By Sue Baldani

D’Avella Landscaping in Warren is celebrating its 50th year in business and the founder’s son, who is now the owner, could not be prouder of carrying on his father’s legacy. “My parents immigrated to the United States in 1969, and owning a business was their American dream,” says Phil D’Avella.

It all started in 1975 with a favor for a neighbor when they were living in Newark, NJ. Phil’s father, Giacomo, was working full-time for National Can in Piscataway when he was asked to take care of a neighbor’s lawn while the homeowner was in Florida. He did such a good job that other neighbors requested his services. He slowly built up a nice group of customers while still working full-time.

When the family moved to New Providence, the business then concentrated on servicing homes and businesses in the local community and surrounding towns. From there, it continued to flourish.

When Giacomo decided to retire in 2000, he offered the business to Phil. “I went to Rutgers University and was working in Asia, but I always had it in the back of my head to maybe one day take over the company if the timing was right,” he says. “I loved being outdoors and I didn’t love being in the corporate world. Plus, I didn't want someone else to determine my future - I wanted to determine my own future.”

During the past 25 years, he has embraced the challenge of growing the business. “When I took over for my dad, he was basically doing maintenance - cutting grass, mulching, pruning, planting and minimal drainage - but no hardscape and lighting,” says Phil. “The first thing I did was get certified in applying pesticides, and I made sure some of my guys were certified, too.”

As his customer base continued to expand, they started asking for other services. D’Avella Landscaping added hardscaping and connected with a landscape architect to create more complex, beautiful designs. Phil also took courses on drainage and learned to install low-voltage lighting as well.

“Out of everything I do, lighting is my favorite. It’s one of those things that when you don’t have it, you don’t know you’re missing it. Once it’s done, customers can’t believe they’ve waited so long to add it.”

While he’s happy the company has grown, Phil’s careful to keep it from growing so large that he can’t be involved in every aspect. His wife, Jennifer, joined the business in 2004 to help in the office, handling the accounting and other paperwork so Phil could continue to forge strong customer relationships.

In addition to Warren, Watchung, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights, D’Avella Landscaping now services Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, Far Hills, Mendham, and Green Brook. Phil and his team have also done projects in Livingston, Short Hills and Chatham.

Most of his business comes from word of mouth, and he is happy to supply his portfolio and plenty of references to prospective new customers. “I'm more of an old-fashioned hands-on owner,” says Phil. “I live in Warren, so if a customer needs me, I’m readily available.”

To learn more, give him a call at 908-222-1106.