Clintar Owner Spotlight: Todd Gowan

Get to know Todd Gowan in our latest Owner Spotlight video!

He shares his journey from working at a golf course to business owner, explains the benefits of being a part of the Clintar franchising system, and talks about the most rewarding part of his business ownership – more freedom for family events.

Please introduce yourself and the market/ territory you serve

I am Todd Gowan co-owner with Brent Giles. We serve the Hamilton and Niagara Region Markets.

How did you end up at Clintar?

So I started a while ago, I guess well before Clintar was in my mind. I started a golf course for a few years, worked at a landscape company, worked at a cemetery for a few years, doing the maintenance there, and then I was with a Sports Field Management company for about 10 years. Then looked up Clintar on the website and saw there were some territories available, reached out to Clintar and kind of started there.

What are some benefits that most people don’t know about Clintar?

I think the group as a whole with all the, all the franchises, the buying power, discounts with the trucks, the equipment, I think that’s huge. Another thing would probably be right now would be the insurance rates. Right now I think our rates are probably a little bit better, as opposed to if I was on my own trying to do it. Just the size of the businesses, when you combine all the franchises together, I think that power goes a long way.

What is the most satisfying part of being a Clintar business owner?

I think being an owner, you probably have a little more freedom to rearrange your schedule a little bit. Make some more family events that you might not be able to do if you’re working for another company.

Tell us about your family outside of Clintar

So I have a wife, two, two girls, seven and four. They’re getting into sports, so I help coach their teams. Hockey, baseball, swimming lessons. It’s like a second job. We travel, we go up north. They love fishing, swimming and all that stuff.

What are your immediate goals over the next 2 years?

So I think the next few years we’ll focus on growing Hamilton steadily like we have, when I started. Niagara we just started a couple weeks ago on November 1st. So focus on that area and build on the contracts and the clientele we have right now and keep growing that area as well. And just try and grow that business and clientele list.

You can’t do it alone. What can you tell us about the people you work with?

We’ve had a few people had one or two since the start, probably since my first winter that are still with us. They’re moving up into management roles and taking the lead on some things, which is great. We try and help them out as much as we can to fulfill their career goals and life goals. We understand that landscaping isn’t a career for everybody. It can sometimes be a pit stop. So anything we can do to help them with their future moving forward, we’ll try to do.