Boasting almost two decades of landscaping industry experience, Ontario-based Paramount Landscaping provides services to 30 communities in the province and is an expert in all facets of landscape design, from designing distinctive layouts to overseeing the hardscaping and construction stages.
Skilled in transforming common areas into breathtaking landscapes, the company’s outdoor spaces exhibit elegance while preserving maximum functionality. The team’s comprehensive solutions include custom gardens, enduring hardscapes, and continuous year-round property management for residential/multi-family, commercial, and industrial properties. Paramount Landscaping services clients ranging from residential to commercial, industrial, retail, seniors’ homes, and condominiums of all scales, some including as many as 300 units.
Embracing the founding principle that the industry should prioritize providing excellent customer service, Paramount brings knowledge, professionalism, accountability, and customer service to a field that doesn’t always value these qualities.
“We take a proactive approach,” says President Jamie Ward, “from our maintenance division to sales and project management, to integrating the customer’s ideas, to design, construction, building, finishing, and maintenance.”
This includes overseeing maintenance for projects on more than 500 properties in 30 cities, stretching across an expansive province. “It’s quite a feat from a single entity,” says Ward. “But we have quite a management team that goes through a lot of training. They also make sure our employees are giving our customers everything they’ve asked for, everything they’re paying for, and that what they’ve ordered is exactly what they’re getting.”
That commitment to customer service was definitely put to the test recently during a massive snowstorm that hit most of Ontario in February. “That was one of the biggest challenges in the last few years,” Ward says. “We had probably close to 80 centimeters in three storms over six days.”
In order to stay on top of it, Paramount visited most properties three times in 24 hours for the initial run, before going through a secondary run during which more snow had accumulated, and then a final cleanup and salt. By the time the teams were done, it was nearly 30 hours of back-to-back runs. “Then two days later, we did it all again, and then another two days later, we did it all over again,” says Ward.
Last year, he adds, the company did an average of 25 salts over all its cities, while this year it’s already into the high 30s locally and in the 40s in some northern cities. Additionally, removing and relocating the huge amounts of snow was another challenge, with fleets of trucks making sure it was safely and efficiently transported away from residential and business areas.
Paramount’s customers have come to expect such a high level of service and, to keep customer satisfaction high, the company is setting new industry standards via its customer accountability program (CAT). When Paramount employees show up on site, they can access their job specs for that particular location, and CAT shows a colour-coded map of exactly what they’re to do, specific to the season and area, with tasks such as sidewalks, driveways, or lawns labelled by colour, along with a list of exactly what is involved in that particular site’s contract.
“They clock in when they arrive, they do what’s necessary on the site, they clock out when they leave, and it sends a message or live update to our clients to tell them exactly what we did,” Ward explains. “That’s something I don’t believe anybody else is offering. It’s something we created on our own.”
Condo managers, in particular, “absolutely love” this program, as they can wake up in the morning and see that Paramount has already been to all their sites, along with exactly what work has been performed. From the sidewalk crew to the employee who does the plowing and the salting, the manager receives individual live updates for every service provided. “It’s all there, exactly what we did, which is very handy, and I think sets us apart from everybody else.”
The company’s dedication to putting the customer first means that customers can rest easy knowing they’re getting exactly what they’ve paid for. “We do what we promise we’re going to do, and they get those messages every time we service, winter and summer,” adds Ward.
Paramount also keeps all its clients up to date with its web-based Snowline Weather Alerts, which let them know ahead of time if Environment Canada has announced any potential weather issues, such as blizzards or freezing rain, that the company will need to deal with in an appropriate timeline. All of the information is put into Snowline, along with the number of times the company will provide service during a potential 24-hour storm, says Ward. “It’s all documented—exactly what we did from start time to finish time. It’s very handy, organized, and unique.”
The entire service is something that sets Paramount apart from similar companies, he adds. “When our CEO founded the company, he wanted to do something different, a white-collar company in a blue-collar world,” Ward says. “And it pays off. In the end, everybody gets what they want and we’re delivering what they ask for.”
Customers are also aware of the importance of sustainability in products used, citing concerns for environmentally friendly ingredients as key for both lawn and sidewalk maintenance. “We get a lot of questions about ice melting products, and we use a couple of eco-friendly products that are better for concrete and are pad safe,” Ward says. “A lot of our condo boards ask for Jet Blue on the interiors. It is more expensive, but it’s something they’ve asked for in particular, and we deliver.”
For Paramount’s landscape projects, the company strives to plant natural, native products that are well suited to their environment, using mulches to keep the water usage down, retain moisture in garden beds, and keep weeds to a minimum. “If you keep turning soil, it’s going to dry out and everything in the garden will die trying to retain moisture,” Ward explains. “We use native plants that are drought-resistant and help keep water usage down. We only have so much water, and we have to be careful how we use it.”
This ongoing commitment to service and sustainability has resulted in Paramount receiving eight consecutive Readers’ Choice Awards in Burlington, Oakville, Milton, and Flamborough, as well as the coveted Consumer Choice Award for Best Landscape Contractor in the Hamilton and Niagara regions. The company was also named Construction Business Review’s Landscaper of the Year in 2024 for all of Canada, a truly impressive feat.
It’s no surprise, then, that Paramount is proudly celebrating its 20th year in business in April, and continues to grow its presence.
“We’re forever expanding a little bit further,” says Ward. “There’s been some talk about some strategic acquisitions to expand our footprint closer to other provinces and perhaps into some of the bigger cities and other provinces we’ve done work in, such as Quebec.” To help achieve that goal, Paramount is working with particular product suppliers and looking at acquiring exclusive rights to the installation of certain structures.
Closer to home, Ward is also particularly proud of the company’s new showroom, constructed next to its shop, featuring a double pool, a waterfall slide, three gazebos, a hot tub, and sauna. “We’re also building a tree house right now in the woods at the back of the yard,” Ward says of the structure raised almost 20 feet off the ground on giant logs and featuring a couple of rooms, a balcony, and a unique window looking out into the field. “It’s something else. It’s so that we can bring clients and show them what we do, and we can also send them pictures.”
Clients can also view the showroom on the website to see everything they could possibly want, from fire pits to gazebos, outdoor kitchens, and even a sunken bar around a pool. “It’s a great feature. It’s spectacular,” Ward says. “I’m so proud to be part of the web project itself the last few years, as it’s something we can show our clients. They can see what we actually do and get ideas from that.”
Paramount Landscaping’s unwavering commitment to quality, customer service, and sustainability has cemented its reputation as a leader in the industry. From expertly designed landscapes to cutting-edge maintenance solutions, the company continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in outdoor living spaces. With a passion for excellence and a drive to exceed expectations, Paramount Landscaping is not just shaping landscapes—it’s setting new industry standards for years to come.
