In my opinion, we don't celebrate enough the great success stories that reside right here in Wilton. One of those success stories is that of Joe Scott, owner and founder of Glen Gate Company. I was fortunate enough to catch up with Joe recently, and he shared his fascinating story with me.
The history of Glen Gate is inspiring for any would-be entrepreneur. Joe Scott started Glen Gate in 1972 when he realized that there was demand for great landscape design with a high level of service, though it was not being supplied by the market. Generations later, Glen Gate employs over one hundred people and is part of what makes Wilton special.
The high level of service that has distinguished Glen Gate, has allowed the company to prosper, even in tough times. In 2008, Joe had a hunch tough times were coming when a Lehman Brothers executive cancelled a contract for landscape design.
Despite this, Glen Gate was determined to continue to offer their clients the high level of service they had come to expect. After all, the importance of the client relationship is what has set Glen Gate apart. So instead of firing employees and contracting, Glen Gate added service workers and reinvested in their business. Glen Gate's perseverance was ultimately rewarded. Even though the company's new design business slowed in 2009 and 2010, their service business continued to grow. In 2011, with the economic recovery taking hold, Glen Gate design and new build business rose to a new company record.
Photo credit: Glen Gate, Jordy Scott