Albion-based Weed Man expands into Monroe County and Victor

Photos by Tom Rivers, Ken Bieber, owner of the Buffalo East Weed Man franchise, has a new franchise for the company in Monroe County and Victor in Ontario County.

ALBION – Before he started the Weed Man based out of Albion 21 years ago, Ken Bieber worked 11 years in North Chili for One Step Tree & Lawn Care.

Now, with the retirement of One Step owner Bob Ottley, Bieber is going back to his roots in lawn care. He is starting a new Weed Man franchise in Monroe County and Victor in Ontario County.

Both the new franchise and Bieber’s Buffalo East franchise will operate out of Albion where he currently has 18 trucks for the lawn care business and three for the mosquito and pest control division. Bieber has 50 to 55 employees during the peak season – 15 of those are year-round workers.

“It’s exciting,” Bieber said about the expansion into Monroe County and Victor. “It’s like coming home where I was at the start of my career.”

Bieber said he anticipates he could be up to 80 employees after building up the customer base in the new territory.

Weed Man currently has 6,100 customers in the Buffalo East franchise which includes Orleans, Niagara, Genesee and northern Erie counties.

Bieber built up that franchise working by himself the first three years, with the business based out of his home.

“This is a lot less daunting because I have staff,” he said today at the Weed Man base of operations at 3847 Oak Orchard Rd.

Weed Man participates in Medina’s Parade of Lights on Nov. 25, 2017.

Bieber said he has many long-term key employees who have helped him grow the business. The expansion into Monroe and part of Ontario counties is a chance to hire more local people, and also provide management opportunities for employees.

He has watched some of his long-term employees buy homes and start families. That is among the most rewarding parts of keeping the business locally in his hometown of Albion.

He also values his customers, most have now been with Weed Man for many years. The business provides fertilization, weed control, crabgrass control, core aeration, grub prevention and control, flea and tick control, and mosquito control services.

Bieber has won many awards from Weed Man as a top franchise for customer service and retention/ marketing excellence, and innovation. He recently was honored for his use of social media to connect with new customers.

Locally he also is known for his participation in local parades, often with a giant inflatable of the Weed Man character being pulled by a truck.

He already is out promoting Weed Man in the new territory and he is doing it the old-fashioned way. He has a team knocking on doors, leaving brochures about the Weed Man services.

“It’s a new challenge and I love to grow the business,” Bieber said.

For more on Weed Man, go to the company website and enter your zip code.