Mr. Rick Girard

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  www.girard.com/PopUpHTML/Glance.html - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 7/29/2008    Last Visited: 7/29/2008  

  Richard Girard, PEChairman

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  www.girardonline.com/bios.asp - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 7/19/2007    Last Visited: 7/19/2007  

  Click for Rick Girard's Bio ...
  
  Rick Girard

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  www.girardonline.com/featurededitorials_details.asp?id= - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 10/10/2008    Last Visited: 7/19/2007  

  Of all adjectives that can be flung in Rick Girard's direction, "tenacious" may apply best.The success of Girard Environmental Services (GES) can be laid squarely at the feet of the company's chairman and chief executive officer by virtue of his persistence in dusting himself off after several business upsets.
  
  Consider: Between 1995 and 1998, Girard, who is now 35, faced an array of personal and business related obstacles ranging from bankruptcy, being terminated and three failed partnerships, the last ending in a failed legal attack by a vindictive former partner.
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  Still, despite hundreds of local landscapers both small and large, Rick Girard doesn't worry too much about competition, especially considering that GES has a customer base that numbers well over a thousand and is growing exponentially by the week.
  
  "We do have competition, but then again, we don't because of our diversity," says Rick Girard, who handles that accounting and administrative side of the business.
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  "We'd been through four different landscaping contractors in 15 years and just never got what we looking for, so when the residents took over the association from the developer in December 2002, we interviewed landscapers for eight months before settling on Girard.
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  "I've never seen anyone perform as well as Girard did during the hurricane time," says Pyle.
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  I tell them: ‘Talk to Girard'.
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  Rick Girard says that dealing with the aftermath of the recent storms was a challenge - one that inspired mixed feelings.
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  Randy and Rick Girard may have traded their work boots for a pair of matching Hummer H-2's but when the occasion calls for it, the brothers are prepared to get down and dirty.
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  "Were going to these guys and saying ‘Hey we don't want to be your competition, we want to help youo so you can help us," says Rick Girard.
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  The branch here in Sanford is the first of six branches that we'll open in Central Florida over the next five years," says Rick Girard."We have no interest right now in expanding to any other Florida markets, we just want to dominate the Central Florida market," he added.

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  Close-up Profile: Willis Dane - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 9/16/2008    Last Visited: 9/16/2008  

  Rick Girard began mowing lawns for neighbors and family friends after school and on the weekends.During a class project, he printed business cards and named the company Rick's Lawn Service.It provided him with ample spending money.Soon after, he changed the name of the company to Rick's Handyman Service, and began performing other odd jobs such as pressure cleaning, painting and resurfacing asphalt driveways.
  
  Once Rick was in the 11th grade and able to drive himself to work, he worked for South Shore Landscape, a small South Florida lawn maintenance company, in the summertime, and during the school year he held down two other jobs.
  
  Upon graduation in 1987, Rick decided to pursue a career in landscape architecture.But after attending Broward Community College for only a couple of months, he decided school was not for him, and began working full time for South Shore.
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  Randy, now a sophomore in high school, worked for Rick along with several of his friends.
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  Rick decided to stay put, but after a while he decided he wanted to be near his family.He sold his accounts in South Florida, and moved up to Orlando.
  
  Rick started his business in Orlando, quickly picking up new customers and growing the company.
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  Apparently, Rick never really mastered the "business end of the business," because inexperience caused him to make a series of bad business decisions, compounded by poor financial results.The company, unable to meet its obligations, was forced to file for bankruptcy protection in October of 1995.
  
  At age 26, Rick experienced first-hand the ultimate failure that every businessperson fears most - bankruptcy.This life-changing event made a profound impact on Rick.The overwhelming feeling of failure is difficult for anyone to completely understand who hasn't experienced it themselves.
  
  Rick went to work for Environmental Care, now ValleyCrest Companies, while Randy struggled to start his own small lawn maintenance company.
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  After a number of months, Rick realized that the salary he was making would never allow him to pay off the $100,000 he owed the Internal Revenue Service.
  
  He planned a new start-up company, beginning with one truck and three employees, but was anxious to grow the company.He began searching for a business partner to help with the financial situation.Like many other partnerships, this one didn't work out, making Rick more determined than ever.
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  Not one to pass the buck, Rick always faced up to take full responsibility for his first failure."It was a lack of financial ability, financial knowledge and not have the guts to make the changes that needed to happen to save the business."
  
  Along the way, Rick and Randy's father went to work for their company.
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  "All I ever really wanted in February of 1996 was for my wife to be able to go grocery shopping and not worry about the credit card bouncing," Rick said.

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  Directory/G - Detailed Information - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 5/29/2000    Last Visited: 12/5/2002  

  PRINCIPALS: Richard A. Girard, Richard L. Beam, Daniel J. Dent, David C. Ullmann, Douglas Msncahofer

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  Executive Team - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 9/5/2008    Last Visited: 9/5/2008  

  Rick Girard

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  Executive Team: Rick Girard - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 9/5/2008    Last Visited: 9/5/2008  

  Rick Girardragirard@girardonline.com
  
  407-708-5677
  
  Rick GirardChief Executive Officer

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  Featured Editorials - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 5/23/2007    Last Visited: 8/16/2008  

  Indeed brothers Rick and Randy currently run an extremely successful business.But a little over seven years earlier, things didn't seem nearly so great.It was then, in October, 1995 that the Girard's began authoring a story of perseverance and pride, with moments of both outstanding success and extreme failure.
  
  Rick Girard got into the landscaping business in the 1980s.He spent his senior year of high school working for a small, South Florida lawn maintenance company owned by his girlfriends Uncle.A few years later, with some financial backing by his father Leo, Rick set out to start his own lawn service company: Girard's Landscaping and General Maintenance, Inc.
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  At that point Rick decided to pick up his business and follow his father to Central Florida.
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  Yet slowly things began to unravel, and inexperienced decisions by Rick came back to haunt him.This all came to head when he was forced to file for Bankruptcy protection in October 1995."I've never passed the buck with the bankruptcy'.Girard said.
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  Rick worked for Environmental Care while Randy attempted to start his own small lawn service.But working for someone else just didn't sit well with Rick.
  
  In January 1996, he decided to make a truly bold move; again starting his own landscaping business in the same town he had previously failed in. Desperate to prove himself once again, he borrowed $1,000 from his father-in-law and stared a Company called Outdoor Concepts."I was scared'.Said Leo Girard now Vice President of Business Development for his son's company, "I was worried (whether) he could handle the stress because I'd seen what he had gone through.And I had times that I thought I'd like to see Rick take his talents and work for another company.However that wasn't what Rick wanted.Rick wanted to strike out to build to the company he's built today."
  
  Rebuilding his reputation and starting a new took a grass roots effort from Rick.Getting a first opportunity with clients proved difficult, though once he did his company produced results.Slowly it began to pick up steam over the next two years, and in December 1997 Rick took on a partner and formed Florida Contract Management.This ill-fated partnership didn't last through the year, dissolving in October 1998, and that moment Rick made another risky decision, but one he felt necessary."The partner tried to take my business away from me, "Rick said.
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  The Girard's recently began using a new company slogan: "When It Matters" According to Rick, it means when it matters, call Girard Environmental Services and if it doesn't call somebody else.Appropriate, considering the how Rick found a way to succeed when it matter most."All I ever really wanted in February of 1996 was for my wife to be able to go grocery shopping and not worry about the credit card Bouncing", Rick said.

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  Featured Editorials - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 10/10/2008    Last Visited: 9/5/2008  

  Indeed brothers Rick and Randy currently run an extremely successful business.But a little over seven years earlier, things didn't seem nearly so great.It was then, in October, 1995 that the Girard's began authoring a story of perseverance and pride, with moments of both outstanding success and extreme failure.
  
  Rick Girard got into the landscaping business in the 1980s.He spent his senior year of high school working for a small, South Florida lawn maintenance company owned by his girlfriends Uncle.A few years later, with some financial backing by his father Leo, Rick set out to start his own lawn service company: Girard's Landscaping and General Maintenance, Inc.
  ...
  At that point Rick decided to pick up his business and follow his father to Central Florida.
  ...
  Yet slowly things began to unravel, and inexperienced decisions by Rick came back to haunt him.This all came to head when he was forced to file for Bankruptcy protection in October 1995."I've never passed the buck with the bankruptcy'.Girard said.
  ...
  Rick worked for Environmental Care while Randy attempted to start his own small lawn service.But working for someone else just didn't sit well with Rick.
  
  In January 1996, he decided to make a truly bold move; again starting his own landscaping business in the same town he had previously failed in. Desperate to prove himself once again, he borrowed $1,000 from his father-in-law and stared a Company called Outdoor Concepts."I was scared', said Leo Girard now Vice President of Business Development for his son's company, "I was worried (whether) he could handle the stress because I'd seen what he had gone through.And I had times that I thought I'd like to see Rick take his talents and work for another company.However that wasn't what Rick wanted.Rick wanted to strike out to build to the company he's built today."
  
  Rebuilding his reputation and starting a new took a grass roots effort from Rick.Getting a first opportunity with clients proved difficult, though once he did his company produced results.Slowly it began to pick up steam over the next two years, and in December 1997 Rick took on a partner and formed Florida Contract Management.This ill-fated partnership didn't last through the year, dissolving in October 1998, and that moment Rick made another risky decision, but one he felt necessary."The partner tried to take my business away from me, "Rick said.
  ...
  The Girard's recently began using a new company slogan: "When It Matters" According to Rick, it means when it matters, call Girard Environmental Services and if it doesn't call somebody else.Appropriate, considering the how Rick found a way to succeed when it matter most."All I ever really wanted in February of 1996 was for my wife to be able to go grocery shopping and not worry about the credit card Bouncing", Rick said.

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  Featured Editorials - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 7/19/2007    Last Visited: 9/5/2008  

  Instead, Rick Girard, chairman and chief executive officer, suggested they partner with smaller lawn service companies as part of their newly formedResidential Partners Program."We've developed our own network of companies that we recommend for the services that we don't provide and in turn, they recommendus to their customers," Rick explains."Another important part of this program is that we help these guys in how they run their business," he adds."I had a lot of questions through the years and didn't have many people to ask - especially people that understood my business."
  
  While the road to success was somewhat rocky for Rick, he never wavered in his belief that hard work and self-confidence would see him through the tough times."Ideveloped an unyielding passion to rebuild the Girard family name," reflects Rick, "and I wanted to leave behind a legacy that would be realized for generations to come."This

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