May 10, 2025 • 46 mins
Full show from the Donovan & Jorgenson Heating & Cooling Studio: Saturday, May 10th, 2025
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome into the Creative Construction of Wisconsin home Improvement show
on Fox Sports ninet twenty and your iHeartRadio app coming
live from the Donovan and Jorgensen Heating and Cooling Studios.
Want to thank those guys Donovan Jorgenson Heating Cooling. So
they came out and saved us a bunch of money.
Our dryer wasn't working and they cleaned out the vent
(00:21):
and the things working like a million bucks. Want to
thank everybody over at Donovan Jorgenson Heating Cooling. I am
Mike McGivern alongside my co hosts. Did you miss me
Bingo Emas Uh No, Wow, I love him because he's
so honest.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Well, you know, it was actually good because the subject
we had was actually about you.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Yeah. Well, I did get a text from a buddy saying,
I know why you're not in the studio, and I
said why. He said, they're talking mental health and you
didn't want to be a part of that because you
need it more than anybody I know. And I was like, man,
that's hurtful, that's hurtful. I listened to a part of
the show when I was in San Diego and coming
up in fact, coming up the next hours on my
(01:01):
Varsity Blitz high school sports show. We're making a little
bit of a change for today's show. We're going to
talk two hours on this US Marine Educated workshop thing
that I went through. This it was kind of a
Marine's boot camp thing, and we've got a bunch of
people coming in that were involved in it. And I
can't wait to tell the story because it was an
incredible week for me in San Diego. But I was
(01:23):
packing ready to get to the airport and do that
and caught part of the show, and I thought, you
guys did a really good job of talking about mental
health and and identifying some issues that I think that
that not only people in just the general public, but
people in trades need to understand that. You know, back
(01:44):
in the day, it rubbed some dirt on it. I forget
about it, I know.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
And then you know, Cathy did a great job because
she was really she was on because the show, what's
all the free help that's available for people that you know,
don't wait so it's too late, you know, Like Zach
had a great saying it was like a mic drop saying,
you know, I mean go to your funeral. I mean
I'd rather rather you cry on my shoulder than go
to your funeral hundred percent. Yeah, So I mean it really,
(02:06):
it was a really good show.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
I have a really good friend of mine, Donna is
their first name, and years ago, when her daughter was
in high school, somebody in the high school had committed suicide,
and I asked her if you had conversations with your
daughter about this, and she goes, I have, and she
had the best line. She goes, Mom, I would never
do that because I would miss myself too much. And
I thought, there you go, fifteen year old gal being
(02:31):
able to have that in her head, like, look, I
would that is not anything I would ever do. And
I just ask people and I tell people a lot.
In fact, I was playing golf with my friend Brian
yesterday talking about the show you guys did, and I said, look,
if you ever get to that point, come to me,
come by me, and I'll put my arm around you
will talk about it. And I said, and he goes, yeah,
(02:53):
and the same with you. If you get that way,
just come to me. And I just think that that
show you guys did last week, a lot of people
heard it, and I think you guys did a great job.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, it was great. Yeah, and you know Zach and
I mean Zach and you know, and Aaron did a
great job. Yeah with the it was this. It was
a really good thing. So you know, May is mental
you know, Mental Health Awareness month, right, you know, we'll
have to do it again next next year.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Hey do you think that? And we had this conversation
some of the groups that you're with are now after
that show can at least start to address that.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
And I think that that's actually a Narry has actually
got an ex boll coming up in November and that's
one of the subjects there. It's gonna it definitely, it's
gonna be one of the one hour sessions. You know,
it could be a two hour session, but I don't
know exactly the size of a session that they're going
to do it, but there are going to do it
next November for them.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I think that that's really important. So today's show and
this is gonna be interesting me because he's a Walkershaw
South grat talking Julian Schwartz in high school of basketball
and we could just do that for the whole hour
if Adam Locke would like to do that. He's with
Lurvy Landscape supply and he used the outside sales and
field support rep for them. Adam, it's nice to meet you.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
How you Ben great? Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
You still hit a jump shot? By the way, Can
you hit a jumper?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Oh it's been a while. I think I can.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Yeah, I don't play as much basketball as I used to,
but it sure was a fun playing on JV when
Julian was a senior, so.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Well, he was something. He was one of the better
high school basketball players ever come out of this area.
And he was on my high school show a couple
of times. Him and his older brother Billy, and we
talked a lot about Bill hit their dad, and how
he was just a fundamental guy, right, he just triple
threat and put the ball down before you take the step,
(04:41):
and how to set a pick out of shade of
all of that. And I learned a lot from coaching
with a guy that played. Brian staffelt underneath him and
coached with him, and I think the world of that
Schwortz family.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Yeah, Bill was an amazing teacher. He was my sixth
grade teacher at Randall Elementary and in Waukeshaw went to
the Dick Luther basketball camps.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Oh my goodness. So I've got you know what. Thank
you for mentioning Dick Luther because I got to get
him in studio. I talked to him. He's in more
gyms than I am. He's still a gym rat by
the way. Yeah, yeah, he's.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
And beyond basketball, just good human beings.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Great guy. Hey, let's talk a little bit about about
Leurvy landscape. Supply you guys have moved into this area.
I think you've been here a year, a year and
a half something like that in Sussex.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Yeah, So the Leurvy acquired the Rockstone a landscape at
the beginning of last year. The rock had been around
since twenty sixteen. That yard, that location originally opened as
an Edenstone yard back in twenty thirteen. We are a
Wisconsin based company. We got our our roots are in Whitewater,
Wisconsin with our sod farm.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah. I saw that and the sod farm. You don't
hear a lot about him. I have no questions for
you about the side farm, but I'd like to go
see at one time, because it's got to be pretty incredible.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Beautiful grass as far as I can see.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Man, that's awesome. Tell me as an outside sales and
field support guy. Do you deal mostly with contractors? Is
that correct?
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Yes, you personally with contractors.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
And when when people come to the location in Sussex,
tell me a little bit about what they're going to
see and can can consumers come to that location in Sussex.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Yes, we welcome home homeowners. We are built to cater
to contractors. We have extensive outdoor displays, indoor displays. Uh.
The idea is to really come in and be able
to visualize the project. Come in maybe with not a
lot of an idea of what you're trying to do,
and leave with a firm idea of your project and what.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
It's going to look like. Just so you're wondering, what's
the connection between us, because everybody is always a connection
between us and creative construction. Stones they carry, they carry
a lot of a lot of variety of stones, and
they also have stones that don't that aren't made in
the United States, allow of stones too.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
And then they offer all of that, right Bigger, You
and I have had conversations over the last couple of
years about outdoor living space and I know that you
take full advantage of yours at your home, but that
category has just blown up, especially in the state of Wisconsin,
when we can't be outside twelve months a year. So
if you're out there six months, you want outdoor living
(07:23):
to be almost like just another room to your house.
And and I know that that the people over were
Adam works. You guys are a big into outdoor living spaces.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Correct, Yes, And like you said, you know, I think
of the outdoor space as another room of the home.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
And I think it's and they do because they have backyard.
You I mean, you go there, people have TVs, pizza
ovens up, just stuff outside, just tons and tons of
stuff outside. It's not it's not the old you know,
Weber grill anymore.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Right, it's not too little launch hairs and a Weber grill.
It's not something that people are looking for anymore. And
how much, Adam, how much do you get involved with
contractors in different ways that people can enhance their outdoor
living area.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
All the time.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
That's the main projects that we're working on right now
is outdoor living spaces. Homeowners come in and we can coordinate.
I mean, natural stone is our largest product line, So
we start with what's the stone on the house is
going to be, and then we can coordinate that with
the landscape. I've been trying to connect builders with landscapers
(08:31):
because the landscape a lot of times seems to be
an afterthought after the build. The home sits in this
environment and it should coordinate and you know, blend organically
between the out the inside of the house, the X
tier of the home and the environment that it sits in.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Through the mcgiffern Agency, one of my clients is Current
Electric and I've been over there. I go to their
office a lot, and boy do they talk about the
lighting part of it. And the lighting part of of
outdoor living has really blown up. And it's no longer
you put a you know, a couple of lights out
in the yard so that you can see when you're grilling.
It's it's about a curb appeal and it's about you know,
(09:12):
enjoying that space to the best of its ability and safety.
Right when you're walking in it's dark, you want to
be able to see the steps or safety if it's
if it's lighting for for motion sensors to keep your
property safe. But the idea of having that lighting done
in the outdoor living space has really blown up as well.
(09:32):
It's just kind of gone along the side of you know,
no more weber grilling two and two chairs.
Speaker 4 (09:38):
Absolutely, And when you're digging up the ground for a project,
why not run electrical? Why not have that ready to go? Yeah,
we we.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Offer outdoor lighting.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
So we're constantly seeing that being added to projects and
how it's evolved from just simple spotlights to tread lights
under you know, coping lights.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
And you know what's my favorite nothing, Nothing looks better
than all Stuckle home with.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
There he is just that is a p s A
for a creative construction of Wisconsin when it comes to
stucco there they number one. By the way, you met
with You met with the famous McGivern.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Yeah, I met with your brother. He's a really nice guy. Yeah,
what happened to you?
Speaker 1 (10:22):
I missed that class over at Saint Peter and Paul
when they when they when the nuns taught nice.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Now, I always forget how funny he is because he's
always got these old one line he's always yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
He's, well, I'm funnier than he is. I don't know
if you know that a lot of people, if in fact,
nobody's ever told me that, But I just keep telling myself.
Thank you for your help. Are you going to be
able to help them?
Speaker 2 (10:42):
What I'm doing is I'm I'm turning and over to Zac.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Good.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
That's gonna do it. That's perfect because it's in there.
It's like, Okay, I can see what happened. This guy
took it apart. Oops, he doesn't know what.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
To do and he has n't been back, right, yeah,
like like in six weeks or eight weeks, the guy
hasn't called back.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
There's like a couple of drivewall repairs and stuff and
says next to real plaster and just like he took
a song on. Oh, hi, you know what, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
I think I did it right, but now they can't
find him. And so he called me Adam and said,
you know anybody I go, oh yeah, I know the
exact guy. And Bengo was kind enough through Sam to
be able to go over and meet with with my
brother John and Steve and have have them look at
some of that. So thank you for that. I really
appreciate it. Hey, Adam, how long have you been then
(11:28):
with Levy and what'd you do prior to that?
Speaker 4 (11:30):
So I've been with Levy since the Sussex location to
open at the beginning of twenty twenty four, I was
with the rock Stone Landscape. Before that, I was with
a stone company out of Connecticut and they're outside sales
covering the western US Pacific regional. And before that was
with the Wisconsin Quarry for eight years. So I've been
(11:52):
in the stone industry since about twenty thirteen.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yes, yeah, you're you're one of those people, right you
can go look at a stone and pretty much tell
people where it came from.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
I'm a stone nerd.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
I'm one of those people that annoys everybody around me
when I'm walking around a city, identifying the sees of
stones and the textures.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Your repair, especially in old homes and things like this.
You got to find a stone. You can't just go
just go anywhere. You got to get people that know where.
You got to know where to get stone came from.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
The colors don't match, and you got to know somebody
who is a stone geek. And for you to be
able to say that if I told you when you
were a senior at Waksches South that this is what
is your this is the path that your life is
going to be, what would you said to me?
Speaker 4 (12:31):
I would have said, I don't think i'd end up
in stone, but I always had a passion for working
with my hands and working outdoors. I started cutting lawns
at a very young age. I started a lawn maintenance
company as a summer job during college. That turned into
a full time job.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
And then when the.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
Opportunity came to get into the stone industry.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
I had the landscape background.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
My dad's a general contractors, so I had the building
carpentry background, so it was just kind of a fit.
And having all that background knowledge with stone is very valuable.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Do you do you have that gift that you can
see things before it happens. Right if somebody, say a contractor, says, look,
this is what i'm working with, what stone would you recommend?
Are you able to look at pictures or see what
they're working on and be able to see it before
it's done. Because I don't have that, and I think
it's a gift.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
Yeah, And that's what happens with working with a lot
of designers. I work with interior designers, architects. They have
this design in mind, but they don't quite know how
it's going to get there, how they're going to achieve
that look, So that a lot of times that's my
job is how do how do we get that look
that that you're going for?
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Hey, on your website, there is when you go to
resource and you look at product information, and you can
look at video quick takes, and there's a really this
this website gives people a lot of information. And I
really appreciate that a lot because sometimes you know it,
it's kind of hard to get the kind of information
(14:02):
that you want. But boy, you guys do a nice
job on products and services of exactly what you do.
You guys don't do the actual work for people.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Correct, correct, No, we do not do installation.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
So people will come get recommendations, buy the materials, and
then go and do the work on their own. So
the guy that I just talked about, Brian, that I
played golf with yesterday, he's a landscape architect and I've
known We've been best for instance fifth grade, right, I
was best man of his wedding, best man at my wedding,
and so I know him really well. And he was
(14:36):
at my house on eighty eighth in Towns and years
ago and there was a patch that I couldn't grow grass,
and everything I did, I would put sad down. I'd
see it nothing, And I said, what do I do
with this? And he goes, can I have it? And
I go, what do you mean? Can you have it?
He said, can I do whatever I want in your
We lived on the corner, so we wait a lot
of space. And I was like no, and my wife said, yeah,
(14:57):
I go. You know him, you know what's going to
happen here right Well, his house is done and he
wanted another project. Do you know that? People used to say,
this is like the botanical gardens on eighty eighth and
Townshend And what I didn't know, Adam, and I think
you'll agree with this is because of the work it
took for He would come and plant it or make recommendations,
(15:19):
but my job was to keep it up and water
it and trim it and do all that. I didn't
know before he started doing this around my house. How
good that was for my soul to go out after
a tough day at work, go out and water my plants,
have a little music, cut my grass ad you get
the weeds out. And it really was. It was that
(15:40):
time where I could decompress and people would walk to
the park across street with their dogs and they would
walk way out of their way to come by to sea,
and they thought I did all of it, and I didn't.
And I would tell them when my friend's doing this,
and they'd say, well, boy, you know, I do a
lot of this, and I'm wondering, can you ask him
why he chose this to go there? I go, I'll
(16:01):
ask him. And he had an answer for all of
that and what that did for our home and and
how it We sold it fairly quickly because of that landscape,
and it makes such a big difference to people.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
It does it.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
It's really an art form and to be able to
step out into that yard and have it be an
extension of your home and just a relaxing, peaceful space
to unlined after a hard day's work.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Percent you guys, there's also differ different products too, because
some people it happens to me and my trade too.
People they wanted they got Kroub appeal. What does it
looked like from the droll? Does it look like when
people drive by? We look at and people to show
up or and then they want to go to their
backyard and look at look what I got. And that's
people really want. They want to show off what they got.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
One hundred percent. And we when we had the lighting
lady right and and and when I asked her about
is do you find that people are doing more work
in the backyard without door lighting or in front of
the house? She said in front of the house right
now because of the curb appeal aspect of it. And
then once they see how great that is, then they
(17:06):
move it to the backyard. And we've got a customer
for life. Do you find that too, that people are
looking to up to make the front end of their
home the curb appeal, I guess to go up a
notch er too, rather than to start with the backyard.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
You know a little bit of both. I think we
see a lot more of the backyard. I think with
with our projects, the the front yard obviously very important.
But I think really since COVID, people started investing in
their backyard spaces because people didn't want to be stuck
inside all the time.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
That's that's my point. He's a step up, that's what
that's what they're doing. They're trying to make their backyard
look what I got.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Yeah, and everybody competes with the Joneses, right, you want
to want to make it a little bit better. The
other thing I saw on your website and I don't
know if you offer it here locally, but like Christmas.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Products and stuff, Yes, we have a full low and
garden center down in displays. We have you know, all
the Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, reese everything during the holiday season.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
You had made a comment that the place there is
like Stein's on steroids.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
It really is.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
It's about ten minutes away from Mahare, so if anybody's
flying out of Chicago, it has a little extra time
to kill.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
It's a really neat place.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
Talk about here locally? Do you do Christmas trees and
Christmas products here locally?
Speaker 3 (18:27):
We don't know.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
We just actually started bringing in plants on a limited
basis per order, but mainly our largest product is natural stone.
Then we do a lot of concrete products, clay lighting.
I mean we are the one stop landscape shop, but
also building stone and stone fabrication.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
So hey, last question before we go to a break.
As an outside sales and field support guy on a
day to day basis, is your job to either meet
with contractors or contact contractors that you currently aren't working
with to introduce yourself. Is that kind of what you
do on a day to day basis.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
A little bit of both.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Since we have this new location in Sussex, my job
has been to bring in new business. The Lurvy name
is very well established and known down in Chicago Land.
We want that to be the same way up here
in Milwaukee. We want it to be a household name.
We are Wisconsin based company. I think people kind of
shy away when they when they hear that we're one
(19:27):
of the largest landscape supply companies in Chicago Land. But
it's very exciting for us to open our first Wisconsin location.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
And with thoughts of expanding here and beyond.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Event o'kay, whatever they do, a soldier field is not
going to work. It's not gonna work.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
I yeah, I agree with that. Whatever they do. And
remember what Clay Matthews said at the draft, but we
don't need to bring that up.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
You know, it is a sports channel. We can say
some sports still.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
We can say that there. Yeah, good job, Clay Matthews.
Where you get you a break. The other side of
the break, Adam Lockey's with Urvy Landscape Supply. He's an
outside sales and field support guy and his job is
to let people know that they are here. If you
look at all the success they've had over the years
down in Illinois, it's just a natural progression. And when
(20:17):
Adams says, look, this is our first location and we
are Wisconsin based. When you go on their website, take
a look at that side farm in Whitewater, and they
are they are Wisconsin based company. And it's his job
to let people know that. If you want to go
to their website, it's Llurvy's dot com l U r
v eys dot com. Go to that website, spend some
(20:40):
time on the website. Got some really good things on
that website. Look at some of the pictures and you'll
get an idea of the kind of work they do.
If you read the history of this company, they've been
around since the late nineteen twenties, so they've been doing
They've been doing great work in this space for a
really long time. This is the Creative Construction Wisconsin Home
Improvement Show on Fox Sports ninet twenty in your iHeart
(21:02):
Radio app. Welcome back to the Creative Construction Wisconsin Golf Show,
the Home Improvement Show. Zach, I want to thank you
for that gift.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
By the way, we said yeah. Take nine you'll take
nine strokes after your game.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Oh is that it? Yeah, that's not going to happen.
But I love these creative construction Wisconsin golf balls. I'm
hoping not to lose him in the first three holes.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Yeah. We're actually because we're also sponsors at the NBA.
We just sold out beautiful that they're they're golf outing
and we're giving those out plus the little red rubber
you know, you know the little ducks if you see
people jeeps. Yes, yeah, they get the little Creative professional
logo album. We're giving those all too.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
That's awesome. Well, Zach, thank you for the gift. I
will use them proudly. And Bingo said, just when you
lose them, make sure you hit him into somebody's yard.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Yeah. One of those good stuck home.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Yeah, one of those good stucco homes. So they've got it.
Our special guest in studio walkin Show South Grant Adam Lott.
He is Lurvy Landscape supplies there outside sales and field
support guy and and Adam. When when you say that
this company is Wisconsin based, we talked about it during
the break. It truly is a Wisconsin based company. Now,
(22:10):
some of their their their locations are in Illinois. But
but tell us the story. They they are. They are
totally Wisconsin people.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Yes, after the I mean the Levy families. It started
as a dairy farm down in the Dlsman Whitewater area,
and uh when that turned into a sod farm, Mark
Lurvy was, you know, going around selling loads of sod.
And he went down to Lindenman's nursery and displains and
they weren't interested in in buying the load of sad.
(22:41):
But they're interested in selling the garden center. And that's
what is our Displaines garden center now.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
And Mark went to KETTL. Moraine High School, right.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
I don't know if Mark did with his son Aaron.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
Whose son Aaron, Yeah, very much involved and you know
will be taken over.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
The company is grad of KETTL. Moraine.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
Yep. And so when when people ask you and they
go on the website and when you look at locations,
there are some locations in Illinois, then the one at
Whitewater or the one in Sussex. I don't care where
the locations are. This is a Wisconsin based company. These
are cheeseheads, man. They just understand that Levy's dot com
l U r v e ys dot com. They're located
(23:22):
in Sussex. If somebody is right now thinking, boy, we
look it's beautiful day to day, we got to get out.
Maybe we'll head over to a garden center talk about
what especially the all of the rock stuff that they
can get by you. But there's also that you got
plants now that people can come out and buy. Correct.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
Yeah, the website would be a much better option for
looking at plants right now. We just started bringing plants
up to Sussex kind of per order, so it's nothing
like the acres of plants down and displays at the
garden center.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
But there are so many different materials to look at.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
You can look at decorative ravels and retaining wall stone.
You can look at porcelain, pavers, clay, pavers, reclaimed pavers,
anything and everything for the interior, exterior house, for stone
and landscape.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
I love that. And when when somebody knows and do
you guys, somebody knows that they're redoing their their backyard,
let's use the backyard and they're gonna need certain kind
of stone, but they're not exactly sure what's going to fit.
Is the best thing to do is to take pictures
of the backyard and then come to you and say, hey,
(24:36):
what would you recommend we use for this.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
I always kind of tell people I don't want to
make that decision that you're the one that's gonna have
to be living in that backyard for the next you know,
X Y many years. I can tell you what I
think would work well, but ultimately you have to feel
comfortable with what you're putting in your space. You know,
a lot of times people will come to me with
a picture from Instagram or house or just just an
inspiration photo. But before I even start showing people materials,
(25:03):
I sit them down and try and get an understanding
of the color, the style, the look that they're going for,
and then I start to present options, because with all
the different materials and options, it can become overwhelming quite quickly,
and especially if it's a new home builder selecting so
many different materials, fixtures, faucets, it's totally overwhelming. So let's
(25:25):
let's let's make it simple, let's make it comfortable.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Yeah, and it's what happens to you you with us too.
I mean people to get a little picture from a
magazine or some Instagram or someone on Facebook, and you
show my picture on your phone. Okay, that's what it
looks like on your phone. It's not what it's going
to look like, right, Yeah, people do that, and so
what do you think it is on that?
Speaker 1 (25:43):
And then what I did for you with my brother John,
send you for your pictures to fix it?
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Yeah, and then you go there and you go to
look at it and I got there, oh manjie, Yes, yeah,
this is this needs some work.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
It's a whole different thing when when people come in
and have you found over the years that people are
are more more I guess, better educated now because of
the TV shows they watch, because of the Internet, because
of being able to find what other people have done
in the space that they're trying to either fix or
(26:15):
you know, create. Are you Are you seeing that people
are more educated in the space that you work in
than they used to be.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
I would say yes, and I think a lot of
that's happened since COVID, Probably people sitting at home scrolling
their computers or Instagram. Just whether the information is accurate
or not is one thing, but yes, overall, I think
customers it's very pleasant surprised to see people coming in
a lot more educated about what they're looking for.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
And it helps and it hurts because sometimes you know,
they see YouTube video and you thought, hey, I could
do this myself, and then and then it costs more
now than just.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
Why are you looking at me? Why are you staring
right at me? Because Zach comes over all the time.
You have no idea how many times Zach.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
And three in a boss your wife will, but she
does all the time.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
Hey, what is the most common I guess landscaping rocks
that people use? Now? Is there is there the go
to quality or go to kind of rock that people use?
Speaker 4 (27:16):
Flagstone's probably very common. What I think a lot of
people don't realize is the amazing natural resource that we
have right here in Wisconsin, which is the dolomitic limestone
that's quarried right here in Wisconsin that you see on
so many buildings and landscapes. It's it's right here in
our backyard. It's material that gets shipped all over the country.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
And when you talk flagstone, and I've looked that up,
a primary use for pavers for walkways, patios and decks,
and just a beautiful look to that fairly easy to install.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
Uh not always It depends on the application. I think
a lot of you know, a patio, you need to
excavate a good eight to twelve inch of soil or
for a for a base to be able to a
lot of people think that you can just kind of
scrape the sod off and lay laystone on dirt.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Got a little hole in the dirt and said in
it would be good. No, there's actually there's a whole process.
But I mean, there is anybody that doesn't know someone
or being around, even just by in his weekend. You
will walk along a place on sidewalk somewhere because they're
just they're.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Just everywhere everywhere. How hard are are landscaping rocks to maintain.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
Depends on the type of stone.
Speaker 4 (28:31):
The stone here in Wisconsin is very dense and very durable,
so it's virtually maintenance free.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Which is important to people. Right, you want to be
able to get this project done and then just enjoy
it and not have to be out.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
There millions of years old.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
It's been aging, it's been.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
It really depends on the what's right at me?
Speaker 1 (28:49):
When you talked about being aged, Yeah, yeah, it's all right.
I have no problem with that. Is it hard for
people to make decisions on the kind of landscape rock
that they want to use. And is that look my
decisions a final decisions always maybe on stuff. I have
a hard time making a final decision. Do you deal
mostly when you if the contractors there with you, are
(29:11):
they dealing mostly with the wife or the husband in
the house?
Speaker 4 (29:16):
A little bit of both. Sometimes I feel like I'm
a marriage counselor meeting with.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
People, doctor Phil. That's not a bad place, right.
Speaker 4 (29:24):
It's I want people to feel better from when they
come into when they leave, So I want the experience
to be We're trying to understand their needs and build
a long lasting relationship.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
So we I mean we're work with.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
So many good contractors and our our main goals to
get these homeowners in contact with these professional contractors. These
these aren't very simple projects.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
And you understand if you recommend somebody, he's not gonnacommend
someone that's going to do a bad job, right, I mean,
he's gonna recommend someone that's a good you know, that
does know what they're doing.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
You get asked a lot on from either people that
call in or people that you meet. Hey, I need
I need a company that I can work with. Did
you have a rolodex and the old word of rolodexpert
on your phone? Do you have contractors in the area
that you recommend?
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Yes, we I mean we have a we have a
whole shelf of business cards at our Sussex location on
some of the contractors that we recommend people work with.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
There's there's you know, too many of the name.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
So we work with a lot of the top landscape
contractors and masons in the area.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Say Mike's Rolodex. You got the rolodex y next your
fax machine?
Speaker 1 (30:32):
Yeah, yes, and you know exactly what all that is?
You still use that? Come on now hey? On your
website when when it says the company the companies that
we keep I like a company that's willing to say,
look here, here are some of the companies that we
hang out with, right that we that we trust and
(30:53):
we work with. And on your website there are some
some pretty big time companies that you guys partner up with.
And that says a lot about lurvy and and and
kind of your reputation and how you work with with
contractors and clients, because you wouldn't have this amount of
people that want to partner up with you and guys
(31:13):
like Bingo, they go, look, this is my go to
guy because every time I go there they do they
get us the.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Right specialize in repairs and they're good at buying stuff
that you need for repairs.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
Yeah, that's a huge deal with the companies that you
guys keep and it really important we have.
Speaker 4 (31:28):
We have hundreds of you know, vetted very quality and
reliable partner and suppliers within the industry. A lot of times,
especially in the in the landscape natural stone world, we're
these suppliers largest contractor nationwide. So these are relationships that
we've built over time, and it's a two way street,
(31:48):
you know. It does They don't just supply us to
the material we're we're working hand in hand with with
our vendors well.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
And the other part that I really like, and I
think this would be great for contractors when they go
on that website and you go to the resource page
and you're able to say, okay, landscape accessories and there's
just really brochures and really good information on a number
of this The Garden Center Landscape Product Guide of twenty
(32:15):
twenty five just great information for people to know and
if they find something that you don't offer here in
Sussex but offer in Illinois. You can have it chipped
up right.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
Yeah, I mean we have.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
We operate our own transport shipping company as well, so
we operate fourteen semis thirty trailers out of our sod
farm in Whitewater. It makes logistics very smooth man between
the locations.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
Do you know and how many total employees work for you.
Speaker 4 (32:46):
Know, we have a lot of seasonal employees, but we're
around one hundred and nineties so this we don't necessarily
do a holiday party, but we have a we call
it the Lurvy Jam. Every spring, all the locations get
together down in Illinois. It's it's like a big wedding.
Every bodies at these roundtables. They mix different people from
different locations. We all get to know each other. Each
(33:06):
location feels like a small family, right, but then it
feels like one big family as well, and we are
a family owned and operated business.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Look, Big O and I talk and we love Wisconsin
based companies, right, and the majority of what we talk about,
and I love the fact that when people look at
the website, they're going to go, well, they have more
locations in Illinois guys. It's a Wisconsin based company. The
owners live here. And I love the fact that when
you said, look, each location is like its own little family.
(33:36):
That tells me that the strength of this is at
the top and they understand the importance of having everybody
feel like they're part of this family. Very similar to
Creative Construction Wisconsin. Anytime I have anybody from their company
in whether they're truly part of the family, like you
know Aaron right, everybody else is like, look when I
(33:57):
go to work every day, that's my family, and they
treat us like part of the family. And I think
that that that the owners of Urvy understand how important
that is.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
And it really does come down from the top and
and everybody serves. If there's a homeowner that walks in,
anybody's going to jump to the counter to help them out.
And and we're not just selling you a product and
say here you go, We're going to help you learn
about the product and how to install it.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
Hey, So the the the company that was in the
location where Levy is, you worked for them prior. What
was it like for you in your nerves and stuff
when you found out that they were selling and were
you were you comfortable thinking, Okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna
this is a company I can work for.
Speaker 4 (34:43):
I was one hundred percent comfortable and actually looking forward
to it. So when I when I was hired at
The Rock, I actually knew that eventually Levy was going
to be taking over.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
So those wasn't like a one day showed up here,
change your shirt.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
No.
Speaker 4 (34:56):
I really appreciate the transparency of the owner at The
Rock that told me that said, Hey, I'm talking to Lurvy.
Eventually there I'm going to be selling to them.
Speaker 3 (35:04):
I had.
Speaker 4 (35:06):
I worked with a stone company out of Connecticut and
Leervy was one of my dealers.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Okay, so you knew all about it.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
I knew the operation, and I knew that it was
a a company that I wanted.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
To work for.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
Boy, that's no last sleep then, no none at all. Hey,
when somebody asked you on the street about Levy, what
we all have our elevator pitches, right, I mean, what
do you tell them about your company, the company you
work for, and what you guys provide.
Speaker 4 (35:34):
I think it's as simple as their slogan experience something more.
We want it to be an experience we want, we
want to build long term lasting relationships. It's not about
a one time sale. We want repeat customers. We want
the Levy name in Milwaukee market to be what it
is down in Chicagoland.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
And that's and that's coming one day experience something more.
That is their their slogan and UH and they live
by it. If if Adam is anything with how the
other people operate at leurv, I this is a company
that that I would do some business with. L u
r v e y S lurv's dot com. They're located
(36:15):
in Sussex. You can get a hold of Adam if
you call over there and he will return your call
and he works a lot with contractors. But there's somebody
there that can answer any questions if you're you're a
homeowner and you just have some questions on on what
you should be utilizing for your outdoor living space and
above I mean, go to that website, look at all
(36:35):
the products that they do offer throughout their company and
you get an idea on everything that they do from
natural stone too, and that's a lot of the stuff
that Adam works with. Again l u r v e
y s dot com and take a look at that
at that company and everything they do experience something more
uh from this Wisconsin based company. We'll get to a break.
(36:57):
Other side of the break will continue our conversation again
with Adam Locke. He is the outside sales and field
support rep for Urve Lourvy Landscape Supply. I'll get this
yet before we go pel. This is the Creative Construction
Wisconsin Home improvement Show on Fox Sports nine twenty and
your iHeart Radio app. Welcome back to the Creative Construction
(37:18):
Wisconsin home improvement Show on Fox Sports nine twenty and
your iHeart Radio App by and Mike McGivern alongside the
owner of Creative Construction of Wisconsin. He is Bingo Emmons. Hey,
Bingo real quick. On May seventeenth, there's a the Lampham
Lodge at Lapam Peak is They've got a grand opening
(37:40):
event and Kernel Electric is going to be putting solar
panels on top. But if you want to head out
there May seventeenth, it's a huge event. And they broke
around at March of twenty twenty four. Now it's down
the lap and Peak unit Kettle Moraine State Forest.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Got to make sure you see my app. I would
get those apps open all the time. That's my solar.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
Kernel Electric Solar Chuck Smith is the pioneer of solar
in the state of Wisconsin. He started doing the.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Song time pioneer of solar, so he invented the sun.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
He did not invent the sun, but I'll tell you
this when it comes to in the state of Wisconsin.
He's been doing it longer than anybody and he is
a firm believer and that will be his legacy. I
think at Kernel Electric. Whenever he decides that, you know
he's going to retire. But he has been so involved
in it, and he's been involved with this Lampham Peak
unit and man, it's beautiful. They they raised over three
(38:34):
million dollars to put this up and they're going to
have a grand opening coming up.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
But he just did last week.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
He just did Pewaukee last week and very proud of that.
I'm really proud of the job they did out in Pewaukee.
And he's involved in this one as well. And when
I met with him this week, he said, Hey, this
is a really big deal and if you guys want
to mention it, that'd be great. So we did. Our
special guest in studio is Adam Locke. He is lurvy
landscape supply outside sales and field support. Hey, we didn't
(39:03):
talk at all.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
I gotta you know, I let people. We let people
text and to ask questions. Yes we do, okay. So anyways,
they got grass cutting questions, how often they need might
cut my grass? And then I'm just gonna put all
these questions together because we're a kind of the same
How many inches can you let the grass grow before
it should be cut? And is it possible to overcut
your grass? So there you go. Is this grass cutting.
Speaker 4 (39:24):
Only reason I'm going to answer this because they used
to have a landscape maintenance company, but in general there
was a two thirds rule. You don't want to cut
more than two thirds of the full length of the
grass at once. You want to cut it low at
the end of the season before in fall, but you
kind of let it, let it establish its roots. So
the longer you let the grass grow, you think whatever's
(39:45):
grown above the ground is also going to be growing
below the ground, So don't take too much off the
top at once.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
There you go, There you go, say we did our
public service.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
I've got I've got a question as well.
Speaker 4 (39:56):
Well.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
When it comes to people building walls, right. Using wall stone,
do you recommend that they the the the stones are
all similar or similar color, or do you like it
when they're utilizing different types of stone in different color.
Speaker 4 (40:14):
It completely depends on the type of look they're going
for a lot of times, I'll start with the house.
Are you you know, do you want to match or
complement the stone or material on the house? Is there
a certain color on the house that you want to
draw out in the wallstone. So some people want something
very uniform, very modern. Some people want something a lot
more rustic and with a lot more variation.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
And you can't do anybody just can't do stone as much.
People with everything's allowed to do yourself. First. There's certain stones,
but it's like river rock. You got to make sure
that the top of the stone is bigger than the bottom.
I mean, because when you you know, so we next
stone goes on, it doesn't slide down. There's a lot
of stuff to do in stones that you know. People
people think, oh, you just stick them on and that's it,
But there's actually stuff to especially if it's on a
(40:56):
wall that's you know, with full sized stones.
Speaker 1 (40:59):
Hey, when when yeah, you guys, at least down the
Illinois cell mulch, and there's a lot of things on
the website ice melt and stuff for drainage and landscape
accessories that that, and again Stein's on steroids. I just
laugh at that line, but it's it's probably perfect. But
here locally, if people are looking for natural stone to
(41:19):
build a wall, that that's that you can make recommendations
and you have though do you have that product in house?
Speaker 4 (41:27):
Yes, we we keep a lot of natural stone in stock.
We were when we were the Rock we were primarily
natural stones. So we work a lot with with Edenstone.
The quality of their materials out of any of the
Wisconsin corries above and beyond. So we stock steps, wallstone, flagstone.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
Slabs, slabs and countertops. Do you guys do that here locally?
Speaker 3 (41:52):
We do.
Speaker 4 (41:52):
We have slabs, We have stone fabrication on site.
Speaker 3 (41:56):
We don't. We do some outdoor countertops.
Speaker 4 (41:58):
We don't do full blown kitchen owner tops, but we
do have slabs for doing steps, coping. We have a
five access C and C in house in Sussex for
doing custom stone fabrication.
Speaker 1 (42:09):
Boy, the on that page on your website for slabs
and countertops, there's some beautiful pictures of some of the
things that you guys offer and you guys do. It's
amazing to me the different colors and how what some
people think are amazing. When my wife and I watch
these TV shows, she's the first to go, yeah, I
(42:30):
don't like I do not like that countertop at all.
And there are so many different options nowadays for people
depending on what they want with their kitchen to look like.
And I think that that starts the look of the kitchen,
don't you think.
Speaker 3 (42:45):
Yeah, there are so many options.
Speaker 4 (42:47):
I would say too many options, which is really why
we try and sit people down and understand what they're
trying to achieve, what look they're going for, and then
present maybe two or three options, not you know, fifteen
to twenty options that just because is overwhelming.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
And Stone's a natural product, there's no there's no too identical.
They're never identical, even like you know Stone, granted, Everyby
Knows Cords, granted Marble, but there's you know, there's other
things out there too.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
One last thing about this company, and and and I
think we've we've driven home the point that this is
what Wisconsin owned, Wisconsin based company. But I I have
I always feel pretty good about companies like Creative Construction Wisconsin.
They do a number of things behind the scenes, giving
back to our community, and they do it quietly, and
(43:34):
I find out about it, and I go on the
airways talk about it, and he's like, Hey, you know what,
thank you for that, But we don't need we do
these things quietly. I love the fact that on your
website there's a number of things that this Wisconsin based
company believes in helping out and having that servant leadership,
Hart Adam. That's not something we're born with, but it's
(43:55):
a learned behavior, and somebody at that company has learned
that giving back to the community is something that as
a Wisconsin based company, we need to do. And I
want to just go on the air and say thank
you to that company for the amount of things they
do by giving back to our community.
Speaker 3 (44:10):
Really appreciate that, Mike, thank you.
Speaker 1 (44:12):
Yeah, they get it, don't they.
Speaker 4 (44:14):
We want to be a part of the community that
we're within, So yes, we're trying to do the same
in Sussex now and and be a part of the community.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
Can I make a recommendation to the owners the Kids
Garden Club that you guys do down in Illinois, bring
that here one day, bring it here one day. I've
got six grandkids that I would send out there because
I think for the for kids at that early age
to learn how what to do, how to how to
how to pick the product, how to plant it, how
(44:44):
to water it. You know, I had a problem because
I overwatered and and that's not good. Right, you don't
want to underwater. But to have these kids be part
of this kid's garden club, I think it would be
a huge hit up here in this area.
Speaker 4 (44:59):
Yeah, we want we want to try and educate at
every level. So we do our winter seminar series at
every one of our locations where you know, we bring
in contractors and we ask what what do they want
to learn about? So we will hold four or five
different seminars on plants or natural stone or porcelain. We
don't just hand them a product and say here, go
(45:21):
sell it or go install it. We want you to
install it the right way and we're going to help
you do that.
Speaker 1 (45:26):
Well, you've got the and it's down in Illinois. But
the Proven Winners Weekend is coming up next month. So
take a look at this website and it's Urvi's dot com.
L U r v e ys dot com and take
a look at that website and put ten minutes fifteen
minutes aside. You're not going to go on the website
and look at two things to get out because there's
some really good stuff on there. Adam is so good
(45:48):
to meet you. Not bad for a walk show, South Boy.
You did good, Matt, thank you very much to go
black Shirts, Go black Shirts, Bengo, It's good to see
you now.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
We're a red shirt.
Speaker 1 (45:57):
Just so you know, yes every week and that's your
tell us. Zach, thank you so much for these golf balls.
They will be used. I'm not holding on to these things.
They will be and.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
If it come that up, well, the people of the
NBA it's you can't really push anymore because it's sold out,
but they will. Everybody that what comes to that will
get one of those. All our games are going to
take nine shots off your game.
Speaker 1 (46:20):
Well you said seven seven time, We'll say you seven
for me, everybody else nine. Hey, listen to the next
two hours. It's a special edition of the Varsity Blitz
High School Sports show. As we talk about the week
I had in San Diego with the US Marine Corps.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
I've been talking about that jail thing or a.
Speaker 1 (46:39):
Note jail thing. Spencer did the whole he was nice
enough to bail me out. We're not talking about that. Guys,
have a great weekend. This is the Creative Construction Wisconsin
home improvement show on Fox Sports nine twenty and your
iHeart radio app
Welcome into the Creative Construction of Wisconsin home Improvement show
on Fox Sports ninet twenty and your iHeartRadio app coming
live from the Donovan and Jorgensen Heating and Cooling Studios.
Want to thank those guys Donovan Jorgenson Heating Cooling. So
they came out and saved us a bunch of money.
Our dryer wasn't working and they cleaned out the vent
(00:21):
and the things working like a million bucks. Want to
thank everybody over at Donovan Jorgenson Heating Cooling. I am
Mike McGivern alongside my co hosts. Did you miss me
Bingo Emas Uh No, Wow, I love him because he's
so honest.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Well, you know, it was actually good because the subject
we had was actually about you.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Yeah. Well, I did get a text from a buddy saying,
I know why you're not in the studio, and I
said why. He said, they're talking mental health and you
didn't want to be a part of that because you
need it more than anybody I know. And I was like, man,
that's hurtful, that's hurtful. I listened to a part of
the show when I was in San Diego and coming
up in fact, coming up the next hours on my
(01:01):
Varsity Blitz high school sports show. We're making a little
bit of a change for today's show. We're going to
talk two hours on this US Marine Educated workshop thing
that I went through. This it was kind of a
Marine's boot camp thing, and we've got a bunch of
people coming in that were involved in it. And I
can't wait to tell the story because it was an
incredible week for me in San Diego. But I was
(01:23):
packing ready to get to the airport and do that
and caught part of the show, and I thought, you
guys did a really good job of talking about mental
health and and identifying some issues that I think that
that not only people in just the general public, but
people in trades need to understand that. You know, back
(01:44):
in the day, it rubbed some dirt on it. I forget
about it, I know.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
And then you know, Cathy did a great job because
she was really she was on because the show, what's
all the free help that's available for people that you know,
don't wait so it's too late, you know, Like Zach
had a great saying it was like a mic drop saying,
you know, I mean go to your funeral. I mean
I'd rather rather you cry on my shoulder than go
to your funeral hundred percent. Yeah, So I mean it really,
(02:06):
it was a really good show.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
I have a really good friend of mine, Donna is
their first name, and years ago, when her daughter was
in high school, somebody in the high school had committed suicide,
and I asked her if you had conversations with your
daughter about this, and she goes, I have, and she
had the best line. She goes, Mom, I would never
do that because I would miss myself too much. And
I thought, there you go, fifteen year old gal being
(02:31):
able to have that in her head, like, look, I
would that is not anything I would ever do. And
I just ask people and I tell people a lot.
In fact, I was playing golf with my friend Brian
yesterday talking about the show you guys did, and I said, look,
if you ever get to that point, come to me,
come by me, and I'll put my arm around you
will talk about it. And I said, and he goes, yeah,
(02:53):
and the same with you. If you get that way,
just come to me. And I just think that that
show you guys did last week, a lot of people
heard it, and I think you guys did a great job.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, it was great. Yeah, and you know Zach and
I mean Zach and you know, and Aaron did a
great job. Yeah with the it was this. It was
a really good thing. So you know, May is mental
you know, Mental Health Awareness month, right, you know, we'll
have to do it again next next year.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Hey do you think that? And we had this conversation
some of the groups that you're with are now after
that show can at least start to address that.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
And I think that that's actually a Narry has actually
got an ex boll coming up in November and that's
one of the subjects there. It's gonna it definitely, it's
gonna be one of the one hour sessions. You know,
it could be a two hour session, but I don't
know exactly the size of a session that they're going
to do it, but there are going to do it
next November for them.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I think that that's really important. So today's show and
this is gonna be interesting me because he's a Walkershaw
South grat talking Julian Schwartz in high school of basketball
and we could just do that for the whole hour
if Adam Locke would like to do that. He's with
Lurvy Landscape supply and he used the outside sales and
field support rep for them. Adam, it's nice to meet you.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
How you Ben great? Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
You still hit a jump shot? By the way, Can
you hit a jumper?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Oh it's been a while. I think I can.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Yeah, I don't play as much basketball as I used to,
but it sure was a fun playing on JV when
Julian was a senior, so.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Well, he was something. He was one of the better
high school basketball players ever come out of this area.
And he was on my high school show a couple
of times. Him and his older brother Billy, and we
talked a lot about Bill hit their dad, and how
he was just a fundamental guy, right, he just triple
threat and put the ball down before you take the step,
(04:41):
and how to set a pick out of shade of
all of that. And I learned a lot from coaching
with a guy that played. Brian staffelt underneath him and
coached with him, and I think the world of that
Schwortz family.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Yeah, Bill was an amazing teacher. He was my sixth
grade teacher at Randall Elementary and in Waukeshaw went to
the Dick Luther basketball camps.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Oh my goodness. So I've got you know what. Thank
you for mentioning Dick Luther because I got to get
him in studio. I talked to him. He's in more
gyms than I am. He's still a gym rat by
the way. Yeah, yeah, he's.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
And beyond basketball, just good human beings.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Great guy. Hey, let's talk a little bit about about
Leurvy landscape. Supply you guys have moved into this area.
I think you've been here a year, a year and
a half something like that in Sussex.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Yeah, So the Leurvy acquired the Rockstone a landscape at
the beginning of last year. The rock had been around
since twenty sixteen. That yard, that location originally opened as
an Edenstone yard back in twenty thirteen. We are a
Wisconsin based company. We got our our roots are in Whitewater,
Wisconsin with our sod farm.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah. I saw that and the sod farm. You don't
hear a lot about him. I have no questions for
you about the side farm, but I'd like to go
see at one time, because it's got to be pretty incredible.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Beautiful grass as far as I can see.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Man, that's awesome. Tell me as an outside sales and
field support guy. Do you deal mostly with contractors? Is
that correct?
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Yes, you personally with contractors.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
And when when people come to the location in Sussex,
tell me a little bit about what they're going to
see and can can consumers come to that location in Sussex.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Yes, we welcome home homeowners. We are built to cater
to contractors. We have extensive outdoor displays, indoor displays. Uh.
The idea is to really come in and be able
to visualize the project. Come in maybe with not a
lot of an idea of what you're trying to do,
and leave with a firm idea of your project and what.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
It's going to look like. Just so you're wondering, what's
the connection between us, because everybody is always a connection
between us and creative construction. Stones they carry, they carry
a lot of a lot of variety of stones, and
they also have stones that don't that aren't made in
the United States, allow of stones too.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
And then they offer all of that, right Bigger, You
and I have had conversations over the last couple of
years about outdoor living space and I know that you
take full advantage of yours at your home, but that
category has just blown up, especially in the state of Wisconsin,
when we can't be outside twelve months a year. So
if you're out there six months, you want outdoor living
(07:23):
to be almost like just another room to your house.
And and I know that that the people over were
Adam works. You guys are a big into outdoor living spaces.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Correct, Yes, And like you said, you know, I think
of the outdoor space as another room of the home.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
And I think it's and they do because they have backyard.
You I mean, you go there, people have TVs, pizza
ovens up, just stuff outside, just tons and tons of
stuff outside. It's not it's not the old you know,
Weber grill anymore.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Right, it's not too little launch hairs and a Weber grill.
It's not something that people are looking for anymore. And
how much, Adam, how much do you get involved with
contractors in different ways that people can enhance their outdoor
living area.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
All the time.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
That's the main projects that we're working on right now
is outdoor living spaces. Homeowners come in and we can coordinate.
I mean, natural stone is our largest product line, So
we start with what's the stone on the house is
going to be, and then we can coordinate that with
the landscape. I've been trying to connect builders with landscapers
(08:31):
because the landscape a lot of times seems to be
an afterthought after the build. The home sits in this
environment and it should coordinate and you know, blend organically
between the out the inside of the house, the X
tier of the home and the environment that it sits in.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Through the mcgiffern Agency, one of my clients is Current
Electric and I've been over there. I go to their
office a lot, and boy do they talk about the
lighting part of it. And the lighting part of of
outdoor living has really blown up. And it's no longer
you put a you know, a couple of lights out
in the yard so that you can see when you're grilling.
It's it's about a curb appeal and it's about you know,
(09:12):
enjoying that space to the best of its ability and safety.
Right when you're walking in it's dark, you want to
be able to see the steps or safety if it's
if it's lighting for for motion sensors to keep your
property safe. But the idea of having that lighting done
in the outdoor living space has really blown up as well.
(09:32):
It's just kind of gone along the side of you know,
no more weber grilling two and two chairs.
Speaker 4 (09:38):
Absolutely, And when you're digging up the ground for a project,
why not run electrical? Why not have that ready to go? Yeah,
we we.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Offer outdoor lighting.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
So we're constantly seeing that being added to projects and
how it's evolved from just simple spotlights to tread lights
under you know, coping lights.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
And you know what's my favorite nothing, Nothing looks better
than all Stuckle home with.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
There he is just that is a p s A
for a creative construction of Wisconsin when it comes to
stucco there they number one. By the way, you met
with You met with the famous McGivern.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Yeah, I met with your brother. He's a really nice guy. Yeah,
what happened to you?
Speaker 1 (10:22):
I missed that class over at Saint Peter and Paul
when they when they when the nuns taught nice.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Now, I always forget how funny he is because he's
always got these old one line he's always yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
He's, well, I'm funnier than he is. I don't know
if you know that a lot of people, if in fact,
nobody's ever told me that, But I just keep telling myself.
Thank you for your help. Are you going to be
able to help them?
Speaker 2 (10:42):
What I'm doing is I'm I'm turning and over to Zac.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Good.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
That's gonna do it. That's perfect because it's in there.
It's like, Okay, I can see what happened. This guy
took it apart. Oops, he doesn't know what.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
To do and he has n't been back, right, yeah,
like like in six weeks or eight weeks, the guy
hasn't called back.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
There's like a couple of drivewall repairs and stuff and
says next to real plaster and just like he took
a song on. Oh, hi, you know what, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
I think I did it right, but now they can't
find him. And so he called me Adam and said,
you know anybody I go, oh yeah, I know the
exact guy. And Bengo was kind enough through Sam to
be able to go over and meet with with my
brother John and Steve and have have them look at
some of that. So thank you for that. I really
appreciate it. Hey, Adam, how long have you been then
(11:28):
with Levy and what'd you do prior to that?
Speaker 4 (11:30):
So I've been with Levy since the Sussex location to
open at the beginning of twenty twenty four, I was
with the rock Stone Landscape. Before that, I was with
a stone company out of Connecticut and they're outside sales
covering the western US Pacific regional. And before that was
with the Wisconsin Quarry for eight years. So I've been
(11:52):
in the stone industry since about twenty thirteen.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yes, yeah, you're you're one of those people, right you
can go look at a stone and pretty much tell
people where it came from.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
I'm a stone nerd.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
I'm one of those people that annoys everybody around me
when I'm walking around a city, identifying the sees of
stones and the textures.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Your repair, especially in old homes and things like this.
You got to find a stone. You can't just go
just go anywhere. You got to get people that know where.
You got to know where to get stone came from.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
The colors don't match, and you got to know somebody
who is a stone geek. And for you to be
able to say that if I told you when you
were a senior at Waksches South that this is what
is your this is the path that your life is
going to be, what would you said to me?
Speaker 4 (12:31):
I would have said, I don't think i'd end up
in stone, but I always had a passion for working
with my hands and working outdoors. I started cutting lawns
at a very young age. I started a lawn maintenance
company as a summer job during college. That turned into
a full time job.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
And then when the.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
Opportunity came to get into the stone industry.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
I had the landscape background.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
My dad's a general contractors, so I had the building
carpentry background, so it was just kind of a fit.
And having all that background knowledge with stone is very valuable.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Do you do you have that gift that you can
see things before it happens. Right if somebody, say a contractor, says, look,
this is what i'm working with, what stone would you recommend?
Are you able to look at pictures or see what
they're working on and be able to see it before
it's done. Because I don't have that, and I think
it's a gift.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
Yeah, And that's what happens with working with a lot
of designers. I work with interior designers, architects. They have
this design in mind, but they don't quite know how
it's going to get there, how they're going to achieve
that look, So that a lot of times that's my
job is how do how do we get that look
that that you're going for?
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Hey, on your website, there is when you go to
resource and you look at product information, and you can
look at video quick takes, and there's a really this
this website gives people a lot of information. And I
really appreciate that a lot because sometimes you know it,
it's kind of hard to get the kind of information
(14:02):
that you want. But boy, you guys do a nice
job on products and services of exactly what you do.
You guys don't do the actual work for people.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Correct, correct, No, we do not do installation.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
So people will come get recommendations, buy the materials, and
then go and do the work on their own. So
the guy that I just talked about, Brian, that I
played golf with yesterday, he's a landscape architect and I've
known We've been best for instance fifth grade, right, I
was best man of his wedding, best man at my wedding,
and so I know him really well. And he was
(14:36):
at my house on eighty eighth in Towns and years
ago and there was a patch that I couldn't grow grass,
and everything I did, I would put sad down. I'd
see it nothing, And I said, what do I do
with this? And he goes, can I have it? And
I go, what do you mean? Can you have it?
He said, can I do whatever I want in your
We lived on the corner, so we wait a lot
of space. And I was like no, and my wife said, yeah,
(14:57):
I go. You know him, you know what's going to
happen here right Well, his house is done and he
wanted another project. Do you know that? People used to say,
this is like the botanical gardens on eighty eighth and
Townshend And what I didn't know, Adam, and I think
you'll agree with this is because of the work it
took for He would come and plant it or make recommendations,
(15:19):
but my job was to keep it up and water
it and trim it and do all that. I didn't
know before he started doing this around my house. How
good that was for my soul to go out after
a tough day at work, go out and water my plants,
have a little music, cut my grass ad you get
the weeds out. And it really was. It was that
(15:40):
time where I could decompress and people would walk to
the park across street with their dogs and they would
walk way out of their way to come by to sea,
and they thought I did all of it, and I didn't.
And I would tell them when my friend's doing this,
and they'd say, well, boy, you know, I do a
lot of this, and I'm wondering, can you ask him
why he chose this to go there? I go, I'll
(16:01):
ask him. And he had an answer for all of
that and what that did for our home and and
how it We sold it fairly quickly because of that landscape,
and it makes such a big difference to people.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
It does it.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
It's really an art form and to be able to
step out into that yard and have it be an
extension of your home and just a relaxing, peaceful space
to unlined after a hard day's work.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Percent you guys, there's also differ different products too, because
some people it happens to me and my trade too.
People they wanted they got Kroub appeal. What does it
looked like from the droll? Does it look like when
people drive by? We look at and people to show
up or and then they want to go to their
backyard and look at look what I got. And that's
people really want. They want to show off what they got.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
One hundred percent. And we when we had the lighting
lady right and and and when I asked her about
is do you find that people are doing more work
in the backyard without door lighting or in front of
the house? She said in front of the house right
now because of the curb appeal aspect of it. And
then once they see how great that is, then they
(17:06):
move it to the backyard. And we've got a customer
for life. Do you find that too, that people are
looking to up to make the front end of their
home the curb appeal, I guess to go up a
notch er too, rather than to start with the backyard.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
You know a little bit of both. I think we
see a lot more of the backyard. I think with
with our projects, the the front yard obviously very important.
But I think really since COVID, people started investing in
their backyard spaces because people didn't want to be stuck
inside all the time.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
That's that's my point. He's a step up, that's what
that's what they're doing. They're trying to make their backyard
look what I got.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Yeah, and everybody competes with the Joneses, right, you want
to want to make it a little bit better. The
other thing I saw on your website and I don't
know if you offer it here locally, but like Christmas.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Products and stuff, Yes, we have a full low and
garden center down in displays. We have you know, all
the Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, reese everything during the holiday season.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
You had made a comment that the place there is
like Stein's on steroids.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
It really is.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
It's about ten minutes away from Mahare, so if anybody's
flying out of Chicago, it has a little extra time
to kill.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
It's a really neat place.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
Talk about here locally? Do you do Christmas trees and
Christmas products here locally?
Speaker 3 (18:27):
We don't know.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
We just actually started bringing in plants on a limited
basis per order, but mainly our largest product is natural stone.
Then we do a lot of concrete products, clay lighting.
I mean we are the one stop landscape shop, but
also building stone and stone fabrication.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
So hey, last question before we go to a break.
As an outside sales and field support guy on a
day to day basis, is your job to either meet
with contractors or contact contractors that you currently aren't working
with to introduce yourself. Is that kind of what you
do on a day to day basis.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
A little bit of both.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Since we have this new location in Sussex, my job
has been to bring in new business. The Lurvy name
is very well established and known down in Chicago Land.
We want that to be the same way up here
in Milwaukee. We want it to be a household name.
We are Wisconsin based company. I think people kind of
shy away when they when they hear that we're one
(19:27):
of the largest landscape supply companies in Chicago Land. But
it's very exciting for us to open our first Wisconsin location.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
And with thoughts of expanding here and beyond.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Event o'kay, whatever they do, a soldier field is not
going to work. It's not gonna work.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
I yeah, I agree with that. Whatever they do. And
remember what Clay Matthews said at the draft, but we
don't need to bring that up.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
You know, it is a sports channel. We can say
some sports still.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
We can say that there. Yeah, good job, Clay Matthews.
Where you get you a break. The other side of
the break, Adam Lockey's with Urvy Landscape Supply. He's an
outside sales and field support guy and his job is
to let people know that they are here. If you
look at all the success they've had over the years
down in Illinois, it's just a natural progression. And when
(20:17):
Adams says, look, this is our first location and we
are Wisconsin based. When you go on their website, take
a look at that side farm in Whitewater, and they
are they are Wisconsin based company. And it's his job
to let people know that. If you want to go
to their website, it's Llurvy's dot com l U r
v eys dot com. Go to that website, spend some
(20:40):
time on the website. Got some really good things on
that website. Look at some of the pictures and you'll
get an idea of the kind of work they do.
If you read the history of this company, they've been
around since the late nineteen twenties, so they've been doing
They've been doing great work in this space for a
really long time. This is the Creative Construction Wisconsin Home
Improvement Show on Fox Sports ninet twenty in your iHeart
(21:02):
Radio app. Welcome back to the Creative Construction Wisconsin Golf Show,
the Home Improvement Show. Zach, I want to thank you
for that gift.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
By the way, we said yeah. Take nine you'll take
nine strokes after your game.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Oh is that it? Yeah, that's not going to happen.
But I love these creative construction Wisconsin golf balls. I'm
hoping not to lose him in the first three holes.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Yeah. We're actually because we're also sponsors at the NBA.
We just sold out beautiful that they're they're golf outing
and we're giving those out plus the little red rubber
you know, you know the little ducks if you see
people jeeps. Yes, yeah, they get the little Creative professional
logo album. We're giving those all too.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
That's awesome. Well, Zach, thank you for the gift. I
will use them proudly. And Bingo said, just when you
lose them, make sure you hit him into somebody's yard.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Yeah. One of those good stuck home.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Yeah, one of those good stucco homes. So they've got it.
Our special guest in studio walkin Show South Grant Adam Lott.
He is Lurvy Landscape supplies there outside sales and field
support guy and and Adam. When when you say that
this company is Wisconsin based, we talked about it during
the break. It truly is a Wisconsin based company. Now,
(22:10):
some of their their their locations are in Illinois. But
but tell us the story. They they are. They are
totally Wisconsin people.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Yes, after the I mean the Levy families. It started
as a dairy farm down in the Dlsman Whitewater area,
and uh when that turned into a sod farm, Mark
Lurvy was, you know, going around selling loads of sod.
And he went down to Lindenman's nursery and displains and
they weren't interested in in buying the load of sad.
(22:41):
But they're interested in selling the garden center. And that's
what is our Displaines garden center now.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
And Mark went to KETTL. Moraine High School, right.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
I don't know if Mark did with his son Aaron.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
Whose son Aaron, Yeah, very much involved and you know
will be taken over.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
The company is grad of KETTL. Moraine.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
Yep. And so when when people ask you and they
go on the website and when you look at locations,
there are some locations in Illinois, then the one at
Whitewater or the one in Sussex. I don't care where
the locations are. This is a Wisconsin based company. These
are cheeseheads, man. They just understand that Levy's dot com
l U r v e ys dot com. They're located
(23:22):
in Sussex. If somebody is right now thinking, boy, we
look it's beautiful day to day, we got to get out.
Maybe we'll head over to a garden center talk about
what especially the all of the rock stuff that they
can get by you. But there's also that you got
plants now that people can come out and buy. Correct.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
Yeah, the website would be a much better option for
looking at plants right now. We just started bringing plants
up to Sussex kind of per order, so it's nothing
like the acres of plants down and displays at the
garden center.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
But there are so many different materials to look at.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
You can look at decorative ravels and retaining wall stone.
You can look at porcelain, pavers, clay, pavers, reclaimed pavers,
anything and everything for the interior, exterior house, for stone
and landscape.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
I love that. And when when somebody knows and do
you guys, somebody knows that they're redoing their their backyard,
let's use the backyard and they're gonna need certain kind
of stone, but they're not exactly sure what's going to fit.
Is the best thing to do is to take pictures
of the backyard and then come to you and say, hey,
(24:36):
what would you recommend we use for this.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
I always kind of tell people I don't want to
make that decision that you're the one that's gonna have
to be living in that backyard for the next you know,
X Y many years. I can tell you what I
think would work well, but ultimately you have to feel
comfortable with what you're putting in your space. You know,
a lot of times people will come to me with
a picture from Instagram or house or just just an
inspiration photo. But before I even start showing people materials,
(25:03):
I sit them down and try and get an understanding
of the color, the style, the look that they're going for,
and then I start to present options, because with all
the different materials and options, it can become overwhelming quite quickly,
and especially if it's a new home builder selecting so
many different materials, fixtures, faucets, it's totally overwhelming. So let's
(25:25):
let's let's make it simple, let's make it comfortable.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Yeah, and it's what happens to you you with us too.
I mean people to get a little picture from a
magazine or some Instagram or someone on Facebook, and you
show my picture on your phone. Okay, that's what it
looks like on your phone. It's not what it's going
to look like, right, Yeah, people do that, and so
what do you think it is on that?
Speaker 1 (25:43):
And then what I did for you with my brother John,
send you for your pictures to fix it?
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Yeah, and then you go there and you go to
look at it and I got there, oh manjie, Yes, yeah,
this is this needs some work.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
It's a whole different thing when when people come in
and have you found over the years that people are
are more more I guess, better educated now because of
the TV shows they watch, because of the Internet, because
of being able to find what other people have done
in the space that they're trying to either fix or
(26:15):
you know, create. Are you Are you seeing that people
are more educated in the space that you work in
than they used to be.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
I would say yes, and I think a lot of
that's happened since COVID, Probably people sitting at home scrolling
their computers or Instagram. Just whether the information is accurate
or not is one thing, but yes, overall, I think
customers it's very pleasant surprised to see people coming in
a lot more educated about what they're looking for.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
And it helps and it hurts because sometimes you know,
they see YouTube video and you thought, hey, I could
do this myself, and then and then it costs more
now than just.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
Why are you looking at me? Why are you staring
right at me? Because Zach comes over all the time.
You have no idea how many times Zach.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
And three in a boss your wife will, but she
does all the time.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
Hey, what is the most common I guess landscaping rocks
that people use? Now? Is there is there the go
to quality or go to kind of rock that people use?
Speaker 4 (27:16):
Flagstone's probably very common. What I think a lot of
people don't realize is the amazing natural resource that we
have right here in Wisconsin, which is the dolomitic limestone
that's quarried right here in Wisconsin that you see on
so many buildings and landscapes. It's it's right here in
our backyard. It's material that gets shipped all over the country.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
And when you talk flagstone, and I've looked that up,
a primary use for pavers for walkways, patios and decks,
and just a beautiful look to that fairly easy to install.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
Uh not always It depends on the application. I think
a lot of you know, a patio, you need to
excavate a good eight to twelve inch of soil or
for a for a base to be able to a
lot of people think that you can just kind of
scrape the sod off and lay laystone on dirt.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Got a little hole in the dirt and said in
it would be good. No, there's actually there's a whole process.
But I mean, there is anybody that doesn't know someone
or being around, even just by in his weekend. You
will walk along a place on sidewalk somewhere because they're
just they're.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Just everywhere everywhere. How hard are are landscaping rocks to maintain.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
Depends on the type of stone.
Speaker 4 (28:31):
The stone here in Wisconsin is very dense and very durable,
so it's virtually maintenance free.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Which is important to people. Right, you want to be
able to get this project done and then just enjoy
it and not have to be out.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
There millions of years old.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
It's been aging, it's been.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
It really depends on the what's right at me?
Speaker 1 (28:49):
When you talked about being aged, Yeah, yeah, it's all right.
I have no problem with that. Is it hard for
people to make decisions on the kind of landscape rock
that they want to use. And is that look my
decisions a final decisions always maybe on stuff. I have
a hard time making a final decision. Do you deal
mostly when you if the contractors there with you, are
(29:11):
they dealing mostly with the wife or the husband in
the house?
Speaker 4 (29:16):
A little bit of both. Sometimes I feel like I'm
a marriage counselor meeting with.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
People, doctor Phil. That's not a bad place, right.
Speaker 4 (29:24):
It's I want people to feel better from when they
come into when they leave, So I want the experience
to be We're trying to understand their needs and build
a long lasting relationship.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
So we I mean we're work with.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
So many good contractors and our our main goals to
get these homeowners in contact with these professional contractors. These
these aren't very simple projects.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
And you understand if you recommend somebody, he's not gonnacommend
someone that's going to do a bad job, right, I mean,
he's gonna recommend someone that's a good you know, that
does know what they're doing.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
You get asked a lot on from either people that
call in or people that you meet. Hey, I need
I need a company that I can work with. Did
you have a rolodex and the old word of rolodexpert
on your phone? Do you have contractors in the area
that you recommend?
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Yes, we I mean we have a we have a
whole shelf of business cards at our Sussex location on
some of the contractors that we recommend people work with.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
There's there's you know, too many of the name.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
So we work with a lot of the top landscape
contractors and masons in the area.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Say Mike's Rolodex. You got the rolodex y next your
fax machine?
Speaker 1 (30:32):
Yeah, yes, and you know exactly what all that is?
You still use that? Come on now hey? On your
website when when it says the company the companies that
we keep I like a company that's willing to say,
look here, here are some of the companies that we
hang out with, right that we that we trust and
(30:53):
we work with. And on your website there are some
some pretty big time companies that you guys partner up with.
And that says a lot about lurvy and and and
kind of your reputation and how you work with with
contractors and clients, because you wouldn't have this amount of
people that want to partner up with you and guys
(31:13):
like Bingo, they go, look, this is my go to
guy because every time I go there they do they
get us the.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Right specialize in repairs and they're good at buying stuff
that you need for repairs.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
Yeah, that's a huge deal with the companies that you
guys keep and it really important we have.
Speaker 4 (31:28):
We have hundreds of you know, vetted very quality and
reliable partner and suppliers within the industry. A lot of times,
especially in the in the landscape natural stone world, we're
these suppliers largest contractor nationwide. So these are relationships that
we've built over time, and it's a two way street,
(31:48):
you know. It does They don't just supply us to
the material we're we're working hand in hand with with
our vendors well.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
And the other part that I really like, and I
think this would be great for contractors when they go
on that website and you go to the resource page
and you're able to say, okay, landscape accessories and there's
just really brochures and really good information on a number
of this The Garden Center Landscape Product Guide of twenty
(32:15):
twenty five just great information for people to know and
if they find something that you don't offer here in
Sussex but offer in Illinois. You can have it chipped
up right.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
Yeah, I mean we have.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
We operate our own transport shipping company as well, so
we operate fourteen semis thirty trailers out of our sod
farm in Whitewater. It makes logistics very smooth man between
the locations.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
Do you know and how many total employees work for you.
Speaker 4 (32:46):
Know, we have a lot of seasonal employees, but we're
around one hundred and nineties so this we don't necessarily
do a holiday party, but we have a we call
it the Lurvy Jam. Every spring, all the locations get
together down in Illinois. It's it's like a big wedding.
Every bodies at these roundtables. They mix different people from
different locations. We all get to know each other. Each
(33:06):
location feels like a small family, right, but then it
feels like one big family as well, and we are
a family owned and operated business.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Look, Big O and I talk and we love Wisconsin
based companies, right, and the majority of what we talk about,
and I love the fact that when people look at
the website, they're going to go, well, they have more
locations in Illinois guys. It's a Wisconsin based company. The
owners live here. And I love the fact that when
you said, look, each location is like its own little family.
(33:36):
That tells me that the strength of this is at
the top and they understand the importance of having everybody
feel like they're part of this family. Very similar to
Creative Construction Wisconsin. Anytime I have anybody from their company
in whether they're truly part of the family, like you
know Aaron right, everybody else is like, look when I
(33:57):
go to work every day, that's my family, and they
treat us like part of the family. And I think
that that that the owners of Urvy understand how important
that is.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
And it really does come down from the top and
and everybody serves. If there's a homeowner that walks in,
anybody's going to jump to the counter to help them out.
And and we're not just selling you a product and
say here you go, We're going to help you learn
about the product and how to install it.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
Hey, So the the the company that was in the
location where Levy is, you worked for them prior. What
was it like for you in your nerves and stuff
when you found out that they were selling and were
you were you comfortable thinking, Okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna
this is a company I can work for.
Speaker 4 (34:43):
I was one hundred percent comfortable and actually looking forward
to it. So when I when I was hired at
The Rock, I actually knew that eventually Levy was going
to be taking over.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
So those wasn't like a one day showed up here,
change your shirt.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
No.
Speaker 4 (34:56):
I really appreciate the transparency of the owner at The
Rock that told me that said, Hey, I'm talking to Lurvy.
Eventually there I'm going to be selling to them.
Speaker 3 (35:04):
I had.
Speaker 4 (35:06):
I worked with a stone company out of Connecticut and
Leervy was one of my dealers.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Okay, so you knew all about it.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
I knew the operation, and I knew that it was
a a company that I wanted.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
To work for.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
Boy, that's no last sleep then, no none at all. Hey,
when somebody asked you on the street about Levy, what
we all have our elevator pitches, right, I mean, what
do you tell them about your company, the company you
work for, and what you guys provide.
Speaker 4 (35:34):
I think it's as simple as their slogan experience something more.
We want it to be an experience we want, we
want to build long term lasting relationships. It's not about
a one time sale. We want repeat customers. We want
the Levy name in Milwaukee market to be what it
is down in Chicagoland.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
And that's and that's coming one day experience something more.
That is their their slogan and UH and they live
by it. If if Adam is anything with how the
other people operate at leurv, I this is a company
that that I would do some business with. L u
r v e y S lurv's dot com. They're located
(36:15):
in Sussex. You can get a hold of Adam if
you call over there and he will return your call
and he works a lot with contractors. But there's somebody
there that can answer any questions if you're you're a
homeowner and you just have some questions on on what
you should be utilizing for your outdoor living space and
above I mean, go to that website, look at all
(36:35):
the products that they do offer throughout their company and
you get an idea on everything that they do from
natural stone too, and that's a lot of the stuff
that Adam works with. Again l u r v e
y s dot com and take a look at that
at that company and everything they do experience something more
uh from this Wisconsin based company. We'll get to a break.
(36:57):
Other side of the break will continue our conversation again
with Adam Locke. He is the outside sales and field
support rep for Urve Lourvy Landscape Supply. I'll get this
yet before we go pel. This is the Creative Construction
Wisconsin Home improvement Show on Fox Sports nine twenty and
your iHeart Radio app. Welcome back to the Creative Construction
(37:18):
Wisconsin home improvement Show on Fox Sports nine twenty and
your iHeart Radio App by and Mike McGivern alongside the
owner of Creative Construction of Wisconsin. He is Bingo Emmons. Hey,
Bingo real quick. On May seventeenth, there's a the Lampham
Lodge at Lapam Peak is They've got a grand opening
(37:40):
event and Kernel Electric is going to be putting solar
panels on top. But if you want to head out
there May seventeenth, it's a huge event. And they broke
around at March of twenty twenty four. Now it's down
the lap and Peak unit Kettle Moraine State Forest.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Got to make sure you see my app. I would
get those apps open all the time. That's my solar.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
Kernel Electric Solar Chuck Smith is the pioneer of solar
in the state of Wisconsin. He started doing the.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Song time pioneer of solar, so he invented the sun.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
He did not invent the sun, but I'll tell you
this when it comes to in the state of Wisconsin.
He's been doing it longer than anybody and he is
a firm believer and that will be his legacy. I
think at Kernel Electric. Whenever he decides that, you know
he's going to retire. But he has been so involved
in it, and he's been involved with this Lampham Peak
unit and man, it's beautiful. They they raised over three
(38:34):
million dollars to put this up and they're going to
have a grand opening coming up.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
But he just did last week.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
He just did Pewaukee last week and very proud of that.
I'm really proud of the job they did out in Pewaukee.
And he's involved in this one as well. And when
I met with him this week, he said, Hey, this
is a really big deal and if you guys want
to mention it, that'd be great. So we did. Our
special guest in studio is Adam Locke. He is lurvy
landscape supply outside sales and field support. Hey, we didn't
(39:03):
talk at all.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
I gotta you know, I let people. We let people
text and to ask questions. Yes we do, okay. So anyways,
they got grass cutting questions, how often they need might
cut my grass? And then I'm just gonna put all
these questions together because we're a kind of the same
How many inches can you let the grass grow before
it should be cut? And is it possible to overcut
your grass? So there you go. Is this grass cutting.
Speaker 4 (39:24):
Only reason I'm going to answer this because they used
to have a landscape maintenance company, but in general there
was a two thirds rule. You don't want to cut
more than two thirds of the full length of the
grass at once. You want to cut it low at
the end of the season before in fall, but you
kind of let it, let it establish its roots. So
the longer you let the grass grow, you think whatever's
(39:45):
grown above the ground is also going to be growing
below the ground, So don't take too much off the
top at once.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
There you go, There you go, say we did our
public service.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
I've got I've got a question as well.
Speaker 4 (39:56):
Well.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
When it comes to people building walls, right. Using wall stone,
do you recommend that they the the the stones are
all similar or similar color, or do you like it
when they're utilizing different types of stone in different color.
Speaker 4 (40:14):
It completely depends on the type of look they're going
for a lot of times, I'll start with the house.
Are you you know, do you want to match or
complement the stone or material on the house? Is there
a certain color on the house that you want to
draw out in the wallstone. So some people want something
very uniform, very modern. Some people want something a lot
more rustic and with a lot more variation.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
And you can't do anybody just can't do stone as much.
People with everything's allowed to do yourself. First. There's certain stones,
but it's like river rock. You got to make sure
that the top of the stone is bigger than the bottom.
I mean, because when you you know, so we next
stone goes on, it doesn't slide down. There's a lot
of stuff to do in stones that you know. People
people think, oh, you just stick them on and that's it,
But there's actually stuff to especially if it's on a
(40:56):
wall that's you know, with full sized stones.
Speaker 1 (40:59):
Hey, when when yeah, you guys, at least down the
Illinois cell mulch, and there's a lot of things on
the website ice melt and stuff for drainage and landscape
accessories that that, and again Stein's on steroids. I just
laugh at that line, but it's it's probably perfect. But
here locally, if people are looking for natural stone to
(41:19):
build a wall, that that's that you can make recommendations
and you have though do you have that product in house?
Speaker 4 (41:27):
Yes, we we keep a lot of natural stone in stock.
We were when we were the Rock we were primarily
natural stones. So we work a lot with with Edenstone.
The quality of their materials out of any of the
Wisconsin corries above and beyond. So we stock steps, wallstone, flagstone.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
Slabs, slabs and countertops. Do you guys do that here locally?
Speaker 3 (41:52):
We do.
Speaker 4 (41:52):
We have slabs, We have stone fabrication on site.
Speaker 3 (41:56):
We don't. We do some outdoor countertops.
Speaker 4 (41:58):
We don't do full blown kitchen owner tops, but we
do have slabs for doing steps, coping. We have a
five access C and C in house in Sussex for
doing custom stone fabrication.
Speaker 1 (42:09):
Boy, the on that page on your website for slabs
and countertops, there's some beautiful pictures of some of the
things that you guys offer and you guys do. It's
amazing to me the different colors and how what some
people think are amazing. When my wife and I watch
these TV shows, she's the first to go, yeah, I
(42:30):
don't like I do not like that countertop at all.
And there are so many different options nowadays for people
depending on what they want with their kitchen to look like.
And I think that that starts the look of the kitchen,
don't you think.
Speaker 3 (42:45):
Yeah, there are so many options.
Speaker 4 (42:47):
I would say too many options, which is really why
we try and sit people down and understand what they're
trying to achieve, what look they're going for, and then
present maybe two or three options, not you know, fifteen
to twenty options that just because is overwhelming.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
And Stone's a natural product, there's no there's no too identical.
They're never identical, even like you know Stone, granted, Everyby
Knows Cords, granted Marble, but there's you know, there's other
things out there too.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
One last thing about this company, and and and I
think we've we've driven home the point that this is
what Wisconsin owned, Wisconsin based company. But I I have
I always feel pretty good about companies like Creative Construction Wisconsin.
They do a number of things behind the scenes, giving
back to our community, and they do it quietly, and
(43:34):
I find out about it, and I go on the
airways talk about it, and he's like, Hey, you know what,
thank you for that, But we don't need we do
these things quietly. I love the fact that on your
website there's a number of things that this Wisconsin based
company believes in helping out and having that servant leadership,
Hart Adam. That's not something we're born with, but it's
(43:55):
a learned behavior, and somebody at that company has learned
that giving back to the community is something that as
a Wisconsin based company, we need to do. And I
want to just go on the air and say thank
you to that company for the amount of things they
do by giving back to our community.
Speaker 3 (44:10):
Really appreciate that, Mike, thank you.
Speaker 1 (44:12):
Yeah, they get it, don't they.
Speaker 4 (44:14):
We want to be a part of the community that
we're within, So yes, we're trying to do the same
in Sussex now and and be a part of the community.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
Can I make a recommendation to the owners the Kids
Garden Club that you guys do down in Illinois, bring
that here one day, bring it here one day. I've
got six grandkids that I would send out there because
I think for the for kids at that early age
to learn how what to do, how to how to
how to pick the product, how to plant it, how
(44:44):
to water it. You know, I had a problem because
I overwatered and and that's not good. Right, you don't
want to underwater. But to have these kids be part
of this kid's garden club, I think it would be
a huge hit up here in this area.
Speaker 4 (44:59):
Yeah, we want we want to try and educate at
every level. So we do our winter seminar series at
every one of our locations where you know, we bring
in contractors and we ask what what do they want
to learn about? So we will hold four or five
different seminars on plants or natural stone or porcelain. We
don't just hand them a product and say here, go
(45:21):
sell it or go install it. We want you to
install it the right way and we're going to help
you do that.
Speaker 1 (45:26):
Well, you've got the and it's down in Illinois. But
the Proven Winners Weekend is coming up next month. So
take a look at this website and it's Urvi's dot com.
L U r v e ys dot com and take
a look at that website and put ten minutes fifteen
minutes aside. You're not going to go on the website
and look at two things to get out because there's
some really good stuff on there. Adam is so good
(45:48):
to meet you. Not bad for a walk show, South Boy.
You did good, Matt, thank you very much to go
black Shirts, Go black Shirts, Bengo, It's good to see
you now.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
We're a red shirt.
Speaker 1 (45:57):
Just so you know, yes every week and that's your
tell us. Zach, thank you so much for these golf balls.
They will be used. I'm not holding on to these things.
They will be and.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
If it come that up, well, the people of the
NBA it's you can't really push anymore because it's sold out,
but they will. Everybody that what comes to that will
get one of those. All our games are going to
take nine shots off your game.
Speaker 1 (46:20):
Well you said seven seven time, We'll say you seven
for me, everybody else nine. Hey, listen to the next
two hours. It's a special edition of the Varsity Blitz
High School Sports show. As we talk about the week
I had in San Diego with the US Marine Corps.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
I've been talking about that jail thing or a.
Speaker 1 (46:39):
Note jail thing. Spencer did the whole he was nice
enough to bail me out. We're not talking about that. Guys,
have a great weekend. This is the Creative Construction Wisconsin
home improvement show on Fox Sports nine twenty and your
iHeart radio app
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