Up Close with Anthony Fuller: Be Happy He’s Not a Dentist

As a kid, Anthony Fuller hated going to the dentist. Those little plastic trinkets kids got afterward were all that got him through.

‘“I wanted to change that experience for somebody else,” he says. So he majored in biology at Georgetown University and planned to go to dental school.

Then he found out how much it would cost, and that it would take him 11 years to pay off the debt.

New plan: landscaping.

It’s hard to imagine him doing anything else.

Haunted By The Sales Bug

Anthony has been an account manager at Level Green Landscaping for two years, but in the landscaping business for more than 30.

He started out as a lawn care technician, applying fertilizer and pesticides.

He learned he loved sales — and was good at it — when he grew his route by 30 percent by knocking on doors in the neighborhoods where he treated lawns.

His next job was as a landscaping operations manager.

“But that sales bug was still haunting me,” he says.

He was a sales rep and sales manager for a dozen years, then bought a franchise and started his own landscaping company.

It flourished, then he sold it. He was picky about his next career move. His interview at Level Green clinched it.

“When I learned their motto is ‘Do the Right Thing,’ I thought, ‘whoa,’” he says. “I’ve been at several larger companies where the bottom line is more important than customer satisfaction.

“Then to see Level Green say, ‘We’re going to do the right thing —  by our employees, by our customers, by the people we drive by on the street.’ That motivation is important to me.”

“Sometimes You Find Jewels”

Sure, he’s biased, but Anthony says a good account manager is crucial in a successful company.

“It’s pivotal in relationship selling, which is what we do,” he says. “Will they be a customer for one year or 10 years? That’s vital.”

He knows something about this. He’s had some customers for 25 years. They’re so loyal that they’ve followed him as he moved from company to company — including to Level Green.

“I try to get to know my customers,” he says. “I can walk a property and look at it with my eyes, and my opinions, but until I see it through their eyes, and find out what they want to improve and what they like, it’s just a contract.”

He loves meeting new customers and nourishing relationships.

“I enjoy people,” he says. “I’m not afraid of cold calling. I love turning over rocks and finding something underneath. Sometimes you find jewels.”

“He’s Always Front and Center”

“He gets it,” says James Kole, Level Green branch manager and Anthony’s supervisor. “Anthony has a lot of industry experience and has even owned his own company, so he’s seen everything and he knows all the ins and outs.”

Add his genuine love of people and you get a great account manager.

“He's one of the most outgoing people on my team,” Kole says. “He’s the first person to sign up to do something crazy, whether it’s dancing at a financial meeting or cheering so loud for his team at a field day that he loses his voice.

“He has no fear,” he says. “He’s always front and center.”

Don’t Call Him Twinkle Toes

Anthony and his wife, Wendy, will be married 30 years in July. They have one son, Aaron, a senior in high school, and a daughter, Ayana, 28. She’s a Syracuse University grad who works in foreign service for the federal government, traveling the world.

A league bowler, Anthony once bowled a 300 — a perfect game — in his 20s, but is happy with his current average of 167.

“Bowling is something for all ages, all sexes, all races,” he says. “Anybody can do it.”

Wendy bowls, too, but on a different team.

“We learned that the hard way,” he says with a laugh.

A big sports guy, he’s a Redskins fan and has season tickets to watch Georgetown play. Lately, he’s been tearing it up on the ballroom dance floor, taking lessons with Wendy.  

“I’m not twinkle toes,” he says. But he’s got the box step down.

“One two three four, one two three four,” he recites. “It’s all about rhythm.”

He also experienced his first yoga class the other day.

“I’m sore,” he says with a laugh. But it’s important to stay limber, he says. His job keeps him hopping.

“It's What I Love”

“I’ve been around for a long time,” Anthony says. “I’ve seen projects from start to finish and had a chance to see them 20 years later. I have pride in the fact that I helped make them.”

He thrives on knowledge.

“If I can go through a day where I learn something new myself or I can educate somebody else, that’s a successful day for me,” he says.

“It’s what I love.” (Check out Anthony in this client case study below)

Want To Join The Team?

Anthony is just one of the dedicated team members we have here at Level Green Landscaping. And we’re always looking for hard-working, talented people to join our team.

Are you ready to work for a strong, supportive company where “Do The Right Thing” is a way of life?