CLEVELAND — It’s the start of the busy season for landscapers, and one Ohio company is growing business through an eco-friendly focus.
Dave Majlinger is a heavy equipment operator for Sagamore Companies in North Ridgeville. He’s living his childhood dream.
“Actually, believe it or not, I was a young kid playing with Tonka trucks, and I just liked it so much,” he said.
He uses life-sized versions of those construction toys to help lighten the load for customers.
“If you don’t have experience, you can do a lot of damage to a vehicle,” Majlinger said.
He gently fills truck beds with mounds of mulch that he helped make. But that task isn’t so gentle.
“It’s a violent process,” he said. “These machines beat each other to death literally. And you gotta know how to work with them.”
It’s a skill he hopes to pass on to others.
“Because there’s a lot of people, they don’t wanna do this kind of stuff anymore,” Majlinger said. “Where all these operators are starting to become a dying breed.”
Each shred of wood on-site was made from branches and other tree-trimmings brought in from other landscaping projects.
“It’s actually a green recycling business,” said Majlinger. “We’re recycling it and upcycling it for people to use. And this way it keeps it out of the garbage dumps, literally.”
“We don’t use any treated lumber, any treated wood pallets — anything like that,” said Nicole Schilling, the store manager. “We don’t want chemicals in it. So, it’s gonna be safe for your kids to play in. If your 3-year-old puts it in his mouth, it’s not gonna hurt him. If your dogs eat it, it’s not gonna hurt them.”
Schilling said there’s about 5,000 yards of mulch available at the North Ridgeville location for purchase. She said the pandemic slowed sales last year, but things are now growing. They partner with nonprofits for fundraising opportunities and have almost double the orders they had at this time last year.
“We’re making a nice product for people that are making them happy,” said Majlinger. “So, that’s the best part about it.”
