APRIL 2026

April is when things start to come to life.

After a challenging start to the year, it is great to see the shift happening across our business. Yards are busy, trucks are moving, phones are ringing, and customers are back in full swing. You can feel the momentum building.

There is no question that Q1 put us behind. Weather, salt shortages, and slower overall demand created a difficult start. But we knew that was a possibility, and more importantly, we prepared for it. What stands out to me is that we did not let that slow us down. We used that time to get ready. And now it is showing.

Operations is producing at a high level. Transportation is on pace for one of its strongest months in years. Stores are open, staffed, and performing with great energy and strong early results. Sales has projects underway and more lined up. Marketing is driving traffic and building awareness while continuing to improve our new website platform. Across the board, teams are executing.

We have also taken a couple of important steps recently to better manage costs and position the business for long term success. The implementation of our credit card fee has already started to shift customer behavior, with more payments moving to ACH. This is a meaningful change that helps reduce a significant expense for the company, and it is encouraging to see early adoption.

In addition, we are preparing to implement a fuel surcharge. Over the past two months, we have absorbed unusually high fuel costs, and it has reached a point where we need to create some balance. Our intent is for this to be temporary, and we will be reviewing it on a weekly basis as conditions change.

These are not always easy decisions, but they are necessary to keep us strong and positioned for the long term.

We have ground to make up, and the opportunity is right in front of us. It is now about executing at a high level, staying consistent, and making the most of the season ahead.

The season is here. The momentum is building. Let’s keep pushing and make the most of it.

1^st Quarter Update

March continued to trend with another unprofitable month. 

Weather conditions have been unfavorable, and sales remain slow.  Year-to-date, revenue is down 30% and our Q1 loss is double where we were this time last year.

Q1 Summary:

• Product Sales: down 36%
  • Winter Products: down 60%
  • All Other Product Lines: down 20%
• Service Revenue:
  • Contract Revenue: down 49%
  • All Other Service Revenue: down 16%

Our current 2026 projections still show us overcoming the first quarter deficit and remaining profitable for the year, but it will require strong execution through the upcoming season.

Starting this past month, Kurtz, picked up a new sediment beneficial reuse project with a private company in Erie Pennsylvania. While not as large as some of our federal navigation channel dredging projects Kurtz continues to grow and expand the reach of the sediment beneficial reuse business. This project will help support Carmeuse Lime and Stone, a national aggregate supply business, with their dock in Erie PA. The sediment will be brought back to Ohio where it will be reused in a multitude of applications. While Ohio has the largest amount of federal navigation channel dredging in the entire Great Lakes there are opportunities at other Great Lakes ports and harbors for the sediment beneficial reuse services that we provide.  

April Momentum: Time to Kick It Up

Now is the time to kick it up. Transportation and Production are fully ramped and ready to go—and so are our customers.

April weather always brings its share of starts and stops, and with that comes constant changes in plans. That’s where we stand out. Our ability to stay flexible, respond quickly, and deliver outstanding service makes us the go-to partner when our customers need solutions they can count on.

Distributors, commercial landscapers, and sitework contractors are already moving forward with large projects, and soils are moving fast. Specialty products like Bio Retention and CU Structural Soil continue to play a major role in our growth, reinforcing our position as leaders in soil production.

Current Projects:

• Cleveland Clinic
• New Cavs Facility
• Bunts Rd – Lakewood
• N. Marginal Rd
• Main Street – Akron
• Metroparks – Cleveland Zoo
• Saline – E. 55th St
• Irish Town Bend
• Cleveland Memorial Gardens
• ODOT – Rt 480 Ramps at Ridge Rd

We’re also proud to share that we’ve begun a new two-year contract with Cleveland Metroparks for soil supply, and The Federal Reserve has renewed our agreement to recycle and compost shredded currency for another three years.

With strong momentum and exciting opportunities ahead, this is our time to show the construction industry exactly why we’re the best at what we do. Stay focused, stay responsive, and remember the ABCs of Sales—Always Be Closing.

Operations Update

• CDF – Excavation of chutes is nearing completion, currently producing topsoil.
• Bridgeview – Producing soil while also grinding, screening, and coloring mulch.
• Avon – Grinding and coloring mulch.
• North Canton – Producing soil and coloring mulch.
• Hudson – Producing soil and coloring mulch.

Challenges

Since being placed into service, the new grinder has experienced persistent and widespread failures impacting critical systems, structural components, and overall operability. Despite repeated repair efforts, multiple component replacements, and prior commitments to resolve these issues, the unit continues to fail at an unacceptable rate. It has not performed as a reliable piece of equipment at any point since commissioning.

Given the ongoing issues and lack of sustained resolution, we are actively evaluating alternative solutions.

Transportation has been running full speed this April, delivering over 3,800 shipments so far—and with a few days still left in the month, we’re on track to break the 4,000 mark! That would put us ahead of the last several years and is a huge accomplishment for the team.

Thank you to everyone for the hard work, flexibility, and commitment that keeps our trucks moving and our customers taken care of. We’re carrying this momentum into May and are excited for what’s ahead!

🌟 Store Updates & Big Wins 🌟

We’re excited to celebrate some standout achievements in store appearance this season:

🏆 Store Appearance Winner: Broadview Heights (our newest store!) — setting the standard right out of the gate!
🧱 Most Improved Brickyard: Valley View — what an incredible transformation!

👏 A big THANK YOU to our judges for the store appearance contest: Karen, Tiffany, Brandy, and Maria — we appreciate your time and effort!

Both teams will receive a plaque to proudly display 🏅 plus an off-site team event to celebrate—well deserved!

And here’s a big early-season win… thanks to cooperative weather ☀️, we opened two Saturdays ahead of schedule! We’re now running at full seasonal hours, with our first Sunday opening on 4/26. Let’s go!! 🚀

🎯 April Performance Highlights

Our April Bag Contest is on fire 🔥:

🥇 Production Leader: North Canton with a HUGE 839 bags sold
🥇 Non-Production Leader: Strongsville with 259 bags sold
📦 Total Bags Sold (as of 4/22): 1,912

Amazing momentum—keep it going, teams! 💪

☎️ Our answer rate continues to climb! The goal is 95%, and Akron is leading the charge at an impressive 97.1% 👏
📊 Overall store average: 94% — we’re SO close… let’s push it over the top!

Staffing can be tough with the seasonal swings, but we continue to adapt, support each other, and get it done 💯 That perseverance is what makes this team strong!

🎉 Events & What’s Ahead

Our Broadview Heights Open House was a huge success! 🙌
Great turnout, awesome vendors, and a HUGE shoutout to Paula for lining up an amazing food truck 🚚🍔—it was a hit!

Next up… mark your calendars 🗓️
🌿 Willowick Open House (New & Improved!)
📅 June 11th

Everyone is encouraged to attend—don’t miss it! It’s going to be another great event 🎈

April has brought a strong shift in momentum as we move further into the spring season. After a slower and unpredictable start in March, retail sales are now booming, and it’s great to see the yards busy and customers back in full swing.

Our new website platform is also starting to show its impact. While we are still working through a few kinks, we are already seeing growth and strong engagement from both retail and commercial customers. We will continue fine tuning functionality, improving the user experience, and expanding product offerings as we move through the season.

I also want to take a moment to thank our store teams. This spring has come with a lot of moving parts, and I know there were times things did not get out as quickly as we would have liked. Your patience, support, and positive attitudes have made a big difference. We truly have a great team, and it does not go unnoticed.

As we look ahead, we are excited to expand our marketing presence this season. You will start to see Kurtz Bros. featured in Scene Magazine’s “Spring into CLE” edition in the Garden Ready section, as well as in Cleveland Magazine’s upcoming Landscape Ohio issue, which highlights the Ohio Landscape Association and its members. These placements will help continue building awareness across both homeowner and contractor audiences.

Our 2026 billboard is currently in production, and we are excited to share a teaser below. Looking forward to seeing it out in the market soon.

Thank you all for the continued hard work as we head into the busiest part of the season.

Town Halls

Thank you for all of your engagement during our March Town Hall / Season Kick Off! Missed our town hall?  Watch the recording, right from The Dirt! 

Go to: Employee Feature > Meetings + Town Halls 

Employee Focus Groups

We truly value your input on how we can continue to improve and strengthen our workplace. Stay on the lookout for an invitation to participate in employee focus groups!

Benefit Reminder

Many elective, scheduled outpatient procedures can be safely performed outside of a hospital setting, and at a significantly lower cost….up to 40% less! Examples of procedures that can be performed outside the hospital include imaging tests (MRIs and CT scans), diagnostic tests (echocardiograms and cardiac stress tests), and low-acuity procedures (colonoscopies, breast biopsies, and arthroscopies).

Utilize Valenz (formerly KISx) and you will pay $0 out of pocket* 

The Nurse Navigators will help you through the entire process, including scheduling your appointment for you. 

*HSA Plan process varies 

Call, schedule, save – for smarter, better, faster healthcare!
(877) 438-5479

Refer & Earn

We are still searching for great team members to join our stores, especially Store Loaders!  Know someone who would be a good fit?  Refer them and earn up to $500!

Around KB

We are looking for more submissions for the Around KB!  We want to highlight our employees outside of work.  Send your pictures or updates to hr@kurtz-bros.com.

The next 2 submissions will receive a surprise number of points in People are Everything! 

Check out this month’s Helping You, a guide from UMR: