What makes Erik Perry with Grass Ninjas Landscaping a good neighbor?
What happens when a dedicated Marine Corps veteran pivots from being a handyman to founding a thriving landscaping business? Meet Erik Perry, the founder of Grass Ninjas Landscaping, who shares his transformative journey on the Good Neighbor Podcast. Tune in to hear how Erik turned a severe injury into an opportunity, crafting a niche in Florida-friendly, sustainable landscaping. His story is not just about overcoming personal adversity but also about fostering eco-consciousness in an industry often misunderstood.
Erik breaks down the myths surrounding landscaping, particularly the belief that manicured lawns are detrimental to the environment. He delves into the art of creating landscapes that are both beautiful and beneficial to the local flora and fauna, using native plants that require less water and fertilizer. Whether you're a homeowner looking to enhance your outdoor space or someone who cares about sustainability, this episode is packed with valuable insights and practical advice. Join us as we explore the resilience and innovation that define Grass Ninjas Landscaping.
To learn more about Grass Ninjas Landscaping go to:
https://grassninjasfl.com/
Grass Ninjas Landscaping
(561)461-8138
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
(00:02):
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, GarfieldBowen.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a landscaper?
Well, one may be closer thanyou think.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
eric Perry, with Grass NinjasLandscaping.
Eric, how are you doing today?
Good, good, how are you doingtoday?
I am well, listen, we'reexcited to learn all about you
and your company.
(00:34):
Tell us about your business.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
So we are a veteran-owned and operated
landscaping and lawn maintenancecompany.
We are located in the TreasureCoast.
We serve Palm Beach Gardens upto Port St Lucie.
Currently we're fairly new butwe've been around the block for
a little bit.
But we kind of specialize innot just lawn maintenance but we
specialize in a lot ofFlorida-friendly landscaping.
(00:58):
So we try to you know, beingborn and raised here, it's
really important to us that wealso not only just you know
create a beautiful landscape foryou, but we also create one
that's good for you know, ourlocal flora and fauna, and good
for our Florida environment.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Listen, eric.
We love veterans.
How did you get into thisbusiness?
Speaker 3 (01:20):
So my background actually.
So in the Marine Corps Iactually served as a utilities
man so I did everything fromgenerators, electrical HVAC, so
I've always been into trades andthen so kind of what happened
with landscaping.
I got injured a while back whenI had my handyman business.
I got severely injured, I wasout, I wasn't able to work for
(01:42):
about a year.
Business I got severely injured, I was out, I wasn't able to
work for about a year and Ireally had to kind of reevaluate
what I was really capable ofdoing is.
I went from like remodelingkitchens to I was in a
wheelchair and I kind of had toreally figure out, you know that
, operating a business it wasn't, you know, just me like the
business had to be more than me.
So landscaping it was anopportunity to figure out how to
(02:05):
scale better.
It's a lot easier to um totrain employees on uh, using
equipment and landscaping thanit was to try to find someone in
the handyman field where theyhad to do all these different
trades.
So it kind of it.
It kind of pushed me to um toactually kind of move into a
field where it was easier tokind of scale than handyman
(02:26):
stuff.
And then a friend of mineessentially started.
I was trying to figure out abusiness and it almost was like
a joke we're talking about likeI posted on Facebook about like
a hot dog stand or something towhere, like it didn't require
you know me having to be there.
I could kind of, you know,figure out how to grow a
business and scale a businessand work on the business that
(02:48):
are not in the business and um,ended up a buddy of mine was
actually going to school forlandscape design, um, and then
so with my kind of business orsmall business background and
kind of skilled trades, and thenhis kind of landscaping thing,
um, or his landscaping degreethat he was working on, um, it
kind of made sense that like,hey, let's do something in
landscaping, but with us it hadto be a little different.
(03:10):
Let's have a little bit offlair and kind of focus on, like
I said, that they afford afriendly landscaping.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
It makes sense.
What are some of the myths andmisconceptions about the
landscaping business?
Speaker 3 (03:24):
So one of the myths and you'll see it a lot is that
a lot of people feel thatlandscaping or you know the
perfectly manicured lawn orlight is not good for the
environment, that a lot ofplants that people pick are
either not native to whereyou're at.
They need, you know, extra care, so you're using extra water
and fertilizer and all thatstuff.
(03:44):
But one of the things you cando is you can actually, instead
of you know, creating a lawnthat's really high maintenance,
you can create a lawn that'sreally not just even respectful
of you know our Floridaenvironment, but that thrives
and does really well in it.
So you can create a, you know,a landscape design for your yard
that's not only good for theenvironment but it actually
(04:07):
thrives in it.
So you're using less fertilizer, you're using less water.
You can actually make somethinginstead of bad for our local
environment.
It's actually helping andcontributing to it okay.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
So, eric, you know you seem like you're really into
your business there, whenyou're not.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
I I get passionate, but yes, I get very passionate
about my business when you'renot so busy running your
business.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
What does eric like to do for fun?
So?
Speaker 3 (04:31):
not to not to make it sound kind of cheesy but I I've
always wanted a business.
I've always wanted a businesssince I was very young.
So a lot of, even in my freetime like last night, I went to
go out and see a friend but whatit was is we were actually
talking about a veteran businessnetwork that we wanted to kind
(04:52):
of create to help promote localveteran businesses.
So it's like if I'm not workingon my business, I'm usually
either outside fishing, hikingor I'm actually doing something
where I'm networking with otherbusinesses.
But one thing that I do andthat we do a lot is we volunteer
a lot.
There's a local veteran groupin the Treasure Coast area
called Do you Give a Ruck.
(05:12):
You can find them on Facebook.
But there are other OEF or OAF,younger veterans, first
responders and even civilianswho just want to be involved
that we do a lot of serviceprojects and a lot of we raise
funds.
We do what they call ruckmarches that we use to raise
money, raise food and stuff likethat for veterans in need.
(05:34):
We just did, for example, inJune we did a.
We supported a 20 mile march tohelp raise awareness for
veteran suicide and we helpedwith basically help with the aid
station and stuff like that, sothings like that.
And then we also did a recentlywith them.
We did a service project.
There was a Navy veteran whowas about to have some issues
(05:55):
with the local code enforcementand instead of having liens in
the property, we all showed upin force.
Uh, we sponsored, we helpedsponsor the event.
We did a whole yard clean out.
We uh, we helped with the fence.
We, we helped get the wholeyard back to where there wasn't
any issues with the city.
But it was also a bunch ofveterans hanging out and having
fun and we just happened to behelping and doing something in
(06:16):
the community.
So if I'm not working, I'musually either volunteering,
doing something like, or I'mworking on a business as well.
That's just kind of like.
That's just who I am being.
In the military I was a Marine.
I'm very like mission driven,so I get excited about projects,
about missions, about makingyou know differences in the
community.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
I understand you better than you think.
My brother's a Marine.
Oh hurrah, that's good to hear.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
It probably reminds you all the time right.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah, let's change gears a little bit.
Life often does us curveballs.
Let's talk about one hardship,one life challenge, something
that you've been through, roseabove, and you can look back
today and say you're better andstronger because of it.
What comes to mind?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
So it's actually it's kind of our core story for our
business.
I, like I said, I had ahandyman business that I was
doing really good, but I was thebusiness.
I ended up falling and gettinginjured severely.
I tore three ligaments in myknee, my knee was dislocated,
but what ended up happening is Ihad a really bad blood clot
(07:19):
that went up to my lungsdislocated.
But what ended up happening isI had a really bad blood clot
that went up to my lungs, um,and I almost passed away,
because I almost passed awayfrom pulmonary pulmonary
embolism, um, I was very luckythe doctor said I was extremely
lucky, but there was also theinjury was so bad I wasn't able
to walk.
I was in a wheelchair butbecause of the blood clots I
also wasn't able to get thesurgery.
So I went from a really activehandyman business and stuff like
(07:41):
that to I wasn't able to walk.
I had to I pretty much not toget choked up.
I had to sell my house, I hadto sell all my tools and I lost
my identity.
Essentially I was my handymanbusiness and it took a while to
kind of get to, kind of, youknow, get through that, because
(08:03):
when you lose kind of everything.
You're like who I don't evenknow who I am.
So getting back into this, it,it.
I got that sense of purposeagain.
Um, getting over that injury,getting back on my feet, you
know, having to buy all newequipment and tools and stuff
like that, Um it, it wassomething that it took a lot
mentally to get over.
Just because it was the losingeverything was such a weight on
(08:27):
my shoulders.
But being able to get back intothis and being able to get back
in the community give myselfthat title again with Grass
Ledges, Landscaping, it reallyhelped me get over that.
And then also with that, like Isaid, that nonprofit that Do
you Give A Rock.
The members there, they werealways been supportive and they
were there for me through thathardship.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
That's excellent, so I'm sure you build a strong bond
with them.
Now, eric, I mean I'm going toput you on the spot a little bit
.
I want you to narrow it down toone thing, one thing that you
want our is to remember aboutgrass, ninjas, landscaping.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
So we're not just a land maintenance company or a
lawn maintenance company.
We're not just to show, youknow, we don't just show up and
cut grass.
What we really want to be ableto do is kind of give everyone
you know there's a lot of peoplethat are moving here, a lot of
people that grew up here Giveeveryone that little piece of
florida that everyone wants,that little oasis in their
backyard.
(09:26):
And so with a lot of ourlandscape design, our florida
friendly um design we have, youknow, we can do plants that
either you attract plants andpollinators, it could be flowers
and colors, whatever you want,um.
And so it's not just a grasscutting but we can also, like
said, create that oasis for you.
So when you get home and you'rehanging out in your backyard and
you're enjoying it with yourfamily, it's not just grass or
(09:49):
some plants or just the sun,it's, it's it's your piece of
Florida, your oasis that you canenjoy.
So it's like that little bit ofinvestment into your home.
You're going to get that backin tenfold because you're going
to get that time spending itwith your family and just
enjoying those moments in yournew backyard.
Or front yard.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
My listeners are.
When they get a chance, they'regoing to be paying close
attention to their lawn andtheir yard.
And they probably have one wordon their lips right now, and
that's how.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
How do we get more information on grass ninjas
landscaping?
So so, right now we're reallyactive on facebook.
Uh, you can go to grass ninjaslandscaping uh, you'll find us.
Um, you'll see us, especiallyin the portion of lucy and the
other, as it goes.
You'll see our posting groups,but you can find us grass ninjas
landscaping lc on facebook.
Um, if we, our website isgrassninjasflcom, if you want to
check that out.
We also are on Instagram asgrassninjas, and then you can
(10:51):
also call us with 561-461-8137and reach us directly.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Listen, eric.
It's been a pleasure having youon the show.
I wish you and your businessthe very best moving forward.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
Thank you.
Thank you, this is a greatexperience.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast Port St Lucie.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tognpportsaintlucycom.
That's gnpportsaintlucycom, orcall 772-362-3840.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
(00:02):
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, GarfieldBowen.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a landscaper?
Well, one may be closer thanyou think.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
eric Perry, with Grass NinjasLandscaping.
Eric, how are you doing today?
Good, good, how are you doingtoday?
I am well, listen, we'reexcited to learn all about you
and your company.
(00:34):
Tell us about your business.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
So we are a veteran-owned and operated
landscaping and lawn maintenancecompany.
We are located in the TreasureCoast.
We serve Palm Beach Gardens upto Port St Lucie.
Currently we're fairly new butwe've been around the block for
a little bit.
But we kind of specialize innot just lawn maintenance but we
specialize in a lot ofFlorida-friendly landscaping.
(00:58):
So we try to you know, beingborn and raised here, it's
really important to us that wealso not only just you know
create a beautiful landscape foryou, but we also create one
that's good for you know, ourlocal flora and fauna, and good
for our Florida environment.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Listen, eric.
We love veterans.
How did you get into thisbusiness?
Speaker 3 (01:20):
So my background actually.
So in the Marine Corps Iactually served as a utilities
man so I did everything fromgenerators, electrical HVAC, so
I've always been into trades andthen so kind of what happened
with landscaping.
I got injured a while back whenI had my handyman business.
I got severely injured, I wasout, I wasn't able to work for
(01:42):
about a year.
Business I got severely injured, I was out, I wasn't able to
work for about a year and Ireally had to kind of reevaluate
what I was really capable ofdoing is.
I went from like remodelingkitchens to I was in a
wheelchair and I kind of had toreally figure out, you know that
, operating a business it wasn't, you know, just me like the
business had to be more than me.
So landscaping it was anopportunity to figure out how to
(02:05):
scale better.
It's a lot easier to um totrain employees on uh, using
equipment and landscaping thanit was to try to find someone in
the handyman field where theyhad to do all these different
trades.
So it kind of it.
It kind of pushed me to um toactually kind of move into a
field where it was easier tokind of scale than handyman
(02:26):
stuff.
And then a friend of mineessentially started.
I was trying to figure out abusiness and it almost was like
a joke we're talking about likeI posted on Facebook about like
a hot dog stand or something towhere, like it didn't require
you know me having to be there.
I could kind of, you know,figure out how to grow a
business and scale a businessand work on the business that
(02:48):
are not in the business and um,ended up a buddy of mine was
actually going to school forlandscape design, um, and then
so with my kind of business orsmall business background and
kind of skilled trades, and thenhis kind of landscaping thing,
um, or his landscaping degreethat he was working on, um, it
kind of made sense that like,hey, let's do something in
landscaping, but with us it hadto be a little different.
(03:10):
Let's have a little bit offlair and kind of focus on, like
I said, that they afford afriendly landscaping.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
It makes sense.
What are some of the myths andmisconceptions about the
landscaping business?
Speaker 3 (03:24):
So one of the myths and you'll see it a lot is that
a lot of people feel thatlandscaping or you know the
perfectly manicured lawn orlight is not good for the
environment, that a lot ofplants that people pick are
either not native to whereyou're at.
They need, you know, extra care, so you're using extra water
and fertilizer and all thatstuff.
(03:44):
But one of the things you cando is you can actually, instead
of you know, creating a lawnthat's really high maintenance,
you can create a lawn that'sreally not just even respectful
of you know our Floridaenvironment, but that thrives
and does really well in it.
So you can create a, you know,a landscape design for your yard
that's not only good for theenvironment but it actually
(04:07):
thrives in it.
So you're using less fertilizer, you're using less water.
You can actually make somethinginstead of bad for our local
environment.
It's actually helping andcontributing to it okay.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
So, eric, you know you seem like you're really into
your business there, whenyou're not.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
I I get passionate, but yes, I get very passionate
about my business when you'renot so busy running your
business.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
What does eric like to do for fun?
So?
Speaker 3 (04:31):
not to not to make it sound kind of cheesy but I I've
always wanted a business.
I've always wanted a businesssince I was very young.
So a lot of, even in my freetime like last night, I went to
go out and see a friend but whatit was is we were actually
talking about a veteran businessnetwork that we wanted to kind
(04:52):
of create to help promote localveteran businesses.
So it's like if I'm not workingon my business, I'm usually
either outside fishing, hikingor I'm actually doing something
where I'm networking with otherbusinesses.
But one thing that I do andthat we do a lot is we volunteer
a lot.
There's a local veteran groupin the Treasure Coast area
called Do you Give a Ruck.
(05:12):
You can find them on Facebook.
But there are other OEF or OAF,younger veterans, first
responders and even civilianswho just want to be involved
that we do a lot of serviceprojects and a lot of we raise
funds.
We do what they call ruckmarches that we use to raise
money, raise food and stuff likethat for veterans in need.
(05:34):
We just did, for example, inJune we did a.
We supported a 20 mile march tohelp raise awareness for
veteran suicide and we helpedwith basically help with the aid
station and stuff like that, sothings like that.
And then we also did a recentlywith them.
We did a service project.
There was a Navy veteran whowas about to have some issues
(05:55):
with the local code enforcementand instead of having liens in
the property, we all showed upin force.
Uh, we sponsored, we helpedsponsor the event.
We did a whole yard clean out.
We uh, we helped with the fence.
We, we helped get the wholeyard back to where there wasn't
any issues with the city.
But it was also a bunch ofveterans hanging out and having
fun and we just happened to behelping and doing something in
(06:16):
the community.
So if I'm not working, I'musually either volunteering,
doing something like, or I'mworking on a business as well.
That's just kind of like.
That's just who I am being.
In the military I was a Marine.
I'm very like mission driven,so I get excited about projects,
about missions, about makingyou know differences in the
community.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
I understand you better than you think.
My brother's a Marine.
Oh hurrah, that's good to hear.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
It probably reminds you all the time right.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah, let's change gears a little bit.
Life often does us curveballs.
Let's talk about one hardship,one life challenge, something
that you've been through, roseabove, and you can look back
today and say you're better andstronger because of it.
What comes to mind?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
So it's actually it's kind of our core story for our
business.
I, like I said, I had ahandyman business that I was
doing really good, but I was thebusiness.
I ended up falling and gettinginjured severely.
I tore three ligaments in myknee, my knee was dislocated,
but what ended up happening is Ihad a really bad blood clot
(07:19):
that went up to my lungsdislocated.
But what ended up happening isI had a really bad blood clot
that went up to my lungs, um,and I almost passed away,
because I almost passed awayfrom pulmonary pulmonary
embolism, um, I was very luckythe doctor said I was extremely
lucky, but there was also theinjury was so bad I wasn't able
to walk.
I was in a wheelchair butbecause of the blood clots I
also wasn't able to get thesurgery.
So I went from a really activehandyman business and stuff like
(07:41):
that to I wasn't able to walk.
I had to I pretty much not toget choked up.
I had to sell my house, I hadto sell all my tools and I lost
my identity.
Essentially I was my handymanbusiness and it took a while to
kind of get to, kind of, youknow, get through that, because
(08:03):
when you lose kind of everything.
You're like who I don't evenknow who I am.
So getting back into this, it,it.
I got that sense of purposeagain.
Um, getting over that injury,getting back on my feet, you
know, having to buy all newequipment and tools and stuff
like that, Um it, it wassomething that it took a lot
mentally to get over.
Just because it was the losingeverything was such a weight on
(08:27):
my shoulders.
But being able to get back intothis and being able to get back
in the community give myselfthat title again with Grass
Ledges, Landscaping, it reallyhelped me get over that.
And then also with that, like Isaid, that nonprofit that Do
you Give A Rock.
The members there, they werealways been supportive and they
were there for me through thathardship.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
That's excellent, so I'm sure you build a strong bond
with them.
Now, eric, I mean I'm going toput you on the spot a little bit
.
I want you to narrow it down toone thing, one thing that you
want our is to remember aboutgrass, ninjas, landscaping.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
So we're not just a land maintenance company or a
lawn maintenance company.
We're not just to show, youknow, we don't just show up and
cut grass.
What we really want to be ableto do is kind of give everyone
you know there's a lot of peoplethat are moving here, a lot of
people that grew up here Giveeveryone that little piece of
florida that everyone wants,that little oasis in their
backyard.
(09:26):
And so with a lot of ourlandscape design, our florida
friendly um design we have, youknow, we can do plants that
either you attract plants andpollinators, it could be flowers
and colors, whatever you want,um.
And so it's not just a grasscutting but we can also, like
said, create that oasis for you.
So when you get home and you'rehanging out in your backyard and
you're enjoying it with yourfamily, it's not just grass or
(09:49):
some plants or just the sun,it's, it's it's your piece of
Florida, your oasis that you canenjoy.
So it's like that little bit ofinvestment into your home.
You're going to get that backin tenfold because you're going
to get that time spending itwith your family and just
enjoying those moments in yournew backyard.
Or front yard.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
My listeners are.
When they get a chance, they'regoing to be paying close
attention to their lawn andtheir yard.
And they probably have one wordon their lips right now, and
that's how.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
How do we get more information on grass ninjas
landscaping?
So so, right now we're reallyactive on facebook.
Uh, you can go to grass ninjaslandscaping uh, you'll find us.
Um, you'll see us, especiallyin the portion of lucy and the
other, as it goes.
You'll see our posting groups,but you can find us grass ninjas
landscaping lc on facebook.
Um, if we, our website isgrassninjasflcom, if you want to
check that out.
We also are on Instagram asgrassninjas, and then you can
(10:51):
also call us with 561-461-8137and reach us directly.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Listen, eric.
It's been a pleasure having youon the show.
I wish you and your businessthe very best moving forward.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
Thank you.
Thank you, this is a greatexperience.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast Port St Lucie.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tognpportsaintlucycom.
That's gnpportsaintlucycom, orcall 772-362-3840.
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