GreenPal
GreenPal Logo
Available inEnglish
FoundedApril 1, 2012 (2012-04-01)
Area servedUnited States
Founder(s)Bryan M. Clayton (CEO)
Zach Hendrix (CTO)
Gene Caballero (COO)
Ross Brooks
IndustryOnline marketplace
Freelance Marketplace
Online outsourcing
ServicesLandscaping
URLwww.yourgreenpal.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationRequired
Users1 million
Current statusActive

GreenPal is an online freelancing platform that connects landscapers to clients in the United States. The company is based in Nashville, Tennessee and was founded in 2012. GreenPal's business model was inspired by Uber,[1] Airbnb and Lyft.[2] As of January 2020, the company operated in 45 states and had approximately 1 million users.[3]

History

GreenPal was founded in April 2012 by Bryan M. Clayton, Gene Caballero, Zach Hendrix, and Ross Brooks.[4][5] Clayton, Caballero, and Hendrix had previously worked together in the landscaping industry, and they noticed that the demand for same-day lawncare was growing.[6]

Clayton cited Uber and Airbnb as his inspirations for the company,[1] stating that "If people were going to allow strangers to sleep in their own beds (in the case of an Airbnb), then they have to be open to allowing others to help them get better lawn care."[7] In order to encourage brand loyalty, GreenPal began offering complimentary treats and customized notes for homeowners with pets.[8]

In 2016, three of the founders needed to obtain a $250,000 loan and personally guarantee it to buy out a fourth founder who was going through a divorce.[9] Using the company's earnings, they settled the loan in about 18 months.[9] From 2016 to 2017, GreenPal expanded its operations, and launched in several new cities such as Atlanta,[10] Houston,[11] and Marietta.[12] According to Naples Daily News, the company generated nearly $5 million in revenue in 2017.[13]

In 2019, GreenPal extended its operations to cities such as Minneapolis–Saint Paul,[14] Detroit,[15] San Diego,[2] and Spokane, Washington.[16]

In January 2020, the app was used by a reported 150,000 vendors, and 1 million homeowners.[17][18] That same month, the company expanded its snow removal service to Greater Boston.[19] GreenPal has been cited as an example of economic "vaporization", wherein physical products can be replaced by information technologies. The introduction of apps like GreenPal has reduced the need for homeowners to purchase landscaping equipment, much as Uber diminished the need for individuals to own cars.[20]

Features

GreenPal's app functions as a matchmaking service to connect professional landscapers with local homeowners.[21] Users download the app and list their address, the types of landscaping work they would like and the date that they would like the work completed.[22] Nearby landscapers, known as "vendors" on the platform, are then able to bid on the job, based on the customers' description and Google Earth images of their yards.[23][24] GreenPal screens vendors to ensure that they have commercial landscaping equipment and references, and requires them to register with a valid social security number and bank account.[2] Vendors are then rated based on user reviews.[25]

In addition to work such as lawnmowing and gardening, GreenPal's vendors also offer seasonal services such as snow removal.[26]

Development

The company initially paid $90,000 to develop an app and website for the service. However, this app turned out to be unusable, and had been designed for use on traditional computers rather than mobile devices.[27] Hendrix, the CTO, began studying software design and developed a new app for the company.[28][29][30]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "GreenPal app lets people hire lawn services". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  2. 1 2 3 Mapp, Lauren J. (2019-05-07). "Uber-style App for Lawn Care Officially Launches in San Diego". Times of San Diego. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  3. ↑ "Snow removal service at the touch of your fingers". WXYZ. 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  4. ↑ Ehlinger, Samantha (2017-10-18). "The Uber of yard work draws San Antonians to GreenPal". ExpressNews.com. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  5. ↑ "GreenPal simplifies lawn care with app". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  6. ↑ Franklin, Danielle Mae (August 29, 2018). "GreenPal app launches in Clayton". The Missouri Times.
  7. ↑ clevel, Jeff Piorkowski/special to; .com (2018-07-07). "Lawn care app now available in east side communities". cleveland. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  8. ↑ Cutting, Donna (2015-12-21). 501 Ways to Roll Out the Red Carpet for Your Customers: Easy-to-Implement Ideas to Inspire Loyalty, Get New Customers, and Make a Lasting Impression. Red Wheel/Weiser. ISBN 978-1-63265-975-0.
  9. 1 2 Rosenberg, Joyce M. (2019-10-23). "In owners' divorces, businesses can become part of the fight". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  10. ↑ Jill Vejnoska, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Would you call Uber to come cut your lawn?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  11. ↑ Cruz, Mayra; writer, Staff (2019-02-21). "Lawn service platform app expands to Spring". The Courier. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  12. ↑ Staff reports (25 May 2016). "GreenPal launches Uber for lawn mowing in Marietta". MDJOnline.com. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  13. ↑ Logan, Casey. "Lawn service too expensive? This app could help". Naples Daily News. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  14. ↑ Ewoldt, John (May 21, 2019). "Time crunched as the grass grows? Another landscaping app arrives in the Twin Cities". Star Tribune.
  15. ↑ "GreenPal app launches in Detroit". WXYZ. 2018-07-25. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  16. ↑ Edelen, Amy (January 28, 2020). "GreenPal launches on-demand snow removal service in Spokane". The Spokesman-Review.
  17. ↑ Feighan, Maureen. "Welcome Mat: An Uber for snow removal? Nashville apps offers on demand shoveling". Detroit News. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  18. ↑ "Snow removal service at the touch of your fingers". WXYZ. 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  19. ↑ "'Uber for lawn care' launches on-demand snow removal in Metro Boston". Boston Herald. 2020-01-08. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  20. ↑ Rosenstein, Bruce (2016-03-28). Leader to Leader (LTL), Volume 80, Spring 2016. John Wiley & Sons. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-119-23688-7.
  21. ↑ "Lawn wars: GreenPal takes on local incumbent in on-demand lawn care". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  22. ↑ Paige, DeAsia. "Get your lawn mowed with this new app that launched in Detroit". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  23. ↑ Crawley, Leah (2019-04-24). "Brand new 'Greenpal' landscaping app launches in Baltimore". WBFF. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  24. ↑ "'Uber for lawn care' app expands to Spokane | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  25. ↑ "The mowing middle men". Lawn & Landscape. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  26. ↑ "Snow removal now as easy as ordering takeout on your phone". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  27. ↑ "More small businesses put focus on a mobile-first strategy". www.cbsnews.com. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  28. ↑ "GreenPal gains traction with lawn care app". Nashville Post. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  29. ↑ "Green Pal, new app launched in Cleveland". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  30. ↑ "The nation's leader in on-demand lawn mowing has just launched its service in Des Plaines". Daily Herald. 2022-07-13. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
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