 Planning for the future
In 2004 Tom Hofer and his core leadership team met to begin plotting the company’s succession plan. It started with a clear vision; positioning the company for the long term, a recommitment to growth through independently owned and operated franchises and a succession plan for himself that included his son Ted Hofer to be named Chief Executive Officer by June of 2010. The leadership team was clear on the need to protect the culture that defined its relationship with its franchise owners but also the need to bring in some outside thinkers, infuse technology and improve its marketing sophistication if it were to reach its long term goals.
Today, the Spring-Green Lawn Care organization has a very balanced team of young progressive thinkers and experienced thought leaders. The organization continues to invest in its future by providing training and mentorship for its future leaders.
 Tom Hofer, Chairman
Originally from a farm just outside of Peoria, IL, Tom Hofer has always set his sights high. Tom is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a major in Agronomy; he became a Navy pilot following graduation and then went on to become a time tested successful entrepreneur. Tom has led the evolution of Spring-Green Lawn Care brand for more than three decades. He has not only architected the “World Class” Spring-Green franchise organization, he has taken his original Spring-Green franchise and built it into an 11 million dollar lawn and tree care machine. Tom will assume the Chairman of the Board role in June of 2010 and during what he refers to as his semi-retirement, he plans to travel with his beloved wife Sue and spend more time with their grandchildren.
 Ted Hofer, CEO
Ted Hofer has grown up around the Spring-Green business and saw firsthand the sacrifices his father and mother made in the early years of owning a Spring-Green franchise. Ted attended the University of Illinois where he majored in finance. Just out of college, Ted became involved with another family-owned business which provided tours for seniors. This allowed Ted the opportunity to see the world and gain some firsthand perspective into business ownership. He parlayed that experience into a startup franchise in the retail service sector, operating a UPS Store franchise. Ted sold his franchise in 2005 to a neighboring franchise owner and rejoined Spring-Green with a renewed passion for the lawn and tree care business. Ted has followed a very methodical road map for his development. He has been involved in several key areas of the business over the last five years. Ted led the formalization of our startup support department, launched the national inbound call center and assumed the CEO responsibilities in June of 2010.
 Barry Matthews, COO
A native of Illinois, Barry Matthews learned a valuable lesson about corporate America just out of college. After taking a job with a company that included the transition of two separate presidents in his first year, Barry knew life controlled by shareholders was not for him. He then took a “one year job” with a family owned business called Spring-Green Lawn Care. Barry has held several roles within Spring-Green during the last 33 years. He was appointed COO in August of 2000 and holds that position today. Barry has been married 32 years and has two adult children who are just beginning their professional careers.
 James Young, President
A native of Illinois, James Young’s experience has led him from New York to Wisconsin and back home to Illinois. He is known for his innovative thinking in the franchise community and often a guest speaker at franchise events. James has a strong background in marketing and sales and has led other franchise systems through similar growth and development. He has experience in retail, business to business and home service franchise organizations. Besides serving as President at Spring-Green, James also serves on two advisory boards within the franchise community. James has been married for eleven years and has three young children.
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Spring-Green's Support Team
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