A part of your neighbourhood since 1955.
Jan Gelderman, a Dutch immigrant, founded Jan Gelderman Landscaping in 1955 with just $7.14 worth of tools and a 1948 Jeep Willy. Lawn maintenance made up the bulk of the business in the spring, and landscaping and stone work in the summer and fall.
In 1964, when Jan Gelderman was hospitalized with severe asthma, his son, Hank, began his involvement in the business. Hank was 12 years old, and took on the maintenance work of cutting, digging and planting for the company. Because he wasn’t old enough to drive, they hired a driver for the truck. Hank worked when he wasn't in school and over the summer, and in 1973, he joined the business full time and became a partner.
In 1976, Jan Gelderman Landscaping incorporated. Roy Hummel joined the company that year, making him Jan Gelderman Landscaping’s longest employee to date. In 1977, the company began its snow removal business, taking its operations from seasonal to year-round.
In 1980, Jan Gelderman Landscaping celebrated its 25th anniversary and started offering profit sharing and an employee savings system for its employees. In 1983, Hank was one of Burlington’s first cell phone users, and in 1988, the office acquired its first computer system.
In 1993, Jan Gelderman passed away.
By 2001, the company had expanded so much that they moved out of the basement of the house into a new, modern facility with showers, lockers and a board room. The Landscape Division hired an in-house designer in 2003. In 2005, Jan Gelderman Landscaping celebrated its 50th anniversary.
In 2006, Nathan Helder, Hank’s son-in-law, joined the company and currently is the President and owner of the company.
In 2011, Hank Gelderman officially retired.
In 2012, Breslau satelite office officially opens to expand services into the Kitchener / Waterloo area.
In 2013, Jan Gelderman Landscaping officially changed its name to Gelderman Landscape Services.
