Lake Charles residents now have access to an app that connects homeowners with local lawn care professionals.

GreenPal was founded in 2012 in Nashville by four friends who saw a need in their community. Co-Founder Gene Caballero, who has worked in the landscaping industry most of his life, said that they realized the process of connecting homeowners with local landscaping professionals was inefficient.

“It was inspired by my vision to simplify the process of connecting homeowners with local lawn care professionals, drawing inspiration from platforms like Uber and Airbnb.”

GreenPal was a necessity for a couple of reasons. He said the first of these is because of the general importance of good landscaping.

“Proper lawn care is important for maintaining the health and appearance of lawn, contributing to property values and benefiting the environment by supporting biodiversity and reducing soil erosion.”

An app for connecting homeowners to lawn care professionals was a natural progression because of a general shift in the consumer mindset, he explained.

“Services like these are almost expected. No longer do we want to call a cab or call someone to find out the availability of their rental. We want to do everything from our phone with a touch of a button and the GreenPal services fit neatly in that business model.”

They decided to bring the app to Lake Charles because homeowners were organically signing up for the service on their own, indicating need and interest.

“We typically know that our services are wanted and needed, and therefore we launch into those markets as soon as possible.”

Since its inception, GreenPal has launched in 250 markets in over 48 states. Over 50,000 landscaping professionals use the app for their businesses, and over 1 million homeowners have utilized the app to hire vendors.

The app allows homeowners to list their lawns, alongside service dates and needs, to the app for free. The cost of the services is set by vendors. After homeowners sign up for service on the app, their lawn is sent to local, prescreened vendors. These vendors bid on the property, and homeowners review and select which vendor to work with based on the ratings, reviews and price.

All landscaping services can be provided, including mulching, aeration, gutter cleaning, weed pulling, shrub pruning.

“Basically anything outside of the home that a homeowner needs done can be done through GreenPal,” he explained.

Homeowners do not pay until the project is completed. If they are satisfied with the work done, they can  reschedule mowing and landscaping services for the remainder of the season.

GreenPal does not charge a convenience fee, and takes five percent of the transaction.

They created a landing page for Lake Charles customers. Those interested can visit www.yourgreenpal.com/local/lawn-care-lake-charles-la.