Pile In The Van. . . and take landscape design mobile.

When Tim Hanauer began working as a landscape designer for aNorth Carolina firm, he noticed how much time designers spentdriving to sites or to meet clients and contractors . . . and howlittle time they had for designing.

After several years of researching the problem, Hanauer found thesolution: a mobile office. "We converted a van into a mobileoffice with computers," he says. "With this office, thedesigner doesn't have to leave the site until he's finishedwith the landscape design."

With the traditional approach to landscape design, it can take sixweeks to deliver a finished design, whereas, with Hanauer'sprocess, the designer drives his or her mobile office to the siteand meets with the client for about 45 minutes to brainstorm ideas.He or she then works at the site for several hours and, at the endof the day, presents the client with a sketch of the design and adigital image of what the landscaping will look like.

Now Hanauer, 38, is franchising his mobile landscape design officeas Earth Graphics. Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, the firstEarth Graphics franchise began serving the Columbia, SouthCarolina, area early this year.

"We wanted to franchise because it was franchiseable,"Hanauer says. "If we didn't do it, someone else wouldhave."

Columbia-based franchisee John Keeler agrees. "It's agreat idea. I save about a month [per project]."

Hanauer is currently focusing his franchising efforts on theSoutheast states, and westward from Texas come summer. Start-upcosts are $50,000 to $60,000, including the cost of the mobileoffice. Hanauer is looking to co-brand Earth Graphics with existinglandscape contractors or garden centers.

For more information, contact Earth Graphics at (877) EARTH-G1 orvisitwww.earthg.com.

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