Cording Landscape Design: Where It All Began

It began with a newspaper route, on old lawnmower and a boy who was determined to buy more baseball cards.

Ron Cording was nine years old when he took over his brother’s newspaper route, and twelve when he used that route to secure a few local lawn cutting jobs using his grandfather’s lawn mower.

By the time he was 17, Ron was cutting lawns all over town, on top of working full time for a local landscape company. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but these experiences are what laid the foundation for a successful landscape business years before Ron even stepped into a landscape architecture class.

In May of 1978, after attending SUNY ESF, Ron made it official and founded Cording Landscape Design. His first company vehicle was his own station wagon with his grandfather’s wheelbarrow tied to the roof. His first nursery was a small plot in his grandfather’s backyard. Ron borrowed hand tools from his family and rented other equipment from local contractors.

None of this story would have been possible without the support of “Gramps,” who always lended a hand and encouraged him to follow his dreams.

Ron is extremely proud of the fact that the primary goal of the original crew was to be the best at what they did each day, and he has inspired every crew since to do the same. They invented new techniques, brainstormed new ideas, strived to perfect even the smallest detail, and most importantly, understood that there would always be something new to learn about our craft.

Today, we have more than twenty employees and two dozen specialized pieces of equipment and trucks. We never overlook how hard our people work and we do our best to make each day enjoyable. Cording Landscape Design appreciates dedication, hard work and attention to detail because that’s where we began. We know that every client would agree that we love what we do, and we hope to share that same enthusiasm with you!