Chris Cordrey takes family business to the next level

Growing up, there was an expectation that Chris Cordrey would work in the family business.

While majoring in business at the University of Delaware, Chris was exposed to many other possible careers. However, he recognized the unique possibilities that his family’s business offered. This included the opportunity to run and grow a business at a fairly young age. So, in 2010, Chris made it official and joined the business. Today, he is head of day-to-day operations for RSC Landscaping and leads a diversified business that employs almost 200 people.

Chris’s dad, mom and uncle had developed a solid business with an excellent reputation and was really poised to grow to the next level. However, Chris recognized that it would be difficult to grow the business without a sophisticated information system in place, and without any kind of online presence. In addition, with only 30 employees, there wasn’t a formal organization chart in place. As a result, Chris worked to create an expanded organizational structure to ensure the appropriate systems, processes and structures would be implemented. Those separate divisions now include maintenance, landscaping, the garden center, a nursery and Cordrey Charities.

Having spent time working in the business growing up, Chris understood well the values of the business and the culture that had been established by his father and mother. More specifically, he saw the importance of connections and relationships that his parents worked so hard to build. As Chris noted, developing relationships with people and other businesses is analogous to planting and growing a flower or a tree. “Plants must be nurtured and cared for. They can’t simply be placed in the ground and be expected to survive and thrive. And it is the same in relationships with other people and customers. They won’t survive without caring and nurturing.”

As a result, Chris spends a good deal of his time with customers, making sure they are getting the attention they need. And he can do that with the structure and management team he has put in place, as they can be trusted to make sure the work is getting done.

While COVID is less of a factor today, it had a significant impact on the business. Unlike some businesses that could utilize employees on a remote basis, mowing lawns, providing landscaping services and growing plant materials required people to be present and hands-on. Additionally, supply chain challenges meant shortages of many kinds of plants, shrubs, trees, flowers, etc. At the same time, the virus drove people to be outdoors, both at home and when going out to eat. As a result, people got more involved with do-it-yourself projects, like tending their gardens, and restaurants looked to create more attractive and inviting outdoor spaces for people who were reluctant but anxious to get back to eating out. With people spending more time outdoors, Chris recognized the opportunity to develop an expertise in designing and building attractive and sophisticated outdoor spaces, which is now an integral part of their business. 

Like all growing businesses that struggled with ensuring they had the appropriate number of people in place, RSC Landscaping had those same challenges. And instead of merely advertising for positions, Chris recognized the business had to be more intentional about the people they were hiring and the skills those people needed to be successful. To pull this together, Chris created a talent acquisition role, and the company is now focused not only on hiring the right people, but also retaining them. With his new HR person, they have worked together to implement best practices such as on-boarding programs, recruiting for qualities that are consistent with company values, surveying team members to make sure the business is responsive to their needs, and implementing reward and recognition programs to show gratitude and appreciation for the work being done by all staff. The result of all these changes has been very positive with fewer vacancies and a sharp reduction in employee turnover.

With respect to community connections and support, Cordrey Charities has been very active. They have created a garden for the Town of Millsboro (a tribute to the birthplace of the founders of RSC Landscaping), they have taught the next generation about the benefits of living among plants, and they have donated plant materials to the Delaware Botanical Gardens in Dagsboro. All of which support their ongoing efforts to beautify the community.

As Chris looks to the future, he feels that new technologies that have been put in place while strengthening processes and practices have created a solid and stable foundation from which the company can take that next step with growth and customer service. He is excited to be able to build upon the success that the founders of the company worked so hard to establish, and firmly establish another generation of ownership.