Built By Landscapers. Not Suits.

Built by Landscapers. Not Suits.

Why We Built CrewHero — And Why It’s Staying Simple on Purpose

By Dave Fairburn, Co-Founder, CrewHero

I’ve been in this game long enough to know what breaks a company — and what makes one.

It’s not just bad weather.

It’s not just flat tires.

It’s not even losing a big client.

It’s the slow drip of daily chaos that wears your people down — until one day you look up and the best crew leader you’ve ever had is gone.

Not because he didn’t like the work.

Because the system around him was broken.

I lived that life.

I carried that stress.

And I decided to do something about it.

This Didn’t Start as a Software Company

Let’s be real. I didn’t wake up one day and say, “I want to build a tech company.”

I started by mowing lawns with a used trailer and a shaky plan.

Worked my way through hardscape installs, snow storms, 4 a.m. breakdowns, client calls in the rain, plow trucks that wouldn’t start, and crews that didn’t show up.

We built our company the old-school way — by outworking everyone else.

And as we scaled, we tried everything to keep the wheels from falling off.

Whiteboards.

Magnets.

Group texts.

Phone calls at 9 p.m.

Paper time-off forms.

Post-it notes on windshields.

Three managers all trying to remember who’s in what truck.

It was duct tape leadership. And it worked — until it didn’t.

The Day I Knew Something Had to Change

One summer morning a few years ago, I was at the yard before sunrise.

We were fully staffed. Fully booked. Fully confident.

And then... boom.

• One truck had no keys.

• A crew thought they were going to Amherst — turns out, they were scheduled in Merrimack.

• One guy called out, but no one told his crew leader.

• Another guy showed up to power wash without his boots — because no one told him he was pressure washing.

It was chaos.

Everyone standing around. Confused. Frustrated. Waiting on answers.

I looked around and realized:

“I’m the only one who knows what’s going on. And I can’t keep this all in my head anymore.”

That was the moment.

That was the spark.

We Didn’t Need Fancy. We Needed Functional

The problem wasn’t that we didn’t care.

The problem was that our systems were duct taped together.

So we tried the tools that were out there.

And you know what we got?

• Overbuilt software with features we didn’t need

• Expensive platforms with 60-day onboarding

• “Custom workflows” that no one could actually use

• Dashboards that looked great but slowed everything down

I’m not here to bash. But I am here to say:

We needed something different.

We needed something that was simple, fast, and built for people who don’t sit at desks all day.

That’s why we built CrewHero.

The Startup Built in a One-Ton Truck

CrewHero wasn’t created in a WeWork with whiteboards and cappuccinos.

It was built in the front seat of a one-ton.

On job sites.

In the shop.

With cracked phones, sunburned arms, and tired managers just trying to get through another week without losing their minds.

We built it with the crew leader in mind — the one juggling 14 texts, 6 repairs, and 3 guys asking him where they’re going.

We built it for the manager who works through lunch because he’s trying to get the assignments dialed in before the rain hits.

We built it for the owner who wants to take his wife to dinner without fielding 5 phone calls about who’s driving what truck tomorrow.

Simple Is a Feature

Let me say that again:

Simplicity is not a lack of capability. It’s the point.

We could build more bells and whistles.

But that’s not leadership. That’s ego.

We don’t need a bloated feature chart.

We need tools that actually work. That your team actually uses. That solve the problems you face every single morning.

• No bloated menus

• No confusing setup

• No consultant needed

• No “change management plan” just to roll it out

Just fast, easy, clean tech that supports the people who make the work happen.

CrewHero Grows People

CRMs grow your client list.

CrewHero grows your people.

We’re the layer underneath all of it.

• We help crews launch faster

• We help managers lead clearly

• We help owners breathe again

CrewHero isn’t a sales tool. It’s a support tool.

And it’s the only one on the market built by actual landscapers who know exactly what it feels like to carry this weight.

Final Thought

Look — we’re not here to impress the tech world.

We’re here for our friends.

For our peers.

For the people who wake up early, lead strong teams, and just want a little damn peace before 7 a.m.

If that’s you — we got you.

We’re not just selling software.

We’re sharing the solution we wish we had years ago.

CrewHero was built with calloused hands, sharp minds, and clear hearts.

And we’re on a mission to make the frontline experience smoother, stronger, and finally respected.

Let’s run clean.

— Dave