Fireman back in business after equipment stolen

A Vicksburg man whose life has been lived in service to his country and community is back in the driver’s seat of his lawn care business after having his equipment stolen last year.

Allen Pugh, owner of Pugh Lawn Service as well as an Army veteran and Vicksburg firefighter, was nearing the end of his busy season last year when every bit of his equipment – trailer and all – was stolen. He reported the equipment missing and hoped for the best, but it soon became apparent that he likely would never see his gear again.

Pugh, 31, grew up in Vicksburg and left home after high school to join the Army. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was awarded a Purple Heart along the way. In 2009, he separated from the service and returned to Vicksburg, when a friend suggested he apply for a job with the fire department.

“It seemed like a good fit,” Pugh said.  “I’ve always felt the need to serve, and this was an opportunity to keep doing that.”

Vicksburg firefighters work one day on, two days off, so to supplement his income and stay busy on his off days, he decided to start his own lawn service. Over time, he built up equipment and clientele, making as much money at his side job as he did on his full time job.

Allen’s wife, Andi, helps cut when she’s not in school for respiratory therapy, but he needed more help. The solution? Hire his fellow firemen.

“I like hiring fellow firefighters because I know they’ll work, and if they’re anything like me they need the extra money,” Pugh said.

Things went well until October 2013, when he went to check on his trailer one day and didn’t see it where it belonged at his home on Culkin Road.

“You don’t realize how fast something can be snatched away from you,” Pugh said.

With a few weeks left in his lawn care season and thousands of dollars of equipment gone, he was at a loss for whether he would ever be able to build his business back up, much less finish out his contracts.

“We just didn’t know what to do,” Pugh said. “We prayed about it.”

Mowers and equipment borrowed from family and friends enabled him to finish out his season as he scraped together enough to keep the business going.

Pugh scoured pawn shops for secondhand equipment, and got some help from Billy Shinn, owner of Wide Open Motor Sports and the man who helped him start his business, who sold him some mowers for a reasonable price, he said.

Pugh and his crew are back at it, cutting commercial and residential properties four to five days a week, in between shifts at the fire department. The only difference is that he’ll make sure to keep an extra-watchful eye – and a couple of extra padlocks – on his trailer from now on.