website to find out more.