Late in their careers, Bill Henkel and Gordon Denmark took a leap of faith to found a new business. Their successes led them to be named 2012 Landscaper of the Year.

By Jenny Agee-Aldridge

When Bill Henkel and Gordon Denmark arrived at work in the first days of their partnership in 1999, they hung their coats on metal IV holders serving as coat racks and walked into dark narrow offices adapted from an old storage building in Lexington, Kentucky. The offices were sparse for the two 47-year-old men who were risking their homes and retirement to found a company.

Sitting at old clunky desks they’d purchased along with other furnishings at a hospital auction, the duo focused not on the risk but rather on developing a principled company with a diverse portfolio of landscape design and maintenance. Their focus and principles paid off.

Now, Henkel Denmark is a $5 million operation and TLC’s 2012 Landscaper of the Year.

The company’s portfolio includes expansive thoroughbred farms, commercial properties, large apartment complexes and residential homes. Sixty percent of their work is maintenance, and 40 percent is design/build, with Denmark acting as production manager and Henkel, a licensed landscape architect, overseeing design.

Leap of Faith

While the men didn’t expect to be as successful as they are, they didn’t consider the possibility of failure. “We knew how to do our jobs,” Henkel says. “We could design, build and manage landscapes. We could take care of our employees.

Henkel Denmark’s portfolio includes projects ranging from upscale residential to expansive equine farms (below).

“Failure was not an option. It wasn’t on the radar. We didn’t even talk about it. We thought we were 10 feet tall and bullet-proof.”

Capitalizing on their credibility and experience earned while working for other companies for more than 20 years, Denmark and Henkel took a leap of faith and a small business loan to start their company. Although they faced challenging times during the years, perseverance, talent and, most of all, their strong partnership have put them at the top of the game.

“A good partner is like having an extra dose of confidence, a safety net and a reliable, unbiased sounding board,” Henkel says. “I wouldn’t want to attempt this alone, and I doubt I would have made it if I had.”

Serendipitous Paths

Growing up as children and in their formative years, Henkel and Denmark had similar interests but took different paths that eventually led to their partnership.