Kaitlyn Machen
Ms. Lei Lani
English 1001-109
16 October 2007
Ryan Foret
It was the day of my interview, I walked up the front steps of a charming yellow stucco home, and through the front door into a beautifully furnished interior. I walked through the house and into a dimly lit living room, and there before me, sitting on a plush chenille sofa, was my interviewee, Ryan Foret, manager of the Foret Land & Tree Company. Under a heap of thick dark brown hair, his dark brown eyes gave a warm and welcoming glow. He was seated in a comfortable manner and wearing casual clothes, as to give the interview a more relaxed feeling. As I sat down on the sofa cattycorner to Ryan, my eyes were soaking in the atmosphere of the room. The room was inviting, with its two large sofas, shelves graced with family pictures and books, a large television cabinet, and in the center of the room an ornate rug with a coffee table in the center.
Before we began the interview, I explained to Ryan that I was interviewing him for a paper I had to write for my English 1001 class, which is a segment of the LSU Freshman Writing Program at school. I explained that the class assignment is to interview people in and around the Barton Rouge community, because it would help the class gain different perspectives about people and significance in those people’s lives. When the terms of the interview were established I began my interviewing. Ryan, the middle of three children, was born and raised in Thibodaux, Louisiana. He grew up with a passion for landscape and lawn maintenance; partially because it was a part of his life, and partially because his older brother was largely into landscape and lawn maintenance. He said, “I wanted to follow my big brother because I admired him, and because he was older, and younger brothers look up to their older brothers.” He admired his older brother because of his brother’s goals and achievements.
As he studied more and more about landscape and lawn maintenance, he became increasingly interested in this field of work. It interests him because he “likes the challenge of taking something unattractive and making it beautiful.” When he knows he did a good job, and people come out to complement him on the beautiful job, it gives him an “instant gratification.” He said, “I absolutely love what I do, because making people happy is fun.” He loves to see the satisfied faces of his customers, and knowing that these people’s joy was due to his companies hard work makes him happier.
When I asked him how he feels about his competition in the business, he did not want to trash his competitors, he referred to them as “great businesses.” He listed aspects of his company that he feels set him apart from his competitors, such as always having clean lawn equipment and vehicles, always doing the best possible job, being professional on the job as well as off the job, and having professional uniforms. He tries to gain an edge over his competitors by always striving for perfection and professionalism. He said that the company charges people by the hour per worker, and this cost includes the equipment used, manual labor, fuel, the materials used for the yard, insurance, and a profit.
The significance of the Foret Land & Tree Company is to allow people more time to enjoy their freedom, and not have to be hassled with yard work. “There is an aging workforce, and as the baby boomers get older they don’t want to, or are not able to, spend their time in the yard, they’d rather spend their weekends at leisure with friends and family. The younger generations are having more highly professional, stressful jobs, and don’t want to spend their weekend doing yard work.” The company offers lawn services to those who do not have time, are not able to, or just do not want to have to deal with yard work. People who have stressful jobs don’t always want to be hassled with yard work; sometimes they want to spend their free time at leisure, and this is where Foret Land & Tree comes in to serve.
The effects of Hurricane Katrina came as a “shock.” The aftermath of the hurricane was unexpected. Some of the people who lost their homes in Katrina came to Thibodaux, and stayed at Nicholls University for a time, some people permanently settled. During this time Ryan hired a few of the hurricane refugees, so that they could earn money for things such as clothes and food. Ryan and his company also went to New Orleans and landscaped some of the buildings that were ravaged by the storm. They cleared out the area around some of the buildings, and made them beautiful again. On a more personal note, I asked him what is the most important thing in his life, and he replied, “my family, especially my wife and daughter. I would work every day for the rest of my life to insure their happiness.” He works not only because he loves what he does, but he works to support life and everything in it that has meaning to him, especially his wife and child.
As a final note, there is significance in every part of life. In every person, place, animal, job, etc. there is a purpose and a significance; it may not always be easy to see, but with a little insight it can be found. Landscaping is a beautiful art in which people can express themselves in a positive form. It is the art of making outdoor spaces beautiful, and centers of entertainment and enjoyment.
Ms. Lei Lani
English 1001-109
16 October 2007
Ryan Foret
It was the day of my interview, I walked up the front steps of a charming yellow stucco home, and through the front door into a beautifully furnished interior. I walked through the house and into a dimly lit living room, and there before me, sitting on a plush chenille sofa, was my interviewee, Ryan Foret, manager of the Foret Land & Tree Company. Under a heap of thick dark brown hair, his dark brown eyes gave a warm and welcoming glow. He was seated in a comfortable manner and wearing casual clothes, as to give the interview a more relaxed feeling. As I sat down on the sofa cattycorner to Ryan, my eyes were soaking in the atmosphere of the room. The room was inviting, with its two large sofas, shelves graced with family pictures and books, a large television cabinet, and in the center of the room an ornate rug with a coffee table in the center.
Before we began the interview, I explained to Ryan that I was interviewing him for a paper I had to write for my English 1001 class, which is a segment of the LSU Freshman Writing Program at school. I explained that the class assignment is to interview people in and around the Barton Rouge community, because it would help the class gain different perspectives about people and significance in those people’s lives. When the terms of the interview were established I began my interviewing. Ryan, the middle of three children, was born and raised in Thibodaux, Louisiana. He grew up with a passion for landscape and lawn maintenance; partially because it was a part of his life, and partially because his older brother was largely into landscape and lawn maintenance. He said, “I wanted to follow my big brother because I admired him, and because he was older, and younger brothers look up to their older brothers.” He admired his older brother because of his brother’s goals and achievements.
As he studied more and more about landscape and lawn maintenance, he became increasingly interested in this field of work. It interests him because he “likes the challenge of taking something unattractive and making it beautiful.” When he knows he did a good job, and people come out to complement him on the beautiful job, it gives him an “instant gratification.” He said, “I absolutely love what I do, because making people happy is fun.” He loves to see the satisfied faces of his customers, and knowing that these people’s joy was due to his companies hard work makes him happier.
When I asked him how he feels about his competition in the business, he did not want to trash his competitors, he referred to them as “great businesses.” He listed aspects of his company that he feels set him apart from his competitors, such as always having clean lawn equipment and vehicles, always doing the best possible job, being professional on the job as well as off the job, and having professional uniforms. He tries to gain an edge over his competitors by always striving for perfection and professionalism. He said that the company charges people by the hour per worker, and this cost includes the equipment used, manual labor, fuel, the materials used for the yard, insurance, and a profit.
The significance of the Foret Land & Tree Company is to allow people more time to enjoy their freedom, and not have to be hassled with yard work. “There is an aging workforce, and as the baby boomers get older they don’t want to, or are not able to, spend their time in the yard, they’d rather spend their weekends at leisure with friends and family. The younger generations are having more highly professional, stressful jobs, and don’t want to spend their weekend doing yard work.” The company offers lawn services to those who do not have time, are not able to, or just do not want to have to deal with yard work. People who have stressful jobs don’t always want to be hassled with yard work; sometimes they want to spend their free time at leisure, and this is where Foret Land & Tree comes in to serve.
The effects of Hurricane Katrina came as a “shock.” The aftermath of the hurricane was unexpected. Some of the people who lost their homes in Katrina came to Thibodaux, and stayed at Nicholls University for a time, some people permanently settled. During this time Ryan hired a few of the hurricane refugees, so that they could earn money for things such as clothes and food. Ryan and his company also went to New Orleans and landscaped some of the buildings that were ravaged by the storm. They cleared out the area around some of the buildings, and made them beautiful again. On a more personal note, I asked him what is the most important thing in his life, and he replied, “my family, especially my wife and daughter. I would work every day for the rest of my life to insure their happiness.” He works not only because he loves what he does, but he works to support life and everything in it that has meaning to him, especially his wife and child.
As a final note, there is significance in every part of life. In every person, place, animal, job, etc. there is a purpose and a significance; it may not always be easy to see, but with a little insight it can be found. Landscaping is a beautiful art in which people can express themselves in a positive form. It is the art of making outdoor spaces beautiful, and centers of entertainment and enjoyment.
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