The Winning Strategy for Corporate Landscape Design & Installation

We’ve all heard the adage “you don’t get a second change at a first impression,” and it rings especially true when you’re a business owner with a brick & mortar location. What’s different today than a decade or two ago is that the first impression isn’t just for your consumers – it’s for your potential team members, as well.  

Retention for businesses is twofold – retaining clients/customers and retaining talented employees. Most business owners focus their retention strategy for both entities on company culture, customer service, incentives, and other “inside the walls” strategies. But that’s only part of the total equation. Forward-thinking companies consider “outside the walls,” too – and that’s where corporate landscape design can play a pivotal role in retention strategy. Let’s explore our recent corporate design & installation project for an international company based in Plainfield and how their company culture now extends to the outdoors.

 

Related: Crafting Serenity: Tailored Landscape Design in Hinsdale and Naperville, IL

Select a Partner Who Aligns with Your Values

Choosing the right partner is the most impactful part of the process. It’s critical you have a partner you can trust, who will help you work within your budget, is creative and knowledgeable, and most importantly, someone you like! Very early on in meetings between Carlos and our client, we realized that our values were very similar. The client wanted to beautify their property, but they had a specific focus on doing so in thoughtful ways that would enhance the work experience for their team members. That care and commitment to their work force is something Montano’s deeply understands and aligns with, and that made it easier for us to work closely together with a collective vision.

Related: Meet the Montanos: Serving the Western Suburbs for 30+ Years

Start with the End in Mind

Whether residential or corporate landscape design, the end goal is the starting point. What do you want your landscaping to say about you? How do you want it to make people feel? Determining the specific impression you want to make will inform the overall design, from materials selected to plantings recommended.

 

Maintenance is an important consideration, too. Depending on the scale of the corporate landscape project, professional maintenance is likely necessary rather than simply assigning a team member to pull weeds from a garden bed. Does the design include sprinkler installation? If not, the installation of drought-resistant plantings, shrubs, and trees is important for the long-term success of the design.

Related: Professionally Curated Trees and Shrubs Are a Great Choice for Your New Landscaping in the Hinsdale, IL Area

 

What You Don’t Want Matters, Too

If you’ve had your business location for even a couple of months, you know what you want to change. Our client’s property had large evergreen trees that the owner felt were unsightly and overgrown. That insight was very important to understanding the overall design aesthetic the client wanted and decrease the number of design revisions that were necessary.

 

Related: Highlighting Trees and Plants with Outdoor Lighting in Hinsdale, IL

 

How Will People Engage with the Outdoor Space?

This particular corporate client has a large workforce and really wanted to find ways to build employee wellness into their culture. It was important to them to create walking paths throughout the property that weave in and out of organic elements to offer a peaceful respite throughout the day. Carlos selected native plantings for the design, encouraging butterflies and birds to feed on the flowers.

 

The client also wanted to encourage rest time outdoors, adding benches along the walking paths and tables to enjoy lunch and some sunshine. We even developed what we called a pocket park – a little park area for team members to gather and chat or have an informal meeting on a nice day.  

Related: Transform Your Outdoor Space With Unique Plantings in Wheaton and Burr Ridge, IL

Share Your Stories

When Montano’s began working with this corporate client, we spent time building trust and learning who they were as a company. Over the weeks we worked closely together developing the landscape design, we got to know each other. Carlos learned that a cherished longstanding employee recently passed away, and he was moved by the stories shared about the team member. Montano’s donated a Gingko tree in his memory and planted it in a prominent spot near where his office had been. Had the trust not been built and stories not been shared, the opportunity to honor this important member of the company would not have existed. It’s also a beautiful tribute to remind team members that the work they each do intimately matters, and they are valued by their company.


Related: Highlighting Trees and Plants with Outdoor Lighting in Hinsdale, IL

Customers and employees alike have choices when it comes to where they shop and where they work. A thoughtful corporate landscaping design not only gives them a great first impression, but it also serves as a visual reminder of who you are as a company. If you want to make sure you put your best foot forward, we’d love to help you come up with a corporate landscape design that does just that!

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