Success Story: ASPM Landscapes, LLC

ASPM Landscapes, LLC now has more room to grow after assistance from the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) with a loan application enabled the construction of a spacious headquarters building in Norfolk.

ASPM is a full-service landscape construction company founded in Chicago in 2008 by owner Matt Wilke. Matt, who grew up on a farm in northeast Nebraska, and his wife, Robin moved the business to Norfolk in 2012.

Matt graduated from Northeast Community College in Norfolk and worked in the area for NMC and Bygland Dirt Contracting. He then spent 15 years with the Kiewit Corporation managing several construction job sites, including the O’Hare Airport runway.

After relocating from Chicago to Norfolk, ASPM gradually expanded to become one of the largest landscaping companies in northeast Nebraska.

“We use innovative 3D landscape design software that allows our customers to see their design features come to life prior to construction,” Matt says. “Existing and prospective clients alike can expect to work directly with our design staff and installation crews and to receive straight-forward communication in a timely manner throughout the entire process.”

ASPM has also built up its snow removal operations from clearing small businesses and apartment complexes to serving contracts for snow and ice removal at many large Norfolk retail locations.

Matt continually taps into the latest technologies to help his business thrive. Each ASPM truck, tractor and pay loader is equipped with GPS, allowing him to monitor and record progress as the vehicles crisscross parking lots and move on to the next job.

In 2018, the Wilkes decided that their operation had outgrown its location near Off Road Raceway, and approached a Norfolk lender about financing an expansion. The company already had purchased 5.5 acres and wanted to build an 8,000 square foot building for office space and to store their equipment.

The lender contacted Loren Kucera, director of the NBDC office in Wayne, requesting assistance in packaging a Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 loan application.

“From August 2018 through mid-October, I worked with Matt and the bank in assembling the NEDCO (Northeastern Economic Development Company) application as well as preparing the financial projections,” Kucera says. “The application was submitted to NEDCO in mid-October, and the SBA provided loan authorization on November 9, 2018. Construction followed and ASPM moved into its new location in late summer.”

Matt says Kucera’s assistance was integral in navigating the loan process. “We had some zoning issues with the city in the beginning,” he says, “and in the spring, we were in the middle of cleaning up our previous property from the flooding — so Loren kept the ball rolling for us when we couldn’t.”

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