Some say customer service is dead or dying, but for Mark Hedden, serving customers is his passion and at the root of his operations.

As founder and owner of Hedden Lawn and Garden, the Huntsville native said he enjoys knowing his customers and their equipment by name, understanding their needs, and standing behind every piece of equipment he sells.

Hedden grew up working alongside his grandfather, father, and uncles in the family’s tractor equipment business. In 2010, he built on that legacy and launched Hedden Lawn and Garden, a full-service outdoor power equipment dealership. Hedden specializes in sales and service of Gravely and Ariens commercial and residential zero turn mowers as well as Husqvarna weed eaters, blowers, chainsaws, and more.

In a recent interview with the Huntsville Business Journal, Hedden shared some of the challenges of starting and growing his business and how the family-business values that he grew up with continue to shape his work today.

How did you make the decision to start your own business?

The family business went corporate, and it just wasn’t the way it was when I was growing up in the business. For the 15 years I was there, I ran the lawnmower shop here on the Parkway. The new company decided that was a liability, and I saw an opportunity. Huntsville was missing a lawnmower dealer in the middle of Huntsville, on the south end of town, so it was just natural to come down here and start.

How would you describe your business?

I still call us a small, mom and pop shop, old school. We are all about customer service and helping the customer. I know my product. I know what it will do and what it won’t do. I don’t sell the low end stuff. We’re not the most expensive around, but we carry the mid to upper grade stuff, even on our chainsaws and our weed eaters, because we want the customer to be happy with what they purchased. I don’t want it to break down.

What are some challenges you faced starting out, and how did you overcome those?

The challenges early on were really a cash flow issue because we were young and we were brand new. We started this from scratch, and didn’t really have any customers, so building that up over the years wasn’t easy. We are a seasonal business, so as long the grass is growing, we’re busy. When the grass isn’t growing, we don’t have a whole lot to do. Today, 15 years in, we’ve built a customer base that sustains us through the winter time, doing winter service specials, service tuning, sharpening blades, and that kind of work. Early on, without the customer base we have today, it was a struggle just to keep it going, but we did.

We’re not trying to be everything to everybody. We have our little niche. We do what we do, and I think we do it really well, so that’s what we try to give our customers when they come in. I know their name when they walk in. I know what equipment they have. I know I can handle their situation. They call on the phone asking if their part is in. I know it’s in because I received it.

How do you balance the business with your personal life?

It was hard at first, but that was one thing when we opened, we worked in the business so we could have our family. We didn’t open the business to live in the business. So I coached football, baseball and basketball. We have three boys. I coached them all through the years. If we had to put a sign on the door that just said “Closed. At baseball practice,” that’s what we did, and we didn’t miss anything. And maybe after the game, I had to come back to finish up the work, but family was always first.

What would you say is the secret to your success?

(My wife) Stacy is the secret to my success. I would not be here today if she wasn’t standing beside me this whole time. So she’s the secret. Because of that, it’s allowed me to take a little bit off the books side of it and do what I do, which is helping the customer. That’s the secret; because she handles the stuff I don’t want to do on the back end of the business, I can focus more on the customer and their needs: how I can best serve them so that they’re getting the right equipment, getting fixed in a timely manner, or getting the part they need.

(Customers) call on the telephone, and they’re going to get one of us. When you call or come in, you’re talking to the owners. We don’t have to check with the manager. We run lean, so we don’t have a whole lot of overhead. We’re going to keep our margins where they’re supposed to be. We’re going to be competitive in the marketplace. But I can make a deal.

What’s unique about running a family business?

You take a little more pride in your family business. It’s our name on the building. I chose that because of our name in the community and in Huntsville. We’ve been here a long time, and people know the Heddens. They knew what we stood for, so being a family-owned business, you take pride in that and you don’t want your name drug through the mud. So anything that comes out of here we try to do with the utmost respect for the customer.

What do you enjoy most about owning your own business?

I love helping people. My first question is always: if they’re looking for a mower, how much grass do you cut? Let me get a feel for what you got. Do you have hills? Do you have a ditch? Do you have a pond? Is it flat? Is it solid Bermuda? What kind of grass do you have? And then it helps me help them make a choice.

I love showing all the different models and why I would get this one or why you don’t need this one, all you really need is this one. I’m feeling out the process with them and finding out what is best going to fit their needs because at the end, I just want them to be happy with their purchase.