SEPTEMBER 2025

Hey Team,

As we close out September, I couldn’t be prouder of the momentum we’ve built this year. We continue to see strong results across the board, and it’s clear that the hard work everyone is putting in, whether on projects, in our stores, in logistics, or in operations, is paying off in a big way.

The Grand River dredge has been a standout, and our stores have already surpassed some major goals. These wins, combined with steady performance throughout the business, have us in a great position as we move into the fall and winter seasons. On top of that, we’re thrilled to officially announce our new Broadview Heights location, an exciting step forward as we continue to grow and serve new communities.

I also want to congratulate Crystal Poole, Brandon Wood, and Don Greene on stepping into new leadership opportunities. Growth like this shows the strength of our team and the bright future ahead.

As we head into the last quarter of the year, let’s stay focused, keep supporting each other, and keep communicating. We’ve set ourselves up for a strong finish to 2025—now it’s about finishing the job together.

Thanks for all you do every day.

August Performance: Momentum Continues!

Through August, we are having an outstanding year.

• YTD Sales are up 30%
• Gross Margins are up 50%
• Gross Margin % is up 4 points
• Bottom Line has more than doubled

Once again, Projects are championing our success.  A huge driver for August has been the Grand River dredge; with both Revenue and Net Income running at more than triple last year’s levels.

Store, Production and Transportation continue to do well, with steady results and no changes from last month’s update.

As we enter the fall and winter months, we expect some losses for the remainder of the year.  Our projections are stronger than last year, but even if results mirror 2024, we remain on track to finish more than double last year’s performance.

This performance is the direct result of the focus, effort and dedication everyone continues to bring every day.  We’ve built incredible momentum, let’s keep it going strong into the final stretch of Q3!

No Submission.

🍂 Fall Updates from the KB Sales Team

Fall is one of the most beautiful times of year in our region—the changing leaves and crisp air make for a stunning backdrop to all the work happening across our yards, projects, and customer sites. But while we enjoy the season, we’re also reminded that winter is on its way. That means wrapping up landscape projects and pushing forward on construction jobs scheduled for 2025 completion.

The sales team has been hard at work with orders and quotes to close out the year strong. Summer rain delays slowed many projects, which is now creating a very busy fall season. Our distributors are also active, with soil for fall planting leading the way as the most in-demand product. As always, KB remains the leader in soil sales—our customers know they can count on us for consistent quality and reliable service, with no risk of running out.

Specialty soils continue to set us apart in the supply chain. Current highlights include CU Structural Soil projects in downtown Akron and Cleveland, as well as major Bio Retention soil projects in Richfield, North Olmsted, and Green.

🌟 Current Projects:

• Bedford Schools – Stone and Soils
• Parma Library – All Purpose and Super Soil
• I-90 Cleveland – State Spec Soils
• Middleburg Heights – Chips Removal
• Cleveland Heights – Playground Mulch
• Green Middle School – RCA and Soils
• Independence – The Temple, Soils
• Sagamore Hills – Greyfox Subdivision Soils and RCA
• ODOT Rt. 82 at I-77 – KB Special Mix of Compost & Nutriblend

Salt season is also ahead of us, with many new customers requesting quotes after last year’s shortages. While we’re always open to new business, protecting our existing customer base remains our top priority.

Looking ahead, the sales team is focused on expanding our governmental customer network—including cities, counties, metro parks, and schools. We’re actively building bid lists, contact databases, and departmental outreach tools to better market KB products and services.

💡 Sales Reminder: Always listen to what the customer is asking and tailor your response to meet that request.

And remember: Nothing happens until somebody sells something.

September Operations Update

Our production teams have been hard at work across all locations, keeping production strong and preparing for the seasons ahead:

• Avon – Screening compost and producing high-quality soil to meet customer demand.
• Broadview Heights – Hauled 8,500 yards of wood chips to Bridgeview, kicked off grinding operations, and transferred additional material to Bridgeview.
• Hudson – Continuing steady soil production to keep supply moving.
• CDF – Producing soil while nearing the finish line on the chute excavation project.
• Big4 – Began production of the winter blend to get ahead of seasonal needs.
• Bridgeview – Receiving material from Broadview, running first-grind operations, and keeping soil production on track.

Each site is playing a vital role in keeping projects moving and customers supplied as we transition into the fall season.

Since our last update, Transportation has moved 4,234 loads, keeping the fleet rolling strong. Highlights include 280+ loads hauled from the new Broadview Heights stockpile in just a few weeks, and 4,543 loads YTD moved from CDF into Bridgeview and Avon to support next year’s topsoil production. Our ongoing partnerships continue to shine, with Green Rock: 456 loads YTD, KB Bio Energy: 680 loads YTD, and Urban Organics: 209 loads YTD. Behind the scenes, we’re also completing several major equipment repairs to ensure our fleet is ready to tackle 2026 at full strength.

Things Are Happening!

We’re always looking for ways to improve the experience with us, and we have some fantastic news to share. Major upgrades are underway, especially for our valued customers in Willowick!

A Brand-New Space for Willowick

In just a few weeks, our location will be receiving a brand-new building. This expansion is a huge step forward for us, and we couldn’t be more excited to share the news.

• More Products on Display: With a larger showroom, we’ll have more room to showcase the products and experience an even wider selection of our inventory up close.
• Improved Availability: Better storage capabilities mean we can keep more items in stock. This will help us get customers what they need, faster.

MORE Exciting News: We’re Expanding!

Get ready, Broadview Heights! We are thrilled to announce that we are opening a new location. We are working hard to get the site fully operational for Spring 2026.

There has been a lot of interest from the community, and we’re excited to become a part of it. While we prep the new site, we will continue to accept yard waste and leaves.

A Mid-Year Update on Our 2025 Goals!

We’re checking in on our 2025 goals and are excited to share the progress we’ve made. It’s been a year of big wins and we’re feeling optimistic about what’s ahead.

We have officially reached our NEW CUSTOMER GOAL for the year! Exceeding our goal of $1,055,000

 We’re also thrilled to report that our stores are incredibly close to hitting their product goals, which includes, Soil, Misc, Pick Row /Natural Stone, and Hardscape products.

While we celebrate these successes, this year, the spring weather had other plans, and unfortunately, we will not hit our mulch goal at any of our stores.

Back in Stock & Winter Prep

• Maylan Black Deco Stone is Back!
  The highly sought-after Maylan Black Deco Stone is back in stock and selling like crazy! We have sold 60 tons since restocking in Mid August!!
• Gearing Up for Winter!
  We are ready for whatever winter throws our way. Our stock of Meltaway has arrived, and we are just waiting for the Bagged Salt purchase orders to be released. Rest assured, we’ll be fully equipped to handle the winter!!

Movers and Shakers

As we continue to grow and evolve the business, we are excited to share some changes to our teams!

Crystal Poole has been selected as Market Manager of Valley View. Crystal joined Kurtz Bros. in February 2023, working at our North Canton location in a multitude of roles.  Crystal’s background in marketing and sales, combined with her talent for building strong customer relationships and fostering a positive team environment, sets her up for success in this new role.

Brandon Wood has been selected as Market Manager for our new Broadview Heights location.  Brandon joined Kurtz Bros. in March 2024 as a Store Loader at our Garfield store, and was named Store Lead in February 2025. On October 1st, he will step into his new role at the Broadview Heights location, where he will focus on site preparation to start. Over the winter, Brandon will spend time training in North Canton to further expand his knowledge and prepare for the busy season ahead.

Donald Greene is joining the team as Assistant Manager in Avon.  Don brings a wealth of experience in retail and management, including merchandising, sales, customer service and training.  Don will spend time training in North Canton before joining the team in Avon.

Please join us congratulating and welcoming Crystal, Brandon and Don in their new roles!  We are confident that these changes will continue to drive growth and success for all of Kurtz Bros.!  

The Marketing team is keeping busy this fall! Work continues on the website rebuild, with an estimated launch in mid-January 2026. As we head into the colder months, our active marketing campaigns are winding down, and the focus is shifting toward building out the strategy for 2026.

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for a survey—we’ll be asking for your honest input and feedback on our brands to help shape the year ahead.

October is also full of fun events!

• October 9: Chili & Cider Day at our store—our final customer appreciation event of the year.
• October 18: Fright Night Bonfire.
• October 31: Bring Your Pet to Work Day and the submission deadline for our Pumpkin Contest (more details to come).

And lastly, but certainly not least—Spooky Saturdays are back! Store locations are welcome to wear Halloween-inspired shirts on Saturdays to celebrate the season and have a little fun. Please remember: shirts must be work-appropriate (no foul language, inappropriate images, or anything gory). This applies to shirts only—appropriate bottoms must still follow our uniform policy (NO LEGGINGS!).

Spooky season is officially here—let’s make it a memorable one! 🎃👻

🎃Save the Date – Fright Night is Saturday, October 18th! 

Wear your costumes and join us for a bonfire, food and drinks!  

👟 Wellness Month Step Challenge

Get ready for Wellness October by registering for the 2025 Step Challenge!  Use the QR code or the link below to register. 

Can you hit at least 5,000 steps per day? 

The challenge starts on October 1^st but you can register beforehand! 

Download the mobile app and connect your fitness tracker so your steps automatically update!  

https://www.challengerunner.com/enroll/3ea4hd-536y

💲Road to Retirement Readiness

Learn how to pursue financial security with savings strategies tailored to your age and life stage.  View the checklist to see what you should consider in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, helping you balance short-term goals with long-term financial planning. 

Prefer to watch a webinar?  Watch the 2025 Webinars On Demand here: https://www.oswaldfinancial.com/coachingcorner/

💵Oswald Money Coaches

You have goals, dreams, and a vision for how you want to live in retirement, all of which require exceptional money management. Have confidence. Oswald’s money coaches are on your team! Money coaches are available to our employees as part of our 401k services.  They can help you with goals beyond saving for retirement.  Take advantage of this amazing perk today! 

Schedule FREE Appointment with a Money Coach

ℹ️✅ Did you move? Get a new e-mail address? Be sure to keep your information up to date in ADP! This is our master source for all employee communications! 

As always, if you have questions, need support or have an idea, reach out to HR.