During #NationalVeteransMonth, we’re featuring stories and interviews with veteran entrepreneurs from across the Greater Manhattan region. Want to read more stories of veteran entrepreneurs? Click here.
When Derek Taussig, veteran entrepreneur and owner of Taussig Landscape, was only eight years old, he noticed something a neighbor boy had that he wanted: a nice bike. “I asked my dad for it, and he said, ‘You can have it, but you have to work for it,’” says Derek. Determined to get his new bike, he started mowing his grandfather’s yard to earn enough money for the purchase. After countless yards mowed, eight-year-old Derek bought a new chrome Schwinn bicycle from Pathfinder in downtown Manhattan.
A native of Manhattan, Derek grew up with a father who was a landscape architect and K-State faculty for 40 years. It might seem natural that Derek would also have landed in a similar career. Looking back however, Derek credits his decision to build a landscaping business as less about choosing a familiar career and more of an outworking of the entrepreneurial drive and work ethic he learned from his father. “I did not inherit a landscape-world drive from my dad, but I did get the entrepreneur spirit, motivation to be your own boss and work ethic from my dad,” says Derek.
After buying his new bike, Derek wanted to continue working, and he officially started a small lawn-mowing business while still in school. “By the time I was in high school, I had three employees and mowed 150 lawns a week,” says Derek.
Derek Taussig, owner of Taussig Landscape, pictured here with his wife and three children.
After graduating high school, Derek said he did not see himself running the lawncare business any longer. “I sold my business in 2003 and then served in the National Guard as a Combat Medic, and I deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and several domestic deployments,” says Derek. He served in the National Guard for eight years, but when he was not deployed, he worked for landscape companies. “While I was in the National Guard, I would deploy for 18 months at a time, so my job was not here when I came back.” Working for multiple landscape companies gave Derek the opportunity to learn numerous aspects of landscaping and horticulture. “I would get hired into a different company and a different role, and that is how I learned different aspects of the business by working for others,” says Derek.
Although Derek’s military service took him around the world, once he returned from his last deployment in 2010, he decided to return to Manhattan. He said it was his family roots and connections, as well as a sense of home, that drew him back. “I was in North Carolina for several years and was stationed all over Texas, but it did not feel like home. My dad had a great reputation here. My grandfather was in Veterinarian Medicine and had had a business here, and they both had great reputations in the community.” He adds, “I was always drawn to Manhattan, and I love it here.”
Upon returning to Manhattan, he worked for Blueville Nursery, which he describes as “a great company and a great place to work”. Eventually, Derek decided to work on his college degree, and to support himself while in school, he started a small landscaping company on the side. “I was in the business program at K-State and started a part-time lawn care company to pay the bills while I was in school,” says Derek. However, the demand for his services was instantly there, and he needed to hire more help immediately. He hired three full-time employees and purchased a small fleet of trucks.
A completed Taussig Landscape design project outside the Riley County Courthouse in Manhattan, Kansas.
As his business grew to meet demand, Derek realized he needed to make a new decision. “I dropped out of college when I was in my junior year so I could run my business full time,” says Derek. Today, Taussig Landscape has 35 employees and runs 10 to 12 crews. A 2017 purchase of an irrigation company allowed them to quickly expand into irrigation services. “We are a full-service landscape contractor, offering irrigation, landscape construction and landscape maintenance. We do both commercial and residential irrigation, and we travel,” Derek says. “We currently have projects in Nebraska and around Kansas.”
Derek says his military service equipped him with two primary skills he still uses in business: leadership and stress management. He especially learned how to treat his employees. “You don’t mess with people’s sleep, you don’t mess with their pay, and you make sure they get three square meals a day. If you take care of the core necessities for people, they will cooperate and do a lot of things with you,” says Derek. He reflects that both strong and poor leaders taught him something valuable, demonstrating the character and behavior he respected, as well as the kind he didn’t. “I lead by example because I would never ask someone to do something I wouldn’t do,” Derek says.
Derek and his team continue to look for growth opportunities for the business, most recently with the building of their warehouse. “Two years ago, we built a warehouse after we outgrew our shop. I bought 32 and a half acres, and we have been at this new location for a year now,” says Derek. A garden center and retail sales expansion are in the works, which they plan to open next spring.
Derek has been intentional to ensure that through its growth, Taussig Landscape continues to offer services tailored to their customer, all while maintaining up to date styles and technology. Their involvement in the horticulture program at K-State keeps them on the cutting edge of landscape design. “I have two designers on staff, one who was a previous intern from K-State and has stuck around.” He adds, “We are different in the way we treat people, how we run our business and in our design style. We are not here to sell you something. We thrive on working with the end user and getting them a product that they can enjoy,” says Derek.
Learn about Taussig Landscape services at their website or see some of their recent projects by following them on Facebook.
Want to read more stories of veteran entrepreneurs? Click here.
