To whom it may concern:

I wanted to take a moment to share my thoughts regarding our eight-week engagement with Cogent.

First and foremost, I cannot say enough positive things about the entire Cogent team. Every individual we worked with was professional, engaged, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in our success. What began as an effort to address several operational challenges evolved into something far more valuable. Not only did the team help us identify and solve issues that we had been unable to resolve internally or with our CPA, but the engagement also provided us with a clear roadmap for the next three to four years of growth.

Prior to engaging Cogent, we had discussed hiring another firm to assist with long-term strategic planning. That is no longer necessary. Through this process, we have developed a comprehensive framework and strategic plan that will guide Diamond Landscapes well into the future.

Many of the most important questions I had as an owner have now been answered. How do we create greater ownership and accountability throughout the organization? How do we improve labor efficiency and drive hours adherence down to individual work teams? How do we manage cash flow through a living, breathing financial tool? How do we improve pricing to meet future market demands? What should my role be as the company grows? Do we have the right people in the right seats? These questions—and many others—have been addressed through this engagement.

Initially, I viewed this project as an opportunity to give our team a much-needed tune-up. We had just come through an extremely challenging snow season and were feeling the effects of rapid growth combined with the consequences of poor management practices. My hope was that this engagement would help our leadership team become more disciplined, professional, and accountable in executing their responsibilities.

While that certainly happened, I believe I may have experienced the greatest transformation of anyone involved.

Throughout this process, I received a tremendous amount of coaching and personal development. It challenged my assumptions about leadership and expanded my perspective on what ownership of a larger, highly successful landscape company can and should look like. Quite honestly, I am not the same leader I was eight weeks ago. Personal growth often comes from confronting your own shortcomings, and this process forced me to do exactly that.

Looking back, it is difficult to imagine how we operated the way we did for so many years. Looking forward, however, I feel a level of confidence and clarity that I have never experienced before. The uncertainty that once created anxiety has largely been replaced with a plan. We now have a clear path forward for every major area of Diamond Landscapes.

Finally, I would like to share my personal thoughts regarding Zack Al-Mahayni.

To say that Zack was exactly what Diamond Landscapes needed would be an understatement. His expertise in creating systems of accountability and operational discipline was a perfect fit for our organization. As a profitable landscape company serving Kentucky, with approximately $14 million in revenue today, I cannot help but wonder where we might be if we had implemented the framework Zack introduced 15 years ago. I genuinely believe we could be operating at a significantly larger scale today.

What impressed me most was Zack’s ability to combine deep operational knowledge with practical implementation. His understanding of every area of our business challenged our leadership team to think differently and perform at a higher level. His passion for helping people succeed, his ability to engage key managers, and his talent for solving complex problems have all contributed to meaningful and measurable results.

I have no doubt that Zack will continue to be an exceptional professional and a catalyst for positive change wherever his career takes him.

I cannot recommend the Cogent process highly enough. It has been one of the most valuable business investments we have ever made, and I only wish I had discovered Cogent years earlier.

Sincerely,

Chris Trower
President
Diamond Landscapes