Riley Rivers didn’t start with a big plan or a large team.

He started with a 1965 horse trailer, a lawn mower, and a willingness to figure things out. What began as a college side business at Montana State has grown into Rivers Landscaping, a company now running multiple crews, serving both residential and commercial clients, and building a reputation around systems, service, and long-term relationships.

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From College Side Hustle to Company

Riley grew up in Montana and came to Bozeman for school at MSU, initially thinking he wanted to be an engineer.

That changed quickly.

While in college, he started Rivers Lawn Care and Snow Removal, storing equipment in a horse trailer parked on campus. What started as a way to make money turned into something much bigger once he discovered an interest in construction and landscaping.

By 2018, Rivers Landscaping was officially launched.

What Rivers Landscaping Actually Does

“Landscaping” can mean a lot of different things.

At Rivers Landscaping, the focus is primarily on landscape construction, taking a property from dirt to finished outdoor space. That includes irrigation, planting, layout, and full installation for both residential and commercial projects.

More recently, they’ve added a commercial maintenance division, focused on long-term care.

Instead of “mow and go,” the goal is full property management, pruning, irrigation coordination, and overall upkeep, all handled proactively.

Learn more about Rivers Landscaping:
https://riverslandscapingmt.com

Protecting a Major Investment

One of the biggest themes in this conversation is how much people underestimate landscaping.

For commercial projects, landscaping can account for 10–15% of total build cost, often reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Without proper maintenance, that investment can quickly deteriorate.

Rivers Landscaping built their maintenance division specifically to solve that problem, ensuring that what gets installed is properly cared for long-term.

Building Systems, Not Chaos

As the company grew, Riley realized something important:

Doing the work wasn’t the hard part anymore.

Scaling it was.

Today, the company runs multiple crews with standardized trucks, trailers, and equipment setups. Every crew operates with the same structure, the same tools, and the same expectations.

That level of systemization removes guesswork and allows the company to grow without reinventing the wheel every time they add a new crew.

From Doing Everything to Leading a Team

In the early days, Riley handled everything.

Sales, production, hiring, operations.

Now, the focus has shifted to building a leadership team and removing what he calls “Riley-isms”, the knowledge and decisions that lived only in his head.

By assigning ownership, building systems, and trusting his team, the company has scaled to over 30 employees, with clear roles across construction, maintenance, sales, and operations.

Why Team Matters

One of the biggest drivers behind the company’s growth is the team.

Rivers Landscaping has built a culture where employees can grow into leadership roles, turning what is often seen as a short-term job into a long-term career.

That includes:

• Clear paths for advancement
• Strong internal leadership structure
• Fully paid healthcare benefits
• Emphasis on training and development

The goal isn’t just to complete projects, it’s to build a company people want to stay with.

Learning From Others

A major turning point for Riley came through peer groups with other landscaping companies across the country.

Seeing how other companies operated behind the scenes helped shape how Rivers Landscaping approaches leadership, delegation, and growth.

It also reinforced a key idea:

You don’t have to figure everything out alone.

Raising the Standard in Bozeman

Another important piece of the conversation is collaboration within the industry.

Rather than competing purely on price, Riley emphasizes working with other companies to maintain standards, share insights, and avoid a “race to the bottom.”

That approach benefits everyone, especially clients.

It leads to better work, better service, and a stronger local industry overall.

Looking Ahead

Rivers Landscaping is still growing.

With goals to significantly increase revenue, expand teams, and continue refining systems, the focus is now on scaling the business while maintaining quality.

At the core of it all is a simple idea:

Build something that works, build a team that believes in it, and keep improving it year after year.

Mountain Mule Media exists to connect people with the businesses, stories, and experiences that make Montana unique. Through conversations like this, we highlight the people building meaningful things in this state, while Mountain Mule Transportation continues to serve locals and visitors with everything from airport rides to events and Yellowstone National Park tours.

Learn more about Mountain Mule:
https://www.mountain-mule.com