Jobber, a provider of home service management software, has announced the recipients of its $150,000 grant program, Boost by Jobber. Thirty small businesses, including five landscaping and tree care companies, were selected from thousands of applications and received funds ranging between $1,500 to $20,000 USD.
The top grant of $20,000 actually went to a tree care company owner—experienced entrepreneur Joseph Gillingham, founder of Heritage Tree Care in Toronto, ON. Gillingham started his company, a full service tree care business, 15 years ago and now employs 20 people during peak seasons. The company has helped create interactive outdoor learning spaces for local schools and daycares by donating labor and repurposed wood chips, logs for seating, and large outdoor wooden building blocks for children to play with, all while maintaining 5-star customer service. The company also supports a network of community gardens and assists with emergency response for urban animals requiring rescue from heights.
“Receiving this Boost by Jobber grant makes it all worthwhile in a way,” said Joseph Gillingham. “As an entrepreneur, sometimes I wonder if I am doing the right thing as there is often a residual feeling of imposter syndrome despite the thousands of happy customers over lots of years. Getting recognized in this way takes away the doubt. Thanks to Jobber, we can bring some of our dream entrepreneurial ideas to life. With this funding, we will not only grow the business and hire more expert team members, but also we plan to help subsidize tree planting for low-income daycares and community centers, thereby creating a green legacy of shady spaces throughout my city and beyond.”
Other landscape and tree service Boost recipients included:
- Kirk Brown, Kirk’s Lawn Care LLC (Limerick, PA)
- Chris Senger, Errol Palmer and Dane Findlay, Mow Town Edmonton Ltd. (Edmonton, AB)
- Crystal Bissell, Eco Food Gardens (Austin, TX)
- Adrienne Tutty, Calavo Landscape Inc. (El Cajon, CA)
The Boost application process involved written and video submissions, followed by interviews with Boost by Jobber’s judging panel. To select the recipients, Jobber individually scored applicants based on their community contributions, leadership style, business plans, and the overall impact the funding would make towards their goals.