Podcast
Green Side Up
Hosted by Jason Lee & Jordan Upcavage · EN
Welcome to "Green Side Up: Tackling Entrepreneurial Weeds in Landscaping and Tree Care." Join hosts Jason Lee & Jordan Upcavage, a battle-tested landscaper, and a tree whisperer, as they peel back the layers of small business ownership in the green industry.
Get ready for raw stories from the trenches, navigating unpredictable weather, managing demanding clients, and conquering the challenges that define entrepreneurial journeys. Whether you're knee-deep in the dirt or just planting your seeds, this podcast is your companion in the uphill climb of entrepreneurial success.
Embrace the messy reality, find solace in shared struggles, and glean insights to thrive in the wild terrain of landscaping and tree care business. It's not always a walk in the park, but with "Green Side Up," you'll learn to thrive amid the chaos of entrepreneurship. Let's tackle those weeds together!
29episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ep 127. From Pitchford Design to Wilcox Nursery: Zack's Leap from Operator to Owner
3d ago01:05:56Summary readyIn this episode of Green Side Up, Jordan and Jason sit down with Zack Pitchford, owner of Wilcox Nursery & Landscape in Largo, Florida, to unpack his unconventional journey from high school nursery hand to retail nursery owner and landscape leader. Zack walks through his early days in environmental horticulture at UF, sweating it out on Jordan's maintenance crews, his eye‑opening internship at Valley Crest, and the multiple times he launched (and quit) Pitchford Design & Landscape before ultimately acquiring the historic Wilcox Nursery. He shares how he navigated the numbers, financing, and risk of buying a land-heavy business, rebuilt the team and hierarchy from the inside, and grew both the retail and services divisions. The conversation dives into leadership development, promoting from within, marketing strategy (Google Ads, SEO, email, and video content), and what he's seeing in today's softer design/install market. Zack also breaks down his water-conscious irrigation approach and lawn philosophy, talks about the rise of native plant demand and fine gardening maintenance, and reflects on building a business that can run without him while still serving his community and family. Connect with Zack: 🌐 Wilcox Nursery Website 📸 @wilcoxnursery on Instagram Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: greensideuppodcast@gmail.com 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps Sponsors & Partners: 👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)
SummaryEp 126. The Permaloc Playbook: From Steel to Aluminum
1w ago01:05:37Summary readyIn this episode of the Green Side Up Podcast, Jason Lee and co-host Jordan Upcavage sit down with Mark Cohen of Permaloc to explore how aluminum edging has reshaped the landscape and hardscape industry. Mark shares the origin story of Permaloc, founded by landscape architect Daniel Zwier as the pioneer of aluminum landscape edging, and explains why aluminum's strength-to-weight ratio, sustainability, and longevity make it a superior alternative to steel and plastic. The conversation digs into spec-driven selling, how educating landscape architects fuels national distribution, and the role of trade shows, ASLA/CSLA partnerships, and student events like Labash and NCLC in influencing the next generation of professionals. Jason and Jordan add real-world contractor perspective—contrasting plastic and concrete edging with aluminum, discussing paver restraint practices in Florida, and talking through evolving applications like resin-bound aggregate and tree ring surfacing. Along the way, Mark highlights iconic projects featuring Permaloc, from the Lady Diana Memorial Fountain to major civic and cultural sites, illustrating how a "niche" product quietly defines and protects some of the most recognizable landscapes in the world. Learn More: https://permaloc.com/ Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: greensideuppodcast@gmail.com 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps Sponsors & Partners: 👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)
SummaryEp 125. Family Business to Destination Company: Jeffrey Scott on Building Better Landscape Firms
2w ago01:07:23Summary readyIn this episode of the Greenside Up Podcast, Jason and Jordan sit down in Tampa with renowned green-industry consultant Jeffrey Scott to unpack his journey from family pool-and-landscape business to leading coach, peer-group facilitator, and host of The Ultimate Landscape CEO. Jeffrey shares stories from growing up in his grandfather's pioneering gunite pool company, scaling a high-margin service division, and navigating the challenges of a crowded family business before launching his consulting practice. The conversation dives into the power of peer groups, why charging for estimates transformed Jordan's tree service, and how setting higher standards for employees and clients creates a "Destination Company." The trio also explores Lean management in practical, jobsite terms—from tool placement to shop organization—plus real-world challenges around sales slumps, weather, hurricanes, and cash flow, and how business owners can respond with better marketing, business development, and strategic experiments. They wrap with a look at mergers and acquisitions reshaping the landscape industry, the upcoming Summer Growth Summit in Detroit, and Jeffrey's framework for helping owners fix, scale, or exit their companies. 🌱 Connect with Jeffrey Scott Consulting 🌐 Website: www.jeffreyscott.biz 📲 Instagram: @jeffreymarkscott ☀️ Summer Growth Summit https://jeffreyscott.biz/summer-growth-summit-26/ 🎟️ Summer Growth Summit Discount Code / Registration Link: www.eventbrite.com/e/1983544708619/?discount=GreenSideUpPodcast Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: greensideuppodcast@gmail.com 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps Sponsors & Partners: 👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)
SummaryEp 124. Big Bids, Busy Seasons: Navigating Growth in the Green Industry
3w ago00:40:11Summary readyIn this episode, Jason and Jordan catch up on a busy season in the landscape business, comparing lead flow, close rates, and what's really driving sales in different markets. They swap stories about big opportunities—including a major 5,600-foot roadway bid in Kissimmee and a high-profile renovation at Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Gainesville—and break down how they think about strategic bidding for profitable commercial work. Along the way, Jordan spotlights his wife's children's book "Looking for Bunny Flies," now available on major platforms, and the two reflect on the challenge of growing a landscape company while staying smart about risk, equipment investment, and market positioning. Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: greensideuppodcast@gmail.com 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps Sponsors & Partners: 👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)
SummaryEp 123. Partnership Done Right: Luke & Justin's Blueprint for Sky Palm Studios
May 701:30:20Summary readyIn this episode of the Green Side Up podcast, Jason andJordan hit the road to Gainesville, Florida to record at the impressive new home of Sky Palm Studios with co-founders Luke Lower and Justin Short. They dive into Luke and Justin's journey from running separate media companies—one focused on drone and aerial work, the other on video production—to recognizing they were better together and dissolving both businesses to form a new joint venture. The conversation covers how they met, why they chose a partnership despite all the horror stories, how they divided roles as CEO/COO, the impact of faith and family on their decisions, and the hard lessons learned from past failed partnerships, including Luke's front-row seat to his dad's physical therapy clinic struggles. Along the way, they talk burnout, retainer vs one‑off work, building out a beautiful studio space (complete with "sound reverberation walls"), the realities of S corps, K‑1s, and buying houses as young business owners, and what it takes to create a resilient, trust-based partnership in business. If you're a contractor, landscaper, or small business owner thinking about teaming up with a partner—or just wanting a peek behind the scenes of a growing creative agency—this episode is packed with stories and takeaways you'll recognize in your own journey. Connect with Sky Palm Studios: https://skypalmstudios.com/ https://www.instagram.com/skypalmstudios/ https://www.facebook.com/skypalmstudios/ Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: greensideuppodcast@gmail.com 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps Sponsors & Partners: 👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)
SummaryEp 122. Soil, Sprouts, and Moonlighting in Cedar Key
Apr 3000:53:15Summary readyIn this episode of Welcome to Green Sign Up, Jordan and Jason start with some early-morning banter about The Curse of Oak Island before diving into real-world tree and landscape work in Florida. Jordan previews his meeting with "Mangrove Alan" on a new waterfront development, while Jason talks through lighting and landscape projects in Cedar Key. They then shift into plant health care operations with insights from certified arborist Ken Miller, covering audits for compliance, smarter use of polyphosphite and MitoGrow, and adjusting soil pH with sulfur and lime based on University of Florida soil tests. The episode wraps up at the University of Tampa, where they compare treated and untreated trees and foxtail ferns, exploring how their plant health care strategies are showing up in canopy density, new shoot growth, and overall vigor. Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: greensideuppodcast@gmail.com 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps Sponsors & Partners: 👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)
SummaryEp 121. DSL, Drum Circles, and Deep Roots: How Erin Found the Green Industry
Apr 2301:08:13Summary readyThis episode of the Green Side Up Podcast is a lively, story-packed conversation featuring Jordan, Jason, and returning guest Erin Alvarez. The trio starts with weekend plans—kayaking, manatees, race car–themed kids' parties, daddy–daughter dances, and tax woes—before drifting into hilarious side tangents about trolling lettuce for manatees, oversized margaritas, and the realities of squeezing tree crews through tight access. From there, Erin shares her winding journey into the green industry: growing up outdoors, bouncing between zoology, political science, and English at UF, burning out on office life at the student newspaper, rediscovering herself through hands-in-the-dirt yard work, and ultimately finding her home in Environmental Horticulture. They dig into UF horticulture culture—plant ID war stories, cheating (or trying to) in physics, the love–hate relationship with Landscape Architecture, and the birth of Deep South Landscaping (DSL) with all its youthful hustle, tax dodging, and terrible-but-memorable merch. The episode wraps by connecting Erin's past to her current role in business development at SkyFrog Landscape, touching on long-game relationship building, commercial maintenance bidding cycles, and future growth, all while maintaining the loose, funny, and unfiltered vibe that defines the show. Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: greensideuppodcast@gmail.com 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps Sponsors & Partners: 👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)
SummaryEp 120. Sharpen Your Axe!
Apr 1601:11:06Summary readyIn this episode of Green Side Up, Jordan Upcavage and Jason Lee welcome Kristoffer Rasmussen—certified arborist, safety professional, auditor, educator, and all‑around arboriculture lifer—for a rich conversation recorded live from ArborFest in Asheville, North Carolina. Kristoffer shares what makes ArborFest special, from crane‑hung "ninja climbs" to family-friendly vibes and hands-on equipment demos. He then walks us through his unlikely path into tree work, starting on a Wisconsin tree farm, discovering line clearance in Texas, teaching himself to climb, and eventually building municipal urban forestry programs for the City of Dallas. The discussion dives deep into risk management, safety culture, and TCIA accreditation—why third‑party audits matter, how solid processes reduce incidents, and what top-performing companies do differently. Kristoffer and Jordan swap memorable bee and yellow jacket stories, explore the power of "sharpening your axe" through training and events, and break down how prescription pruning (PPQ) is transforming communication between consultants, estimators, and production crews. Whether you're a tree service owner, municipal arborist, or just obsessed with doing tree work the right way, this episode is packed with practical wisdom, career insights, and a fresh way to think about investing in your people and your processes. Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: greensideuppodcast@gmail.com 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps Sponsors & Partners: 👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)
SummaryEp 119. Pounding Trees with Sauce: MitoGrow Boosters That Actually Work
Apr 900:49:18Summary readyIn this episode, Jordan and Jason share real-world results from high-rate MitoGrow applications on stressed live oaks, sports fields, and problem lawns—including a dramatic turnaround case at the University of Tampa and a residential yard battling take-all root rot. They break down practical application rates and methods, how they're pivoting plant health care programs toward targeted "booster" treatments, and why ethical fertilization matters in tricky sites like sea wall trees. The conversation then shifts to commercial work, where Jordan walks through a detailed 23-tree HOA pruning proposal that stands out against generic bids, and Jason outlines plans to grow commercial maintenance through better content, education, and customer service—backed by a strong spring showing from their plant health care revenue. Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: greensideuppodcast@gmail.com 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps Sponsors & Partners: 👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)
SummaryEp 118. Spring Doesn't Create Operational Problems in Tree Care — It Exposes Them.
Apr 201:05:58Summary readyToday's episode captures a Business Solutions webinar hosted by the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), featuring insights from landscaping and tree service executives. The discussion focuses on operational readiness for the spring season, emphasizing the transition from winter dormancy to peak demand. Key speakers from Skyfrog Landscaping, Independent Tree, and Lynch Landscape and Tree Service share strategies for managing equipment maintenance, crew scheduling, and workforce training. The participants highlight the importance of integrated software like SingleOps to eliminate communication bottlenecks and improve estimate accuracy. Additionally, the webinar covers contingency planning for emergencies, such as hurricanes, and the necessity of maintaining company culture through delegation and safety protocols. The session concludes with a Q&A addressing niche equipment, hiring standards, and the benefits of standardized service templates. Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: greensideuppodcast@gmail.com 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps Sponsors & Partners: 👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)
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