McFarlin Stanford

McFarlin Stanford We help landscape business owners grow with clarity and accountability.

Whether the challenge is with people, process or profits, we've coached hundreds of landscape companies to improve operations, profitability and culture.

ACE Momentum in Aspen: Mountain Views & Growth Insights 🏔️ACE Momentum gathered in Aspen, CO, this week, for fresh mount...
06/11/2026

ACE Momentum in Aspen: Mountain Views & Growth Insights 🏔️

ACE Momentum gathered in Aspen, CO, this week, for fresh mountain air and fresh perspectives. Conversations hit different at higher elevation.

Here's what stood out: growth doesn't look the same for everyone. For some, it's neat and calculated. For others, it's fast and gritty. Both create valuable lessons, and there's a lot to learn from leaders who've walked each path. 📈

We also dug into what makes values actually matter — they're not just words on a wall. The most effective values are meaningful, actionable, and visible in the decisions made by your team every day.

Over time, they shape culture and influence your organization's future. ✨

But the biggest insight? Seeing owners step away from their businesses during one of the busiest times of the year. That takes trust. Trust in your teams, in your systems, and in the power of working ON the business, not just IN it.



—
McFarlin Stanford
📲 214-702-1955
📧 [email protected]
🌐 mcfarlinstanford.com

What happens when you work ON your business instead of IN it?You go to Tuscany. 🇮🇹Every fall, several of our ACE Peer Gr...
06/09/2026

What happens when you work ON your business instead of IN it?

You go to Tuscany. 🇮🇹

Every fall, several of our ACE Peer Groups go international. In 2025, ACE Domination headed to the Tuscan hills to do something many landscapers won’t take the chance to do: step back and view their business from a distance.

No field crews, no daily fire, no "what's happening today?" All because of a 6-hour time change! Its about strategic thinking, peer learning, and perspective that brings you back to your business, refreshed.

📖 Check out the interview with Minnesota Sodding Company’s Tom & Dana Groh from their time in Italy magazine — https://www.landscapemanagement.net/five-questions-dana-and-tom-groh/.

Who else in the green industry gets to work on their business in one of the most beautiful places on Earth? 🍇✨



—
McFarlin Stanford
📲 214-702-1955
📧 [email protected]
🌐 mcfarlinstanford.com

06/08/2026

"If you're dead."

That's the only acceptable reason to skip a one-on-one. 😅

In this episode of Roots of Success, Tracy Wallingford, Kevin Keim, and Chris Psencik challenge leaders to rethink what one-on-ones are actually for.

The best one-on-ones create space for coaching, removing obstacles, developing your people, and having the conversations that don't happen in the day-to-day rush.

If your team is growing, this episode is worth a listen.

🎧 Catch the latest Roots of Success episode wherever you listen to your podcasts.



—
McFarlin Stanford
📲 214-702-1955
📧 [email protected]
🌐 mcfarlinstanford.com

Running your business off your bank balance rather than cash flow? You're not alone — but we have a better way. 💡When AC...
06/05/2026

Running your business off your bank balance rather than cash flow? You're not alone — but we have a better way. 💡

When ACE Peer Group member Chris Winkler, owner of Coastal Scapes, came to us wanting to hire managers, he walked away with something he didn't know he needed: financial clarity. What happened was a transformative journey leaving him with a clear view of his cash flow and better informed decisions.

New blog is live. Link in bio.



—
McFarlin Stanford
📲 214-702-1955
📧 [email protected]
🌐 mcfarlinstanford.com

ACE Perseverance gathered in Evansville, IN, and we mixed meaningful strategy sessions with some serious fun — swim part...
06/04/2026

ACE Perseverance gathered in Evansville, IN, and we mixed meaningful strategy sessions with some serious fun — swim party with flip contests 🩱 and hot tubbing included!

But here's what made this meeting special: we brought a new ACE Peer Group member into the room, and it brought fresh perspective. The conversations went deeper and the questions got better!

What does success actually look like 5 years from now? What needs to change to get there? What are you holding onto that no longer serves your vision? And beyond business... what do you want your life to look like? 🤔

Clarity and accountability create movement. We're excited to walk alongside this next chapter! 💪



—
McFarlin Stanford
📲 214-702-1955
📧 [email protected]
🌐 mcfarlinstanford.com

When a new member joins an ACE Peer Group, their first site visit isn’t to a peer’s company, it’s to Grunder Landscaping...
06/03/2026

When a new member joins an ACE Peer Group, their first site visit isn’t to a peer’s company, it’s to Grunder Landscaping Co.

That’s on purpose. 🌱

Nearly 20 years ago, Marty Grunder created ACE Peer Groups to give landscape business owners real peer support, accountability, and honest conversations about their business. Today, ACE Peer Groups are run in partnership with McFarlin Stanford, but it all started at Grunder – and that’s exactly why we go there first.

The Grunder visit gives new members:
A clear picture of “what good looks like” before they ever host a meeting
The origin story of ACE Peer Groups and how Grunder became a benchmark company
A chance to see the entire business in motion – leadership, culture, processes, branding, and financial discipline
A live example of the transparency and standards expected in an ACE Peer Group

From Marty’s first peer group experience…
To the company that embodies those principles…
To the modern ACE Peer Group structure supporting owners across the industry…

Starting at Grunder Landscaping sets the tone:
this is a place for real numbers, real operations, and real growth. 💪



—
McFarlin Stanford
📲 214-702-1955
📧 [email protected]
🌐 mcfarlinstanford.com

06/02/2026

You could have the best culture, the best perks, free hot dogs Wednesdays… and still lose your best people. 👀

70% of an employee's experience comes down to one thing: their manager.

The new episode of Roots of Success just dropped and this one really hits. Tap the link in bio to listen. 🎙️



—
McFarlin Stanford
📲 214-702-1955
📧 [email protected]
🌐 mcfarlinstanford.com

06/01/2026

Meet your 2025 ACE Facility of the Year — Miracle Farms! 🏆🌿

Chris, Hayden, and Andy sat down with Chris Psencik to share the story behind their brand-new facility, built almost entirely by their own crew, and how they pulled it off without skipping a beat on growth.

That’s just one piece of their story. They had:
🟢 Clear goals
🟢 A solid budget
🟢 A team that pulls together

That's the Miracle Farms way.



—
McFarlin Stanford
📲 214-702-1955
📧 [email protected]
🌐 mcfarlinstanford.com

Two new groups, one legendary host, and an unforgettable first site visit! 🌿ACE Excel and ACE Ventura just kicked off th...
05/29/2026

Two new groups, one legendary host, and an unforgettable first site visit! 🌿

ACE Excel and ACE Ventura just kicked off their ACE Peer Group journey at none other than Grunder Landscaping Co. — the company owned by Marty Grunder, the founder of the ACE Peer Group program.

These two groups packed it all into one trip: a facility tour, real talk on accountability and compensation planning, and dinner at Marty and Lisa Grunder's home. (Lisa's hospitality & cooking — a unanimous favorite. 🌮)

By the end of the trip, the energy in the room said it all. This is what the ACE program is about. 👏



—
McFarlin Stanford
📲 214-702-1955
📧 [email protected]
🌐 mcfarlinstanford.com

We’re back from the Business Builders Summit in Nashville, where Jennifer Murray and Kevin Keim spent the week talking w...
05/28/2026

We’re back from the Business Builders Summit in Nashville, where Jennifer Murray and Kevin Keim spent the week talking with landscape business owners and buyers who are serious about building enduring companies, not just surviving the next season.

Across sessions and hallway conversations, one theme kept coming up: the landscape businesses that will have the most options in the next three to five years are already thinking like a strategic buyer.

That’s why we launched the Enterprise Value Accelerator (EVA), our 36‑month program for landscape owners who want to be ready, whether your plan is selling, acquiring, or preparing for succession.

If we connected at the Summit (or you wish we had), reach out to Jennifer or Kevin to continue the conversation about building a more valuable business.



—
McFarlin Stanford
📲 214-702-1955
📧 [email protected]
🌐 mcfarlinstanford.com

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