Products, Vendors, CAD Files, Spec Sheets and More...
Sign up for LAWeekly newsletter
Keeping All Bases Covered
Profile: Bliss C. Nicholson, President and CEO, The Bruce Company
???????(R)?EUR??,,????'?EUR??,,?EUR
"The core requirements for success are finding good people to work with you, doing what you say you?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?re going to do and returning your customer?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?s phone calls."
The Bruce Company offers complete design/build landscape services for commercial and residential properties, backed by nearly 500 acres of quality nursery stock, full-service equipment shops, landscape management services and residential/commercial irrigation systems, plus golf course installation and management. Most recently they have added an Aquatic division featuring ponds and water treatments, plus outdoor lighting services and compost blanket seeding for lawns.
According to Bliss C. Nicholson, now President and CEO, the start up of The Bruce Company was all due to the hard work and dedication of a 12-year-old boy. Fifty-seven years ago, this 12-year-old, named Leland Bruce, wanted to go to the first National Boy Scout Jamboree, but he didn?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?t have enough money. His dad ran a Ford tractor dealership in town and he agreed to rent Lee a tractor. Working on neighbors?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR? lawns and gardens, he was able to save up enough to go.
The next year, he still had some money left over and wanted to go to the Boy Scout Jamboree again. However, he also found that he had several people calling him to work on their property again, so he asked his dad for help. He then started working with his dad because he definitely needed reliable equipment and he needed to pay for it.
?EUR??,,????'?????<?The Bruce Company has been doing Aquatic Services for five years, and it?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?s been a good new division.?EUR??,,????'?????<? Says Nicholson, ?EUR??,,????'?????<?We used to sub this out, but decided to bring it in house as it worked well with our architects to tie it in to their whole design. We do pondless waterfalls, streams, and all types of water features for residential and commercial clients.?EUR??,,????'?????<? Photos courtesy of The Bruce Company
A year or two later, Lee was given the opportunity to sign a contract for a huge sodding project but he was only 15 and they wouldn?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?t let him sign the contract. His dad had to sign it and that was when The Bruce Company officially started. As Leland Bruce told it, it was very easy because he only had to talk to one person?EUR??,,????'?????<??oehis father. However, it got more complicated after that. Lee ran the business through high school and college at Penn State where he majored in turf management. Eventually, it became a full-time business for Lee. Most of his business training was on the job along with his father?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?s help.
Bliss Nicholson started with the company 40 years ago after getting out of the Navy. He was going to the University of Wisconsin and took a part time job working there in the summers. ?EUR??,,????'?????<?I decided to take time off from school and work for Bruce. I started managing the nursery, then went into inventory control. From there, I became the Chief Operating Officer, then COO and President, and then on to President and CEO. About a year and a half ago, we did a major spin off and Lee Bruce decided to restructure. I became the major stockholder and we spun off the recycling business which Lee is now managing, but he also continues to be active in The Bruce Company.?EUR??,,????'?????<?
According to Nicholson, ?EUR??,,????'?????<?At the moment, our three offices cover several different divisions. The services covered by these areas include Aquatic services for residential and commercial, which also includes water feature startups, shutdowns and maintenance. Our Inventory Control Division is responsible for purchasing all the materials and coordinating deliveries for our jobs.?EUR??,,????'?????<?
He continues, ?EUR??,,????'?????<?We do golf course construction, which includes renovation and remodels plus installation of new golf courses as well as golf course maintenance. Bruce Company projects thus far have been located throughout the country. Projects have included courses designed by Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Hale Irwin, and Robert Trent Jones II, among others. The Bruce Company currently provides golf course maintenance services throughout southern Wisconsin.?EUR??,,????'?????<?
The Bruce Company also provides for a cross section of landscaping needs.?EUR??,,????'?????<? According to Nicholson, ?EUR??,,????'?????<?We run a wholesale nursery, which also provides nursery stock for our own installations. The Retail Division carries an extensive line of gardening supplies and plants.?EUR??,,????'?????<?
?EUR??,,????'?????<?This economy affects us dramatically. The whole commercial and residential end has been affected, and obviously we have to do things differently. We feel good that we?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?re getting a portion of the business that?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?s out there, but there isn?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?t the volume that we?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?ve been fortunate to have in the past. I?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?ve never seen it like this. We have taken a very hard look at what we?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?re doing, what our strategy is, what we need to do to be competitive. Are we being efficient? Are we doing what we say we?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?re going to do? Are we targeting the right customers? All the processes are in place and we just need to do them more efficiently.
Do we have the right people in the right places? When things are good, you can cover a multitude of sins. We?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?re using the current economy as an opportunity to rethink our processes.?EUR??,,????'?????<?
?EUR??,,????'?????<?Right now,?EUR??,,????'?????<? says Nicholson, ?EUR??,,????'?????<?we?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?re working on a project for Epic System?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?s 400 plus acre headquarters. It?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?s challenging because of the time frame but it?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?s very rewarding to look at the process?EUR??,,????'?????<??oeat what we can ?EUR??,,????'?????<?help?EUR??,,????'?????<? them create. It has also been very rewarding to deal with the different stages, such as making sure we keep as much water on site as we can, getting the feel and look of the buildings without blocking the landscape views, reviewing the entire site, its history and what it means to the community, as well as the future use of anyone else who wants to live in the area. Due to the short installation timeframe required to make the deadline for their opening event, we?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?ve had to work 24/7.?EUR??,,????'?????<?
?EUR??,,????'?????<?As far as challenges,?EUR??,,????'?????<? says Nicholson, ?EUR??,,????'?????<?of course, understanding the business end is crucial, and although the big challenges change from time to time, overall they haven?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?t changed all that much from 25 or 30 years ago. The most important thing is finding the right people who have a passion for doing what they?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?re doing. If you love what you?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?re doing, you?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?ll never work a day in your life. The core requirements for success are finding good people to work with, doing what you say you?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?re going to do and returning that phone call. Those are the basics, and we have found wonderful people to work with us over the years.?EUR??,,????'?????<?
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
Sign up to receive Landscape Architect and Specifier News Magazine, LA Weekly and More...
Invalid Verification Code
Please enter the Verification Code below
You are now subcribed to LASN. You can also search and download CAD files and spec sheets from LADetails.