Madelia HS Alum Builds Regional Company with Help from City
October 13, 2022
Hometown sweethearts, Dustin and Sarah VanHale are the owners of Total Lawn Care and Landscape located in Madelia and Mankato. This successful landscaping business was only a dream when Dustin was mowing lawns and helping his neighbors out with odd jobs while attending Madelia High School. He felt a passion for helping others and making beautiful outdoor spaces and knew this was something he wanted to pursue in the future. It might have been a dream, but Dustin was positive he could make it a reality.
After graduating in 2009, he went on to receive a degree in construction management. Dustin could have gone anywhere at that point, but he chose to return to Madelia where he planned to grow Total Lawn Care and Landscaping into a successful business. He recognized that Madelia wasn’t just the ideal place for him to start a business, it was also where he and Sarah wanted to make their life together and raise a family.
In 2014, Dustin and Sarah were married and they’re raising their two children Jacob and Madison in Madelia. For them, where to live wasn’t ever a question. Madelia was home.
In their opinion, Madelia offers the best of both worlds. It has that small town appeal where everyone knows you and looks out for one another, while at the same time it has many of the same amenities as a big city like shopping, a hospital, parks, golf course, and good schools. It’s a vibrant and growing community where visitors come from neighboring towns to shop and enjoy everything Madelia has to offer.
Madelia is a community that wants everyone to succeed. According to the VanHales, there are many opportunities for new businesses in Madelia. Everything is possible from starting a new venture to expanding an existing business. This fact wasn’t lost on Dustin and Sarah when they realized the need contractors and do-it-yourself homeowners had for bulk landscape material - something they decided to expand into.
They have always appreciated the fact that Madelia has been such a supportive place for them and their full-service landscaping business. So they knew Madelia would be just as supportive of their decision to expand their business and open a store front. In fact, the community was so helpful they were able to secure a loan from the City of Madelia to assist them with their building costs. With this help, they took the leap and established Total Landscape Supply in 2019. Since then Total Landscape Supply has expanded even further. They have another location in Mankato as well.
Total Lawn Care and Landscape has always been a family affair, but it became official in 2022 when Sarah left her job in healthcare to join Dustin full-time. She now manages the day-to-day operations of the business.
With the VanHale’s hard work and the support of their community, Total Lawn Care and Landscape has grown into an award-winning business with over 50 employees with locations in both Madelia and Mankato. What was once a high school side business has now become a company that offers full service lawn and landscaping contractors to much of southern Minnesota.
We Will Help You Grow a Business in Madelia
If you’re looking for a supportive community to start or grow your business, we have a place here for you in Madelia. We will make you feel right at home, welcome you with open arms and do our best to help you succeed. Contact MARC today to start your Madelia story.