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2 | Luke Brothers Landscaping
Luke Brothers Landscaping | 3
“We are the children of our landscape,” wrote Novelist Lawrence Durrell,
further adding that landscape “dictates behavior and even thought in
the measure to which we are responsive to it.” And indeed, more than 25
years ago, two teenage brothers were so responsive to business opportu-
nities involving lawn care that they created a company which has since
blossomed into one of Florida’s most capable and comprehensive provid-
ers of landscaping, irrigation and property management services.
4 | Luke Brothers Landscaping
When he was a just tyke growing-up out-
side of Brooklyn, Peter Lucadano was like
a lot of kids who imagined a future playing
professional baseball. His athleticism, how-
ever, was complemented by certain capabili-
ties in entrepreneurship, no doubt handily
honed by his two-year-older brother, David,
who also possessed a particular professional
prowess. David was only 12 when he talked
his parents into purchasing a lawn mower,
which he used to earn money by cutting the
neighbor’s grass, often tasking Peter in the
process. David and Peter would continue
conducting that work after their family relo-
cated to New Port Richey, Florida. “Back in
those days, there was really no such thing as
a ‘green’ industry,” recalls Peter. “You would
see various trucks with wooden trailers and
various people working, but they had no
uniform, and it didn’t seem like it was very
organized as a business.”
David and Peter’s grandfather was a distin-
guished WWII veteran who had established
a successful East Coast trucking enterprise.
Through their interactions with that en-
deavor, the boys had learned valuable lessons
about appearance and decorum, in terms of
the importance of maintaining a fleet as well
Luke Brothers Landscaping | 5
as a professional uniform - which not only
helped with branding, but also communicat-
ed the fact that you were ready for business.
The boys had managed to secure some work
mowing lawns in Florida, but Peter says they
quickly realized their small 3.0 horsepower
Snapper wasn’t sufficient for the work. They
realized Florida’s environmental factors relat-
ing to climate, plant growth and pests were
substantially different than what they had
encountered in their Northern neighbor-
hoods, the fact of that prompted Peter to un-
dertake courses relating to ornamental hor-
ticulture at his local high school. They also Pete Lucadano, President & Founder
6 | Luke Brothers Landscaping
quickly realized that the typical approach to
service deployed by certain operators in the
market prompted misperceptions about ev-
eryone who toils in the trade. “People had a
stereotypical view about those who worked
in lawn care ... they thought they lacked pro-
fessionalism... that landscapers were working
just enough to earn beer money,” says Peter.
The brothers resolved to change that view
by developing an enterprise that would set
itself apart from others by creating a brand
and a systemized approach to service that
not only prided itself on the maintaining of
trucks, equipment and uniforms, but deliv-
ering on every assurance made to a customer.
Though they were still only teenagers, they
had a highly successful business recognized
as Luke Brother Landscape Services.
Yet, as Peter explains, beside the unique
nuances of environmental conditions that
impact landscaping in Florida, there were
also unique societal nuances, particularly
in the migratory habits of snowbirds. Resi-
dents would hire them during their dura-
tions in Florida, but drop the service during
the months that they returned to Northern
homes. They also realized that to achieve
real success, it would require securing con-
Luke Brothers Landscaping | 7
tracts with property management asso-
ciations versus that of individual residents.
What’s more, in order to better capitalize on
all the opportunities present in the market,
their business would have to offer specialty
services that involved more than mere lawn
mowing. They sought out experts in irriga-
tion, fertilization, plant nutrition and pest
prevention, adding new divisions to their
enterprise, and Luke Brothers ultimately
evolved into one of Florida’s leading provid-
ers of landscaping services. Headquartered
in Holiday, Florida, the company today can
effectively respond to any aspect of land-
scaping need, whether that involves a yard,
flowering plant or tree, the pests that would
threaten such green spaces or the fertilizers
and nutritional requirements for any form
of fauna, Luke Brothers capably caters to any
concern, but also professionally provides de-
sign & installation as well as a totality of af-
filiated property management services. Luke
Brothers’ expertise can be found fostering a
green hue of aesthetic allure among some of
Florida’s most prestigious private, municipal
and commercial properties, complementing
business operations, estates and glamorous
gated-golf-communities alike.
8 | Luke Brothers Landscaping
A LEAGUE OF HIS OWNHe may not have turned-out to be a baseball
player, but Peter Lucadano has become all
“all-star” in his industry and leader of a team
capable of competing against any enterpris-
ing rival. A critical aspect of Luke Broth-
ers’ success has been Peter’s willingness to
acquire the full depth of understanding of
issues unique to landscaping in Florida. He
not only holds licensure as an irrigation con-
tractor and community association manager,
but is also an ISA certified arborist and cer-
tified pest control operator who also wields
certification in landscape management
which represents the highest obtainable
form of certification in the industry. While
much of that training began in college, his
pursuit of education, his determination
to stay at the forefront of industry trends,
products and service solutions has never wa-
vered, and that’s important because Florida
is confronted by a range of dynamic condi-
tions that impact the successful upkeep of
lawns and landscape. Peter shares a story
from his attending a national course when a
class instructor showed a map of the United
States. In preparing to explain environmen-
tal factors affecting landscapes, the instruc-
Luke Brothers Landscaping | 9
tor drew a line on the map that separated
Florida from the rest of the nation. He told
the class that while most of what he would
teach involved national trends; Florida was
essentially in a world of its own. Seasonal
weather meteorology, climate, and pests
combine to pose challenges unlike anywhere
else in the world. For customers that genu-
inely care about their green space, there can
be no guarantees unless they’re being served
by someone who truly understands the plant
species, growing cycles and pest prevention
techniques unique to Florida. Early on, Peter
says it wasn’t enough to simply rely on hired
expertise; his awareness had to be as great, or
exceed that, of anyone he hired. “Just hiring
experts left our business at a disadvantage...
being able to actually hold licensure, having
the ability to inspect what you expect, that
approach has made a big difference for our
company,” says Peter.
Teamwork has proven to be another es-
sential ingredient. Peter says he has seen too
many companies fail due to customers going
un-served by operations un-led by absen-
tee owners. “You have to be involved in the
technical delivery of your services, and you
have to be able to teach what you require,”
10 | Luke Brothers Landscaping
he says. Yet, as a team leader, he also says that
Luke Brothers’ operational practices rely on
a strategy of staff empowerment. Proven per-
formers are promoted and given authority,
and he seeks out input from all levels of staff,
assuring them that their input is valuable,
necessary and appreciated. Luke Brothers
engages and deploys a staff of more than 220
people, and its staff retention rates are higher
than industry average.
At the height of the economic downturn,
which prompted business and consumers to
make cutbacks in 2008, Luke Brothers estab-
lished an equity alliance with FirstService
(a company publicly traded as FSRV), one
of America’s leading providers of property
management services. Following the tran-
sition, David Lucadano went on to pursue
other ventures while Peter became Presi-
dent. Nestor Nazario, a 17-year veteran of
the company who formerly served as Vice
President of Human Resources, then Gener-
al Manager, has since been promoted to Vice
President. Lucadano credits Nazario with
not only helping to grow company staffing,
but help Luke Brothers penetrate into every
major market of Florida, where it continues
to serve today. Luke Brothers operates au-
Luke Brothers Landscaping | 11
tonomously, providing services to property
management associations far and apart from
that associated with its equity partner.
COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY
For all its growth and range of capabilities,
Luke Brothers has continued to foster the
feeling of a small family-run business com-
pelled by family values. Lucadano says the
recession contributed to the vetting of his
industry, creating a class differential in the
process. There are either large companies
geared for big production who have no real
connectivity to the markets they serve or
there are small firms who provide very per-
sonalized services, but can’t accommodate
large projects. Luke Brothers is an exception
in its industry. It combines any project-size
service performance with a hands-on, highly
visible approach to duty, which is distinctive
of one who actually participates in the prac-
tices inherent to quality of a community. As
Lucadano says, that means communicating
in community newsletters, attending and
answering questions at community associa-
tion meetings, and participating in the ini-
tiatives that take place within a community.
12 | Luke Brothers Landscaping
“A number of landscaping companies are
investing money in business developers and
marketing, but our growth has been heavily
predicated on word-of-mouth recommenda-
tions and our reputation,” says Lucadano.
In fact, beyond its expertise in the green
industry, Luke Brothers has earned respect
for its role in giving back to the community.
From participating in charities that benefit
veterans, law enforcement, and the homeless,
to taking a hands-on role in volunteer clean-
up efforts after natural disasters, such as in
the wake of Hurricane Debbie when Luke
Brothers was among the first on scene pro-
viding service in its community. Lucadano
doesn’t talk casually about the importance of
care, suggesting that it resonates throughout
the way the company treats its employees and
extends beyond to the customers and com-
munity they serve. He says care is something
that can’t be faked when it is combined with
faith. “God has blessed our business and I’ve
Luke Brothers Landscaping | 13
been blessed, and we feel blessed to be able
to help and care for those when care is need-
ed. When you can employ Godly principals
with genuine care, you can accomplish a lot,
but you can’t out-give God,” says Lucadano.
As for his perspective on the state of the in-
dustry, Lucadano says those days when cli-
ents just wanted a job done without concern
for the costs involved are gone. Today, he
says customers are not only mandating ser-
vice quality, but affordability too. Typically,
when bidding on work with upper level as-
sociations, Luke Brothers will come in at
mid-range. It may not be the lowest bidder,
but its debt-free cash position, scalability of
resources and use of multiple-year service
discounts all helps extend attractive savings
to its customers. With its extensive range of
expertise and award-winning industry expe-
rience, Luke Brothers continues to lead as
an affordable, capable and caring provider of
professional landscaping solutions.
