Years of Serving Mountain Brook
What began as an idea to make some extra money to support his young growing family 15 years ago has now blossomed into a thriving business for Paul Saucier.

At the young age of 18, Paul was cutting grass for a living, working 60 hour weeks and making $7 an hour. But he knew that with a new wife and a baby on the way, he would need to earn some extra diaper money. When his boss balked at the idea of him doing extra grass cutting jobs on the side he decided to venture out on his own. He has never regretted that decision or looked back.

From the early days of operating out of his home with his wife, Angela, to the present time where Specialty Landscaping now resides on an impressive 26 acre facility just outside Mountain Brook, his success is based on many factors. Paul has built Specialty Landscaping into a thriving business by hiring qualified people, continuing his education in horticulture, and being prudent with his resources to ensure a solid steady growth. He also has learned the importance of listening to his customers and being willing to go the extra mile to see that they are always pleased with the services Specialty Landscaping provides.

Paul is quick to point out that the help he received from friends and family in the early days of his business, when money was tight was critical to his survival. The late, well-known local artist Arthur Stewart offered his cottage for rent to the young couple at below market rates and Paul’s father provided him with his first mowing equipment as well as a used truck. During the day, Paul developed his business, and at night he attended Bessemer Tech taking horticulture classes and learning as much as he could to ensure his customers received the best possible service he could provide. He’s also grateful to the many customers who offered their advice and support while the young couple earned enough to truly support themselves. The turning point may have been when Specialty Landscaping was able to support a move to Paul’s basement and the hiring of office manager Pat Crim, whom still holds that position today. Paul’s high standards and ability to deliver quality service attracted more and more customers. After seven years the business moved to a new location in Cahaba Heights and began to offer other services such as landscape design, stone masonry work, landscape lighting, irrigation, ponds and waterfalls. Projects from $5,000 to $100,000 are now common for the growing business.

Another area that grew out of his lawn service was the forming of a new company known as GreenWay. Many of his customers were not happy with the results they were getting from the nationally known lawn treatment companies, and when they mentioned this to Paul, he began to research the problem. Talking with his professors at Bessemer Tech he came up with a solution. Through proper treatments and coordinated efforts, with his lawn cutting and landscaping service, his customers began to see positive results. While he concentrates his lawn cutting and landscaping service on the Mountain Brook area to maintain personal relationships with his customers, his GreenWay business has attracted customers all over the metro area.
Specialty Landscaping continues to grow and offer greater variety of services to customers but one thing hasn’t changed, and that’s the company’s commitment to making sure every customer is thrilled with the services they receive.

Specialty Landscaping and GreenWay are well positioned to take care of all the landscaping needs of their customers in Mountain Brook for many years to come.