Ahead of the Game
February 1, 2026
Wisconsin is known for many things, including its reputation as America’s Dairyland, its affinity for beer brewing and of course, the Green Bay Packers.
The home field of the beloved professional sports team is often dubbed “The Frozen Tundra.” Suffice it to say, the Badger State along the Great Lakes is not renowned for its balmy weather.
About 30 miles northwest of Milwaukee, Ener-Con, Inc. has tailored its operation to suit the unpredictable — and often uncooperative — weather. As a leading supplier of landscaping products in the region, it flips the script on the traditional production schedule.
WEATHER OR NOT
“You never know what’s going to happen here in Wisconsin,” said Jeff Justman, co-owner of Ener-Con. “We could have a 12- or 16-week season, or it could be as short as eight weeks. So, we have to be ready for anything.”
The constraints of that schedule inform the strategy to prepare for the season ahead — like a squirrel burying nuts before the onset of winter.
“We came up with the idea of producing 50% of our colored material in the fall to take a lot of pressure off in the spring,” Justman said. “You just can’t do enough in April, May and June. It’s such a short window of time to move all our product.”
From September through the end of the year, Ener-Con produces colored mulch exclusively for the following spring. That enables it to fulfill customers’ orders for material, which start in earnest in March and April.
Because the mulch is colored in the fall and early winter, it has a chance to cure onto the wood chips and lower the risk of wash off in the wetter spring months.
MATERIAL EVIDENCE
“Ener-Con does a lot with a little; it’s a very efficient, well-run operation,” said Brad Blickley, a sales manager at Colorbiotics. “Equipment can play a huge part in an operation’s success, especially when the season is short and the staff is small. That’s a key benefit of the Sahara XP, which we demonstrated at a rate of 450 yards per hour.”
“We don’t take any shortcuts. We use the highest quality of raw feedstock and the best colorant on the market to make our products.” JEFF JUSTMAN
Ener-Con produces more than 130,000 yards of colored mulch annually with only two people working the mulch yard. Such output places additional importance on the equipment and technology.
The domino effect of those decisions limits excess colorant and water usage, which is significant for material that spends the winter exposed to the elements. The weight savings also benefits transport costs.
COLD COMFORT
The landscaping season in Wisconsin is limited and unpredictable. When customers want colored mulch, it must be ready. Ener-Con spends the fall stockpiling its products for the following season, taking advantage of high-quality materials and equipment. By the time the ground truly turns into a frozen tundra, piles of high-quality colored mulch products cover the yard, awaiting the first orders of spring.