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April 28, 2025
HOLMEN – Getting his start as an entrepreneur when he was just an adolescent, Colton LeClaire, owner of Brothers Lawn Care in Holmen, said lawn care and landscaping are basically all he’s ever known.
“My dad passed away when I was 11 years old, and I don’t know what really started (the entrepreneurial spirit) in me – maybe it was a sense of needing to provide or get out there and do something,” he said. “Since I was 11, I would go through the neighborhood and go door to door and (ask to) mow people’s lawns, offer babysitting and even catch snakes in yards if they had that listed (as a need).”
LeClaire said he sat on a riding lawn mower and would drive through the neighborhood looking for work.
“There is a funny story with that,” he laughed. “I wasn’t heavy enough to sit on the mower, so when I would engage the blades, the mower would shut off. I always had to sit on a 45-pound weight to keep the mower going.”
LeClaire said he credits that early-instilled work ethic and his desire to give back for inspiring him to attend college for fire service.
“I’ve always wanted to give back,” he said. “My other full-time job is with the La Crosse Fire Department, so I really just wanted to give back because so many people have helped me in my life, and I wanted to be there for them as well.”
LeClaire said he officially started the landscaping business at age 18.
“I called it ‘Brothers’ because I wanted to do this with my younger brother, Luke, and be close with him and our family,” he said. “We originally started with just mowing, and that really took off. The first year, we had 20 (mowing clients). The second year, we had 80, and now we have more than 200.”
From there, LeClaire said they began offering spring/fall cleanup.
“Then we got into offering holiday lights,” he said. “We do full-service holiday light installation, maintenance, removal and storage, and then we got into landscaping. We are a full, year-round service.”
With eight full-time employees, LeClaire said because of how busy Brothers Lawn Care (805 Granary St., Unit 20) has become, it takes good planning to keep everything organized.
“We have a lot of HOAs (homeowners associations) where landlords have multiple units,” he said. “We do a mixture of residential and commercial, but I’d estimate we’re probably 80% residential and 20% commercial.”
LeClaire said he manages his full-time duties at Brothers with his full-time responsibilities at the fire department.
“My wife, Emma – her full-time job is managing the books, emails, invoices, communication, etc. at Brothers,” he said. “As a family owned business, our entire crew works together from start to finish. I appreciate every one of them – I couldn’t do it without them.”
For now, LeClaire said it’s “status quo” for Brothers Lawn Care.
“We just keep trying to be a one-stop shop for the community so we can help wherever the needs are,” he said. “We pride ourselves on being a true family owned business, with it being run by my wife, me and my brother. We also pride ourselves on good communication – answering phone calls, keeping clients updated on their project and making sure the quality of service meets our standards and their standards.”
As a lawn and landscape company, LeClaire said Brothers’ goal is to provide “exceptional customer service, build strong relationships with our clients and prioritize the development and success of our crew members.”
“We believe our success is directly tied to the satisfaction of our customers and the growth of our team,” he said.
Giving back
Wanting to give back from an early age, the now 25-year-old LeClaire said now that Brothers is established, he can also use his “adult” platform to give back.
“We’ve sponsored different things like the Holmen Booster Club, the Holmen football team, Kicking Bear – a youth Christian outdoor event – Driftless CrossFit and the Holmen Lions Club,” he said.
From the beginning, LeClaire said the goal of Brothers has been to work with and for the community he and his crew loves.
Recent recognition
At the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce 2025 Annual Meeting held earlier this year, Brothers Lawn Care was named the Emerging Business of the Year.
LeClaire said the award was a big honor.
“This award is a testament to the hard work of our crew, the loyalty of our clients and the support of our community,” he said. “What started as a small operation has grown into something we’re truly proud of.”
LeClaire said the La Crosse chamber is a great organization and “we plan to stay with it for years.”
Brothers Lawn Care, he said, was nominated for the award by community members.
“With the nominations the chamber received, they picked us,” he said. “I’m very grateful to receive the award.”
According to the chamber’s website, Emerging Business of the Year recipients must have fewer than 25 full-time employees and exhibit four or more of the following characteristics:
- Exhibit stability or growth in the business itself
- Have a focus on workplace culture and employees
- Provide excellent customer service
- Be involved in the community
- Demonstrate a commitment to excellence
- Demonstrate a high level of entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, perseverance, innovation and determination
LeClaire said Brothers Lawn Care proudly holds true to those characteristics.
“The company has a good working environment for its crew members, is a spot people want to come and work and grow and it provides a service to the entire community,” he said.
For more on Brothers Lawn Care, visit brotherslawncarewi.com.
