From Gut Feel to Actionable Insight: How Level Green Is Using Data to Drive Accountability

As shared at the 2025 Lawn & Landscape Tech Conference

In landscape operations, gut feel can take you pretty far — especially when you’re small. But as your business grows, the complexity grows with it. Suddenly, you’re making high-stakes decisions several steps removed from the field. That’s where data becomes your competitive edge.
This was the message from Marion Delano, Director of Marketing and Technology at Level Green Landscaping, during his presentation at the Lawn & Landscape Tech Conference.
His talk wasn’t about dashboards for dashboard’s sake. It was about culture. Accountability. And how BomData helps turn that culture into something measurable, repeatable, and visible.

The Ventrac Analogy: The Software Problem in Disguise

Marion shared a story many landscape professionals immediately related to: His team had invested in a powerful new piece of equipment — a $50,000 Ventrac mower — specifically to increase efficiency on large municipal jobs with lots of edging.
And yet…

“We picked up a major account, handed the mower to a new manager, and gave him no training or expectations. So he didn’t use it. The mower sat idle, and we got terrible results on edging.”

It’s a surprisingly common pattern: buying something that could make your life easier, and then letting it collect dust. Marion used the story to tee up a powerful comparison:

“We’d never tolerate a $50K mower going unused. But we do it all the time with software.”

If your data tools aren’t embedded into your daily operations — if they’re not being used, understood, and trusted — they’re just expensive machinery sitting in a virtual garage.

From Overlooked Dashboards to Operational Insight

Level Green’s early dashboards were technically “live” — but not making an impact.

“We assumed just turning on dashboards would make us better. But it didn’t — not at first. People weren’t using them. Or they weren’t interpreting them correctly.”

The team realized they didn’t just need access to data, they needed systems that translate data into decisions.

The 90-Day Framework That Changed the Culture

The real shift came from structure, not software alone. Marion outlined a multi-layered approach that now defines how Level Green uses BomData to drive accountability.

• Daily + weekly emails keep the most important metrics top of mind.
• Weekly leadership meetings focus on high-impact action, where crews are struggling, what jobs need a visit.
• Monthly reviews step back to examine patterns, planning, and property-level insights.
• And importantly, the field teams are included, not just the execs.

Results: A Culture of Accountability

Since implementing this rhythm, the cultural shift at Level Green is real. Dashboards are discussed. Crews talk about efficiency. And everyone knows what “good” looks like.

• Crew leaders ask: “Is this the efficient thing to do?”
• OMs are coaching with clarity, using real data.
• Metrics are no longer “just for leadership.” They’re part of daily decisions.

“The goal isn’t perfect data. It’s a culture where you’re asking better questions and taking action.” 

Lessons Learned

Through the culture shift, Level Green’s leadership team learned some lessons that could help make other landscapers’ transition smoother:

• You need buy-in before rollout. Culture has to come first.
• Gamification matters. Rewarding the “most improved crew” sparked more engagement than rewarding the same top crew every week.
• Start with one metric. Complexity kills momentum. Simplicity scales.

What’s Next?

Marion shared that Level Green is already using off-season time to clean up estimates, adjust property pricing, and improve next year’s contracts — all informed by what BomData has surfaced.
If you’re a growing landscape company and you’ve invested in tools like Aspire but aren’t getting full value from your data, this is your roadmap.