Barrett started his first company in 1989 while a 17-year-old junior in high school. The company, Custom Care Lawn Service, specialized in the “Green Grass—No Weeds” business and had operations centered in the Philadelphia, PA area. Barrett grew the company to over US$2 million in sales before selling the business to publically traded Scotts Company in 2003.
In January 2004, Barrett started HappyLawn of America, Inc. HappyLawn also focused on the “Green Grass—No Weeds” business and had operations stretching from Northern Virginia to New Jersey. Barrett had developed a proprietary patented selling process that allowed the company to rapidly grow to US$10million by year-end 2007. He eventually sold HappyLawn to Service Master in 2009.
After examining the current state of the lawn care industry, Barrett came upon another “Eureka” moment and founded Holganix, Inc. Holganix manufactures and distributes innovative bio-nutritional products that help larger fertilizer users reduce their environmental footprint, save money and improve overall plant health and yield. Barrett believes that Holganix could be the solution for fertilizer users facing rising fertilizer costs and government regulations on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
In addition to “Green Grass—No Weeds” service and manufacturing businesses, Barrett has founded companies in franchising, manufacturing and commercial real estate development. Barrett has spoken on the topics of innovation, entrepreneurship and gratitude on five continents. He has lectured at the London School of Business (LSB), the India School of Business (ISB), and the Massachusetts School of Business (MIT) as well as many EO events. Barrett has been actively involved in EO, serving as Philadelphia’s chapter president, Forum chair, education chair and mentorship chair. In addition, he is a graduate of the EO/MIT Entrepreneurial Masters Program, Class of 2004. Barrett currently splits his time residing in West Chester, PA, USA and Key Largo, FL, USA with his wife of over 21 years and his four children.
