Matt Voss grew up on a dairy farm in Linn, Missouri. He first exercised his entrepreneurial chops raising pigs as part of the Future Farmers of America program, with a project that became a small business. Then, at 21, Matt went to Bible school, where he began a small mowing service to cover expenses, attending class until noon and mowing lawns to finish out the day. The business grew.
“The most important risk would be to overcome fear of failure,” he said. “All of the what if’s. What if it didn’t work out, what if I couldn’t cover payroll, what do I do if I don’t have enough work for the crews. Looking back, my confidence in myself drove me through those fears. I was going to give it 110% and just believe there wasn’t going to be a failure.”
Today, Bluegrass Landscape & Snow Management is one of the largest full-service landscape and snow management providers in the St. Louis market, serving six states and hundreds of commercial clients across the Midwest. Matt also runs a Weed Man franchise, serving approximately 7,000 residential fertilizing accounts across the St. Louis Metro area and central Missouri. Recently he added a Turfbot franchise, a robotic mowing service offered to residential properties, new to the St. Louis market. Yes, think Roomba for your yard.
Matt employs 150 full-time employees to manage Bluegrass, Weed Man and Turfbot to make it all work. On top of that, he partners with 50-100 other landscape companies across the Midwest to fulfill client services.
Matt knows his success is tied to his team’s success and well-being. He means it when he says that part of the mission is “to serve our employees.” He invests in his team, whether it’s by providing seminars and classes, affordable housing, or covering fees and legal costs to assist families with visas and extensions. He creates opportunities for his team to learn and grow, both about the industry and in matters pertaining to life success.
“In recruiting, I have told the team to look for those who are humble, hungry and smart. We can teach the processes later.”
Matt has always been active in church ministries, starting out with Bible school, and eventually becoming the youth pastor of a church in Florissant. He currently sits on the board of a Christian school in St. Charles County, and he is active in his grandchildren’s schools and sports teams. He passes his faith onto the Bluegrass team, encouraging everyone to be active and to give back.
Matt is a titan because of his business achievements. But his family is his focus. His love for them is evident. And he includes the Bluegrass team as members of his family. One of his team members says, “We are a family and proud of it.”
