Our Story
The Story Behind J.R. Lawn & Snow
Like many kids growing up in Ottawa, Joey Roberge spent his early years helping maintain his family’s property. What began as a simple chore quickly turned into something more. At just 14 years old in 1997, Joey began walking the neighbourhoods of Elmvale Acres and Alta Vista with a lawn mower and snowblower, offering lawn care in the summer and driveway clearing in the winter.
What started with a few neighbours quickly grew. Joey built the business the old-fashioned way, one relationship at a time. Through hard work, reliability, and pride in every job, word spread throughout the community. Before long, the small neighbourhood service had grown into what is now J.R. Lawn & Snow.
Nearly three decades later, J.R. Lawn & Snow has grown into one of Ottawa’s trusted property maintenance and snow removal companies. Despite that growth, the foundation Joey built has never changed. Every property is treated with care, every customer with respect, and every job completed with pride. Joey believed there was no such thing as an “okay” job. If a property carried the J.R. Lawn & Snow name, it had to be done right. That same standard continues today, with managers and foremen regularly inspecting properties to ensure the quality our customers expect.
Carrying Forward a Legacy of Care
At its core, J.R. Lawn & Snow exists to make life easier for homeowners. Maintaining a property takes time and effort, and Joey believed that time was better spent with family, friends, and the community around you. While we take care of your lawn in the summer and clear your driveway in the winter, you can focus on what matters most.
On October 27, 2024, Joey passed away suddenly. His loss was deeply felt by his family, friends, team members, and the many customers who had come to know him over the years. Joey was known for his passion, loyalty, and unwavering work ethic. He believed deeply in the people around him and inspired those who worked beside him to push beyond what they thought possible. To many of us, he was more than a business owner. He was a mentor and a friend.
Built on Hard Work, Grown on Trust
Today, the company continues under the leadership of Vincent Marquardt, who worked closely with Joey for many years. Guided by Joey’s mentorship and example, the goal moving forward remains simple: continue building on the foundation he created while honouring the values he lived by every day. Those values guide everything we do.
Joey’s legacy lives on in every driveway cleared, every lawn maintained, and every customer relationship we continue to build. J.R. Lawn & Snow remains committed to the same promise Joey started with back in 1997: Take care of people, do the job right, and treat every property like it’s your own.