BI-based lawn care company embraces electric equipment

Published 1:30 am Friday, August 14, 2026

Co-owners Hilary Turner and Kris Williams recently launched Even Keel this summer, a new Bainbridge Island-based electric lawn care business, marking one of the first of its kind in the county.

Williams said that while the adoption of electric equipment is self-mandated, they are hoping to be ahead of the curve should future local laws be adopted. Even Keel provides lawn care with 100% electric equipment, while also improving environmental noise impacts.

The business duo has been interested in transitioning to electric tools for many years; however, it took several years for the reliability of the equipment to catch up.

“That’s really a technology that’s been growing, and when it first started, it was a little unreliable, as the equipment would fail, or this little part would break pretty easily. But now the technology is quite a bit better, so we feel more comfortable relying on larger electric equipment,” Turner said.

The launch of the new business follows the Bainbridge Island City Council’s previous discussions around a potential ordinance banning gas-powered outdoor tools. Last June, the council was slated to approve an ordinance that would have banned such tools starting around 2027. However, the council tabled the discussion to allow for possible future updates and further revisions.

Interim city manager Ellen Schroer said the council has a dedicated subcommittee for the topic with no meetings currently scheduled. “Many topics are being delayed until after the completion of the Comprehensive Plan update to allow council to focus on this work,” she said.

Before launching Even Keel in July, the couple previously founded BI-based Red Twig, a landscaping business. Turner said that Even Keel is within the family of Red Twig; however, they are two separate, distinct businesses, with Even Keel focusing on lawn care and Red Twig focusing on landscaping services. Turner said having an existing landscaping business helped them with efficiency and to be able to hit the ground running. Since launching this summer, Even Keel has a team of three employees, roughly nine clients, and is looking to expand.

Turner said the business’s use of electric equipment has been night and day, with the results looking consistent with gas-powered equipment. “It’s pretty striking the difference between an electric mower [compared to a gas-powered mower]. You really are just hearing the whirr of the blade spinning. You’re not hearing that concussive engine,” Williams said.

Williams said one of his early fears of adopting electric equipment was the possibility of drained batteries. They have charging infrastructure at their shop and mobile charging capabilities as well, which allows them to handle several jobs throughout the day without needing to conduct emergency charges at a client’s home. The costs associated with charging the equipment are also minimal. Turner said Red Twig has also integrated electric equipment where applicable, with an estimated mix of 50% electric and 50% gas-powered equipment.

Even Keel currently serves communities of Kingston, Poulsbo, Bainbridge Island, Indianola, and Suquamish. The business’s headquarters are on Bainbridge Island on Day Road. “We wanted it to be accessible to folks all over Kitsap, because everybody’s got lawns they need mowing,” Turner said.