Bob Connolly Jr. picked up his first tools as a young boy in his dad's company, Connolly Bros. Landscaping of Leominster, and picked up his work ethic and business sense along the way.

Now Connolly, 32, is celebrating a major accomplishment for the 31-year-old business he bought from his father in 2006: Connolly Bros. was recently awarded the bronze medal in Banker & Tradesman's Best of 2010 readers' poll for residential landscaping.

Connolly Bros., which has three full-time workers -- Connolly, Mike Rowell and Jarrod Pellmanages -- a client list of a few residences and some large local properties, including the Tyco property on Industrial Drive in Westminster, a pristine 28 acres, also does landscape construction and snow removal.

Connolly didn't know his clients were submitting his business to the poll until he found out they received an award from the business publication.

"I was proud," he said. "My father (Bob Connolly Sr., of Westminster) did really well, and I'm honestly building this company off what he already started. It's nice to feel recognized."

The small size of the company's staff -- they'll hire some extra hands during busy spurts in the spring and fall -- allows it to keep rates low and provide more attention to clients' needs, Connolly said. Their business has thrived on word-of-mouth referrals, he added.

"We're working seven days a week. These guys work very hard," he said of his staff. "If you

The senior Connolly, who started the business in 1979, said the company operates on "common sense and common decency," and said his son has done a good job of weathering the down economy.

Landscaping is an important part of a first impression, said David Olivari, facilities manager at Tyco.

"(Connolly Bros. is) very reliable. I can count on them to be here if I need them, or if there's an issue, and they always do a nice job," he said. "The place looks immaculate, which is important, because we have a lot of customers visiting."

Ed Gagne, a retail developer in Leominster, said Connolly Bros. is deserving of the recognition, saying they've been able to interpret what he says he'd like to see into good landscape design.