My humble beginnings and the Journey continue.

Mark Leder

Owner & Founder

Hello, my name Mark Leder and I am the owner/operator of Sparky's Landscaping LLC here is my humble beings please read and enjoy as I have!

I first started in the landscaping maintenance industry on May 1, 2004; when I was not happy working for other companies, for nine and half years. I started working with what I thought was a good neighbor-friend. As time went along, I realized that I was not making any headway with my business partner; in fact, I had made a big mistake. his business ethics was rubbing me the wrong way.

To my understanding of business ethics, in which, my grandfather had drilled into my head from a young and early age; was to be hardworking, fourth coming, be diligent, be punctual, and be real to everyone.

I had helped my former business partner build a lucrative sixty client base lawn care business in two and half years. We dissolved the former on May 29th of 2007 due to major ethical differences and trust issues of how the business should be run. With this bad taste in my mouth, I knew that I must start over now.

For a brief period of ten days the time until I could get the money for my new business license, I had done a few side jobs. Now was the big day…. I had the money to officially start over. Finding a business name was easy for me. I had chosen to use my dog’s name “Sparky” for my business name because he had passed while I was starting over. I filed for my business license with the state of Oregon on the fourteenth of June 2007 When I had started over on June 14th, 2007, I just had a few small hand tools and few pieces of equipment as well as five accounts that I brought from my prior lawn care business. One would ask themselves “is it worth starting over again, or not?” It is. Starting over for me was filled with obstacles such as financial, finding work, where to store my supplies and equipment, and the excitement of starting with a new vision in mind.

The major obstacles were financial. The financial problem I had was not having enough money for the workmen’s comp, liability insurance, business auto insurance, gas to operate, or to store my supplies and equipment. Temporally I had to store my supplies and equipment at a friend’s house in Eugene off Cobourg Road until I could produce the money to store it all at the 42nd Mini-Storage from 42nd street next to the Poor House Tavern. This obstacle was not the end of the world for me; I had family support and a vision.

I am glad to say that my family was great in their support; through, this process of starting over. For example, prior to starting over My girlfriend, now my wife, gave me her pennies, nickels, dimes, pop bottles and cans in which I took back to the get the money for the next job; she gave whatever she could to help me succeed in the beginning. My Father, who was a second generational landscaper, had donated his time to asset me in the everyday operations. He helped me until he got sick with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s fourteen years ago. Since my father was not able to help me anymore and my oldest brother was laid off from his job, I offered him a job. My brother helped me advertise my business through home associations throughout Lane County. My mother, who was a file clerk of Ten years at home health and Hospice in Longview Washington, now retired. After she saw me repeatedly fall asleep while in process of doing my book work she woke me up and said “mark, get your butt to bed and let me do your books and answer the phone, for you, so you are able to get all the sleep that you need to do your work throughout the day”. From this point my mother started helping in the office answering the phone and doing the book work. My sister started helping me when we got the computer program quick books, for doing my books fourteen years ago.

Thank you, family, for your support. Now that I have had this support through the preliminary stages of my business, I am able to be more creative and have a better vision. Now that I will have completed my sixteenth year in business; this June 14th, 2023, the starting over again stage is finally over. I have overcome my obstacles of finical, finding work, where to store my supplies and equipment. I now serve in Coburg, OR Cottage Grove, OR Eugene, OR Marcola, OR Springfield, OR Waterville, OR with sixty-five commercial and residential clients in all. My vision for my business is to continue to grow and have seventy-five employees and doing business all throughout Lane County. I want to expand my business in more areas than just lawn care maintenance, but also want to have an irrigation division, small engine shop, garden center, and have a yard where potential customers can buy landscaping supplies in one area. One-stop shopping for landscaping needs like Wal-Mart or Fred Meyers.

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