Senior Gavin Ruder and his father Brian started a mowing company about seven years ago as a way to make extra money in the summers.

Ruder has about 13 clients and a variety of common neighborhoods.  This year Ruder’s father decided to pass the mowing company down to Ruder.

“I’m 18 now so I’m an adult — [I’m] going to have to take more responsibility of my customers and make sure they are happy with their lawn” Ruder said. 

Ruder maintains people’s lawns and landscaping and handles the financials of the business.

“The biggest challenge is weather,” he said. “It interferes with my schedule and after I mow, rain will sometimes leave mud spots on people’s lawns.” 

The mowing business continues to grow through positive reviews spread by satisfied customers. Ruder plans to market his company more this summer, with yard signs and flyers. 

Along with running a business, Ruder also spent lots of time with his father, who taught him everything he needed to know about maintaining a lawn.

“This company was a huge bonding experience my dad,” Ruder said. “He’s teaching me life lessons I need in the future.” 

Not having a boss to guide him now, Ruder said he has learned a lot on his own and recommends having this job for high schoolers. Ruder thinks the manual labor makes him work harder and will make him a better employee in the future.

“The biggest thing I learned is perseverance and responsibility for working harder to make people happy,” he said.