June 2025

Team,

We’re halfway through the year, and I want to take a moment to say—what a start it’s been. Despite the ups and downs (especially with this spring’s weather), we’ve stayed focused, kept things moving, and positioned ourselves really well heading into the second half of the year.

If you missed the June Town Hall, we covered a lot of ground. From our strong new customer growth to exciting developments in sediment and slag reuse, there’s a lot to feel good about. We also highlighted some great wins like the future launch of the new Kurtz website and a new partnership with Mulch Mule. Our team continues to raise the bar.

We also recognized some of the folks helping drive our success. Congrats again to our recent Employee of the Month winners—Andres Torres (March), Tyler Horn (April), and Cory Strempek (May)—and milestone anniversaries like Ken Huntington’s incredible 35 years with us. It’s people like you who make this place what it is.

I know the weather has been a challenge lately, but don’t let it get you down. We’re still having a great year, and we’re in a perfect spot to take advantage of the rest of the year.

As we gear up for the heart of the season, a quick reminder to take care of yourselves and each other. That means staying safe on the job, but also speaking up if something’s off—physically or mentally. Keep the communication going so we can deal with challenges early and keep things running strong.

Thanks again for all your effort, your grit, and your commitment to doing things the right way. Let’s keep pushing.

Cautiously Optimistic

Year-to-date, our Revenue is up 19% and Net Income has nearly tripled compared to last year, which is a great headline! However, May brought a bit of a slowdown. We were trending 25% up in Revenue, but that has since pulled back to 19%. If not for the Strong Winter Sales and our Project work,  Revenue would be up 1.5% and Net Income would be significantly lower than last year, about one and a half times worse.

Let’s start with what needs attention:

• Store Margins are down 1%
  • Without the Winter Sales, they would be down 12%
  • Mulch sales and margins are down 7%
• Production Margins are down 50%
  • Mulch sales are down 8%
  • Tipping revenue is down 24%
  • Operating Cost are up 9%

On the bright side, our wins continue to shine:

• Winter Sales are nearly triple year-over-year
• Organics Sales are up 40%
• Delivery Revenue is up 41% (mostly project-driven)
• Contract Revenue is up 72%, fueled by:
  • Conneaut +55%
  • Cliffs +75%
  • NEORSD -50%
  • Port of Cleveland -12%

Overall, we remain 13% ahead of budget on Revenue and almost three times better on Net Income, which is fantastic progress! Still it is important that the pace of these gains are slowing.

June has been impacted by the rain as well, but we are still well-positioned to finish strong and set the stage for a solid 2025.

Let’s keep pushing. Great work and let’s close out the first half strong!

Earlier this month the US Army Corps of Engineers decided to move forward with a large dredging project on the Grand River. Instead of just doing their normal maintenance dredging they are utilizing congressionally delegated funds, spearheaded by Congressman Joyce R Ohio, where $35 Mil will be spent on additional dredging activities for the Grand River in Lake County. The purpose of this project is to catchup on backlogged dredging activities and deepen the navigation harbor. This project commencement was the result of years of work and negotiations between Kurtz Bros and our partners at the Lake Development Authority. The funds will be used over a three year period where in total 800k yards of dredged river sediment will come to the Kurtz Sediment Recycling Facility in Painesville. This is a huge win for the company, those that rely on the Grand River, and the State.

June & July Outlook: Catching Up and Pushing Ahead

After an unusually rainy May, June and July are shaping up to be busy months—offering a great opportunity to make up for lost time and sales. While our Commercial Landscapers and Sitework customers experienced delays, those rain days are now turning into extra workdays as everyone rushes to catch up. We’re already seeing increased interest in late-night and weekend deliveries to meet the demand.

Despite the weather challenges, we still managed a solid May on several key projects. While rain was a nuisance, it didn’t cause major disruptions. Soil deliveries remained strong, and mulch sales, though sporadic, stayed steady.

Specialty Soils Set Us Apart
Once again, our Bio Retention and CU Structural Soils continue to set us apart as the go-to vendor for engineers, owners, and contractors. These specialty products help us rise above the competition, and large-scale projects are set to ship throughout July and well into the fall.

Distributor Growth & Market Reach
Many of our distributors saw slower sales due to wet weather, but overall, ordering remained consistent. We’re also excited to have added two new distributors this year—both have praised our service and product quality, helping us expand our market presence.

Slinger Services on the Rise
Slinger projects are gaining traction—providing our customers with huge labor savings by getting material (especially soil) placed quickly and efficiently. With our broker based in Bedford and now supporting a Wadsworth location, we’re seeing increased demand across the Akron/Canton area. If you see any slinger opportunities, don’t hesitate to reach out to the sales team for help with quotes!

Infield Mix & Playground Mulch Demand
We’re seeing a steady flow of inquiries for Infield Mix and Playground Mulch. Whether large or small, we’re delivering great results on every project. Again, let the sales team assist as needed to ensure accuracy and support.

Active Projects Include:

• Mormon Church – Independence
• North Olmsted Civic Center
• Heatherstone – Painesville
• Akron Rubber City Improvements
• Hudson Citywide Landscape Repairs
• Canton Hall of Fame Soils
• NASA – New Buildings
• Davey Tree Addition – Kent

These are just a few of the exciting jobs currently underway.

Customer Service Remains #1
At the heart of it all is exceptional customer service and strong relationships. No construction material question is too big—or too unfamiliar. If a CSR encounters a request they’re unsure about, send it to the sales team. We’re here to help.

“A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all.” Let’s keep building trust, providing quality, and staying ready for what’s next!

Yard Update: June in Full Swing!

Here’s a quick look at what’s happening across our sites as we power through the season:

• Bridgeview – The team is in full production mode with grinding, screening, coloring, and topsoil manufacturing all underway.
• North Canton – Similar story here—grinding, screening, and coloring are in motion, along with soil production to keep up with demand.
• CDF – We’re currently tackling a project for Ryba and screening high-quality topsoil to support ongoing sitework.
• Hudson – Focused on screening operations to keep topsoil moving and ready for delivery.
• Avon – Grinding, screening, coloring, and producing topsoil—keeping the momentum strong and the materials flowing.
• Warner Road – Wrapping up slag deliveries from Cliff’s. This project is nearing completion and went smoothly.

Thanks to every team for staying on top of production—it’s your hard work that keeps our yards running efficiently and our customers satisfied!

As we wrap up a wet and unpredictable spring, the transportation team has continued to perform at a high level. Haul rates at the Cliffs project held strong, even with a recent change in loading locations, and we’ve now moved over 120,000 tons. We’re expecting to complete the project in the first or second week of July. Across the board, we’ve handled a total of 25,759 loads year-to-date, including 8,131 singles, 17,630 commercial, and 6,833 store loads. We’ve also welcomed a new part-time seasonal dispatcher, Jenna Paratore, who’s already helping manage morning call volume and same-day dispatching. She brings a solid background in customer service and office management, and we’re excited to have her on board.

JUNE UPDATES:
June brings enthusiasm and promise! Here’s a summary of the key updates and highlights:

Key Performance Metrics and Contest Updates
Manager Swaps are in full motion. Managers sharing leadership energy in various areas, while spending the day at assigned locations.

We’re currently running two contests:
 
Bagged Mulch Sales Contest
The store that sells the most bags in June, will get to spin the Prize Wheel. (Fan Favorite!)

Single Axle Full Loads Sales Contest for CSRs (Front-runner alert! Virginia Johnson from Hudson is leading the charge.)

Mid-Season Tests for Loaders and CSRs have been completed and reviewed. Shoutout to the trainers and managers for crafting such high-quality submissions!

Operational Changes
Extended Hours Adjustment:

• Weekday store hours will continue until 6 PM, and Saturday hours have also been extended through July.
• The last Sunday open will be June 29th.
• We will be CLOSED July 4^th to celebrate AMERICA!
• Limited hours on Saturday July 5^th— Open 8am-12pm. 

Promotions and Customer Engagement
Are you working on your landscape? We’re offering amazing deals on Clearance Patio Stone and Bagged Mulch to help you get started. Don’t miss out!
Customer Appreciation Success:
National Donut Day was celebrated with a bang, bringing smiles (and donuts) to our valued customers. Thank you to everyone who participated customers.

New Customer Acquisition and Sales Achievements
Overall Progress:
 
Garfield is leading the charge in New Customer Acquisition at 62% of their store goal, with all stores at 53% overall.
 
Category goal leaders include:

• Soil –North Canton 56%
• Mulch –Hudson 58%
• Hardscape –Garfield 59%
• Miscellaneous –Willowick 50%
• Natural Stone –Willowick 80%

Dormant Customer Outreach Success:
 
Despite rain, efforts yielded 325 orders totaling $102,999 in sales. Extraordinary work!
A special shoutout to Debbie Caudill from Avon for logging the most orders (30). She earned herself 4 Club Seat tickets to an upcoming Guardians game. Congratulations Debbie and enjoy the game!

Closing Notes
May was a testament to teamwork, resilience, and dedication from everyone. Here’s to keeping the momentum strong as we charge into the second half of the year! Don’t forget to check out those landscape deals. 👏

Keep up the fantastic work and see you in July! 🎉

Have you spotted our new billboard on I-480 yet? If not, check it out in the image below — we’re thrilled with how it turned out!

This year’s weather has been quite the anomaly. After a very wet spring, we’ve quickly transitioned into the intense heat of summer. Unsurprisingly, this shift has impacted retail traffic and sales. But rest assured, our team is working hard to recover every sale possible. Starting next week, we’re rolling out some aggressive promotions designed to re-engage customers and boost store activity.

A big shoutout to our store teams for staying persistent and creative in closing sales — your efforts do not go unnoticed! We’ve also heard from our peers in the industry that they’re seeing similar retail slowdowns, so we’re all navigating these challenges together.

And finally, we’ve got something exciting brewing behind the scenes — a full website rebuild is in the works! Stay tuned over the coming months as we share more about the new design, improved features, and what it means for both our team and our customers.

❓Do you know the “7/3 Rule”?  It is a Mel Kurtz concept that he often repeated.  He believed all customers should be greeted within 7 STEPS of the door or 3 RINGS on the phone.  Following this rule is how we have maintained our highest level of customer service standards and outshined our competition.  Keep it up! 

🎓 Employee Spotlights & Celebrations – We want to celebrate YOU! Don’t forget to submit your family celebration photos to share in our Employee Corner!  Submit photos to hr@kurtz-bros.com 

📍 All training materials and SOPs are available in SharePoint.  If you need a refresher on product details, have a question, or are not sure how to do something in the system – you can reference the training and SOPs!

⚠️ Scam and phishing e-mails continue to be rampant!  Stay vigilant with e-mail safety! Be sure you are double checking the e-mail address (not just the display name), watch for spelling errors, and do not open any attachments or click on links unless you know the sender is safe.  All Kurtz Bros HR communications will come directly from a Kurtz-Bros.com e-mail address. 

💲Oswald Financial is our new partner and advisor for the 401k plan.  One of the many great resources they offer includes free education and access to Money Coaches.  You can talk to them about more than just retirement plans! Check out this flyer on their webinar and online library.  It includes recordings of past events, and other small information bites.  Everything in the flyer is a CLICKABLE link and will take you right to the resource you want.  Stay tuned for more information on their other FREE resources.  

💲Career Center

• We are always searching for great team members and updating our open positions in our ADP Career Center. 
• View the career center and current openings, and share the link with others!  If you refer an employee who is hired, YOU can get a referral bonus!