Block Lawncare Aims to Streamline Lawn Services
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Block Lawncare Aims to Streamline Lawn Services

Two Baton Rouge entrepreneurs are launching an app out of the Louisiana Technology Park they hope will change how homeowners book and pay for lawn care services.

Former Antioch Community Church pastor Matthew Armstrong and Parachute.fm podcast network co-founder Jacob Jolibois founded Block Lawncare early this year and are planning a soft launch for the Garden District, Woodstone, Woodgate and Southdowns neighborhoods next week.

The app will be available on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store beginning Monday. Block Lawncare allows customers to select individual lawn care services they need, choose a date for the services and pay via their smartphone. The company employs mowers who pick up bookings and complete the services.

Right now Block Lawncare has four people on staff, but Jolibois and Armstrong plan to hire more. Each mower and their equipment are vetted before they’re hired.

“We are tapping into a different labor pool than most lawn care companies. These are people who already have jobs, so it’s those who want supplemental income,” Jolibois tells Daily Report. “They are full W2 employees with us, not 1099 contractors.”

Jolibois says the idea of hiring their own mowers was lifted from Waitr’s playbook because it allows the company to control the customer experience from start to finish.

“For most people, taking care of the yard on the weekend doesn’t rank as a highlight. We’d rather people spend their time on things that put energy back in their tank,” Armstrong says in a company announcement.

Jolibois says the two plan to use a portion of their proceeds from Block Lawncare to help clean up and beautify Baton Rouge’s most blighted neighborhoods. They also hope to work with the mayor’s office and potentially contract with the city for community projects.