Referrals by faith groups helped Dayton lawn-care business survive the first two years of the pandemic.

This Business Owner Spotlight was curated from a response to our COVID Can’t Stop Us small business questionnaire. If you are a woman, veteran or BIPOC business owner in Dayton and would like to share your insights and experiences, we would love to hear from you.

Keisonn Pate is the owner of Prolific Lawncare Service, whose company mission is to “make his customers' lawns look fabulous.”  

The pandemic affected Pate’s ability to retain both employees and customers.

“Some people were scared to come to work so it put us in a position of needing help,” Pate said. “We made a few changes and only kept those [employees] who wanted to stay on and work through it.”

He noted that some customers lost their jobs and could no longer pay for his company’s services, adding that many of his customers have since come back. In addition to his customers, Pate has relied on support from friends, family and the faith community over the past two years.

“A few faith-based groups put us out in the public and asked us to do work for them as well,” he explained.  

Another upside to the pandemic, he noted, was the ability for him and his staff to spend more time with family and rejuvenate. He also was able to purchase a new truck and is grateful to be back at capacity and building for the future. His goal for 2022?

“We would like to have a few corporate contracts this year as well as a few residential customers.” 

(Photo Mowing the Grass/Brian Jackson/stock.adobe.com)