Horizon Landscape Contractors’ work includes high-end residential projects.

As Vancouver, British Columbia, prepares to host the Winter Olympics in 2010, the city is enjoying an economic boost that extends beyond the games. Horizon Landscape Contractors has enjoyed a surge in commercial projects as a result, as well as some work for the Olympics itself, says Brian Dougherty, marketing administration manager.

“We’ve decided to venture into high-end residential work as the economic strongpoint in Vancouver has been growing in recent years,” he says. “Money is opening up for people to do more prestigious landscaping, and people are starting to realize that landscaping done right can increase the value of a home more than any other renovation.”

In 2003, the company established its own 10-acre nursery to broker and grow its own plants for its projects. This has allowed it to produce large quantities of plants used in architectural design, primarily for commercial projects, Dougherty explains.

“We do a lot of mass planting at our projects,” he says. “We can get jobs a year to a year-and-a-half in advance, so we can broker our plants and grow them from smaller sizes to the larger ones specified in the job’s plant list. Instead of someone else doing the brokering, it allows us to be in control and opens the doors for better margins.”

Horizon works throughout British Columbia, mainly in the lower mainland and is starting to venture into the interiors and Vancouver Island.     

In May 2006, it completed work on the Tandem Towers in Burnaby, British Columbia. Its landscape contract for the 250,000-square-foot project totaled $1 million (Canadian) and included landscape work on multiple floors for general contractor MetroCan Construction.

The multistory project presented the challenge of getting materials to somewhat difficult locations, Dougherty says. “We had to get massive amounts of products and materials onto a third-story courtyard under strict timelines, so we couldn’t just truck it in,” he says. “It was definitely a challenging project. We also had to do some environmental work at the ground level beside a creek that supports a salmon habitat. Our employees had to step up to the plate and they did.”

The company is currently working on a $1 million project for the Starlight Casino in New Westminster, British Columbia, for PCL Constructors. That project will be completed by the end of this year.

Horizon is working on the UBC Winter Sports Arena for the Winter Olympics. The ice rink facility will also host hockey events before and after the games. The company’s $500,000 contract includes hard and soft landscaping such as installing sod, plants, pavers, drip strips, site furnishings and irrigation. Bird Construction Co. is the general contractor.
    
Team Atmosphere
Dougherty’s older brother, COO Mike Dougherty, founded Horizon in 1991 right out of high school with a small pickup truck and a borrowed lawnmower. Their father, Ron Dougherty, serves as the CFO. The company has grown to include 50 employees and generate approximately $7 million in annual revenues.

Brian Dougherty says the company maintains a family atmosphere, relying on its team to complete projects successfully. “All the employees have helped us get where we are today,” he says. He says he expects the company to continue to grow at a 40-to-60-percent rate for the next three years, leading up to the 2010 Olympics.

“After the Olympics, I think we will still see growth in specialty residential work because we expect a lot of money to be left over from the economic boom,” he notes. “We’ll continue to focus on residential and diversify ourselves in case commercial work starts to falter.”