JR Scapes designs and installs a variety of landscaping projects in addition to offering lawn care and grounds maintenance services.
JR Scapes owner Jim Stephenson started with lawn mowing and expanded designing outdoor kitchens.
When Jim Stephenson bought his first lawn tractor, his dad wasn’t impressed.
Today, Stephenson is proprietor of JR Scapes LLC, a Hamilton-based landscaping and hardscaping company. But at the time, he was young, ambitious and trying to get a foothold in the lawn-maintenance business.
“I started off with five lawns, five turns into 10, 10 turns into 25,” he says. “Then, I buy my first real riding lawn mower. My dad kinda goes, ‘Why’d you need that?’ But you pick up another lawn mower, and things progress. Now, to have over 200 clients on a regular basis, we’ve got to be doing something right.”
On the grounds maintenance side, JR Scapes does tree removal, shrub and bush removal and snow removal, in addition to basic lawn care. Last year, Stephenson bought two of his competitors, which he said doubled his customer base. But that’s just for the lawn-mowing portion of the business.
On the landscaping side, the company does driveways, patios, porches and poolscapes. JR Scapes staff install waterfalls, ponds and even outdoor kitchens.
Stephenson said he likes to meet with landscape clients and get a sense of what they are looking for. Although he offers computer design services for a fee, he said he’s more of a “back of the napkin kind of guy.”
“I’ll get right down on your lawn, paint lines out on your lawn,” he said. “I’ll ask how big do you want to make it, what size do you want, what colors do you want? I kind of get an idea from that.”
JR Scapes takes on a wide variety of jobs, and Stephenson lists poolscaping among his favorites to work on. He also likes to sink his teeth into renovation projects.
Stephenson admits with a sheepish grin that he “couldn’t work for nobody.” But the 33-year-old clearly understands the value of working his way up. Starting as a teenager he worked in construction, honing the skills he now depends on for landscaping and hardscaping. At age 16, he was operating a jackhammer. His ambition was clear even then.
“I was always working for local builders,” he says. “I started out as the guy carrying the garbage can. Then it’s, ‘Today you’re going to frame this wall.’ Then it’s, ‘Now you’re going to be hanging sheet rock.’ And then on from there.”
He also understands the value of relationships. His first lawn client was somebody he’d met while he was working at a local restaurant. When he branched into the landscaping business, one of his earliest clients was a former teacher who lived in the University Heights neighborhood.
The self-described “Burger Bit” worked in a number of Chambersburg restaurants, including the now-closed Casa Mia, Good Times Tavern and Timothy’s, as well as Amici Milano and Massimo’s. He has also worked at Bill’s Olde Tavern in Mercerville and “a couple diners.”
Stephenson attended Langtree Elementary School, Crockett Middle School and Steinert High School. His brother Eric, 30, works with him on the business. Father Fred is a retired Trenton firefighter. Mother Deborah works in a lawyer’s office in Princeton.
JR Scapes is online at jrscapesllc.com. Phone: (609) 890-4110.
,
