September 7, 2021
Jon Agg
Jon Agg speaks to the benefits of contributing to the bigger picture
Jon Agg, owner of Pristine Property Management, was only 12-years-old when he entered the horticulture industry.
“I started cutting grass in the Highland Creek area of Scarborough,” Agg says. “So that was 12, and I just turned 39, and if you can believe it, I still have one of my original customers.”
A long-standing and well-versed member of the industry, Agg saw success as his company grew over the years.
“I think it was around 2012 when I had a conversation with a gentleman about joining Landscape Ontario,” Agg remembers. “He pointed out how lonely of an island I was on. It must have been a couple of years later when I actually started to realize what he meant.”
Agg came to see the benefits of Landscape Ontario’s peer-network and support system, that extend beyond his direct competitors.
“I thought I was fine on my own, but even if you think you have a great island, if you think you have everything going right in your business — the rug can get pulled out from under you very, very quickly,” explains Agg. “Having other people, whether you call it a community or simply others to talk to, is definitely beneficial in the grand scheme of things.”
Upon this realization, Agg joined Landscape Ontario’s Snow and Ice committee in 2015. From there, he joined the Durham Chapter board, where he currently serves as president and as provincial board representative of LO’s Snow and Ice Management sector group.
Being involved in those committees means attending meetings, sharing communal problems and discussing how to address them. Working toward issues that impact both him and his peers — such as lowering insurance rates and working to certify businesses to decrease slip and fall liabilities — has given him the opportunity to not only become a better business owner, but also a better employer.
“It’s nice to be involved and understand different perspectives,” Agg says. “And it’s funny, because I don’t really see it as volunteering. I bet a lot of LO members and reps don’t see it as volunteering, or even a line on their resume. It’s just something you do because you’re a part of this industry — not volunteering, but contributing.”
While being a part of committees has a lot to offer in the present, Agg hopes to see them create tangible change that will impact the industry as a whole. He recognizes that as a large group, there is an increased ability to drive change if members are driven and focused.
“I don’t want to be talking about the same thing every five years,” says Agg. “LO has the opportunity to magnify voices and communicate through a megaphone, which individual companies may not. As a group we can push for things to move forward.”
“I started cutting grass in the Highland Creek area of Scarborough,” Agg says. “So that was 12, and I just turned 39, and if you can believe it, I still have one of my original customers.”
A long-standing and well-versed member of the industry, Agg saw success as his company grew over the years.
“I think it was around 2012 when I had a conversation with a gentleman about joining Landscape Ontario,” Agg remembers. “He pointed out how lonely of an island I was on. It must have been a couple of years later when I actually started to realize what he meant.”
Agg came to see the benefits of Landscape Ontario’s peer-network and support system, that extend beyond his direct competitors.
“I thought I was fine on my own, but even if you think you have a great island, if you think you have everything going right in your business — the rug can get pulled out from under you very, very quickly,” explains Agg. “Having other people, whether you call it a community or simply others to talk to, is definitely beneficial in the grand scheme of things.”
Upon this realization, Agg joined Landscape Ontario’s Snow and Ice committee in 2015. From there, he joined the Durham Chapter board, where he currently serves as president and as provincial board representative of LO’s Snow and Ice Management sector group.
Being involved in those committees means attending meetings, sharing communal problems and discussing how to address them. Working toward issues that impact both him and his peers — such as lowering insurance rates and working to certify businesses to decrease slip and fall liabilities — has given him the opportunity to not only become a better business owner, but also a better employer.
“It’s nice to be involved and understand different perspectives,” Agg says. “And it’s funny, because I don’t really see it as volunteering. I bet a lot of LO members and reps don’t see it as volunteering, or even a line on their resume. It’s just something you do because you’re a part of this industry — not volunteering, but contributing.”
While being a part of committees has a lot to offer in the present, Agg hopes to see them create tangible change that will impact the industry as a whole. He recognizes that as a large group, there is an increased ability to drive change if members are driven and focused.
“I don’t want to be talking about the same thing every five years,” says Agg. “LO has the opportunity to magnify voices and communicate through a megaphone, which individual companies may not. As a group we can push for things to move forward.”