RealGreen’s Journey From Route Cards to Industry Leader: Four Decades of Innovation and Growth
For over four decades, RealGreen has been more than just a software company—it has been a cornerstone of the lawn care industry’s evolution. What began as a solution to manage paperwork for a single lawn care business has grown into the industry’s premier software platform, helping countless entrepreneurs build and scale their companies. Through technological innovation and an unwavering commitment to customer success, RealGreen has shaped how modern lawn care businesses operate while maintaining the personal touch that has made it a trusted partner to lawn care professionals across North America.
We sat down with Joe McPhail, a RealGreen veteran who has been with the company since 1989, to discuss the company’s origins, its impact on the industry, and the philosophy that has driven its success.
RealGreen: Can you tell us about how RealGreen got its start?
Joe McPhail: The company started with Joe Kucik, whose father had previously owned a lawn care company called Fertigreen. Joe bought back some customers to start Real Green Professional Services around 1982-83. By 1983-84, he realized that to keep growing the business, he needed a better way to manage the paperwork. Back then, everyone used route cards—8.5 x 11 cardboard cards where you’d write down service details, then you’d have to write invoices and move cards between file cabinets manually. Joe discussed this challenge with his brother, a computer programmer. They decided to write a software package—remember, this was before PCs were common in homes or offices. It became the first PC-based software package for the lawn care industry.
RG: How did it evolve from a single company’s solution to an industry-wide platform?
JM: Other lawn care professionals in the area started asking Joe how he was managing his business so efficiently. He began selling the software to friends in the industry, and it grew from there. The company hit a major breakthrough when Joe convinced ServiceMaster to make our software the required platform for their franchisees. Not only that, but ServiceMaster would finance it—they would pay us upfront for the software, and the franchisees would pay back ServiceMaster. This gave us the volume needed to hire people and really grow the business.
RG: Can you share some success stories of companies that have grown with RealGreen?
JM: There are so many. My Fertilizing Company started as a small maintenance outfit, and the owners transformed it using our software. On the east side of Detroit, there’s Richter’s Beautification—the owner had a lawn maintenance company, met us at RealGreen, and we advised him to focus on fertilization because the margins were better. He sold his maintenance business to a friend and focused on lawn care. Now, he has three businesses, and his son has opened one, too.
Another great example is Green Lawn Fertilizing in Pennsylvania. Before the owner even opened his company, he researched different industries and chose lawn care based on the recurring revenue model. He bought our software before he had any customers, and now they’re doing $25-30 million in annual revenue.
RG: How has the software evolved to meet changing industry needs?
JM: We’ve always evolved based on customer needs. For instance, we added installment billing to our software after a banker-turned-lawn-care-operator in Springfield, Missouri had the idea to offer 12-month payment plans to balance cash flow and make his services appear more affordable to customers. We built that feature specifically for him, and it became a very popular feature in our software.
Our mobile solutions also evolved from real-world experience. Around 1999-2000, we saw FedEx using handheld devices and created our first mobile data collection system. Then Joe Kucik spent a day running routes and realized how challenging it was to find addresses efficiently, even in an area he knew well. That led to the development of our mapping software.
RG: What sets RealGreen apart in today’s market?
JM: We can handle any service in the green industry, and we’re particularly strong in efficiently handling high-volume operations. When you’re doing 20-30 stops per day, the efficiency of entering that work becomes crucial. We’re also expanding our analytics capabilities, which will be a game-changer, especially for smaller operators who previously didn’t have access to sophisticated data analysis tools.
But what truly sets us apart is our commitment to customer success. From the very beginning, our philosophy has been that if we make the customer successful, they’ll grow, and if they grow their business, we’ll grow ours. Every feature we’ve rolled out over the years was built to solve a specific problem—whether it’s making companies more efficient, helping them service more customers, or collecting money faster. That philosophy of growing together with our customers has been the foundation of our success.
RG: Looking toward the future, what excites you about where the industry is heading?
JM: The lawn care market still hasn’t reached saturation. There’s plenty of opportunity for new companies to start and grow. With all the private equity activity we’re seeing, I’m hoping we’ll see displaced managers doing what they’ve done historically: starting their own businesses and growing them into successful operations. The industry still has tremendous growth potential, and with our new analytics platform and continued innovation, we’re well-positioned to help the next generation of lawn care entrepreneurs succeed.
Ready to learn more about RealGreen and how our industry-best software can help transform your business? Schedule a demo with a product expert today!
