The grass may be greener on the other side, but you can’t compare lawns if there aren’t any to look at.
That’s the problem Mike Benavides encountered working as a landscaper and irrigation specialist: the nursery in Odessa where he would purchase plants and other materials went out of business, making it harder to provide services for his customers.
He could have made purchases at one of the nurseries in Midland, but living anywhere in West Texas, and away from the closest nursery, Benavides was looking at weeks before a new shipment would arrive.
So when a family friend with a trucking company made a comment about just picking up Benavides’ orders, the idea for a new business was born.
“Before you knew it, I had a lot of landscaping buddies placing orders,” Benavides said. “Most of those guys would order three or four pallets, and we would pick them up. It just grew from there.”
Located at 1314 E. Seventh St., Permian Basin Sod lets landscapers and homeowners order items such as turf, grass and plants. A second location is scheduled to open at 2329 E. Second St. and offers additional materials — such as 23 rock varieties — for xeriscaping.
Benavides founded the business in 2020, and orders continue to increase as new housing is built in Odessa.
According to U.S. Housing and Urban Development, more than 4,500 new homes were needed by 2021. Houses put on the market are listed for about 20 days before being placed in a pending status, according to the housing website Zillow.
Homeowners, Benavides said, make up half of his orders, as families are looking to modify to adjust to the weather.
“Out here in West Texas, we’re always worried about water restrictions,” he said. “And a lot of homeowners don’t want the maintenance, so they’ll xeriscape the front yards, and then put down sod and trees in the backyard where they’re going to spend most of their time.”
As business continues to grow, Benavides said he plans to continue providing services to Odessans.
“We opened this store up … because a lot of the work we do is here in Odessa,” he said. “And we’ll do what we can in Odessa because that’s where we’re from.”
