We were lucky to catch up with Zachary Hinckley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Zachary, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

Finding will labor force. No local help applies even for double the going rate. The biggest challenges in the landscape industry is finding reliable labor force. The way we have been able to solve that problems is to apply for the H2B Visa program. The H2B Visa program is a federal program that was set up to help solve the labor shortage. The good thing is the program works. The bad thing is that most in the landscape industry are trying to apply now for the limited 66,000 visas available. The super competitive application process now has strained the program and the visas run out months in advance of the need of the employers. The employers that have received the same workers for years are being capped out for a random lottery system.

Federal Law makers don’t really understand the need and are afraid to touch the program do to the toxic nature of the immigration bills the “non immigrant’ H2B visas get attached to each year.

Zachary, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Zachary Hinckley, President and C.E.O., has always had a love for the outdoors. His father, Gordon Hinckley, taught him the importance of honest hard work. Gordon was the catalyst for Zachary’s interest in landscaping. Owning his own landscape maintenance company in the 1980’s and 1990’s to supplement the income of a teacher’s salary, Gordon taught Zachary many aspects of that industry. With that knowledge and experience, Zachary has formed Huskie’z Landscaping Inc. to provide the same quality to customers who need landscape maintenance. Zachary did not just want his company to be one dimensional. He wanted to provide every aspect of the industry.

After pursuing a baseball career and graduating from Bellevue University in Omaha, Nebraska, Zachary decided that if he was going to take over his father’s business, he better KNOW what he was talking about. That thought took him to one of the best horticulture programs in the nation – Utah State University. There he graduated with his second bachelor’s degree in Horticulture Landscape Construction. He learned to design and install sprinkler systems and landscapes including: xericape, water wise designs, native plant materials, plant types and characteristics. He loves learning every day about nature and how to beautify it through landscape design.

Not only does Zachary have the education but he has the experience too. Working for companies like Silver Leaf Landscape Inc, Bland Bros. Inc. and Paterson Landscape Inc. (now known as Odyssey Landscape) gave him the knowledge necessary to license and own his own company in the landscape field. The company slogan is “We Love What We Do,” which defines Huskie’z Landscaping, Inc. and its owner Zachary Hinckley.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In speaking about the H2B visa program and the flaws in it. In 2018 after being approved each year since 2008 Huskie’z was capped out of the program leaving 35 positions open and un filled. We did not know what to do. Months of online and paper want adds and nobody applied.

The island of Puerto Rico had just experienced two of the largest hurricanes in the island history the devastated the island. Through the local and national news the cries for help began. I was in desperation myself. How could I help. My thought process went to how can I help them while they help Huskie’z. That type of desperation leads these types of thoughts. I don’t believe much in hand outs but I do believe in offering those in need a way to rebuild. There was no where for these local Puerto Ricans to work on the island as everything was destroyed.

I caught the next plane to Puerto Rico to find who if any could and needed temporary work to provide for their families and to rebuild. You can’t rebuild with a job and cashflow. I had both for them.

I found a local source who spread the word and within two weeks Huskie’z paid for 5-7 flights per week to bring those workers to Utah for the 2018 season to first help them earn and second to help Huskie’z survive until the H2B workers could return in 2019.

The men from Puerto Rico were green without experience but the had the desire to be taught. Huskie’z managed to stay afloat and we provided needed financial support for the men to send back to their families.

It was truly a blessing from above

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I started with a gifted 4′ x 8′ trailer and a snapper lawn mower after I graduated from Utah State to start my business. I have kept the small debt to income ratio to provide the cash flow needed to operate. Huskie’z pays for most of it’s need with cash but does strategically acquired debt when need to expense out the interest and purchases that will provide greater cash flow for the business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.huskiezlandscaping.com
• Instagram: huskiezlandscaping
• Facebook: huskiezlandscaping.com
• Linkedin: huskiezlandscaping.com
• Twitter: @huskiez

Image Credits
Zach Hinckley and Huskie’z landscaping took all the photos