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Loyalty goes a long way toward ensuring success in any business.

And it鈥檚 how Jeff Kahl has built his career over four decades in landscape construction.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the pillars of my success, my loyalty,鈥� said Kahl, who has been a business development specialist with Teufel Landscape for the past 34 years. 鈥淚 go out of my way for my clients.鈥�

It all starts with an innate love of landscape architecture and construction developed as a teenager. Kahl spent his high school years serving as his grandparents鈥� summer gardener in exchange for being allowed to stay at their lake house during summer vacations.

鈥淚t goes all the way back to them,鈥� he said.

His ability to negotiate and find a winning solution for all parties involved was honed during the early years of his career. And when Teufel approached him 34 years ago to handle business development, Kahl took some time to consider the move and made the switch. Since then he hasn鈥檛 looked back.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 really get to that level of success with one company very often,鈥� said Justin Galias, who handles contract management for Teufel. 鈥淗e knows everybody, he鈥檚 super humble about what he does and about building relationships, and that鈥檚 what we do at Teufel.鈥�

Kahl鈥檚 collaborative spirit works with clients as well as with the rest of his company, where he not only has built himself into an iconic figure, but also serves as a mentor for younger staff members.

鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 for Larry Teufel, who allowed me the freedom to express my creativity in the way I knew I could sell work, I would never have been as successful as I have been,鈥� Kahl said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no way. There鈥檚 a lot of mutual trust and respect between myself and his family and it鈥檚 endured for over 30 years.鈥�

On the client side, Kahl has worked with a who鈥檚 who of American business. From Microsoft and Google to Intel and many others, Kahl and Teufel have the market cornered.

鈥淚 look for long-term relationships,鈥� Kahl said. 鈥淲e did 5.6 million square feet of landscaping, and it took 17 years on the Microsoft campus (in Redmond, Washington). And I always look for people who are building multiple projects. Mill Creek Trusts, I鈥檝e built all of their projects and I have such a great relationship with them and that鈥檚 how I target people. I don鈥檛 like the one-offs. I like building something that has texture and culture.鈥�

Kahl is the perfect example of when the student is ready, the teacher shows up, Galias said.

鈥淚鈥檓 from Chicago originally, I started my career in that market,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd when I landed here, we met and there was an understanding that I just needed to shut up and listen. I learned to take the cotton balls and stick them in my mouth, and even in a couple of years I鈥檝e learned a lot from him.鈥�

Every sales person lives and dies by the numbers they want to hit, Galias added.

鈥淏ut Jeff knows if he maintains loyalty with customers and is straight shooting, the money follows if you work hard,鈥� Galias said. 鈥淗e still pounds pavement. But even in the virtual office right now, he鈥檚 got all the answers. It鈥檚 not like he has to search or fumble around for things. He owns the approach and the best way to service the customer is to be honest and up front.鈥�

From start to finish, that鈥檚 the Kahl way.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 move on, I stay personally involved in every job I sell until I turn it over to operations and then I follow up at the end,鈥� Kahl said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not always about being the biggest. It鈥檚 about being the best and delivering the product.鈥�