Joseph A. Pascaretta was only 11 in 1999
when he launched himself as an entrepreneur.
He loved airplanes and took pictures of
them for his friend Aaron Dowen — now his
business partner — to put up on a Web site.
With their knowledge of the Web, the
friends designed a Web site for a local construction company, pitched it to the firm and
had their first customer. With the help of a
co-signing lawyer, the boys were able to sign
contracts despite their age and grow their IT
business, which is now Alps Technology
International.
In 2002, when a client mentioned that
keeping up the grounds of his business was
a big expense, Pascaretta saw a new opportunity and started The Alps Lawn Co. He
began by cutting lawns and landscaping,
growing his client base until he needed to
hire managers and employees to take over.
When he turned 15, he added another
aspect to the business, capitalizing on his
interest in planes and earning his pilot’s
license, allowing him to take aerial photos
of clients’ landscaping. And his IT company
gave him an additional advantage, as he
developed software that lets clients see
what the finished landscaping will look like
before they commit to the project.
With all of his success, Pascaretta has no
intention of slowing down. In the next five
years, he plans to become immersed in the
Asian market and get into the health care
field through software. He also plans to take
The Alps Lawn Co. national and is moving it
into several states beyond Michigan.
HOW TO REACH: Alps Technology International, (248) 651-2577 or
www.alpstechnology.com; The Alps Lawn Co., www.alpslawn.com