Today we’d like to introduce you to James Bryan Rogers.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in South Austin in Onion Creek. My father was the owner of JCR Maintenance, a large central Texas landscaping company. I grew up riding in the backseat of a landscape truck from 6 years old until I was in high school. I learned how to speak Spanish fluently and how to use landscape tools and many tricks of the trade by my father’s employees. By the time I was 14 I was helping with several aspects of the business from mowing lawns to planting plants and even dabbling a little in landscape design. I would love to go with my dad to large commercial buildings and apartment complexes and learn the techniques and processes that were necessary to create new landscapes for them. I loved to see the projects go from paper to completion, to me it was almost magical. When my father built a nursery on the property I fell in love with plants. I learned how to properly take care of them and loved to watch them grow. My new love of plants was nurtured by the Frinfrocks who owned Finfrock’s nursery in Lockhart. The Finfrocks were like my second grandparents. I loved to spend time with them, they always showed me new plants that I had never seen before. It is during that period in my life when I discovered that I could do some cool landscaping. On a hot summer day in the 80’s, I designed and landscaped my first home. My father gave me the opportunity to do it all, from design to completion. With the help of some of our amazing employees I was able to complete my first landscape project. I still have the pictures of me doing the work and I had the biggest smile on my face. I graduated from Hyde Park high school in Austin, after high school I left the family business. I did not go back to landscaping until 6 years later. I was going to school for communications at Texas State and I did not want to have anything to do with the family business. I had been doing it all my life and I thought I wanted something different. I thought long and hard about it and I decided to join the family business once again. I was his head landscape designer and irrigation foreman. I got married around this time to my wife, Amy and we had our first child, Ashton. I had renewed passion and desire to bring to breathe new life into this already thriving company. A little back history on JB Rogers Landscape services my grandfather started the company and eventually my father took it over and as you are seeing I eventually take it over. We have several employees who work for me now whose fathers and uncles worked previously for my father. We are truly a family business. When I took over the company It was renamed JB Rogers Landscape Services. My grandfather worked for me until he passed away and my dad is still working for us. My middle son Brennan has been working for me for about 5 years, I am in awe of his design skills. We are a great team and eventually he will be taking over. Many of my employee’s sons have joined the JB Rogers crew. We love our employees. We are lucky to have a dedicated, hard-working and talented workforce. My daughter, Elly has recently joined the crew and is doing our social media, she is a natural. She is also working on growing succulents and indoor plants and potting them in thrifted and unique containers she will be selling them at some local farmer’s markets and fulfilling custom orders.
When I took over and I was determined to be a stand-out landscaping company in Central Texas, I wanted to be a company that was not afraid to do out of the box and unique designs that make people realize that landscaping is an art. I love to use my imagination when choosing the plants and materials that will bring my designs to life. Our landscape crews know how to execute these designs to transform the landscape into a masterpiece. We love being creative and we focus on bringing that into every one of our designs. Our crews are equipped to tackle everything from hardscaping, irrigation, maintenance and of course landscaping. Unlike some companies we do projects of all sizes, we do not believe in catering to only high dollar projects. We want everyone to be able to make their backyard an oasis. With the use of textures and colors we love to make our customers dreams become reality and give them a new perspective when it comes to their landscaping.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Owning a business is always a challenge. One of the biggest challenges we face is getting our employees here legally every year from Mexico. We have had the same employees since day one, we use the work visa program. We were rocking and rolling smoothly for a good 18 years until 2018. There was a limit on the number companies that were allowed to get visas for their employees, we did not make it into the “lottery” and were unable to get our visas. I was faced with the choice to slow down operations or get to work. With help of Rebecca, my amazing office manager and my Son by my side we rolled up our sleeves and got to work with the few employees we had that did not require visas. Our workforce latterly shrunk in half right when Spring was around the corner. We were terrified but determined to keep on moving forward. With an all hands on deck attitude and the help of my son’s high school buddies putting in work when they were able we made it through the year. It was tough on my mind and especially my body, but JB Rogers pulled thru the finish line. Fast forward to 2020 we were lucky enough to at least get three of our guy’s visas. We kept rolling along in 2021 and finally in 2022 we were able to get every one of our guy’s visas. It was the best feeling and huge sigh of relief. Overnight JB Rogers was back to normal operations. Those years came with serious financial struggles that could have possibly been the end. Currently JB Rogers Landscape Services is thriving and at the top of our game. We are so blessed to have our guys who waited patiently for the opportunity to come back to work for us when we finally got out visas.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
JB Rogers Landscape Services is one the oldest landscaping companies in Central Texas. We are true Texan family owned and operated organization. We value our employees and customers. We know that they are the reason we are able to do what love every day. We strive to give our customers a new perspective when looking at their landscaping. We bring life to our customers outdoor spaces, sometimes these spaces have a purpose and other times they are just to be admired. We love the challenge of using new materials in cutting edge designs, we also value traditional landscaping techniques. Some of our most amazing work blends the old and new together. Our employee’s dedication, skill and knowledge help us attain our goals.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
In past few years we have seen a dramatic increase in the demand for residential landscaping. People are at home more and want to enjoy and utilize their outdoor spaces. I believe this trend will continue in the future and JB Rogers Landscape Services plans to be there to help our customer’s achieve their landscaping and outdoor goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jbrlandscaping.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jbrlandscape?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jbrogerslandscape/
- Other: #jbrogerslandscape
