In the early 1970s, Vic Samson was working as a foreman for another irrigation company in the Kansas City area. Vic enjoyed the work, prided himself on the quality of his sprinkler systems and was busy developing a devoted base of customers.

Then in 1978, Vic opened his own company. Vic’s approach was simple: design and install the highest quality sprinkler system available, using a low-pressure, highly educational sales strategy.

A Quality Product From a Reputable Company

“Too often, contractors pressure home owners into a one-time transaction, and then install an average system and disappear. I believe a quality product from a reputable company will sell itself, creating a partnership between the home owner and the contractor that lasts for years to come. That’s what we started in the ‘70s, and that’s what we still do today.”

Samson Irrigation (originally Samson and Sons Lawn Sprinklers) has thrived with this partnership concept. For nearly thirty years, referrals from satisfied customers have been the single largest source of new business.

Vic attributes the company's success to: “Our satisfied customers - they continue to use us for future changes to their systems, yearly system checks, etc. They also pay us the highest compliment through frequent referrals to friends and neighbors.”

In addition to the satisfied customers and referrals, the company growth can be attributed to the service of highly trained irrigation professionals that have joined the Samson Irrigation team.

Professionalism and Experience

Ed Stegall, general manager, joined the company in the late ‘80s and has become an expert at every facet of irrigation design, installation, service, sales and technology evaluation. With 19 years of experience, he has played a central role building Samson Irrigation into the Kansas City area's premier irrigation contractor.

“People view their lawn as an extension of their home. Our mission is to educate, not pressure, and to deliver a product and service that enhances their home. That’s been the anchor to our success,” Ed explains. “We never sacrificed quality or integrity, and our customers never stop referring new business. It’s a great partnership.”

It is rare in a lawn business to see such depth of experience and loyalty, but Vic’s commitment to running a business with integrity, quality and passion for customer satisfaction attracts committed employees as well as customers. Samson Irrigation boasts the largest staff of seasoned employees in the business.

It is typical for a lawn business to have a couple of employees with a year or two of experience, and then hire yearly laborers for the bulk of the work. Not true at Samson Irrigation. In addition to Vic and Ed’s many years of experience, Karen Thompson, the office manager, has worked 15 years at the company. Installation foreman, Juan Vidal has more than six years experience, and Service Manager Marco Durate has nearly five years experience with Samson Irrigation. The average man on the crew has 2-3 years experience with the company. Altogether, the company has sixteen seasoned employees.

Today Vic and Ed manage the company with Vic’s son, Allan and business investor Tyler Pearson. The company has more than 2,000 satisfied customers, with 70 percent of the firm’s revenue coming from new installations and 30 percent from servicing existing systems (many of which are installed by other companies).

Vic has never been more proud of the company he started. “After 30 years of experience in this business, I’m very confident we install simply the best irrigation systems in the Kansas City area.”