Logos. A simple picture says a thousand words. However, what exactly are those words?
There’s more to any company in the landscaping business than the green and yellow, the orange and white and the black and yellow.
I learned this at the John Deere “Quality First Factory Tour” last week.
All companies are made up of several divisions, parts, equipment, branches, desks, buildings, machines, nuts, bolts, paint, etc.
But mostly, a company is made up of hard-working people, and more than that, hard-working people who like what they do.
I learned John Deere has had a total of just nine chief executive officers since the company’s establishment in 1837. On top of that, I had a small history lesson about the company where I learned it all started with none other than a man named John Deere.
Born in Vermont, Deere started off as a blacksmith but quickly followed the movement West like many others. He moved to Illinois where he started innovating and finding new ways to deal with a different and ever-changing environment by creating a plow using a broken saw blade.
From a broken saw blade, the enterprise grew into what it is today – a worldwide success story. Many companies have a similar story, but the beginning part always seems to be forgotten.
I encourage everyone in the landscaping business to remember the next time you use any type of equipment to get a job done, that piece of equipment was made with more than just a few dollars. Real people with real hands working real hours constructed it so you could do what you love – your job.
Learn the history, learn the process and learn a company is more than just a logo – it’s a story.