From a two-man crew working out of a Ford Ranger pickup, Jim Lang has constructed Jacksonville-based Hardscape Development into an almost $4 million enterprise with a workforce of 11 and a portfolio of initiatives that features the likes of the Downtown Riverwalk.
However the firm stays a tight-knit household enterprise that includes Lang’s spouse, son and oldsters. The concentrate on household, he says, is a basic a part of Hardscape’s success.
“It’s at all times been household first and household pleasant,” he mentioned. “I’ve by no means had an out of doors estimator, I’ve by no means had an out of doors accounting particular person, something.”
The corporate is structured to permit Lang to concentrate on the initiatives whereas his spouse, Tammy, and mom, Mary, handle different elements of the operation.
His son, Mitchell, has come up by way of the enterprise the identical manner Jim Lang did – starting with doing the hands-on work of putting in hardscaping resembling driveways and walkways – and now’s overseeing the corporate’s residential operations whereas getting ready to take over when Jim retires.
Jim’s father, Ed, a former engineer for Basic Electrical, has offered enterprise recommendation.
The crew additionally contains Mike Gompper, the unique worker who labored alongside Jim when he began the corporate in 1990.
“With out my household, I wouldn’t have been in a position to do it,” Lang mentioned.
“I don’t have to fret in regards to the bookkeeping. I don’t have to fret in regards to the insurance coverage protection. All the pieces exterior of the workplace is me, and every thing contained in the workplace is them.”
Key moments for the corporate got here when it landed a aggressive bid for the Jacksonville Riverwalk, which helped it endure the recession, and when it started working with Vallencourt Development Co. of Inexperienced Cove Springs, one in all Northeast Florida’s largest normal contractors.
Lang mentioned that relationship shaped after an worker of one other contractor that went out of enterprise through the recession went to work for Vallencourt and commenced recommending Hardscape as a subcontractor for initiatives.
“That was the No. 1 driver of me being profitable, with the ability to work with them,” he mentioned.
“Via them, it was like branches off of a tree, as a result of they work with everyone.”
Lang mentioned relationship-building and word-of-mouth suggestions have been central to Hardscape’s progress, together with sustaining a decent concentrate on doing paver work versus increasing into concrete, asphalt and different sorts of hardscaping.
Doing high-quality work and on time are essential to reaching success within the Northeast Florida building sector, Lang mentioned, which he describes as an enormous metropolis however a small neighborhood.
Jim Lang began Hardscape Development in 1990 and has labored on initiatives together with the Downtown Riverwalk. The enterprise doesn’t have an internet site and does little promoting, counting on optimistic opinions from clients to draw new ones.
The corporate does little promoting and doesn’t have an internet site, a testomony to its energy in attracting optimistic opinions from clients.
“In case you don’t do good work for A, you’re by no means going to fulfill B or C,” he mentioned.
Lang mentioned that as he plans to start stepping away from the corporate in a 12 months or two, it has achieved a stage of success and stability he couldn’t have imagined within the early days when he and Gompper spent their days pushing wheelbarrows and positioning pavers.
“I constructed it from the bottom up – the great, the dangerous and the ugly,” he mentioned.
“And now, I suppose what makes me so proud is that I’ve one thing to go away my son that’s profitable. I by no means anticipated leaving it to any individual, I simply figured that once I made sufficient to retire I’d give up or promote it. And now, I can nonetheless be concerned and watch the enterprise proceed to develop as he runs it.”
Lang mentioned his son holds a normal contractor’s license, which might permit Mitchell Lang to broaden operations if he chooses. However he mentioned he trusted his son to take the corporate wherever he feels comfy with it.
“If he wish to take it to the subsequent stage and use that GC license, he’ll have my 100% assist and I’ll assist him,” he mentioned.
“I simply need him to grasp that you simply don’t must be the largest and baddest. Simply do what you say you’re going to do, maintain your stress stage at a medium and maintain the tires turning. Do this, and good issues will occur to you.
The 2025 Prime Entrepreneurs
The Legend: Jack Hanania Sr., Hanania Automotive Group: ‘You create your personal future. Story right here
Coleman Lay, LAY Development: A loopy thought turns into ‘the one choice’. Story right here
Rebecca Gonzalez, 1928 Cuban Bistro: From one restaurant to eight in six years. Story right here
Sonya Morales-Marchisillo, Pinnacle Communications: Switching gears from vehicles to safety methods. Story right here
Warren Fryefield, Group Disposal: Trash to treasure, discovering success in waste. Story right here
Lisa Gufford, Govt Suite Professionals: Discovering her area of interest is offering workplace house. Story right here
Darian ‘Jack’ Jackson, Dapper D’s Cigars: Discovering achievement, making a spot to unwind. Story right here
Jenn Kjellman, JSK Advertising: Turning relationships into enterprise success. Story right here
Shana Ryan, Conceptual HR: Going again to HR, however this time as an proprietor. Story right here