ABOUT HOLMES
Built From the Ground Up.
Long before Holmes Landscape Construction became an established Rhode Island landscaping and construction company, it started with a kid, a lawn mower, and a homemade business card.
01 · THE BEGINNING
From John’s Yard Work to Holmes Landscape Construction.
In 1994, while still in middle school, John A. Holmes III started 'John's Yard Work,' mowing lawns for neighbors and local families in Barrington, Rhode Island.
With a lawn mower and a Radio Flyer wagon that his grandfather converted into a makeshift trailer, John began building his business one yard at a time. Some of those early customers in Barrington's Country Club Plat neighborhood stayed with him for years. At sixteen, John expanded beyond his neighborhood into the East Bay. After graduating from St. Andrew’s School and Roger Williams University, he committed himself fully to the landscape business.
What started as a kid's neighborhood lawn-mowing business grew into Holmes Landscape Construction in 2004. Today, Holmes serves homeowners and commercial properties throughout Rhode Island, with crews and equipment handling everything from landscape maintenance and stonework to excavation and major site projects.
John's first business card.
02 · THE INFLUENCE
A Legacy Beyond the Business
John’s father, the late John A. Holmes Jr. (1949–2023), made his own mark on Rhode Island as a businessman and longtime political leader. He was known for his larger-than-life personality, his loyalty to friends and family, and his remarkable ability to connect with people from all walks of life.
Although their careers took different paths, John Jr. took enormous pride in the landscaping business his son had built and became one of its biggest supporters.
His life was a reminder that success isn’t measured only by what you accomplish, but by the relationships you build and the way you treat people along the way.
It’s a legacy that lives on in the way Holmes approaches its work and its customers today.
John A. Holmes Jr. (1949–2023)
03 · THE BUSINESS TODAY
From a Neighborhood Route to Work Across the State.
The red trucks are unmistakable. Behind them are experienced crews, substantial equipment and decades of work on Rhode Island properties.
THE HOLMES DIFFERENCE
Real Experience. Real Equipment. Real Relationships.
What began with one mower and a converted wagon now runs on experienced crews and company-owned equipment, from weekly maintenance to major site work.
Experience that spans decades. Landscaping, property care, hardscaping, excavation and site work for homeowners and commercial property owners.
Equipment for the work. Company-owned trucks and equipment support both routine maintenance and substantial construction projects.
Relationships that last. Barrington beginnings and East Bay roots continue to shape how Holmes works with customers throughout the region.
East Bay Roots. Working Across Rhode Island.
Based in Riverside, Holmes works throughout Rhode Island and nearby Southeastern Massachusetts, with longstanding roots in the East Bay.
Barrington · Warren · Bristol
East Providence · Riverside
There’s No Place Like Holmes!
From your home landscape to your next commercial or site project, talk with the team behind the red trucks.