ADAMS TWP. — When Mike Douds drives through Mars, he occasionally passes trees he planted nearly four decades ago.
Douds was 17 and working for North Hills Garden Center when he planted a tree across from what is now Planet Mart. Route 228 was still a two-lane road, Treesdale was an apple orchard and much of Seven Fields remained farmland, he explained.
“I see trees that I planted when I was younger,” Douds said. “It’s nice to see that stuff.”
Those trees are not the only evidence of the roots Douds has established in the community.
Since founding Douds Bros. Landscape Construction Inc. in 1995, the Mars Area High School graduate has built the company from a part-time grass-cutting operation into a year-round landscape-construction business specializing in patios, retaining walls, pool surroundings, outdoor kitchens and complete backyard transformations.
His projects can be found throughout the Route 228 corridor and across portions of Butler and Allegheny counties. Most, however, remain hidden from public view in customers’ backyards.
“A lot of times, somebody has been in their house for 10 years and their yard still needs some serious help,” Douds said. “We’ll come in and make it beautiful.”
The finished project might include a swimming pool surrounded by stonework, a patio, fireplace, fire pit, outdoor kitchen, retaining walls, landscaping and lighting—essentially extending the home into the backyard.
“We’re building people’s dreams,” Douds said. “We basically build living areas outside for people to enjoy when they come home from work.”
FROM DRAFTING TO DIGGING
Douds worked at North Hills Garden Center throughout high school and college while studying drafting. He also cut grass and completed small landscaping jobs to earn extra money.
When he graduated, however, he realized that sitting behind a drafting table was not the future he wanted.
“I didn’t want to sit behind a desk,” he said. “So I started a landscape company.”
Like many landscaping businesses, Douds Bros. began with lawn maintenance. Over time, the company moved away from grass cutting and concentrated increasingly on landscape construction and higher-end outdoor living projects.
Today, Douds is quick to explain that his company is not a residential lawn-care or mulching service.
“We’re basically a construction company,” he said. “We do a lot of patios, retaining walls, areas around swimming pools and outdoor kitchens.”
The company also completes commercial landscaping and provides commercial snow removal during the winter. Its projects have ranged from private backyard retreats to the War Memorial at Adams Township Community Park and landscaping at St. Kilian Parish.
Douds Bros. employs 12 people full-time and supplements its workforce with high school and college students during the summer. Sixteen people were on the payroll this summer.
Unlike many seasonal landscaping companies, Douds said his full-time employees work throughout the year and are not laid off during the winter. When the weather permits, crews continue building patios and retaining walls. When snow arrives, they operate plow trucks, skid loaders and salting equipment for commercial customers in the Cranberry Township and Route 228 area.
“There’s always something to do,” Douds said. “We work.”
TURNING IDEAS INTO OUTDOOR SPACES
Most projects begin with a telephone call or an inquiry submitted through the company’s website. Douds meets with the homeowner, listens to what the customer wants and evaluates the property.
He draws many projects himself, relying on the drafting skills he once thought would lead him to a desk job. For larger and more complex projects—some costing $400,000 or more—he works with landscape architects to develop a comprehensive design.
“If you’re going to spend that kind of money, you really should get an architect involved,” he said.
Projects commonly last three or four weeks, although larger backyard transformations can require two months or longer. The variety is one of the aspects of the work Douds continues to enjoy.
The work also comes with challenges. Finding and retaining skilled employees remains his greatest concern, Douds said. Scheduling crews, coordinating materials and meeting deadlines tied to graduation parties, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day can become a complicated balancing act—particularly when heavy rain or a missing shipment disrupts the plan.
“There’s plenty of work out there, but not every crew has the skills to take it on,” Douds said. “We do. The challenge is finding and keeping people who can meet our standards. We’re always looking for talented workers, and they’re harder to find than they used to be.”
Materials and operating expenses have also risen. Concrete products make up a significant portion of the company’s materials, while fuel costs have increased by more than $1,000 per month, according to Douds. Winter operations consume even more fuel as the company runs multiple trucks, loaders and plows.
Despite those pressures, Douds measures the company’s work by something more lasting than price.
“I don’t want to be the cheapest guy,” he said. “I want people to say we do good, quality work.”
GROWING WITH THE COMMUNITY
The growth of Adams, Cranberry, Pine and neighboring communities has helped create a market for the elaborate outdoor spaces Douds Bros. builds.
Douds prefers to remain close to home, concentrating much of the company’s work around Mars, Cranberry Township, Hampton and Pine Township, although its crews travel as far south as Upper St. Clair and as far north as Grove City.
“I think we’re fortunate to live where we live,” he said.
He has watched the Route 228 corridor change throughout his career. Although he believes traffic sometimes moves too quickly on the newly widened highway, he said the improvements have made travel easier, particularly around the Mars Area School District campus.
Douds’ connection to the community goes beyond his business. He has sponsored youth football and donated work locally, including installing steps at the Mars youth football field. His son played football and wrestled for Mars, while his daughter participated in cheerleading.
Douds’ connection to the Mars community is also deeply personal. He and his wife, Melissa, have been together since they were 16 and have been married for 29 years. Melissa assists with aspects of the business, which Douds hopes will eventually continue with the next generation.
Douds also coached youth football alongside The 228 Times Sports Editor Rodney Phillips when Douds’ son, Devin, was younger. His family’s longstanding involvement in Mars athletics—including football, wrestling and cheerleading—later influenced his decision to sponsor The 228 Times’ local sports coverage.
“I like all the Mars sports,” he said. “I know a lot of the guys who help coach.”
BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION
After more than three decades in business, Douds now spends less time installing projects and more time meeting customers, selling work, managing schedules and solving problems.
“I’m more of a businessman than I am an installer,” he said. “I like being in the field better than I like sitting behind a desk.”
Douds, 53, has no immediate plans to retire. He expects to remain with the company for at least another decade, but he has begun preparing it to operate without every decision passing through him.
The company is establishing more formal procedures and distributing responsibilities—a transition Douds hopes will eventually allow his son to take over the business.
Devin, 20, is studying business management and finance in college. He has been around the company since he was 6 or 7 years old and has worked full time during summers since he was 14.
“That’s why he wanted to go for business,” Douds said.
His 17-year-old daughter may also become involved. Douds has encouraged her to consider design work, although he emphasized that both children should ultimately choose their own paths.
“I want them to do what they want to do,” he said.
For now, Douds continues meeting homeowners, coordinating crews and occasionally returning to completed projects when customers invite him to a party.
At those gatherings, he can step back, watch families enjoying the spaces his company created and take photographs of the patios illuminated at night.
Douds calls himself a “people pleaser,” and the satisfaction of seeing customers use what his crews built remains one of his favorite parts of the work.
As for the outdoor living space at his own home, which includes an in-ground swimming pool and patio, the craftsman offered a characteristically restrained assessment.
“Mine’s okay,” he said. “It could be nicer, but it’s pretty good.”
After more than 30 years in business, Douds speaks about his work, family and community with much the same understatement.
“I have a good life,” he said. “I can’t complain.”
Douds Bros. Landscape Construction Inc. is a sponsor of The 228 Times.
