Wendland Landscape Services is Driven by Community Engagement

Wendland Landscape Services has been a vital part of the suburban Milwaukee community of Germantown since 1985. In addition to providing landscape and hardscape services, its Wendland Nursery division has supplied local gardeners with plant material and hard goods from Mother’s Day to October.

In the early 2000s, Wendland began offering snow plowing services. The program today features seven plow trucks and two loaders to maintain its 15 commercial and more than 100 residential accounts in wintertime.

Current owners Elizabeth Wendland and her husband Josh Tarantino, who took over the business from Wendland’s father, both thoroughly enjoy operating the business and being engaged in the community where they work and reside.

Volunteering for A Cause

Wendland Landscape Services first got involved in both the GreenCare and SnowCare for Troops program back in 2012 and has been matched with at least one family each year. Wendland clearly recalls her first SnowCare for Troops family.

“The woman was nine months pregnant and 100 percent doing everything on her own,” says Wendland. “That really pulls at the heartstrings. We were praying the husband was going to make it back home in time for the birth, and fortunately he did.”

All initial contacts provided through the programs are anonymous, but on occasion a special connection happens with the military family. Wendland recalls a family that stopped by the office after a deployment ended and presented them with a flag to thank them for providing snow removal services. “That was really special,” says Wendland.

Being involved with GreenCare and SnowCare for Troops has been efficient and easy, says Wendland.

“We get notified of a match, the family contacts us, and we set up the service. I always ask if there are any special medical needs with family members – we usually plow when two inches or more fall, but if there’s a special need, we can come out sooner,” adds Wendland.

Wendland says most of the families the company has been matched with are young and in the process of growing their family while a spouse is deployed.

“This is an exhausting time in their life and it can be extremely stressful. They say, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ and I think this is even more true when a parent is deployed,” says Wendland. “We don’t mind lending a hand, since we have the resources to relieve just one of those stress factors and get the snow cleared from the driveway in the winter months, or make sure the grass is mowed in the summer. These families are giving a lot and deserve our support.”

Why are Green Spaces Important to Military Families?

Parks, lawns, landscapes and maintained green spaces help to mitigate temperature increases in communities and significantly reduce energy use and cooling costs. Project EverGreen’s initiatives – GreenCare for Troops and GreenCare for Communities – have made a significant impact.

Through its nationwide base of professional volunteers, Project EverGreen has connected people, plants and their communities to maximize the health of grass, plants and trees, which in turn sequesters carbon and cleans the air. Both initiatives support healthy green spaces in neighborhoods and cities, enabling maintained green spaces to function as the lungs of the city and offsetting the negative effects of a warming environment.

A single group or individual cannot transform lawns, landscapes and parks but Project EverGreen’s coalition of businesses and individuals helps maintain green spaces so they can thrive.

Become A Volunteer Today

Are you ready to step up for a military family? Register today

The Title Sponsor of the GreenCare for Troops program Title Sponsor is Nufarm. SnowCare for Troops program in BOSS Snowplow. Platinum Partners include Toro and SiteOne Landscape Supply. The Gold Partners are AMGUARD Environmental Sciences and Arborjet/Ecologel.

Affiliate Partners include the Connecticut Grounds Keepers Association and the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association.

GreenCare for Troops is endorsed by the National Association of Landscape Professionals