Please welcome the newest edition of our Management Team, Rich Clark, ISA Certified Arborist and Certified Ornamental Landscape Professional (COLP). This letter recently went out to our clients regarding Rich joining our team:

November 16th, 2007

Dear Client,

I have some bittersweet news about our Highland Outdoor family.

A few months ago, longtime team member Jon Morgner resigned his position as Account Manager for our Maintenance Division. We miss him, and the impact he has had on our business over the many years he has been part of our team.

With Jon’s departure, our Management Team began to search for someone to replace Jon, and in my mantra of “hiring slow” – it took several months to find a suitable candidate.

I’m pleased to introduce you to Rich Clark – the newest member of the Highland Outdoor Management Team.

Rich joins us with a list of credentials we are proud of – and believe it will compliment our company to develop comprehensive maintenance options for not only you – our existing clients – but new clients as well. Rich’s previous position was helping to maintain a 200 acre Fortune 500 Telecom Headquarters in Overland Park, an impressive feat in and of itself. He is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist, and is a Certified Ornamental Landscape Professional (COLP), a Certification offered by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET). Rich recently took his Certified Landscape Professional (CLP) exam, a Certification I have been proud to have for six years.

Rich’s fourteen year history in the green industry allows him to offer expertise and communication that is closely aligned to a company like ours. I’m so excited to see the impact Rich will have on each of you, as well as new clients, and the rest of our Management Team.

Please welcome Rich to our team, and family. I trust Rich will reach out to each of you in the near future, to assess where we can improve, as well as seek an understanding of your expectations. In the meantime, you can reach Rich at the office, 913.782.3700 or via email at rich@highland-outdoor.com.

Lastly, please take Rich up on our new referral program, offering $200 for any referral that results in a signed contract with our company. If I can be of any assistance, as always, please contact me at the office, or via email at jason@highland-outdoor.com.

Wishing you an incredible Thanksgiving season – know that we are thankful for each and every one of you – our clients – this season.

Grateful,

Jason K. Cupp, CLP
Chief Executive Officer

We have just uploaded over 60 new photos to our Project Portfolios. Check out our new photos here and here.

The first gallery link is one of the most unique and most custom projects we have ever done. In fact, it our work will be featured in the December 2007 Issue of Kansas City Homes and Garden Magazine. This project took over two years to complete.

The second gallery are some additional photos of this project, taken for our new ad campaign debuting in the December 2007 Issue of KCHG, the December 2007 Issue of KC Parent Magazine, and the January 2007 Issue of Kansas City Home Improvement Resource Magazine.
To see all the galleries, click here.

We have an inventory of trees that we have for sale - this letter recently went out to our client list.  If interested, contact the office at 913.782.3700.  Enjoy the fall!

(Click below to enlarge the letter) 

As Halloween passes and the weather begins to change, it is evident that the holiday season is drawing near. With this season come celebrations, time with family and friends and of course decorating for all of the above. This year Highland Outdoor is continuing to offer our Holiday Lighting Package for our customers. This is a fabulous package that includes all the steps you need to have your holiday decor looking wonderful.

The first step is to call our office and set up your free individual consultation for a creative design. This allows you to design your home exterior just the way that you would like it as well as have expert advice to go along with it. Décor could include: lights, garland, nativity scenes, wreaths and any other preferences that you have for the season. Next our professional crews will come out to install your lighting to be displayed throughout the holiday season. As the season winds down, our crews will return to your home to remove the décor and store it in safe storage until next season.

As we head into the holiday season, don’t forget to light up your season with Highland Outdoor.

To see the one page mailer recently sent to our current clients, please click

The leaves are starting to drop and so are the temperatures around Kansas City.  Fall has come and is passing faster than most of us realize!   Before we all know it, winter will be upon us.  Winter is an interesting time for the landscape industry.  We have to be ready to shift gears into snow removal mode at the drop of a hat, but we still have to carry on with business as usual.

Business as usual brings up an interesting point.  The weather dictates what “business” we will be most involved in – snow removal or design/build and landscaping.  There is a common misconception about the winter months in the Kansas City area.  As long as there is not snow on the ground we will keep working as usual through the winter.  We will keep constructing our hardscaping elements and planting landscapes as long as the snow stays off the ground.

Winter can be beneficial for design/build projects because we can minimize damage to turf during the construction process.  The ground temperature is lower and keeps the surface harder – minimizing damage and rutting from our equipment.  Keep this in mind when deciding on your project timeline.  It is always nice to be able to enjoy your new project right away in the spring rather than wasting the best months of spring building your project.  We are scheduling now for December – just think of how nice it would be to have your new landscaping and patio finished for Christmas!