The Robots Are Here: How SunCo Lawns Is Redefining Labor Efficiency in the Green Industry

On a recent episode of Profitability Playbook: The Simple Numbers Podcast, host Brandon Gray welcomed Chris Andersen, founder and owner of SunCo Lawns, for a forward-looking discussion about robotics, labor efficiency, and the rapidly evolving future of landscaping. Together, they explored what shifts are already reshaping the industry and turning the future robotic.

Half-Billion-Dollar Advice

The turning point came about four years ago. Chris recounted a conversation with the CEO of a large platform company that approached SunCo about a potential acquisition. Even after SunCo decided not to pursue a sale, the CEO left him with a parting message: “Make sure you’re paying attention to robotics.”

“And when a guy running a half a billion-dollar company tells you to pay attention to robotics,” Chris explained, “I thought I should probably do that.”

At the time, Europe was already ahead of the United States, with robotic mowers visible in residential yards, while the U.S. had not yet caught up technologically.

SunCo chose not to be the earliest pioneers, as Chris put it, “We didn’t want arrows in our backs. We wanted to be early adopters.”

About 18 months ago, the technology had caught up.

The Technology Catches Up

Earlier versions of robotic mowers required both boundary wires and a labor-heavy setup. Today, that’s no longer the case. The new generation of both residential and commercial robots has advanced rapidly to the point that even models released the prior year now feel outdated.

SunCo has seen this shift firsthand. Chris shared that “probably 95% of residential yards can get mowed with a robot.”

From Labor Efficiency to Robot Efficiency

SunCo’s team has long embraced labor efficiency metrics, but robotics changed everything.

The first time they ran the Labor Efficiency Ratio (LER) metric with a robot rather than a human, they saw a drastic increase.

This led to new questions. “Are we looking at this properly?” Brandon asked. They quickly realized that a robot is an asset, not labor. That required developing an entirely new metric: a robot efficiency ratio.

A Shift from Labor Models to Asset Models

Moving from human labor to robotic assets introduced new risks and new opportunities. Mistakes in a labor model can be corrected quickly. Mistakes in an asset model are expensive. Brandon explained, “If you price that wrong, you get into trouble. And unlike labor, where you can cut it out, you just have to try to resell the asset.”

As robotics matured, SunCo began experimenting with new service models — robotics as a service, full turnkey programs, and hybrid labor-robot deployments. They placed an order for 100 robots. With their customer base, demand wasn’t the concern, but getting it set up right was.

A New Kind of Workforce

Adopting robotics has changed who applies, who thrives, and what roles look like.

A single “robotic mowing tech” can now manage roughly 100 customers per week solo. Instead of pushing a mower, the job involves setup, detail work, troubleshooting, and technology oversight.

Chris shared that the company is now attracting applicants who “have technology backgrounds but want to be outside.” They’ve even hired an AI intern. The workforce is diversifying, and roles are evolving.

He added that future managers “are going to have to be comfortable with not only managing people, but managing AI agents.”

The Pace of Change: From Three Years to Three Months

Nothing in the green industry has ever moved this fast. Strategic planning cycles that once stretched three to five years now feel outdated. Chris explained that today, “instead of thinking about what’s three years out, sometimes it’s what’s three months out.”

New competitors, especially from China, are releasing models at a dizzying pace. Prices continue to fall, and features continue to improve. Even electric handheld equipment is rapidly approaching a tipping point.

A Rebirth for a Traditional Industry

Perhaps the most striking moment in the conversation came when Chris reflected on his own mindset, admitting that before robotics, he felt like he was nearing the end of his entrepreneurial journey. But the fusion of robotics, electrification, and AI has changed everything.

“It honestly has been something that has reinvigorated me,” he said. “I’m excited to get in the office again. I’m excited to try these things.”

Technology has markedly changed mowing, and beyond that, it’s changed careers, cultures, and mindsets, too.

Looking Ahead

Both Brandon and Chris agree that robotics and AI are fundamentally reshaping service industries. The businesses that survive and thrive will be the ones willing to experiment, adapt, and reimagine what’s possible. The robots are no longer coming. They’re here.

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