CONTRACTOR PROFILE
By Angie Mellor
Conserva Irrigation Revolutionizes Irrigation Systems
Conserva has over 44 franchises across the United States, has cultivated partnerships with both the Toro Company and Target, and has established itself in the business of water conservation.
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t first glance, it may seem strange that a company whose bread and butter comes from installing and fixing irrigation systems would be so active in the field of water conservation—after all, irrigation installers rely on commercial and residential clients to use their systems and water. But Russ Jundt and Tom Olson, co-founders of Conserva Irrigation, have made a point through the past ten years to put their neighbors and communities ahead of their profits. Serving neighbors and their hometown team is a lesson Jundt recalls from spending his childhood summers painting houses with his father. “He taught me things about business and lessons which stick with me, and we’ve built our company on treating your neighbor right, pricing yourself accordingly, and being accountable for what you’re doing for them,” Jundt states. “[My dad said] You’ll see them at the local grocery store, or on the golf course, or at church, and you don’t want to be embarrassed by that relationship, you want to flourish in the relationship.”
Humble Beginnings
Those first years in the business started local for Jundt and Olson. “My business partner and I met in the 5th grade; we’ve been friends forever and business partners the past twenty years,” Jundt notes.
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The duo started working together in underground utility construction, but were so frequently asked about sprinkler system installation that they decided to start offering that service to clients. Jundt recalls that their first foray into the irrigation space was short lived. “I didn’t like how wasteful the entire industry was or seemingly was. There wasn’t a lot of thought put into design or efficient irrigation.” Soon after, the pair purchased the first Mosquito Squad franchise outside of the beta testing shop in Charlotte, N. C. “We brought it to Minnesota and I fell in love with the franchising model, where you share successes and you’re building off of each other’s learning curves and it was all about education and being in business,” Jundt shares. Jundt kept thinking about the need for a franchise model in the irrigation industry. This led him to The Irrigation Association National Show in 2010, where he began his journey toward co-founding Conserva Irrigation. “I walked in there [the national show] and it was like a kid in a candy store, and everything was all about the advent of these brand new smart controls,” Jundt recalls. From there Jundt and Olson began to research, study and build their business from the ground up. But it wasn’t an easy start. Jundt
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remembers starting the fall 2011 season with zero clients and zero revenue, and employing “guerilla marketing tactics,” to drum up business. “We put yard signs out that advertised inexpensive winterization or sprinkler system blow outs. We knocked on doors, and we introduced ourselves as local guys, saying ‘here’s what we’re doing, and here’s what we’re offering,’” Jundt notes. Additionally, that first season also helped Jundt and Olson to discover an important diagnostic tool. When winterizing the systems, Jundt would walk around the yard, and say ‘look at that, there’s a broken head, there’s a line leak over here.’ “I could see these things easily, since water leaks down and those problems go unnoticed many times in the summer months. As we were winterizing, we’d see air bubble up with the water and realized we could use air as a diagnostic tool as a proven strategy,” he remembers.
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5/30/18 2:44 PM