For Ken Lancaster, looking after properties is about much more than simply mowing a lawn or cleaning a gutter. It’s about taking pride in a job well done, treating people and their properties with respect, and helping the local community look its best.
Ken has lived in Lakes Entrance all his life, giving him a strong connection to the East Gippsland community he now serves through his business, Ken’s Ground Control.
Before starting the business, Ken spent approximately seven years working for Dahlsens. Just over five years ago, he took the step of establishing Ken’s Ground Control.
Since then, the business has grown to service more than 150 clients, ranging from private residences through to commercial properties, schools, kindergartens, retirement villages.
Based in Swan Reach, Ken’s Ground Control services the Lakes Entrance, Bairnsdale and surrounding areas.
The business provides a broad range of property maintenance services, including lawn mowing, gardening, gutter cleaning, property clean-ups and general grounds maintenance, as well as providing services for NDIS participants and veterans.
Ken works alongside his partner, Katherine, who focuses primarily on the gardening side of the business, while Ken concentrates on other areas of the operation, including property and grounds clean-ups.
For Ken, one of the most rewarding parts of running the business is building relationships with clients and seeing the transformation that can come from a well-maintained property.
“I love looking after my clients and making their properties look amazing,” Ken says.
At the centre of Ken’s Ground Control are two simple values: professionalism and respect.
Whether the team is maintaining a commercial property, helping a private resident, working at a school or retirement village, or taking care of a deceased estate, Ken believes every client and property deserves to be treated with care.
Ken’s connection to the local community extends beyond paid work.
Ken’s Ground Control provides voluntary work for the Johnsonville CFA and also voluntarily maintains Bairnsdale Field & Game, contributing time and services to support local organisations.
For Ken and Katherine, running a local business also means being willing to give something back to the community that supports them.
Life doesn’t become much quieter when the working day finishes.
Ken is a father of two and lives with his partner Katherine. Together they also own a farm at Swan Reach, which keeps the family busy alongside the demands of running and growing Ken’s Ground Control.
Despite that workload, Ken’s motivation remains straightforward: look after his clients, take pride in the finished result and continue building a business with a reputation for reliability, professionalism and respect.
From its beginnings just over five years ago to looking after more than 150 clients today, Ken’s Ground Control has grown into a local property and grounds maintenance business servicing a diverse range of people and organization’s throughout the Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale areas.
And for a lifelong Lakes Entrance local like Ken, there’s particular satisfaction in building that business while continuing to serve the community he calls home.
