CLEVELAND — According to Gas Buddy, gas prices have nearly doubled since last year. Those higher prices have affected landscaping companies that rely on gas for transportation and to fuel their equipment.  

What You Need To Know

  • Gas prices have nearly doubled this year according to Gas Buddy

  • Some landscapers have had to raise prices to cover the cost of gas, which can cost them customers
  • One northeast Ohio landscaper is using the app Green Pal to add new customers

Jherel Wells is the owner of Wells & Son Landscaping.

“As you can see, everything here runs on gas,” he said, looking over the trailer packed with gear. 

Wells said he had only one option after gas prices skyrocketed this year.

“What I had to do, I was forced to have to raise some of my prices up to other customers,” Wells said.  

Increasing his prices has caused him to lose a handful of his customers.

“They’ll ask me why is there an increase and I’ll have to explain, well out of any doing of my own, the gas prices have increased," Wells said. "In order to stay in business and be able to provide a good service, I’m going to have to go with the gas prices and increase mine."

Wells said he has found a way to fill that void and add new customers. Wells signed up for Green Pal, an app that allows customers to order services online. Gene Caballero is one co-founder of the app and said they created it to help landscapers like Wells. 

“We were able to help thousands of landscaping companies across the U.S. ya know, maintain and grow their business,” Caballero said. 

He said it’s the same concept as rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft but for lawn care, making it easy for homeowners who may not want to fill up the lawnmower.    

Caballero walked through the process of how to sign up.

“Enter in the address of the property that they want service and the day they want it done. That alerts all the pre-screened vendors in the area that there is a new lawn up for bid, those vendors bid and then the bids go to the owner for review,” Caballero said.

With this app, Wells said he could bring in more customers to supplement the ones he lost, keeping him in the green.

“It’s been very helpful to kinda keep me plateauing and peaking up a little bit, so I’m still taking it up in a positive direction,” he said.

To sign up for Green Pal, click here.