Jeff Margulies
Owner, Good Earth Landscaping & Maintenance, Carbondale, Colo.
1. What should our readers know about Good Earth Landscaping & Maintenance?
Good Earth Landscaping is based in Carbondale, Colo., just outside of Aspen. We serve the entire Roaring Fork Valley — Aspen, Snowmass, Basalt, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs — and do some work outside of the Valley on a case-by-case basis. We are a full-service company and do landscape maintenance, irrigation, construction/installation, fine gardening and garden design and snow removal.
2. You have a unique background. What did you do before joining Good Earth?
I hadn’t landscaped until I was running Good Earth. I was in the corporate world previously, primarily in finance and corporate development. This was my first foray into the green industry. Originally, I was advising Good Earth on the finance side. My now business partner, Josh Austin, had purchased the company to establish a portfolio of local service businesses and there was a need for someone to manage and grow Good Earth. I had seen a lot of different businesses in different industries and mostly wanted to continue to live where we did, so it seemed like a unique opportunity to become an operator and learn a new industry.
3. Generally speaking, how was business last year?
It was great, in terms of growth and investment in the business. There was a lot of change for us, especially based on things we learned in our ACE peer group. We implemented new processes, software and accountability practices. It was a challenge going through a lot of structural change while growing and executing on the business in front of us, but I think it set us up really well for the future.
4. Do you have a family? What do you all do for fun?
My wife, Charlotte, is a therapist in Aspen. She’s very inspiring in terms of her patience and her understanding of people and is a good advisor on the business side as well. I tend to be very numbers-focused and she does a great job of helping me be mindful in how I communicate my expectations — especially when I feel like they aren’t being met. We have two little girls, we have a 3-and-a-half-year-old and a 15-month-old. We love to go up into the mountains to ski, bike, fish and just enjoy being outside. Both our girls are skiers. Carson is in her third season this year and Brooks is just getting on skis as well.
5. What is the best thing about having your job?
The work that we do is all around us and it has an impact on our lives. There are public spaces that we maintain and also use. It’s also a unique place to live in terms of the wealth disparity and some of the housing challenges. To be a business that supports the community and helps people build sustainable life in a place that they love has been really gratifying. Building relationships with our employees, families and kids has been really special.