As The Green Team has grown, so too have its partnerships with like-minded nonprofit organizations and clients committed to the company’s socially just principles. “We do our best to reduce our chemical, energy and water-use footprints, and we push others to do the same,” Blaeser says. In return, The Green Team contributes toward their environmental practices with donated materials, services and training when possible.

Blaeser works with Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps and JobsWork MKE to recruit employees. This year, The Green Team won the Diversity in Business Award in the Small Business category from the Milwaukee Business Journal. The award recognizes entrepreneurs and commercial enterprises dedicated to urban growth in Milwaukee’s central city and across the region.

The company has a diverse workforce comprised of about 30 people that work 10 months out of the year. An additional eight teammates stay on through the winter, along with field teammates who provide snow removal, holiday decorating and winter pruning services. Employees are offered benefits that include paid vacation, an IRA with employer match and a health-insurance stipend.

The Green Team serves residential, commercial and municipal clients and educational facilities, offering chemical-free practices for weed, insect and disease management. They use products such as horticultural vinegar and have replaced most conventional chemicals with alternatives suggested by the Organic Materials Review Institute.

They offer all-natural turf care programs and landscape maintenance that is free from glyphosate-based herbicides. They brew their own living compost tea and formulate their own signature organic granular fertilizer. The Green Team staff strives to present alternatives to traditional chemical use whenever possible and are pragmatic when it is a last resort.

In addition to lawn and garden care, The Green Team provides landscape design and installation—an area of the company that has grown significantly over the past three years. “Our design/build is in an exciting place,” Blaeser relates. “We’ve been installing environmentally friendly softscapes and hardscapes, including porous patios, rain gardens, native pollinator gardens and dry-streambed water management systems that are not only functional, but also beautiful features in a landscape. And we’re engaging educational gardens for schools, daycares and community centers.”

Much like planting a tree and nurturing its growth, Blaeser credits the company’s success to a commitment and adherence to its core values. “This makes it possible for us to enjoy our efforts and each other, and our partners in the community. We’re steady and malleable to change when appropriate. Our strong teammates give their all to each other and to the community. That’s recognized, and folks who are inspired by our mission seek us out.”