In this episode of the Greenside Up Podcast, Jordan and the team sit down with ISA Certified Arborist Marti Machado to trace his journey from hustling tree work out of a '72 Toyota dually to becoming one of Hillsborough County's most trusted tree professionals. Marti shares raw, entertaining stories from his early days climbing with a boat anchor line, the career-changing influence of industry legend Richard Bailey, and how he evolved from "just cutting branches for a paycheck" to selling knowledge, risk management, and long-term tree health. Along the way, the conversation dives into sales strategy in tree care, how to read customers and ask better questions, building a high-caliber crew and culture at Independent Tree Service, and why showcasing live job sites is their best closing tool. Outside of work, Marti opens up about family life, raising a volleyball standout daughter, and his infamous neighborhood guacamole and margarita showdown, blending humor, heart, and hard-earned wisdom from a lifetime in arboriculture.

Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: [email protected] 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram

Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service

Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps

Sponsors & Partners:

👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe

Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)

In this Vacation Edition of the Greenside Up Podcast, Jordan and Jason catch up from the road—Jordan broadcasting from a family beach trip on Florida's Panhandle and Jason checking in from the mountains near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. They swap stories about night crabbing, offshore fishing, Dollywood, cave tours, and even a behind-the-scenes look at the Bush's Baked Beans factory. Woven through the vacation highlights is a candid conversation about what it really takes to step away from your business: how Skyfrog Landscape has evolved since the "Siesta Key chaos" days, the impact of hiring and culture on being able to unplug, losing a key office manager, and why owners never fully "clock out." They also touch on industry events like Trees Florida, the Arbor Next youth program, upcoming trade shows, and a surprising win using AI ("Switchy") to diagnose a boat motor issue. It's a relaxed, real-world look at balancing work, leadership, family time, and the never-ending responsibilities of business ownership.

Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: [email protected] 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram

Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service

Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps

Sponsors & Partners:

👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe

Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)

In this episode of Green Side Up, Jordan and Jason sit down with Zack Pitchford, owner of Wilcox Nursery & Landscape in Largo, Florida, to unpack his unconventional journey from high school nursery hand to retail nursery owner and landscape leader. Zack walks through his early days in environmental horticulture at UF, sweating it out on Jordan's maintenance crews, his eye‑opening internship at Valley Crest, and the multiple times he launched (and quit) Pitchford Design & Landscape before ultimately acquiring the historic Wilcox Nursery. He shares how he navigated the numbers, financing, and risk of buying a land-heavy business, rebuilt the team and hierarchy from the inside, and grew both the retail and services divisions. The conversation dives into leadership development, promoting from within, marketing strategy (Google Ads, SEO, email, and video content), and what he's seeing in today's softer design/install market. Zack also breaks down his water-conscious irrigation approach and lawn philosophy, talks about the rise of native plant demand and fine gardening maintenance, and reflects on building a business that can run without him while still serving his community and family.

Connect with Zack: 🌐 Wilcox Nursery Website 📸 @wilcoxnursery on Instagram

Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: [email protected] 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram

Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service

Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps

Sponsors & Partners:

👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe

Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)

In this episode of the Green Side Up Podcast, Jason Lee and co-host Jordan Upcavage sit down with Mark Cohen of Permaloc to explore how aluminum edging has reshaped the landscape and hardscape industry. Mark shares the origin story of Permaloc, founded by landscape architect Daniel Zwier as the pioneer of aluminum landscape edging, and explains why aluminum's strength-to-weight ratio, sustainability, and longevity make it a superior alternative to steel and plastic. The conversation digs into spec-driven selling, how educating landscape architects fuels national distribution, and the role of trade shows, ASLA/CSLA partnerships, and student events like Labash and NCLC in influencing the next generation of professionals. Jason and Jordan add real-world contractor perspective—contrasting plastic and concrete edging with aluminum, discussing paver restraint practices in Florida, and talking through evolving applications like resin-bound aggregate and tree ring surfacing. Along the way, Mark highlights iconic projects featuring Permaloc, from the Lady Diana Memorial Fountain to major civic and cultural sites, illustrating how a "niche" product quietly defines and protects some of the most recognizable landscapes in the world.

Learn More: https://permaloc.com/

Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: [email protected] 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram

Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service

Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps

Sponsors & Partners:

👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe

Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)

In this episode of the Greenside Up Podcast, Jason and Jordan sit down in Tampa with renowned green-industry consultant Jeffrey Scott to unpack his journey from family pool-and-landscape business to leading coach, peer-group facilitator, and host of The Ultimate Landscape CEO. Jeffrey shares stories from growing up in his grandfather's pioneering gunite pool company, scaling a high-margin service division, and navigating the challenges of a crowded family business before launching his consulting practice. The conversation dives into the power of peer groups, why charging for estimates transformed Jordan's tree service, and how setting higher standards for employees and clients creates a "Destination Company." The trio also explores Lean management in practical, jobsite terms—from tool placement to shop organization—plus real-world challenges around sales slumps, weather, hurricanes, and cash flow, and how business owners can respond with better marketing, business development, and strategic experiments. They wrap with a look at mergers and acquisitions reshaping the landscape industry, the upcoming Summer Growth Summit in Detroit, and Jeffrey's framework for helping owners fix, scale, or exit their companies.

🌱 Connect with Jeffrey Scott Consulting

🌐 Website: www.jeffreyscott.biz

📲 Instagram: @jeffreymarkscott

☀️ Summer Growth Summit https://jeffreyscott.biz/summer-growth-summit-26/

🎟️ Summer Growth Summit Discount Code / Registration Link: www.eventbrite.com/e/1983544708619/?discount=GreenSideUpPodcast

Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: [email protected] 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram

Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service

Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps

Sponsors & Partners:

👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe

Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)

In this episode, Jason and Jordan catch up on a busy season in the landscape business, comparing lead flow, close rates, and what's really driving sales in different markets. They swap stories about big opportunities—including a major 5,600-foot roadway bid in Kissimmee and a high-profile renovation at Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Gainesville—and break down how they think about strategic bidding for profitable commercial work. Along the way, Jordan spotlights his wife's children's book "Looking for Bunny Flies," now available on major platforms, and the two reflect on the challenge of growing a landscape company while staying smart about risk, equipment investment, and market positioning.

Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: [email protected] 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram

Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service

Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps

Sponsors & Partners:

👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe

Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)

In this episode of the Green Side Up podcast, Jason andJordan hit the road to Gainesville, Florida to record at the impressive new home of Sky Palm Studios with co-founders Luke Lower and Justin Short. They dive into Luke and Justin's journey from running separate media companies—one focused on drone and aerial work, the other on video production—to recognizing they were better together and dissolving both businesses to form a new joint venture. The conversation covers how they met, why they chose a partnership despite all the horror stories, how they divided roles as CEO/COO, the impact of faith and family on their decisions, and the hard lessons learned from past failed partnerships, including Luke's front-row seat to his dad's physical therapy clinic struggles. Along the way, they talk burnout, retainer vs one‑off work, building out a beautiful studio space (complete with "sound reverberation walls"), the realities of S corps, K‑1s, and buying houses as young business owners, and what it takes to create a resilient, trust-based partnership in business. If you're a contractor, landscaper, or small business owner thinking about teaming up with a partner—or just wanting a peek behind the scenes of a growing creative agency—this episode is packed with stories and takeaways you'll recognize in your own journey.

Connect with Sky Palm Studios:

https://skypalmstudios.com/

https://www.instagram.com/skypalmstudios/

https://www.facebook.com/skypalmstudios/

Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: [email protected] 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram

Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service

Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps

Sponsors & Partners:

👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe

Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)

In this episode of Welcome to Green Sign Up, Jordan and Jason start with some early-morning banter about The Curse of Oak Island before diving into real-world tree and landscape work in Florida. Jordan previews his meeting with "Mangrove Alan" on a new waterfront development, while Jason talks through lighting and landscape projects in Cedar Key. They then shift into plant health care operations with insights from certified arborist Ken Miller, covering audits for compliance, smarter use of polyphosphite and MitoGrow, and adjusting soil pH with sulfur and lime based on University of Florida soil tests. The episode wraps up at the University of Tampa, where they compare treated and untreated trees and foxtail ferns, exploring how their plant health care strategies are showing up in canopy density, new shoot growth, and overall vigor.

Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: [email protected] 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram

Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service

Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps

Sponsors & Partners:

👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe

Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)

This episode of the Green Side Up Podcast is a lively, story-packed conversation featuring Jordan, Jason, and returning guest Erin Alvarez. The trio starts with weekend plans—kayaking, manatees, race car–themed kids' parties, daddy–daughter dances, and tax woes—before drifting into hilarious side tangents about trolling lettuce for manatees, oversized margaritas, and the realities of squeezing tree crews through tight access. From there, Erin shares her winding journey into the green industry: growing up outdoors, bouncing between zoology, political science, and English at UF, burning out on office life at the student newspaper, rediscovering herself through hands-in-the-dirt yard work, and ultimately finding her home in Environmental Horticulture. They dig into UF horticulture culture—plant ID war stories, cheating (or trying to) in physics, the love–hate relationship with Landscape Architecture, and the birth of Deep South Landscaping (DSL) with all its youthful hustle, tax dodging, and terrible-but-memorable merch. The episode wraps by connecting Erin's past to her current role in business development at SkyFrog Landscape, touching on long-game relationship building, commercial maintenance bidding cycles, and future growth, all while maintaining the loose, funny, and unfiltered vibe that defines the show.

Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: [email protected] 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram

Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service

Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps

Sponsors & Partners:

👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe

Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)

In this episode of Green Side Up, Jordan Upcavage and Jason Lee welcome Kristoffer Rasmussen—certified arborist, safety professional, auditor, educator, and all‑around arboriculture lifer—for a rich conversation recorded live from ArborFest in Asheville, North Carolina. Kristoffer shares what makes ArborFest special, from crane‑hung "ninja climbs" to family-friendly vibes and hands-on equipment demos. He then walks us through his unlikely path into tree work, starting on a Wisconsin tree farm, discovering line clearance in Texas, teaching himself to climb, and eventually building municipal urban forestry programs for the City of Dallas. The discussion dives deep into risk management, safety culture, and TCIA accreditation—why third‑party audits matter, how solid processes reduce incidents, and what top-performing companies do differently. Kristoffer and Jordan swap memorable bee and yellow jacket stories, explore the power of "sharpening your axe" through training and events, and break down how prescription pruning (PPQ) is transforming communication between consultants, estimators, and production crews. Whether you're a tree service owner, municipal arborist, or just obsessed with doing tree work the right way, this episode is packed with practical wisdom, career insights, and a fresh way to think about investing in your people and your processes.

Connect with Jason and Jordan: 🌐 Green Side Up Podcast Website 📧 Email: [email protected] 📘 Facebook: Green Side Up 📸 @greensideuppodcast on Instagram 📸 @skyfroglandscape on Instagram

Visit Our Businesses: 🌿 SkyFrog Landscape 🌳 Independent Tree Service

Save with SingleOps: 💸 Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: 👉 Get $500 Off SingleOps

Sponsors & Partners:

👉 MitoGrow 🌱 🎥 Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) 📍 GS TrackMe

Podcast Produced by: 🎧 Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)