Meet a Design/Build Revolutionary: Bob Masters

Meet a Design/Build Revolutionary:
Bob Masters

Cynthia, Gary, Bob and Judi Masters.

Profile: Bob Masters, Founder of Inspire, The Art of Landscape (formerly called Masters Design/Build), Annapolis, MD

Employees: 10 to 20

Mix: 75% Design/Build, 25% Maintenance

Years in Landscape Business: 26

Business Focus: “We do high-end residential design/build, as well as commercial projects that have a ‘people flair.” These are projects that connect people to the planet, like a walkway, a park-like project, a memory garden, etc.”

“We see our work as ‘the art of home and garden,’ and we aim to create a world that the client has always dreamed of. We work with people, the planet, and beauty in mind on every job.”

What’s Unique in this Business: “We think it is most important to connect our people who work with the client very early in the process, as part of the team. We think that’s a huge selling point. Our employees enjoy and take pride in their work.”

“We also show clients we have the ‘seasoned doctor approach’ — we’re experienced in problem solving, and we understand changes and how to handle emergencies. Finally, we tell customers their projects will involve problem solving that will more difficult, take longer and cost more than they might think. This might repel some customers, but most appreciate our experience and this realism.”

Masters tries to incorporate ‘people, planet and beauty’ in every design.

Design/Build Revolutionary since: 1999

Takeaway from Kinman Institute:
• “There were things we thought of doing for our business, but then we realized Gary and Cynthia had already thought them through from beginning to end. They set the bar. It’s like my business was a painting and they suggested how I need to matte and frame it to set it off perfectly.”
• “The Kinmans help students come to their level and look into the future of our industry. They have helped others anchor a niche in a market that needs one but mostly just lives out of a suitcase.”
• “Their analogies helped spark new ideas for me so I could think of new things.”
• “Gary and Cynthia have put their own blood, sweat, and tears into this industry and have shown us how to lead by their own example. They resist being put on a pedestal, yet they have shaped this business by helping others. By picking those of us out of the mud, they’ve gotten muddy themselves. That’s leadership.”

Masters designs landscapes that allow humans to relate to their environment.

Biggest Challenge: This year, business is a challenge. We compete against many companies who promise to do work at or below cost just for the work. My challenge is to help clients understand the value of their investment in a new lifestyle and how it ties people to the garden. They may be tempted to spend less on materials, which ultimately results in a much less valuable project for them, long term. We try to help them understand that the value we bring lies in the workmanship and problem-solving skills of our people. These employees want to be artists and solve problems at the same time.”

Loves to do:
• Coach his children and friends in soccer.
• Enjoy vacations in the mountains and at the beach with family and friends.

2009 Destinations:
• Lakes of North Carolina for vacation.
• Zambia, Africa to volunteer on a water supply recovery project for an orphanage there.