Many home improvement and outdoor living companies ask their teams to work hard, hit goals, and care about growth. But many workers do not always see how the business works. They may know the task for the day, but they may not know the score. They may hear that the company wants to grow, but they may not understand how sales, profit, jobs, and teamwork connect to their own future.
That gap can make culture weaker as a company grows. Leaders want people to act like owners, but the team cannot take real ownership if the goal is not clear. Terry Morrill, Owner and General Manager at Pacific Outdoor Living, shared a different way to think about this during his PowerChat interview with Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100. Terry explained that strong culture is built when the team understands the numbers, sees the goal, joins the game, and feels part of the win.
“We teach people the finances, we teach them the numbers, they have an understanding that for them to expand, the company has to make money.” Terry Morrill, Owner and General Manager, Pacific Outdoor Living.
That belief gives this conversation its clear center. At this Southern California design and build outdoor living company, culture is not only built through events, team spirit, or family pride. It is also built through clear teaching. Terry and his team use games, bonuses, sales goals, and shared wins to help people understand where the company is going and why their part matters. When the company reaches a goal, the team celebrates together. When the team understands the target, more people can help push toward it.
Power100 continues to spotlight leaders who are helping raise the standard across home improvement, exterior remodeling, and outdoor living. Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry. Through PowerChat conversations, Greg Cummings brings forward the real ideas behind strong companies so other leaders can learn from what is working in the field.
This interview with Terry Morrill gives contractors a clear look at how financial clarity can support culture, growth, and customer care. As a Los Angeles backyard remodel and outdoor living contractor, Terry’s company has grown by helping the team see how daily work connects to the bigger result. His message is simple. If leaders want people to care about growth, they must help them understand growth. If they want the team to pitch in, they must show the team the score.
In this PowerChat, Greg Cummings sat down with Terry Morrill, Owner and General Manager at Pacific Outdoor Living, to talk about what it takes to keep people connected as a company gets bigger. The conversation moved beyond sales and projects and into a deeper leadership lesson. Culture does not stay strong by accident. It has to be taught, felt, measured, and shared.
Terry Morrill (Far Right), Owner and General Manager at Pacific Outdoor Living
For Terry, that means giving the team a real view of where the company is going. He shared how the business uses company events, family gatherings, games, bonuses, sales targets, and financial teaching to help people feel part of the mission. “We teach people the finances, we teach them the numbers,” Terry said. That kind of clarity helps employees understand that company growth and personal growth are tied together.
The purpose of this PowerChat was to show contractors how strong culture can be built through simple actions that people can see and understand. Terry did not talk about culture as a soft idea. He talked about it like a working system. When the team knows the numbers, sees the goal, and understands why profit matters, they can take more pride in the result. They are no longer just doing tasks. They are helping move the whole company forward.
That message is important for the outdoor living and home improvement industry because many companies lose connection as they scale. The founder may still know the mission, but the field team, designers, sales team, and office staff may not always feel it the same way. Terry’s approach gives a clear path for a Southern California design and build outdoor living company that wants to grow without losing the family feel, daily energy, and team trust that helped it get there.
The scale of the conversation matters because Terry is speaking from real company growth. Greg noted that Pacific Outdoor Living had grown north of $30 million, and Terry shared how the team keeps people engaged through shared wins, clear goals, and open teaching. When the company pushes toward a million dollar sales week, the goal is not hidden at the top. The team can hear the bell, see the target, and know why everybody’s effort matters.
For homeowners searching for an outdoor living design build company, that kind of culture matters more than they may realize. A clear team usually creates a clearer customer experience. When people know where the company is going, they can communicate better, serve with more care, and protect the promise made to the homeowner. Terry’s message shows that culture is not only good for employees. It also helps create better work, stronger trust, and a company that can grow with its people.
Terry’s clearest message was that people can do better work when they understand what the company is trying to build. He does not treat the numbers like a secret that belongs only to owners or top leaders. He teaches them because he wants the team to know why sales matter, why profit matters, and why growth creates more room for everyone.
“We teach people the finances, we teach them the numbers.” Terry Morrill, Owner and General Manager, Pacific Outdoor Living.
That one line shows a different kind of leadership. Terry is not only asking people to work hard. He is helping them see the score. When employees understand how the business grows, they can connect their daily work to the bigger future. The job is no longer just the next task, the next project, or the next customer. It becomes part of a company goal that people can help move forward.
This is an important lesson for customer experience stories because it shows that customer care starts inside the company. When the team understands the business, they can better protect the promise made to the homeowner. They can see why clear work, strong service, and smart choices matter.
Financial clarity also removes guesswork. People do not have to wonder why the company is pushing toward a goal. They can understand how reaching that goal helps the company grow, helps employees grow, and helps the customer receive better service. That is how numbers become more than numbers. They become a shared language.
Learn more about Pacific Outdoor Living and its outdoor living work
Terry also shared how the company uses games to keep goals alive. These games are not random. They are tied to production, sales goals, and bonuses. That makes the goal easy to see and easier for the team to feel together.
“We play games all the time. One kind of a game or another, and usually for a bonus connected to it in some way.” Terry Morrill, Owner and General Manager, Pacific Outdoor Living.
That approach makes growth more human. A sales target can feel cold when it is only a number on a screen. But when the whole team knows the goal, hears the bell, and understands what the win means, the number starts to feel shared. People can rally around it. They can talk about it. They can push toward it together.
Terry gave the example of hitting a million dollars in a week and the team going to dinner. That kind of goal gives people a simple way to connect effort with reward. It also helps the team see that the company win is not only for the owner. It is something people can take part in and celebrate.
For a company known for custom outdoor living spaces in Los Angeles, this kind of team energy matters. Homeowners may see the final space, but behind that space is a group of people who need to stay sharp, proud, and connected. Terry’s use of games helps turn work into shared effort, and shared effort helps protect culture as the company grows.
Greg asked Terry about a problem many growing companies face. As a business gets larger, the culture that helped it grow can start to fade. Terry agreed that this can happen. His answer was simple and practical. Leaders have to keep people connected through real habits.
“We have company events that help that. We have a huge annual party every year. Everybody comes, everybody knows about it, their families come.” Terry Morrill, Owner and General Manager, Pacific Outdoor Living.
This matters because culture is not only about what happens at work. It is also about what people feel when they see their families included, their effort noticed, and their role valued. Terry talked about gifts for kids, family events, team games, and shared wins. These are simple things, but they help people feel like they belong.
That kind of culture is important because the customer experience is shaped by the people doing the work. If the team feels disconnected, the customer may feel it too. If the team feels proud and involved, that care can show up in the way they communicate, solve problems, and treat the homeowner.
Terry’s point is that culture must be guarded as the company grows. It cannot be left to chance. It has to be built into the rhythm of the company so people keep feeling the same pull, even when the business is bigger than it used to be.
One of the strongest ideas in Terry’s interview was that the team knows where it is going. That matters because people cannot move together if the target is not clear. When leaders explain the goal, the team has a better chance to own the result.
“We all know where we’re going.” Terry Morrill, Owner and General Manager, Pacific Outdoor Living.
This is where Terry’s leadership feels very practical. He does not only talk about culture as a feeling. He connects it to a scoreboard. The team knows the sales target. They know the game. They know the reward. They know why the company needs to grow. That shared view helps people move with more purpose.
Terry also said that a great majority of the company is “pushing the cart in the same direction.” That image is simple, but it carries the whole message. When people understand the goal, they can help move the company forward instead of pulling against each other or waiting for someone else to lead.
For a full service outdoor living contractor in Southern California, clear goals can shape both the team and the customer experience. A clear team can plan better, speak better, and serve better. It can also help the company keep its promise as more projects, more crews, and more customers enter the picture.
Terry also connected company growth to employee growth. This gave the conversation a more human meaning. For him, growth is not only about a bigger company or higher sales. It is about creating room for people who want a better future.
“I gotta grow because I gotta make a position for him in the company that he can earn more money.” Terry Morrill, Owner and General Manager, Pacific Outdoor Living.
That quote shows why Terry teaches the numbers. If employees understand that company growth creates more opportunity, then profit no longer feels like something far away from them. It becomes part of the path that helps people earn more, take on bigger roles, buy homes, and build better lives.
This is a strong lesson for contractors. Many leaders want loyalty, but loyalty grows stronger when people can see a future. Terry’s message is that leaders have to build a company where people have somewhere to go. That means more training, more trust, more roles, and more chances to rise.
It also connects back to Terry Morrill leadership because his view of growth is not only about the customer or the owner. It includes the people inside the company. When employees feel that the company is making room for them, they are more likely to care about the work and the people they serve.
The final lesson from this section of the PowerChat is that culture does not stay inside the walls of the company. It reaches the homeowner. When the team understands the numbers, joins the games, celebrates the wins, and sees a future, that energy can show up in the way the customer is served.
“So we have a great majority of the company that are all pushing the cart in the same direction.” Terry Morrill, Owner and General Manager, Pacific Outdoor Living.
That line brings the whole idea together. A company that moves together can serve with more care. People know the mission. They know the goal. They understand why the business must be strong. They can see how their work helps the customer and helps the company grow.
For homeowners looking at Pacific Outdoor Living pools, patios , outdoor kitchens and hardscape, the company culture may not be the first thing they ask about. But it affects the project. A team that is clear and aligned is more likely to communicate well, work with pride, and protect the customer promise from start to finish.
Terry’s message is simple. Culture is not built by telling people to care. It is built by showing them the goal, teaching them the numbers, sharing the wins, and giving them a reason to pitch in. That is how a company grows with its people, not around them.
The way Terry Morrill leads inside Pacific Outdoor Living has also shown up outside the company. A strong culture is not only measured by what people say in meetings. It is measured by the work customers trust, the growth others notice, the awards a company earns, and the community ties that keep lasting year after year.
Outdoor Living design
That is why the recognition behind Pacific Outdoor Living matters in this story. The company has earned a place on the Inc. 500 list twice through Pacific Pavingstone, showing that its growth was not a short burst. It has also been named the 14th fastest growing company in the San Fernando Valley by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. These honors point to a company that has learned how to grow with focus, systems, and a team that understands the goal.
The customer side of the story is just as important. Pacific Outdoor Living has earned the Angi Super Service Award, a sign that homeowners have noticed the care behind the work. That fits the message Terry shared in the PowerChat. When people inside the company know the score and understand the mission, they are better able to serve the customer with pride. Strong culture becomes visible in the way calls are handled, projects are planned, crews show up, and homeowners feel through the process.
The company has also gained wider attention through an HGTV feature and strong visibility on Houzz as a top rated landscape designer. That kind of reach matters because it shows that the work has been trusted both by local homeowners and by larger design audiences. For Terry, this is not just about being seen. It is proof that steady standards can travel. When a company keeps building around clear goals and shared effort, the finished work can speak in many places.
One of the strongest parts of the company’s impact is its long relationship with the Pasadena Showcase House of Design. For more than two decades, Pacific Outdoor Living has given time and talent to support a major community event tied to music programs and local arts. This stands out because it connects the company’s craft with a larger purpose. The same team that builds outdoor spaces for homeowners has also helped create spaces that support culture, education, and community life.
These awards and partnerships help tell a bigger story about Terry Morrill’s leadership. The games, goals, numbers, and shared wins inside the company are not small culture tools. They help create the kind of alignment that can support growth, service, design quality, and public trust. The outside recognition is evidence of the inside work.
For contractors, this is the real lesson. A company does not earn long term respect by chasing awards alone. It earns respect by building habits that people can feel. Terry’s team has used clear goals, customer care, community support, and steady service to create a company that is known for more than outdoor living projects. It is known for doing the work in a way that gives people a reason to believe.
Greg Cummings’ conversation with Terry Morrill brings this message back to a simple truth. People care more about growth when they understand what growth means. They care more about the goal when they can see the score. They take more pride in the work when they know how their effort helps the company, the customer, and the team move forward.
For Terry and Pacific Outdoor Living, the numbers are not only about sales. They are about alignment. They help people understand the path, the target, and the reason behind the work. When the team knows where the company is going, they can feel more connected to the result.
That is the lesson contractors can take from this PowerChat. If leaders want people to act with ownership, they have to teach people how the company wins. If they want culture to last as the company grows, they have to make the goals clear, the wins shared, and the numbers easy to understand.
Terry’s story shows that strong culture is not built by hiding the numbers. It is built by teaching the numbers, sharing the wins, and giving people a reason to pitch in. That is how a company grows with its people, not around them.
As more home improvement and outdoor living companies look for ways to grow without losing their culture, Terry’s approach offers a clear path forward. Build trust inside the company first. Help the team understand the business. Celebrate progress together. When people feel included in the future, they are more ready to help build it.
Power100 does more than name strong companies. It studies the leadership choices that help companies grow the right way. Its work looks at leadership, culture, customer experience, growth, innovation, and community impact, which makes Terry Morrill’s view on team finances and shared goals a strong fit for this story. His PowerChat shows how culture can become stronger when a team understands the business.
Power100 was created to give the exterior remodeling and home improvement industry a more trusted third party voice. A conversation like this matters because it shows the leadership behind the work, not just the finished project. Terry’s message helps contractors see how teaching the numbers can build stronger teams, better culture, and better customer care.
This PowerChat is not only about sales. It is about helping the whole team understand where the company is going. Terry shared that the company teaches people the finances, plays games tied to bonuses, and helps employees see why company growth matters to their own future. That turns the numbers into a culture tool, not just a sales target.
A homeowner may not ask about company finances during the first call, but those numbers can affect the experience they receive. When a team understands the goal, the budget, and the reason behind the work, they are more likely to stay clear, focused, and aligned. That can help the customer feel better guided from design to build.
Pacific Outdoor Living lists a wide range of outdoor services, including landscaping, pool construction, driveway paving, water features, fire features, gazebo installation, and pergola building. That makes the company more than a single service provider. It supports homeowners who want a full outdoor living plan.
Pacific Outdoor Living states that it serves Los Angeles and nearby areas, including Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Glendale, Pasadena, and other surrounding communities. The company site also points to San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles service coverage, which helps local homeowners check whether their home is within the service area.
Yes. Pacific Outdoor Living’s site states that the company has completed more than 15,000 design and build projects, while customer review content on the team page points to strong communication and repeat customer experience. That outside proof supports the message Terry shared in the PowerChat about team alignment, customer care, and shared standards.
Being busy does not always mean a company is healthy or aligned. Terry’s point is that a team performs better when people know the score and understand how the company wins. His approach shows contractors that strong culture is built by teaching the numbers, sharing the wins, and helping employees see how their work supports company growth, customer care, and their own future.
Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry. Led by Greg Cummings, Power100 helps trusted CEOs, contractors, partners, and industry leaders gain more visibility through rankings, PowerChat interviews, leadership stories, and industry features that show what strong companies are doing right. The platform was created to support the best leaders in home improvement by sharing ideas that help companies grow stronger teams, serve homeowners better, build better cultures, and raise the standard for the entire industry.
Membership unlocks every Power100 interview, PowerChat episode, and expert playbook - free for industry leaders.
Power100 is the nation's premier CEO ranking and media platform for the home improvement industry. Using a proprietary 5-layer evaluation system, Power100 identifies and celebrates the top CEOs, companies, and strategic partners driving innovation, customer satisfaction, and leadership excellence across the country.
