Landscaper: Akehurst Landscape Service
712 Philadelphia Road, Joppa. 410-538-4018. akehurst.com
Few landscapers have deeper roots. Family-owned for five generations, Akehurst marks its 150th anniversary with 600 commercial clients and a $20 million annual business. That’s a lot of green.
“We have name recognition, we don’t cut corners and we stand behind our work,” said John Akehurst, president of the Joppa-based company. There are two branch offices, in Pikesville and Halethorpe, to help maintain the grounds of its central Maryland customers, which range from single office buildings to shopping malls. Akehurst’s staff of 176 mow, mulch, prune and plant the landscapes at such high-traffic sites as Annapolis Town Center and THE AVENUE at White Marsh. Aberdeen Proving Grounds are, in effect, Akehurst’s grounds to care for. Challenges are met: once, the company once called in a crane to help tend a rooftop garden on Pratt Street, in Baltimore.
This year, John Akehurst said, 96% of clients renewed their contracts — a number that has held steady for a decade.
“We’re not perfect, but when there’s a problem, we fix it,” he said. Office complexes, industrial parks and homeowners associations seek out Akehurst, which ended its residential service in 2015.
“It was a good move for the company,” the president said. “We’ve grown a lot, doing bigger jobs.”
Seasonal, the work is not. In 1992, Akehurst tacked snow removal to its agenda. With more than 400 winter accounts and 150 plows, it’s now among the 50 largest snow contractors in North America, albeit below the Mason-Dixon Line.
Throughout the company, Akehurst said, prosperity is met with piety:
“We answer to a higher calling; we do believe in God. When we serve clients, we do it for His glory. Of course, at times, we pray for rain.”
Have a news tip? Contact Mike Klingaman at jklingaman@baltsun.com.
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Editor’s note: Winners and honorable mentions were determined by popular vote. Readers were invited to nominate and vote online from April to May. The ballot and results are generated solely by readers’ votes. The Baltimore Sun does not take responsibility for the services offered or advertised by those listed.
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