Landscape Maintenance Innovators
DLC Resources started in Phoenix in 1989 with just 12 employees. Since then, we have grown to more than 400 employees and expanded our work throughout the Greater Phoenix Valley. But one thing has been at our core since the very beginning: a desire to do the right thing for both our employees and our clients.
We do this by taking an innovative approach. We don’t do things just because that’s the way it’s always been done. Throughout our history, we’ve constantly pioneered and perfected new ways of doing things. We’re not like other landscape companies in the Valley – or state, for that matter. And for us, that’s what it’s all about.
DLC Resources started in Phoenix in 1989 with just 12 employees. Since then, we have grown to more than 400 employees and expanded our work throughout the Greater Phoenix Valley. But one thing has been at our core since the very beginning: a desire to do the right thing for both our employees and our clients.
We do this by taking an innovative approach. We don’t do things just because that’s the way it’s always been done. Throughout our history, we’ve constantly pioneered and perfected new ways of doing things. We’re not like other landscape companies in the Valley – or state, for that matter. And for us, that’s what it’s all about.
Jeff Penney co-founded DLC Resources in 1989. Throughout high school, he had spent his summers working for one of his teachers’ landscaping businesses. After graduation, he decided to make it his full-time job.
DLC Resources began servicing Andersen Springs homeowners association in Chandler. This project helped us create our niche and narrow our focus: large-scale HOA common area maintenance.
By now, DLC has expanded to 50+ employees and 10 HOA maintenance contracts. We also have established a yard in south Phoenix.
HOA common areas are massive and have a lot of components to manage. To help us – and our clients – keep track of it all, we built our own GIS mapping software. This allowed us to not only quantify trees, irrigation components, amenities and more, but also keep accurate records of work done to each asset over time.
DLC rolls out our online client portals to enhance communication with clients. These secure websites allow our clients to easily access their landscape data – plans, proposals, reports, invoices, budgets, schedules, maps, weekly updates and more. Additionally, the built-in Job Tracker streamlines the work order process. Today, we have more than 30 customized client portals.
To help ensure our company culture continues well into the future and we don’t get bought out by a large corporation, DLC began transitioning into an employee-owned company in 2009. This means that all employees own a share of DLC, and they can cash out their shares to fund their retirements.
Irrigation is absolutely vital to landscapes – and especially those in the Valley of the Sun. To help manage our clients’ water, we established our specialized Water Management Department in 2010. The goal then is the same as it is today – apply just enough water for healthy landscapes, but not a drop more. Today, our Water Management Department expertly applies more than 2 billion gallons of water each year.
Expertise and know-how are key to doing a good job in a landscape. In 2015, DLC created a dedicated Training Department to help make sure that all of our employees are able to perform their jobs well. Internal development programs include new hire training, mentor programs for key field positions and advancement programs.
Landscaping has always been inherently labor-intensive work. So much is done by hand: blowing, pruning, debris pickup. In 2017, DLC invested more than $1 million researching and testing new equipment that would help make our crews more efficient, give our clients better results and help keep our costs down as labor wages increase. This work led to the roll-out of our Sweeper-Vacs, which help clean up leaf litter and other plant debris more efficiently and effectively.
DLC Resources becomes 100% employee-owned!
DLC Resources becomes
100% employee-owned!
Innovation isn’t a one-and-done thing. DLC cemented our focus on innovation and advancement with the establishment of our full-time Efficiency Department in 2021. This team of people is dedicated to researching and developing new equipment and new processes, working to find tools and strategies that give our employees and clients and edge. Battery operated hand tools, large-scale mowers, mass pruners and more are just some of the innovations to pass through the Efficiency Department since its inception.
