THE WINDOW NINJAS

for customers.

“We do residential and commercial window and gutter cleaning,” Russell says. “We also do gutter-guard installation. Those are the three things we do, and we are very good at them.”

The company has roots dating back decades, as Russell and Jakoby have known each other since both were students at Tully Elementary. After graduating from Eastern High School, the duo was looking for a way to make money for college, and came up with the idea to start a business cleaning windows and gutters.

Over time, the Window Ninjas grew through the hard work and dedication shown by the co-owners.

“We had no help getting started and it was just an idea we had,” Russell says. “It was something we could start with very low entry - couple of buckets, couple squeegees, couple rags. We were really selling the labor side of things and we had plenty of that to give.”

The Window Ninjas deploy traditional window cleaning methods, using ladders to get up close and perform jobs by hand. The name for the company comes from the window cleaning technique used by its co-owners, which resembles a typical ninjalike movement. Currently the staff includes nine employees, and Jakoby says it’s the best group they’ve ever had.

“Everyone is super trustworthy,” Jakoby says. “Everyone shows up on time and we’re all friends outside work. They all do exactly what they’re supposed to do. They’re all amazing guys.”

Interested customers can call the Window Ninjas at 502-266-5566 to set up a time for the company to come to their home and give an estimate. Russell and Jakoby typically work six days per week, and have generated a high retention rate because of their attention to detail and willingness to be involved from start to finish on each job.

“No other company has two owners onsite,” Jakoby says. “That’s one reason we get retention. In 25 years we’ve never had a negative review and that’s because we oversee everything.”

The Window Ninjas are highly involved in the community, and provide free services to nonprofits in need of assistance. Moving forward, the duo hopes to grow the business even more.

“I would say certainly growth is a huge objective,” Russell says. “We’re really focusing on good things. We do want to grow. I would think in the next five years we’ll be one of the biggest residential companies in Louisville.”

For more information on the Window Ninjas, check out thewindowninjas.com or find them on Facebook.

Nature is great at providing moments of wonder, and in The Parklands we are getting a front-row seat to the transformation and migration of the monarch butterfly. This important pollinator species is endangered, and we at The Parklands are doing our part to change that. We actively support this species’ ability to thrive with the enhancement and protection of our meadow habitat that is specifically designed to attract and feed monarch butterflies.

Monarch caterpillars and eggs can only be found on one type of plant - the milkweed plant. Milkweed is the only host plant for these caterpillars and the only place an adult monarch will lay her eggs. Monarch eggs are laid directly on milkweed leaves so the newly hatched caterpillars can begin chomping away immediately.

Monarchs go through four phases in their lifetime - eggs, caterpillar, pupa and butterfly. Butterflies in these phases can be seen in our gardens and meadows right now. When the caterpillars grow large enough, they usually crawl away from the host plant to a more covered area to make their chrysalis. The entire process from egg to adult takes about four weeks. When these butterflies emerge from their chrysalises, they are part of a great migration from Canada to Mexico spanning over four generations.

Unfortunately, the monarch population has declined by about 90% in the last two decades, and we want to do everything we can to help protect them so they can thrive once again. This population decline is largely due to drought, habitat loss and pesticides, so protecting these monarchs and planting more of their host plant is integral to their survival.

At The Parklands, we are protecting and learning about monarchs by maintaining healthy meadows, and also participating in the Monarch Watch citizen science program and tagging our monarchs. The Monarch Watch Tagging Program began in 1992 to help

To track monarchs, a tag is placed on each monarch butterfly caught during the migratory season. This small, sticker-like tag is lightweight and specifically designed to not interfere with the migration of the butterfly. Each tag has a unique