There are currently about 65 vendors in the Fresno area and local homeowner clients in the hundreds for Nashville based GreenPal. Photo contributed

A new app is launching in the Fresno Area that will make it easier for homeowners to keep their lawns healthy and clean.

Nashville based GreenPal, an app that connects homeowners with local, vetted lawn care professionals, launched last week in Fresno.

GreenPal, co-founded by Gene Caballero, allows homeowner to list their lawns with their service date and lawn care needs.

Pre-screened lawn professionals will then be able to bid on their properties based on Google Street and aerial images and other details given by the homeowner.

Homeowners can then choose who they want to hire based on the vendor’s ratings, reviews and price.

 

Caballero said the team is excited to help Fresno homeowners with their lawn care needs.

Originally born in Lima, Peru, Caballero moved to Nashville where he has lived most of his life and attended high school and college. He started GreenPal in 2012.

Caballero would perform lawn care work in high school and college to make extra money.

His first job out of college was in tech sales, with his territory being the West Coast, which kept him privy on the newest technologies like Uber, Lyft and AirBnB.

“I knew that if someone was going to summon up a stranger to come pick them up or allow a stranger to stay on their couch for a weekend for a couple extra bucks, then I assumed people would hire their landscaping professional that way,” Caballero said.

Going into someone’s car or staying in someone’s home is a lot more personal than taking care of someone’s lawn, Caballero said.

By just viewing aerial images of a property on Google Maps and photos sent by the homeowner, lawn care professionals are able to give their clients pretty reliable quotes.

Over 1 million homeowners have signed up and are using GreenPal. It has over 50,000 landscaping professionals running their business on the app.

GreenPal operates in 48 states and 250 major markets.

When opening a new market, GreenPal follows its data of homeowners and vendors organically signing up in an area, which is a sign of a potential market.

There are currently about 65 vendors in the Fresno area. Local homeowner clients number in the hundreds.

GreenPal offers more than just lawn care or mowing. Lawn services include laying mulch, rocks and trimming hedges.

Twelve years ago, GreenPal didn’t even have an app because they were too expensive, but with technology’s progression, Caballero said, you don’t even need a website anymore, just an app.

To be a vendor on GreenPal, an applicant must be 18 years of age or older, must have a valid driver’s license, bank account, social security number, and photos of their previous work.

GreenPal handles their vendors’ scheduling, payment processes and route optimization.

Caballero said their business model is not really ideal for advertising, but GreenPal doesn’t have any surcharges or processing fees and it only takes 5% percent of a transaction.

When Covid hit in 2020, Caballero said they thought they would have to shut down, but the opposite happened. GreenPal had a demographic of customers over the age of 60 that joined the platform because it is a contactless business.

When the economy slows down, Caballero said more people such as teachers, police officers, firefighters and those in other professions start their own landscaping businesses to supplement their income.

The goal with the app was to make it as easy as possible for everyone, especially less tech-savvy older people, which Caballero believes they accomplished.