Co-Owners/Founders Ashton D’Alonzo and Jackson Williams in front of their newly purchased first commercial vehicle.
Internships can just be a way to fill up a summer schedule or they can be a precursor to what we will be doing for the rest of our lives. This past summer I was able to work toward something that I hope to be doing for the rest of my working life. My name is Jackson Williams, I am a senior here at the University of Maryland majoring in Landscape Management at the Institute of Applied Agriculture. I am from Ellicott City, Maryland, and for my internship experience, I operated my own Landscaping business over the summer. Headquartered in Howard County, Maryland, AJ’s Lawn & Landscape LLC was established in the spring of 2021 by partners Ashton D’Alonzo and Jackson Williams. AJ’s Lawn & Landscape LLC provides a large selection of professional services. We offer Mulching, Weeding, Edging, Fall/Spring Clean-Ups, Bush Trimming, Tree Trimming, Bush Removal, Leaf Removal, Snow Removal, Junk Removal, Brush Removal, Tree Installs, Planting, Bed Formation, and more. The company shop is located in Woodbine, Maryland, and works out of Howard County.
Over the Summer I was able to complete many landscape projects, including landscape design and installation. Even before the completion of the job I was tasked with providing an in-person estimate for a client and engaging in dialogue to figure out a plan to transform their vision to reality. Once a plan was made I would type up an estimate with the labor and materials needed, then the job would be priced and employees scheduled. When thinking about my “favorite” part of this experience it would be finding and assigning roles for workers and creating a high-energy atmosphere among the crew. With landscaping, there are many aspects that go into completing a job and it can not be done alone. This gives a sense of responsibility to each worker, they know without their help a project would not be completed, and I believe this creates an urgency and makes them work proficiently. Being in a leadership/management position, I had many responsibilities and many people relying on me. I believe this is a position that I excelled in and found great satisfaction in filling this role.
When reflecting on the summer as a whole there are certain moments that I will cherish for a long time. Being a 21-year-old business owner/operator puts me in a unique position to hire hard-working friends who are willing to dedicate themselves to the business. Working with friends and family creates a challenging environment of trying to balance the relationships between friends versus employees. Thankfully the environment that's been created has a perfect balance. In terms of the future of the company, I hope to be able to keep growing the company, being able to run multiple crews in the spring, summer, and fall. I also hope to eventually branch out into subdivisions in junk removal (hauling services) as well as hardscaping. I have put literal blood, sweat, and tears into this company and I will stop at nothing to see it grow into what I know it can be.
