We Can Become Great Career Resources for Our Schools

Did you know what you were going to do for a career when you were in high school? I didn’t. For me the future was big, empty and, in a sense, scary. My guess is that many high school students feel similarly.

This leads me to ask — are we as an industry doing enough to alert and educate high school students in particular, to the career opportunities in our green industry services industry? That question came to my mind upon receiving from the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association (ONLA) remaining me of something we have to do more of — engage high school students, male and female, in a positive way to our industry.

ONLA on Nov. 2 hosted 250 students for its second annual Ohio High School Landscape Olympics. The event took place at Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, Ohio. The students represented 20 schools. Upon arrival to the small quaint city of Wooster in northeast Ohio they enjoyed a pizza party. Later that same afternoon they competed in 10 industry skill events, reconvening the following morning and spending the whole next day testing their skills against other students and schools. Many organizations and companies sponsored the Ohio High School Landscape Olympics. (Results of the competing and the generous sponsors that made it possible are mentioned at the end of this article.)

Plant installation at the Ohio High School Landscape Olympics. Photo: Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association

Of course the granddaddy of student engagement in the industry is the annual National Collegiate Landscape Competition. Put on by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) — formerly known as Student Career Days – it has taken place every March since 1977. Last spring 750 students representing 65 colleges competed for three days in 28 different skill sets at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. This coming year’s event is set for March 14-17, 2018, at Alamance Community College in Graham, North Carolina.

It’s an incredible event, supported by just about every major supplier to the industry, and its Career Fair attracts somewhere between 70-80 companies in a virtual feeding frenzy for eager young talent. But the National Collegiate Landscape Competition, as its name signifies, is not an event for high school students.

But college is not for every high school students, including some of the most ambitious and smart students. The green services industry may be just the thing they are looking for — but never realized it was there for them.

Starting in 2002 and for several years I was one of five advisors to a horticulture program at a vocational school just southwest of Cleveland, Ohio. The school’s primary mission is to prepare 11th and 12th graders from six surrounding schools for careers in culinary, welding, dental and medical assisting, law enforcement, HVAC, cosmetology and, at that time at least, the green industry.

Ohio Hi-Point Career Center Team Photo: Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association

Although being asked to be an advisor admittedly, tickled my ego, I don’t want to puff up my role in the program. In truth, no heavy lifting was required of us advisors, and my office at the time was just across the street from the school. I could walk to our advisory meetings in a few minutes. Mostly what we advisors did, meeting every month or two, was to help the program’s advisor build or tweak the instructor’s curriculum and to keep him informed of emerging green industry trends and issues.

As I recall, there were about 12 or 13 students in the horticulture program each of the two seasons of my involvement. We advisors did not interact with them very much them. Looking back at our involvement, that was regrettable. We could have done a much better job of getting to know them individually.

Unexpectedly, my role as an advisor came to an end as the result of two unrelated occurrences — I began working from an office more than 70 miles from the school, and the horticulture instructor that we had been working with left the school for another position.

ONLA’s recent Ohio High School Landscape Olympics is, I believe, a true gauge of the enthusiasm that we can generate among young people in our industry if we increase our outreach and keep coming up with innovative and fun ways to attract positive attention to it. We’ve got a great story to tell and some great things to show young people – things that most high school students have never likely heard or experienced before.

Let’s get to know the programs in our local high schools, become acquainted with their career and academic advisors and let them know we’re available as sources not only for landscaping but also because of our knowledge of small business. We can do our local schools and their students — those truly looking for jobs leading to satisfying careers — a great service.

Here are the results from the recent Ohio High School Landscape Olympics:

2017 Medalists

Sales Presentation​

Gold: Stephen Dunham, Ohio Hi-Point Career Center

Silver: Joe Arms, Knox County Career Center

Bronze: Zac Gordon, Upper Valley Career Center

Irrigation

Gold: Cassie Rine and Hunter Pinyerd, Knox Country

Silver: Ryliegh Myosky and Lucas Crunkilton, Penta Career Center

Bronze: Creighton Bradley and Cody Board, Ohio Hi-Point Career Center

Truck and Trailer Operation

Gold: Konnor Locker and Zac Gordon, Upper Valley Career Center

Silver: Nathan Zimdars and Ben Vucelich, Delaware Area Career Center

Bronze:  Aaron Blaney and Max Zugan, Auburn Career Center

Skid Steer Operation

Gold: Zachary DePew, Knox County Career Center

Silver: Jacob Toflinski, Auburn Career Center

Bronze: Blake Kessler, Marysville High School

Cost Estimation

Gold: Stephen Dunham, Ohio Hi-Point

Silver: Nathan Zimdars, Delaware Area Career Center

Bronze: Tony Dsuban, Talawanda-Butler Tech

Hardscape Installation

Gold: Eric Glaab and Jacob Schulte, Talawanda-Butler Tech

Silver: Libby Boyer and Ben Vucelich, Delaware Area Career Center

Bronze: Nolan VanBrunt and Kobe Heckman, Jackson High School

Compact Excavator Operation

Gold: Hunter Pinyerd, Knox County

Silver: Kobe Heckman, Jackson High School

Bronze: Jacob Schulte, Talawanda-Butler Tech

Landscape Maintenance

Gold: Joe Arms and Lane Browne, Knox County Career Center

Silver: Ben Vucelich and Nathan Zimdars, Delaware Area Career Center

Bronze: Norberto Morales-Botello and Andrew Gandolf, Auburn Career Center 

Landscape Plant Installation

Gold: Nolan VanBrunt, Brooke McDaniel , Kobe Heckman, Jackson High School

Silver: Zac Gordon, Matthew Herron, Brenden Kinnel, Upper Valley Career Center

Bronze: Orion Horn, Ben Brunswick, Damien Masters, Ohio Hi-Point Career Center

Plant ID

Gold: Sierra Ganley, Portage Lakes Career Center

Silver: Madison Morra, Cleveland Botanical Garden

Bronze: Dylan Cozens, Auburn Career Center

Top Ten Individuals

1. Ben Vucelich, Delaware Area Career Center
2. Grant Kessler, Marysville High School
3. Blake Kessler, Marysville High School
4. Stephen Dunham, Ohio Hi-Point Career Center
5. Zac Gordon, Upper Valley Career Center
6. Joe Arms, Knox County Career Center
7. Kobe Heckman, Jackson High School
8. Nolan VanBrunt, Jackson High School
9. Jacob Schulte, Talawanda-Butler Tech
10. Max Zugan, Auburn Career Center

Top Five Teams

1. Ohio Hi-Point Career Center
2. Knox County Career Center
3. Jackson High School
4. Auburn Career Center
5. Talawanda-Butler Tech

Participating Schools

Ashtabula County Technical and Career Campus

Auburn Career Center

Buckeye Career Center

Cleveland Botanical Gardens

Delaware Area Career Center

Gates Mills Environmental Center

GlenOak High School

Jackson High School

Knox County Career Center

Mahoning County Career Center

Marysville High School

Ohio Hi-Point Career Center

Patrick Henry High School

Penta Career Center

Portage Lakes Career Center

Talawanda-Butler Tech

Tolles Career & Technical Center

Trumbull Career and Technical Center

Upper Valley Career Center

Wayne County Schools Career Center

The Olympics received support from numerous green industry companies.

2017 Silver Sponsors: Columbus State Community College, Columbus State Landscape Alumni Association

2017 Competition and Bronze Sponsors: Benchmark Landscape Construction, Inc., Bobcat Company, Brian-Kyles Construction, Brightview Landscaping, The Davey Tree Expert Company, EMI – Environmental Management Services, Inc., GreenScapes Landscape Co., Grunder Landscaping Co., Hemlock Landscapes, Inc., Hidden Creek Landscaping, Ohio CAT, Ohio Chapter ISA, The Ohio State University ATI, Ohio Turfgrass Foundation, Peabody Landscape Group, Rice’s Nursery & Landscaping, Inc., Ryan’s Landscaping, Schill Grounds Management, Unilock, Willoway Nurseries, Inc., Wolf Creek Company, and Yard Solutions.

Additional Sponsors: A.M. Leonard Inc., Buckeye Resources, Inc., First Impressions Lawn and Landscape Co., Five Seasons Landscape Management, Inc., M.J. Design Associates, Inc.

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How To Outbid Your Competitors

To win a contract without low bidding, a landscape contractor needs to appeal to their clients’ emotional needs. Low numbers will always be attractive, so it is up to you to prove to your potential clients that it is in their best interests to invest in solid, innovative and reliable work rather than focus on the price tag.

That’s what Mark Bradley, the CEO of TBG Landscape, has figured out.

Bradley begins by surveying his clients’ houses to gauge their tastes and aesthetics. Then, after assessing the various landscape and design services that may interest the client, Bradley devises a list of options to propose. When it comes time to suggest these services along with addressing the necessary cost factor, however, Bradley holds off on immediately presenting any numbers.

“Rather than saying ‘I’ll come back to you with a price,’ say ‘what I would like to do is take the time to help you with budgeting’,” Bradley explains.

Like Bradley, how can you win a bidding war without even bidding? He shares three tips you can follow.

1. Pick up on your clients’ unspoken needs.

Bradley always begins by examining his clients’ homes because the paint and decor they choose often says more than the clients themselves do. That is exactly why you need to make yourself acutely aware of what type of wall hangings and light fixtures your clients prefer. Knowing your clients’ styles makes you more educated on the type of offerings that would suit your client, and a more detail-oriented, perceptive contractor will almost always beat out a lowball offer. Understanding your clients’ preferences and truly listening to them are the first steps in winning the bidding process without even bidding.

“Creating that uncommon image comes from the questions you ask but also the answers,” Bradley discusses. “You can become the expert very quickly by addressing the things they’ve talked about, showing them you were listening.”

2. Never focus on the numbers.

After you put together your client-centric plan, you have to sell the potential client on this sometimes more expensive proposal. That is why Bradley suggests not actually presenting a client with numbers right off the bat. If a client thinks you only care about the numbers, they will only care about the numbers.

He recommends sitting with clients and debating budgets and numbers, specifically focusing on the client’s expectations. Presenting numbers does not mean giving clients one “take it or leave it” option. You want to show that you are willing to accommodate the potential client.

“When you come back with a budget, always have as many options as possible,” Bradley recommends.

3. Treat every client as an individual.

Accommodating your clients also means not giving them a blanket statement. When you present your clients with a generic statement, it is clear you are only concerned with making the sale, not with what would be best for them. The lowball offers will give them the same recycled statements, so in that case they will just choose the cheapest option.

“I don’t believe we can write one proposal and use the same proposal for every customer we have,” he explains.

All of Bradley’s tips have one thing in common: putting dedication and attention into every proposal. Because, contrary to popular belief, you don’t outbid others with numbers — you outbid them with care and concern for your customers. Listen to them, personalize their proposals and let your past success speak for itself.

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8 Examples Of Inspiring Landscape Lighting

When enhancing a client’s property – residential or commercial – landscape contractors should factor in features that create outdoor areas that extend the living space, provide an element of safety and highlight their beautiful landscape at all hours of the day. Adding landscape lighting, such as path lights or uplighting, allows clients to extend their hours spent outside and can bring some visibility, comfort and safety to entertainment spaces. We searched our featured project archives to share a selection of unique and complementary landscape lighting examples.

1. Ohio Prize-Winning Backyard Lighting Project

Photo: Suncrest Gardens

“With just about any project, lighting really sets the tone. It’s not just the fixtures, although the path lighting provides character and aesthetic appeal. The result of any good lighting can really set off a landscape at night,” says Ric Haury, owner of Suncrest Gardens based in Ohio.

2. Stunning Minnesota Lakefront Hardscape Project

Photo: Mom’s Landscaping & Design

From a simple request for a pizza oven, this hardscape project changed in scope and took two years to complete. There’s about a 25-foot grade change between the lakefront and the pool terrace level. The main interests were season-long color and texture. Mom’s Landscaping & Design has an ongoing contract to maintain the landscape twice a week.

3. Landscape Renovation Success Due To Customer Relationship

Photo: Hidden Creek

Lighting for this project includes lights on the hardscape as well as throughout the front and back landscapes. “With the lighting, they wanted to make sure that the evenings felt inviting but not glaring. The spa has lighting and a sound system that’s controlled by their phones. Various trees in the backyard are up-lit so you have a sense of depth of the yard in the evening,” says designer Elena Andrews and the crew at Hilliard, Ohio-based Hidden Creek Landscaping, Inc.

4. Waterfall Provides Big Finish For Multi-Year Project

Photo: Hill’N Dale Landscaping

Both the waterflow and the lighting system are controlled from the house. The job includes an award-winning lighting system incorporating three different styles: downlights, up lights and path lights, plus the underwater lights in the pond. James Godbold from Hill’N Dale Landscaping says the wrong light in the wrong place can make things harder to see and less safe.

5. Enhancing Landscape For Client’s New Home

Photo: Summit Services

“The whole pool environment is pretty special. I love the combination of colors and the spa. At night, it really comes to life with the lighting,” says Pete Atkins, designer for Summit Services. The company had approximately 10,000 square feet to work with for this project which includes two shaded outdoor pavilion areas, an outdoor kitchen, pool, spa, fire pit and putting green.

6. Masonry Shines In Backyard Showcase

Photo: Cedarcroft Landscape and Design

This project’s pavilion features a full bar with sink, refrigerators, custom-made cabinets and granite countertops. An enclosed area behind the bar contains the pool equipment and the controls for the low-voltage landscape lighting and sound systems.

7. Gas Lamps Light Up a New Orleans-Style Project

Photo: Peter Kowler/Southview Design

Matt Burton of Minneapolis-based Southview Design says, “This was my first time working with gas light fixtures. It was uncharted waters but after discussing them with my plumber and building inspectors, we know the installation is acceptable in every city we work in, and I’m trying to use more of them.”

8. European, American Elements Highlighted in Renovation

Photo: Mom’s Design Build

For this project, the client requested a pergola over the kitchen both to provide shade and support a ceiling fan and pendant lights. New lights were also installed with the pool upgrade. European style was what inspired this landscape and Becca Bastyr, a designer from the Shakopee, Minnesota-based Mom’s Design Build says, “With the fountain (in the front yard) going and at dusk when the low-voltage lighting is turning on, it’s so charming.”

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How To Fill A Marketing Position At Your Company

I’ll admit it. I didn’t go to school for marketing, but somehow after many years in the green industry, I became a marketing manager for a lawn and landscape company. It was a thrilling ride that led to many successes, transitioning later to my current position with a green industry marketing agency.

But I’m realizing my story is a bit of an anomaly. The more common story I hear from my green industry peers is how they were either shoehorned into a marketing position or must manage marketing tasks on top of other organizational responsibilities. It wasn’t their idea, and they’re just being a team player. The divided attention and heart, along with a less than ideal skillset, often leads to mediocre results and just another pile of tasks that must get done each week.

But is convenience the way a marketing position in your company should be filled? Where should your lawn or landscape company look when they need to hire a marketing person? Should you hire from within your company or look outside?

Hiring within vs. looking outside your company

Internal candidates probably know your company pretty well. They may understand how you’re different from competitors and may be able to really explain your services. They may even have technical knowledge that an external candidate would need to learn. But if they have been in a different role in your company, do they really have the marketing chops you’re hoping for? If they are doing marketing as just part of their duties, will they really succeed in it or be passionate about it? Will they have to learn marketing as well? Can they even learn that, and if so from whom?

External candidates, specifically with experience in marketing other services, may have a firm grasp on marketing strategy and modern methods but will have a learning curve when it comes to learning the subject matter of your business. They may offer some new perspectives your team never thought of and could bring issues to the forefront that you never considered. But how long will it take them to pick up lawn care and landscaping? And to what degree do they need to grasp those concepts? Who is going to teach them about lawns and landscapes?

As you can see, both internal and external marketing candidates offer their own set of potential strengths and weaknesses that provoke even more questions.

Are you asking the right questions?

It’s always more comfortable to go with something that is known. You know Jimmy has shown up for work for the past seven years. You know he performs when it counts. You know how he interacts with the rest of your team. There seems to be little risk when going with an internal candidate, so that’s why most companies go that route.

Or it’s easy to pile on a couple other responsibilities here and there to someone filling another role. Sending out some newsletters, coordinating some direct mail or updating the company Facebook page shouldn’t be that much of a bother, right?

But is the question really about if you should hire within or outside the company for a marketing role? Is it about passion or skills? Is it more about the person filling the role than where they are coming from?

Throw aside your preconceived notions about internal vs. external candidates for a moment. Think long and hard about why you need someone in this role. Think about what you hope they will accomplish. Your marketing person needs to do this every day, month after month, and over the years in order to be successful. Company growth depends on it and you know that no matter where they come from, they will have things they need to learn.

The key question is this: Are you willing to bet your company’s future on a shoehorned, internal candidate and hope they have enough time in the day and hard-wired traits within them to quickly learn the marketing skills required to grow your company?

I say I was an anomaly because I’m not something magical. There are many marketers who know way more than me. But it was a rare, perfect storm of ideal circumstances. It’s not the norm and not what I see other lawn and landscape companies doing to fill these roles. There may be a better way, and it just may be looking outside of your company.

The anatomy of a successful green industry marketing pro

There are three things you need for your marketing person to be successful and help grow your company.

1. The right hard-wired personality traits

You cannot teach people problem-solving, creativity, focus, autonomy, organization, dedication or passion. Those are hard-wired traits. They may use people, processes and technology to strengthen those traits, but if these traits aren’t in their nature, your marketing person will become mentally exhausted and fail.

2. Marketing experience and know-how

If you hired a hardscaping crew leader, you’d expect them to not need to learn on the job and to hopefully know what they were doing a couple years down the line. Yet this is what happens when you hire someone internally for marketing and hope they figure it out down the line.

Marketing isn’t an afterthought or a novel notion. It’s how you grow your business. In order to really know how to market your company, that takes a lot of experience in practice and substantial training. It’s something that will take an internal candidate at least four to six years to grasp, if you’re lucky.

3. Full-time attention

A successful marketer is constantly thinking about strategy, execution and analysis of growing a business. It’s not something that can be easily done in 10 hours a week or wedged in between client meetings, office reports or personnel training.

In addition to practical experience or formal training, successful marketers read marketing blogs; consult with fellow marketers; and eat, breathe and sleep marketing. That kind of attention isn’t something that is inherited just because you give someone more job responsibilities.

What’s missing?

If you notice, I didn’t say green industry knowledge is on the list. There’s a reason for that. Your company is filled with experts who know all about landscapes and lawns. What you don’t have is a marketing expert. You can’t teach them that.

Sure, your team will have valuable and necessary contributions to how the marketing strategy is crafted, but if your new marketing person has these three things, the green knowledge will come quickly. They’ll be immersed in green industry information day in, and day out. They will be more passionate about learning it than you may even be able teach them. That’s just how they’re wired.

However, if you go the convenient route of filling the marketing responsibilities with an internal candidate with no marketing experience, you can’t teach them marketing. They may learn elsewhere, but it’s going to take a lot more resources and time to get their marketing knowledge where it needs to be. And, if they don’t have the time or hard-wired traits to get there, they’re going to fail.

Hiring the best candidate

Don’t let a prestigious degree or a polished resume of an external candidate fool you. Find out what external candidates have done for their past employers. Present them with some of the marketing challenges you are facing and ask what they would do to solve them. Watch their experience and hard-wired traits start to reveal themselves. You’ll also get a good picture of how they will collaborate as you start to bounce ideas back and forth.

If you’re worried about the external candidate picking up the green industry knowledge, find out how they learned about other foreign subject nature in the past. Ask them what their plan would be to get up to speed in your company should they join the team.

Don’t expect the perfect storm to develop. Your people may be great, but they each have unique gifts, which are probably far from marketing. Don’t pile marketing on top of their other duties and expect them to deliver the results you’re hoping for. Your company’s growth depends on you taking the time to find the marketing expert you need, not just using internal candidates as an easy alternative.

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5 Tips For Irrigation Design And Installation Efficiency

Now is the time to inspect your clients’ irrigation systems for winter shutdowns and it gives you a great opportunity to suggest major improvements or perhaps even totally new irrigation systems. The latest generation of sprinklers and controllers are significantly more efficient than systems installed even 10 to 15 years ago. This translates into healthier turfgrass and ornamentals and significant savings in water costs.

Therefore, an efficient irrigation system in these months is more important than ever. But as any landscaping and irrigation professional knows, that is not as simple as it sounds. Designing and installing an efficient system is a detail-oriented, thorough process that varies from client to client.

Remember these five tips for proper design and installation, and you will be on your way to irrigating efficiently and intelligently.

1. Zone your customer’s land

Before you do anything, you need to complete a detailed surveillance of your customer’s terrain. No two yards are the same, and if you don’t know the intricacies of your customer’s space and plan accordingly, you will never achieve peak efficiency.

Carl Eggleston, a manager at Spartan Irrigation in Michigan, explained why it is so important to study the variations in your customer’s landscape to complete a smart irrigation system installation. He recommends always marking out “zone” areas, whether that means more heavily wooded areas or areas with more plants.

Some other things to consider besides just plant material include “sun versus shade; north, south, east, west; low areas, etc.,” Eggleston says.

2. One size does not fit all

In today’s irrigation industry, landscapers, manufacturers and customers alike cannot stop raving about the newest efficiency tools on the market. Many even start discussing them before surveying the landscape. While these tools are making huge strides in improving efficiency, as Eggleston has discovered, they cannot produce the desired results if the basics of irrigation installation are forgotten.

After you understand your customer’s space, figure out the best irrigation design for them and then start talking about which tools to use. While equipment will help, the basics are the foundation for efficiency.

“The main thing required is an attitude to want to learn how the different systems operate and the desire to offer the most professional service possible,” explains Rick Robinson, president of Stillwater Landscape Management in Arizona. “Efficient and effective water management, whether on the client’s site or remote, is more a commitment of time than it is a list of equipment or procedures.”

3. Always be one step ahead

Just because the warmer months are the time when irrigation is most important for your customers’ lawns, that does not mean that is when you should start preparing. In fact, it means the opposite.

Landscapers and irrigation system installers all over the country should start thinking about installation before the peak seasons, Robinson says. He has found that this is an essential step in the Phoenix climate where he operates and works with clients on irrigation design and installation.

“Always perform as much programming and installation of controllers prior to periods when water consumption is high. In 2016 in Phoenix the temperatures went from highs in the mid 90s to 116 degrees in a three day-period,” Robinson says. “If your programming wasn’t ready for that, it became obvious quickly.”

4. Do remote research

According to Robinson, when it comes to tools that improve irrigation efficiency, it’s rare to find an option that doesn’t offer some kind of advanced feature. Therefore, it shouldn’t be a smart tool you are looking for, but rather learn to determine which smart tool is right for your customer’s irrigation design.

Just as you have to arrange sprinklers in different places for different clients and environments, your customers will not all need the same smart remote. Look at what’s on the market and consider cost, features and efficiency.

“It seems that most all manufacturers have added useful features such as cycle or soak, additional ports for sensors, 365-day capability, etc.,” Robinson says. “Some have come out with major upgrades (i.e., flow management, two-wire capability, etc.), and still others have entered the market who weren’t even in business eight or 10 years ago. Some of these offer the most affordable options in achieving remote water management.”

5. Rules and regulations exist for a reason

Just as more people get caught up with the newest remotes and other devices, and the more they neglect the basics, they also tend to forget the rules set by manufacturers and associations. These regulations are written so landscapers will use products effectively, which, in this case, means efficiently.

“Continue using proper design requirements suggested by the manufacturers and set by the Irrigation Association,” Eggleston advises. “Add high-efficiency rotary nozzles, drip irrigation and smart controllers when possible.”

The design and implementation of an efficient irrigation system is not limited to five simple steps by any means. It is a much more involved process and depends on your customers and their land. Following these tips, however, will lead you in the right direction to irrigate properly, especially in the warmer months when efficient water usage is more important than ever.

Remember these basics and plan accordingly to personalize your irrigation installation. Then both you and your customers will have an enjoyable and relaxing summer and fall.

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Like A Boss: Giving Back To Your Community

Marty DeNinno, owner of Pinnacle Irrigation & Nightlighting in Haddonfield, New Jersey, says he has found a simple way to help local food banks during this holiday season by engaging his customers in the effort. Last year, as Thanksgiving approached, DeNinno had the idea to request canned goods from his customers when his techs went out to winterize their systems. He says it was a simple idea that had a big impact — more than 1,000 items were collected. So, this year, he’s doing it again.

“I figured we were going to visit 1,600 customers to winterize their sprinkler systems this fall—and that’s also the time when the food banks get low,” DeNinno says. “So, we decided we could make it easy for people to donate by simply handing the food to their technician or leaving it at the controller at the time of their service.”

Photo: Pinnacle Irrigation & Nightlighting

DeNinno says that they mention the donation when they contact customers about service and then remind them again the day before they come out. It’s all a very simple way to get folks involved. Customers like it too because it’s an easy way to make a donation. And with so many customers that they visit, DeNinno says it’s a simple effort that has the power to make a big difference. That makes him — and his customers — feel good.

“This was a big success for us and we were excited to collect more than 1,000 items last year,” DeNinno says. “We stored them at our office and the Food Bank came to get them from us right before Thank giving. It was so easy.”

Photo: Pinnacle Irrigation & Nightlighting

In fact, DeNinno says it was such an easy way to make an impact on the community that he would encourage other businesses to do the same thing. After all, this is a time of year for giving and when you have the reach that a local business has, it presents an opportunity to give back to the community in an even bigger way. He says it’s a great opportunity for business owners.

“Whether it’s organizing a can drive or getting involved in another charitable effort in your community, giving back is the right thing to do,” DeNinno says. “Our customers appreciated that we gave them a simple way to donate. And in a case like this, every little bit really does count. All of those donations add up to make a bigger impact.”

Our Like a Boss series highlights some common business challenges landscape professionals face and how they conquer them. Discuss your biggest business challenges on LawnSite’s Business Management forum.

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Benefits Of Structured Safety Meetings

Safety is so much of a focus at the Klausing Group that they even created the position of safety coordinator. Winning five top safety awards from the National Association of Landscape Professionals, the company says weekly and monthly safety meetings have transformed its approach to safety.

The safety coordinator for the Klausing Group is Dwight Hammons, who is also a production manager at the company. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Hammons started out as a crew leader and was promoted multiple times staying at Klausing Group for seven years. He originally was impressed with the company because of the potential for vertical mobility while advancing and growing in his career.

As safety coordinator, Hammons works to make the company as safe as possible. Realizing the importance of his job, he even attended OSHA safety classes at Eastern Kentucky University. “I facilitate safety committee meetings monthly, as well as weekly tailgate talks, which are 15 minutes of discussing safety with the production staff and office management altogether,” he says.

He is also responsible for accident investigation in the field and making sure paperwork is filed correctly and promptly. A point stressed during his own training taught him that he needed to remove the emotion in dealing with safety matters. “It has to be black and white; there are no gray areas in safety,” he says. “You have to deal with it daily and know that it’s not personal, it’s just business safety.”

Before Hammons became safety coordinator, the Klausing Group had never had a full-time safety person. Roscoe Klausing, the president and CEO, wanted to revamp safety starting with updating the employee handbook and becoming truly safety compliant, Hammons explained. “We have had tailgate talks since I started, but they were mostly training about how to use equipment. Now we discuss equipment safety and we talk about almost everything relevant to that week.”

All safety-related meetings have an agenda and often focus on identifying specific hazards.

Typically, weekly meetings at Klausing include everyone, including office staff. A split group for a meeting will happen for specific equipment or service training for more one-on-one employee engagement. “We have one set meeting agenda for every single meeting,” he says.

The same meeting structure spans upper management meetings all the way to the quicker 15-minute meetings. “When people move up in the company, the meetings are the same and there are no surprises,” he says. “We start out with good personal or business news at the beginning of every meeting and end with an engaging question.”

Weekly Safety Meeting Agenda

Here is the Klausing Group’s weekly safety meeting agenda. Use this to conduct your own safety meetings.

I. Welcome

II. Good News – Personal & Business

III. Announcements

IV. Safety Presentation

V. Close

Hammons says all meetings are planned and on the schedule. “We try to keep impromptu meetings to a minimum,” he explains.

Meetings at Klausing used to be mainly focused on training instead of actual hazards. Hammons worked to create meetings that instead identify hazards and how to prevent them. Some of the policies he helped develop have reduced major injuries because of preventive measures taken. Two of the most common incidents Klausing Group recognized were heat stress and poison ivy, which Hammons says is common in the Kentucky area. Depending on poison ivy’s severity, OSHA identifies it as an injury. The Heat Index Policy at the company was created after recognizing the risk to employees and time lost.

Klausing Group’s Safety Control Matrix is a rating system that reinforces how seriously the company views safety.

There is a safety and incident rating system for each crew and crew of the month is chosen accordingly. “We track our no-lost-time accidents. They are posted on our lot so crews see them every day.” They keep a chart posted called the Safety Control Matrix which is a rating system that shows the number of occurrences and the severity of those occurrences.

If the safety awards and recognition weren’t enough, the safety meetings and training have made such an impact on the company that Hammons says the Klausing Group has a 1,033-day record for no-lost-time accidents.

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