The history of thousands of lawn and landscaping companies starts with a man, a mower and a truck. At our industry’s core is entrepreneurship. And there have been some darn good entrepreneurs.

The green industry recently lost ValleyCrest Landscape Cos. Founder Burt Sperber. People always told Sperber he was a lucky man to see such success. “I tell them that it is not luck that made ValleyCrest the successful company that it is today – it’s when hard work and good timing collide,” he told Lawn & Landscape in 2009.

This week marks Global Entrepreneurship Week. More than 100 countries and all 50 states have held events to celebrate and inspire innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity. In honor of this week, here is a slide show that gives a brief look at how the U.S. stacks up in building new businesses.