Citizen Spotlight: Jesse Harris

jesse-sheryl — *Jesse Harris and his sister/office manager Sheryl Hoefler pose in the Blue Sparrow Garden Center (photo Courtney Cole).*

Jesse Harris grew up visiting his grandfather’s farm exploring the woods and experiencing all that country life had to offer. So, when he was looking for a place to put down roots and raise his children he began exploring the area around Excelsior Springs. He had put an offer in on a house near Watkin’s Mill and the deal fell through, and that’s when he got a tip about a little property just southeast of Excelsior Springs. He said he really liked the house and the 20 acres of woodland that it came with, but what really sold him was the city of Excelsior Springs. “We went downtown … and we ate at a little restaurant called Ventana, and I absolutely loved it. I loved the downtown feel and everything about it. So, we went back and we made an offer on that house, and now here I am.” Along with his family, Jesse moved his business, Blue Sparrow Lawn and Landscape to his new location.

blue-sparrow-landscape2 — *Examples of Blue Sparrow landscapes (photos S Jason Cole).*

blue-sparrow-landscape1 — *Examples of Blue Sparrow landscapes (photos S Jason Cole).*

Jesse had started Blue Sparrow in Kansas City and had already been going strong for about three years before he made the move to Excelsior Springs. Originally he had planned to build a shop and run the business from his home property, but he said he didn’t want to make the same mistake he’d seen others choose. “One thing that I really wanted to do is build a workplace that people loved coming to, that makes them excited to wake up every morning to come to work, a place where they want to come and stay and maybe even retire here,” said Harris. Blue Sparrow currently has six full-time employees and Harris said they typically bring on a couple of seasonal workers during the summer months. He added that he also offers his full-time employees a full benefits package. “Our employees have two weeks of paid vacation, we have sick leave, we have an insurance package, we now have an IRA, we also do incentive bonuses at the end of each season,” Harris said proudly.

Harris said that sometimes people are skeptical of working for a landscaping company because they think that when summer is over they might be laid off, but Blue Sparrow crews stay busy all year long. “We do a huge snow operation, we currently push snow on probably around 140 acres of concrete,” Harris said. He added that he feels like they’re busier in the winter than any other time of the year. Blue Sparrow employee, Ray Brooks was one of Jesse’s first employees in Excelsior Springs and he said he couldn’t imagine working anywhere else. Brooks gave his employer a glowing review saying:

ray-brooks — *Ray Brooks, Blue Sparrow Crew Leader*

Jesse doesn’t make you feel like an employee, he makes you feel like family. He invests his time and his own money into us for training and certifications. He is probably the most understanding person I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. I don’t just call him my boss, I call him my friend and brother. He’s changed my life in ways I never would have imagined and I wouldn’t be the man I am today without him.

In their third year of business here in Excelsior Springs, Blue Sparrow moved to their current location at 107 N Industrial Park Rd. where they expanded their services to include a garden center. The garden center offers a unique selection of plants and plant accessories as well as bulk mulch and landscape gravel. Harris said he and his crew are always happy to share their lawn and landscape knowledge with anyone in need. He said some people are nervous to ask questions because they think they’re either taking up valuable time or that the questions might be too simple. He said there’s no need to be apologetic when it comes to asking for advice. “Call anytime you’ve got a question about your yard. You don’t have to be our client to get our help. We’re very eager to give advice, just give us a shout,” he said.

blue-sparrow-purple — *The Blue Sparrow Garden Center has a wide selection of hardy plants (photo Courtney Cole).*

blue-sparrow-daisy — *The Blue Sparrow Garden Center has a wide selection of hardy plants (photo Courtney Cole).*

Harris expressed gratitude for the warm welcome he, his family, and his business have been given here in Excelsior Springs. “The downtown area is what drew us here, but one thing that I’ve really kind of latched onto is the fact that the city and the people of Excelsior Springs are very eager to work with a locally-owned company like ours,” he said. Harris explained that it can be tough in a small town to compete with the prices of the guy who does summertime mowing from his garage or the team of kids with shovels in the wintertime. “We have loyal clients that know we may not be the cheapest option, but they value our work and they support small business and that’s been the deal from day one here in Excelsior Springs,” Harris said.