In this episode of Green Side Up, Jason and Jordan sit down with Ryan Hudson, General Manager of Baker Commercial Landscaping โ Tampa, for a candid, funny look at what it really takes to run a serious commercial landscape operation. Ryan shares his journey from mowing for his dad's company Bushmaster Landscape Maintenance as a kid, to grinding through a 10โyear business degree, to managing an 80-person Tampa branch within a 300-employee, two-branch company. They break down how Baker structures its teams (from crews to ops managers to department heads and the GM), the constant tension between sales and production, and how Ryan often plays "cut man" between Trey Rolquin's big sales vision and the operations crews. The conversation hits on Baker's work in Tampa's Water Street districtโrooftop landscapes, tricky access, parking tickets, right-of-way drama, and slow-paying big clientsโplus the real economics of palm tree trimming and why it often serves as a loss leader to win better work. Ryan also explains how relationship-driven networking (BOMA, CAI, etc.) and a diversified mix of offices, HOAs, condos, shopping centers, and hotels helped them survive COVID. Mixed in are plenty of storiesโfrom trimming at a nudist resort to 3 a.m. bucket-truck work downtown. If you're in landscaping or tree work and want real-world insight on scaling commercial maintenance without racing to the bottom, this one's for you.
๐ฑ Prove your skills at the first-ever Landscape Rodeo! Head-to-head challenges like Zero-Turn Barrel Racing and 3-on-3 Backpack Blower Soccer, plus great food and industry camaraderie โ all supporting scholarships and training for Florida's green industry. ๐ St. Augustine, FL | ๐
Feb 19โ20, 2026 ๐ Sign up & learn more: https://thelandscaperodeo.com/
Connect with Jason and Jordan: ๐ Green Side Up Podcast Website ๐ง Email: [email protected] ๐ Facebook: Green Side Up ๐ธ @greensideuppodcast on Instagram ๐ธ @skyfroglandscape on Instagram
Visit Our Businesses: ๐ฟ SkyFrog Landscape ๐ณ Independent Tree Service
Save with SingleOps: ๐ธ Mention Green Side Up or use this link to get $500 off your SingleOps subscription: ๐ Get $500 Off SingleOps
Sponsors & Partners:
๐ MitoGrow ๐ฑ ๐ฅ Intrigue Media on Instagram (@imintriguemedia) ๐ GS TrackMe
Podcast Produced by: ๐ง Mr. Producer (@mrproducerusa)