Jon Goodwin wins Sposato Landscape Manager of the Year Award

When Jon Goodwin was a catcher for the Cape Henlopen baseball team, he enjoyed managing the game from behind home plate. He moved players into position to best cover the field; he coaxed good fastballs and curves from his pitchers, and he developed strong relationships with umpires in order to get the benefit of the doubt on close calls. All those skills came in handy during his first year as a manager at Sposato, where he won the company’s Manager of the Year Award for 2015.

Goodwin admitted he didn’t have much experience managing people when he was promoted. But he knew the key to getting great results was planning and building strong relationships with his people and customers. And the great results came as his irrigation business grew by over 38 percent for the year.

What helped drive the revenue increase the most were some large irrigation jobs. In addition, some careful planning and organization led to cost reduction. Goodwin credited fellow manager Jeff Timer with helping him develop a strong plan. “We sat down and decided what we wanted to accomplish. We put the right people in the right jobs and tried to cut out wasted hours and unnecessary work. We’re good planners. And that has gotten results.”

A good example of streamlining the operation was eliminating excessive driving time and keeping crews in the same areas, said Goodwin. “We used to send crews to Rehoboth, then Georgetown, then Selbyville, then Dagsboro. They were spending most of their day travelling. To reduce the excessive driving time, we put together a crew that stayed in the north and one that stayed in the south.”

They also empowered their people to make decisions on the spot. “If they’re driving through a development and they see a lawn with brown spots, they know they can stop and adjust the sprinkler head to cover that part of the lawn. A week later the grass is green again. They solve so many problems I never even hear about.”

And knowing that his people were solving problems in the field, Goodwin had the time to build relationships with his customers. “The key is delivering what you promise,” said Goodwin. “If I tell a customer I’ll be there, I’ll be there. And they are very appreciative. In addition, I get to really know them and their families.”

A key to leading his people was the fact that Goodwin started his landscape career at an entry-level position. “I started at the bottom digging trenches,” said Goodwin. “I’ve actually worked all the jobs so I know what my people face on a daily basis. When we have a problem, I ask them to take a step back, take a deep breath, and think about how we’re going to fix the problem. I’m not a yeller.”

“Our technicians are top notch as far as skill, experience and work ethic. They make my job easier. One of my guys complained that he never saw us enough during the day and he didn’t get enough attention. But he was so good at his job that we trusted him enough to get the job done. That allowed us to focus on more pressing issues. Plus, our support in the office from Susan Layton and Jenn Allen was crucial.”

“As soon as Jon was promoted, he organized his self, his people and his operation,“ said owner Fred Sposato. “His operation took off and was a big reason we grew by over 38 percent last year. He did an excellent job.”

Goodwin credited Sposato and his Manager Mike McCoy for creating an environment built on training and teamwork. “They are big believers in training,” he said. "If there’s something you don’t know, there is someone here who will teach you. Out training is what separates us from our competition. We’re always learning. Because of our excellent training, our competitors are always trying to lure our people away. But we have also created a small-family atmosphere, so they’re not very successful.”

Kind of like the base-runners who tried to steal second on him back in the day.