PROFESSIONAL | DEDICATED | EXPERIENCED

MARCH 2013

A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT.

of many years. As I graduated from high

school, I was lucky enough to be invited to

play football at John Carroll University, and

my dad was elated. Not only would I be going

to a great school, but he would be able to

continue watching his youngest son play

football. I had a huge problem at this point,

because I really loved having my own

company and working with my own two

hands. It was then that I decided not to go to

college, but I didn’t have the heart to break

the news to my dad.

It was just a matter of time before

Coach Dicarlo called my house to ask where I

was for summer practice. I still remember

coming home that night after working all day,

It’s a sad day at H&M

Landscaping. As I rang in the new year

with my family and the H&M team, little did

I know I would be saying goodbye to my

father just 25 days later. My dad passed

away on Friday, January 25th, at 7:25 AM.

This day, to say the least, was one of the

hardest of my personal and professional

life. I want to take you back to 1987, when

a young man with a big dream (and a

stubborn father) set out on a journey to

build a company that I could not yet

Imagine. I remember my dad telling me

that he did not want me to be a blue collar

worker, and that I was going to attend

college in order to have a better life than

he did. A life where I would not have to

work 20 hours a day to support the ones I

love, as he had done his entire life. That’s

the day he loaned me $2,500 to purchase

my first mower, trailer, and weed eater.

I guess what my dad did not

know (nor did I, at the time) was the

passion I had for building and coaching

people. Back then, I thought I was building

patios, water features, decks, etc. — but in

reality, I was building a team that would

touch thousands of lives over the course

and my dad telling me to pack up my

belongings within the next week and find a

new place to live. One thing you should

understand is that my father always said,

stand by your commitments, and in his

eyes I had broken his trust as well as John

Carroll’s. Thankfully, my father eventually

calmed down and I could tell that he was

proud of the company I was building and

the achievements we were making.

In 1996, the corporate head-

quarters of H&M Landscaping were built at

10389 Kinsman Road in Newbury, and my

dad was on cloud nine. I believe it was

then that he truly felt he had been able to

realize his life long aspirations and goals

through his son’s eyes. It is unfortunate,

but I did not realize until after his passing

how much he shaped and molded my life

— as a son, husband, father, and

business owner. The work ethic, integrity,

and honesty he instilled in me are so

profound and evident, but it took losing my

life long hero to realize this. So I thank you

dad for all you have done and the way you

raised me. Your legacy lives on every day

through the H&M team. Rest in peace!

Mark Mazzurco Mark Mazzurco, Company President

In Memory of Joseph Mazzurco

September 18, 1942—January 25, 2013

CONTACT US!

10389 KINSMAN ROAD

P.O. BOX 69

NEWBURY, OHIO 44065

[PHONE] 440.564.1157

[FAX] 440.564.5609

PROJECT SCHEDULING MARK BARKER, CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR Every year as spring approaches, I find myself asking the same question over and over: When will

winter finally end?! We spend the entire season battling snow and ice, with countless trips to the

carwash to remove salt buildup from our cars. Not to mention endless hours sitting inside, wishing

we could go do something in beautiful warm weather. Looking forward, most of us have spent

some of this time thinking of the exterior of our homes and projects we’d like to accomplish. With

this in mind, please remember that spring is often the busiest time of year for most contractors,

especially in the landscaping industry. To move this process along and expedite projects in a

timely fashion, follow these simple steps.

1. CONFIRM YOUR BUDGET — Make sure you have identified and set aside your allowed

budget for your project.

2. CONTRACTOR — Start to reach out to contractors now, don’t wait until spring or you will be

behind.

3. EXPECTATIONS & QUALIFICATIONS — Be sure the contractor of choice is qualified to meet your expectations and requirements.

4. COMMITMENT — Make sure to get contract documentation signed and scheduling deposits submitted. Most contractors schedule based on submission of

scheduling deposits and signed contracts.

5. SCHEDULE — Discuss your project timeline with sales staff or project supervisor.

6. COMMUNICATION — Convey your level of communication, what method of communication works best, and how often you would like project

correspondence. Project size and detail will often help determine frequency of communication. Always feel free to ask questions.

7. RELAX — Sit back and enjoy the work being done! Remember, this is your project that you have paid your qualified contractor of choice to perform.

8. PUNCH OUT — Make sure you always participate in a final project walkthrough to review the completed project. This should be scheduled with the project

supervisor in order to identify and punch list items that need attention.

9. ENJOY — Finally, enjoy your finished project!

I hope all of you will find this helpful with your project endeavors not only this year, but for years and years to come. Thank you.

SPRING PRUNING & EDGING

ANTHONY COMELLA,

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Do you want to know why you should choose H&M Landscaping for your spring pruning and

deep edging? Any landscaper can dig a decent edge — but if you choose H&M, you will receive a deep,

defined, detailed, and not to mention CLEAN edge. H&M is also very knowledgeable about spring

pruning. The way we do our spring pruning is by taking hand pruners and cutting out dead, rubbing, and

broken branches. We then follow up by shearing the previous years’ growth off the top to shape it up.

The H&M team is looking forward to hearing from you this spring so we can get your trees and shrubs in

pristine shape! Remember, the sooner you sign up, the sooner your yard will stand out from the rest of

the neighborhood. Thank you for your continued business!

THE H&M INSIGHT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

TO OUR H&M

TEAM MEMBERS

Mark Mazzurco, February 14

Mike Bilsky, February 25

Ed Smith, February 25

Paul Mares, February 28

Sam Kent, March 10

Mark Barker, March 21

Mike Kinder, April 1

Miguel Murillo, April 6

Ralph Smith, April 13

Scott Wood, April 21

Dave Hartman, April 25

James Hasenstab, April 29

Enjoy your day!

SPRING LAWN PREPARATION

RALPH SMITH

IRRIGATION AND LOW VOLTAGE SUPERVISOR

OVERSEEDING

Is your lawn riddled with bare patches now that

the snow is gone? If so, you may need to top

dress with soil and grass seed to fill them in.

Apply a starter fertilizer, 14-20-4, to begin with.

Once the grass germinates, apply a second

application. I recommend applying starter

fertilizer every two weeks until the lawn fills in

and then a maintenance fertilizer every 6-8

weeks throughout the growing season.

FERTILIZATION & WEED CONTROL

Lawns that have been fertilized in the fall don’t

need a lot in the spring, for it will cause more

harm than good. The first thing to apply in the

spring is pre-emergent crabgrass control. Your

lawn should be fertilized every 6-8 weeks

during the growing season to remain healthy,

which is about 5-6 applications per year.

Follow these lawn tips for a lush,

weed free lawn you can enjoy all summer long.

if you experience this. It allows water, oxygen, and fertilizer deep into the roots for

absorption. This is also a great time to fertilize and seed your lawn if necessary.

LIMING

The presence of moss plants can signal acidity of the lawn. Grass likes a neutral

soil pH of 7. You can solve this by liming your soil. It is only a corrective measure,

not for prevention, so H&M will take a soil sample first.

The vernal equinox on March

20th, 2013 will be the first day of the

year when we have 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of nighttime.

Vernal is Latin for “spring” and equinox is Latin for “equal night.”

Ancient Egyptians built the Great Sphinx to point directly east,

towards the sunrise of the vernal equinox.

A lawn’s arch nemesis, the dandelion, originated in Asia.

Spring fever is not just a myth! The body may experience

physiological changes due to changes in diet, hormones, and temperature.

According to superstition, the vernal equinox is the one day you can stand a raw egg

on its end. However, science has proved this to be just a myth.

CHECK OUT H&M ONLINE!

WWW.HMLANDSCAPING.COM

WWW.HMSNOWPROS.COM

AND SEARCH US ON FACEBOOK!

During our spring turn-on visit, we will be

offering the new Hunter Solar Sync at a

reduced price. This is the latest device that

automatically adjusts the controller daily,

based on your local weather conditions.

Solar Sync measures sunlight and temp-

erature, and uses ET to determine the

correct seasonal adjustment percentage

value to send to the controller. The controller

then uses its programmed run time and adjusts

to Solar Sync’s values to modify the actual

irrigation run time for that day. In addition, the

Solar Sync ET sensor integrates Hunter’s popular

Rain-Clik™ sensor to provide a quick response that will

shut down your irrigation system during rain. The Solar

Sync is compatible with most Hunter controllers, and

applicable to both residential and commercial systems.

SPRING IRRIGATION START UP

DID YOU KNOW?

ED SMITH, QUALITY & CHEMICAL

CONTROL SUPERVISOR

Discover the difference

experience makes. We

aim to rise above our

clients expectations the

first time, every time.

NICK TINIK

SENIOR MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR

“

”

Although it may not seem like it, spring is

quickly approaching. It’s not too early to schedule your

spring irrigation turn-on. An H&M irrigation start up

consists of more than simply turning on the water and

leaving. Our trained technicians will take care of the

following:

Turn on the water source

Activate each zone

Make adjustments to rotors and pop-ups

Clean around the head to remove obstructions

Check for correct pressure

Check for leaks within the system

Set the irrigation clock

Your irrigation clock will be set to the off position and

be ready to run when needed — simply set the dial to

the run position. See “before” turn-on picture above,

and “after” turn-on picture to the right.

JOE MAZZURCO, VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES & OPERATIONS

First, I would like to wish all of our customers a Happy New Year! I also

want to thank everyone for the estimates and work opportunities that you’ve

allowed the H&M family to provide. We truly mean it, from the bottom of our hearts.

Now that spring is knocking at the door, here is your opportunity to start evaluating

your yard after this long winter with damaging winds, ice storms, and the freeze thaw

cycle. Each provide their own unique challenges in terms of property damage.

Spring is the time to get your yard all tuned up. This includes spring clean

ups, trimming and pruning of plants and trees, and defining the edge of the lawn and

planting beds. Aerations and fertilizations will strengthen and feed the lawn, plant

fertilization helps revive perennials after the long, cold winter, and even general

restoration is effective after the weather Northeast Ohio endures. So give the H&M team a call and set up an

appointment for us to come perform a yard evaluation, put together an estimate, and most importantly, get a spot on

our schedule for what promises to be a busy spring.

Once again, I want to thank everyone for letting the H&M team into their homes and businesses. If you

need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to contact the office!

COME ON, SPRING!

Spring is here! That means it’s time to clean up one of your most important assets — your home. Here at H&M, we

can supply you with all of the materials needed, including soils, mulch, woodchips, compost, and stone. As one of

the leaders in the industry here in NEO, we have competitive pricing and delivery is available. We also stock

fertilizers, pre-emergent, grass seed, and straw. Don’t forget perennials and annuals, as well as the trees we have

here at our in-house nursery! So whatever your need may be, at H&M we can supply it for you. Call today for pricing

and availability. Thank you for your patronage, and please don’t hesitate to call the office and ask for me, Mike

Mazzurco, personally. Have a great 2013 season, everyone!

MATERIAL PURCHASING MIKE MAZZURCO, PURCHASING & INVENTORY CONTROL

If you neglect spring lawn care, you

could end up paying for it the rest of the

season. Follow these tips to get your lawn off to

the right start this year.

RAKING

As soon as the snow season is over, raking of the

lawn should begin. It’s more than just removing

leaves; it also controls thatch. A thatch build-up of

more than 3/4” is considered excessive in a lawn.

Rake deep to remove thatch that has built up over

the winter. This also helps remove dead grass

blades, which are just waiting to become thatch!

COMPACTION

If your lawn is subjected to high levels of traffic

year after year, it may eventually show signs of

decline. In such cases, your lawn is probably

suffering from compaction. Lawn aeration is a turf

practice that should be done in the spring and fall