Professionalism and knowledge are the cornerstones Landscape for Less has built its business upon. It’s important not only that customers see the high quality of work from the landscaping firm, but also for them to understand what’s happening throughout the process.
Those priorities, alongside a great product at a lower rate, are why Thomas Benjamin started Landscape for Less nearly a decade ago. He’s been in the landscaping business his whole life and knew he had the expertise and determination to create a successful business to serve Western New York.
“I just wanted to build my own business,” Benjamin says. “It was definitely intimidating to start—taking that initial risk was exciting and scary. But I was very confident in my ability to do this work.”
Benjamin can point to a specific childhood moment that led to his entrepreneurship. He was 13 years old and living in the Kensington-Bailey area. One of the “older guys in the neighborhood” already in the landscaping business gave Benjamin a lawn mower, gas can and rake. He started going around to his neighbors, asking if they wanted their lawns mowed for about $10.
That drive and determination led to his first—and subsequent—landscaping jobs around the region. Along with the hands-on work, he took on managerial duties to get the full industry experience.
In 2017, Benjamin decided it was time to take what he had learned and start Landscape for Less.
“I’ve always been entrepreneurial, and at some point, I knew I just had to take the risk,” he says. “I knew that I could provide a really great product to people and provide really good results at a good price that makes sense to the customer.”
Business partner Sadie Catalano has been a major part of the company's success from the very beginning.
“She came in at the ground level, learning the craft alongside me, and has grown into her role over time,” says Benjamin. “Today, she manages field operations and plays a key role in ensuring the quality and standards of Landscape for Less are reflected on every job.”
The business specializes in outdoor solutions and landscape installations. This includes new plantings, hardscapes, walkways or patio installations. It also specializes in “maintenance reduction work,” the process of taking established gardens and finding ways to reduce a homeowner’s workload. For instance, people moving into a new home with a well-established garden may want to find a way to change the layout to streamline future work.
The company also provides commercial property maintenance and commercial snowplowing services.
Benjamin likes to highlight that everyone who works for Landscape for Less is either a landscape professional or someone who is pursuing a landscaping career.
“This isn’t a summer job you take to make a couple of dollars during the summer months,” he says. “This is something we take seriously. We try to focus primarily on the tougher landscape projects that require landscape professionals so we can truly deliver our value. There’s something to be said about doing a job where you get to enjoy the results of your work along with the customer.”
