interviewed TruGreen President David Alexander about the lawn care giant’s separation from ServiceMaster.TruGreen, which was acquired by The ServiceMaster Co. in 1991, was spun off into a private company late last year, and Alexander said it has already turned the corner from difficulties it has had since 2012.
It’s an interesting interview with Alexander pointing to a decision by ServiceMaster to saddle TruGreen with Terminix’s operating system. Turns out it was a bad idea, said Alexander.
He also reveals TruGreen’s plans for winning back some of the thousands of customers it lost in 2012 and 2013, as well as its growth plans. These include the possibility of acquisitions in 2015 and beyond, he said.
Alexander also claimed the split from ServiceMaster has gone pretty smoothly, with the former parent company continuing to provide support in IT and human resources. TruGreen is now using the second floor of the ServiceMaster headquarters to avoid moving and infrastructure costs, he added.
During the interview Alexander reminded the interviewer: "We’re three times the size as our next largest competitor. We continue to be dominant, but we lost some customers. Our big focus has been on people and building the right team, improving our processes and regrowing customers."
To read the Sheffield’s interview with Alexander click here.
