Thomas Boyce's landscaping career started with a stroke of luck, a stretch of truth and a competent group of friends.

It began in 2004 when a man in a slick Mercedes pulled up to a Pike Family Nursery seeking a landscaper. Boyce, then 19, whose experience consisted of a lawn-mowing business in high school, boldly volunteered his services.

Phil Skinner/pskinner@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

Thomas Boyce oversees the final stages of an elaborate project in Country Club of the South. His firm, Innovative Outdoors, specializes in upscale residential projects and is on track to break upward of $3 million in revenue this year, he said.

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The man explained that he wanted to spend about $5,000 renovating his Duluth backyard, but after Boyce shared his off-the-cuff vision for a dramatic renovation that included a stone fireplace with built-in television, an outdoor kitchen and ways to incorporate the home within the landscape, he had his first big client. With the help of Boyce's equally amateur friends, that $5,000 job ballooned into a six-figure project.

That project paved his way into the backyards of the elite and effectively launched his career, Boyce said.

Four years later, Boyce is president of Innovative Outdoors, a landscaping firm based in Dacula. At 23, he's the oldest on his staff of 12, mostly pals from childhood and his college days at the University of Georgia.

Long gone are high school days when he and his buddies brought in a whopping $150,000 a year in lawn maintenance.

His firm specializes in high-end residential projects and is on track to break upward of $3 million in revenue this year, he said.

Innovative Outdoors' brochures display elegant outdoor living rooms with stone fireplaces and detailed stone poolside patios.

Interns from UGA's School of Environmental Design draw many of the intricate landscape designs, while Boyce manages the business and sales.

"Sometimes I take a step back and say — 'I'm 23 years old and this guy just wrote me a check for $70,000,' " he said.

"That's a lot of trust."

Friendly effort

The struggling economy and historic drought have hit local landscapers hard, which makes Innovative Outdoors' success all the more significant, according to industry experts.

"Most landscaping firms are made up of mom and pop organizations, and for a company to do $3 million in revenue, they'd be in the top 10 percent of the industry," said Tony Bass, a landscaping and green industry business consultant.

He added that 65,000 of the 85,000 U.S. landscaping firms have fewer than five employees.

Bass said that firms like Innovative Outdoors, which focus on hardscaping and construction, are the most lucrative in today's landscape architecture industry.

"But that's really unique for someone at that age to build the experience and expertise required to do those projects," he said.

Boyce's approach is simple, which he learned from his parents, a teacher and an attorney.

"I just try to do what I say I'm going to do, when I say I'm going to do it," he said.

Boyce is quick to add that much of his firm's early promise is due to his friends and co-workers, who helped him build the company while still in college.

But working with friends can be challenging, he notes. After all, the group is barely out of college, only recently licensed to imbibe and is figuring out who they are and how to run a business.

"There's a fine line you have to walk between professional and personal relationships," Boyce said. "I've had guys I've had to fire that were my friends."

Matt Culberson, whom Boyce has known since their time at Dacula High, said the group continues to learn the balance between friendship and professional responsibility, a lesson undoubtedly to be tested when he, Boyce and co-worker/friend Nick Carlson move in together this month in a Buckhead condo.

"That will be a test of a little bit of everything," said Culberson, who at 23 leads Innovative Outdoors' marketing division.

Despite Boyce's position as their boss, the group is able to offer honest criticism, Culberson said.

"We straight up tell him when we think he needs to change something," he added.

"He has a history of micromanaging."

Room to grow

Homeowner Leslie Wilks interviewed eight landscaping firms before selecting Innovative Outdoors for her outdoor renovation at the Country Club of the South.

Despite the company's youth and relative inexperience, she was impressed with Boyce's knowledge of plant and stone materials and his explanations of project details.

"There was something about this guy that made us say — let's give him a chance," Wilks said.

"He'll do whatever it takes to meet with you and make it happen."

Innovative Outdoors is now revamping her front and back yards.

The project includes adding an outdoor fireplace, stonework to create a cohesive look between home and garden and redesign of the pool to the tune of about $230,000.

Wilks has already recommended the firm to her friends — word-of-mouth keeps Boyce in the high-end residential market.

"It scares me sometimes," he said, explaining the company must make $60,000 a week to pay all employees. "But we still feel we have a lot of room to grow."