Snow Business, June 2016
LEADERSHIP The Hornung family has been at the helm of Elbers Landscape Services since 1980 All in the family I n the snow removal industry familyowned businesses are quite common In fact according to Forbes magazine 90 of all North American business enterprises are family businesses and provide 62 of total U S employment And yet only 30 of family businesses will pass the reins to the next generation A little history Elbers Landscape Services in Buffalo NY started by Henry H Elbers in 1919 is my familys business My father James Hornung Sr started working at Elbers as a Father and son share a vision to honor the past grow in the present and plan for the future of Elbers Landscape Services By JAMES E HORNUNG JR CSP CLP Contributor landscaper in 1972 and eight years later he and my mother Beth Ann purchased the business Although many advised against buying the company believing the price was too high for what hed be getting my dad saw the value in purchasing an existing business with brand recognition and a solid client base 20 SNOW BUSINESS JUNE 2016 www sima org snowbusiness My parents were in their late 20s when they purchased Elbers and just starting their family My dad ran the business with a handful of employees and my mom kept the books and managed the retail side of the business In 1988 my father moved into groundskeeping and held head groundskeeper positions with Buffalos Triple A ballpark and the City of Buffalo Parks Department From 2008 to 2011 he also served as Erie County Commissioner of Parks Recreation and Forestry He was still heavily involved with Elbers while my mother and Peter Schmit an Elbers employee for 30 plus years handled the day to day business In his blood There was never any grand plan that I or my sister Autumn would join the family business but I grew up and loved spending time with my dad at the ballpark and in area parks so it was a natural path for me My first job at Elbers was sweeping floors and watering
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