September 2015

Backstory: Gina Zirkle

September 30, 2015By
Gina Zirkle

Gina Zirkle Scientist, Environmental Affairs The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. Marysville, Ohio Education Canal Winchester High School Canal Winchester, Ohio Class of 2000 The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio Class of 2004, B.S., Agriculture 2008-2010, M.S., Environment and Natural Resources “I worked for the turfgrass pathology lab, looking at diseases of turfgrasses, researching new products and their active ingredients and seeing... read more

Big Picture: Sweet dreams

September 29, 2015By
James Martin 
Associates, Vernon Hills, Ill.

  LOCATION: Lake Forest, Ill. COMPANY: James Martin 
Associates, Vernon Hills, Ill. THE DETAILS: “We refer to this as the ‘Dream Project’ because of the scale and attention to detail the team and homeowner had during the development of the project,”says James Martin Associates designer Brian Jordison. It started as a clean slate—an empty, landlocked 5-acre lot only accessible by... read more

5 Ps of sales management

September 28, 2015By

The tragedy of sales management is that good (sometimes great) salespeople are promoted to sales managers, where they often fail. They’re promoted to their level of incompetence. What makes a good salesperson differs from what makes a good sales manager. Sales management is a role you can’t study in school. It’s learned on the job. Yet, if you want to... read more

Lessee vs. Buyer

September 27, 2015By

When it comes to your mower fleet, 
which option is a good fit for you?   9 questions 
to ask yourself when deciding to lease or buy Which method of purchasing will enable the lowest overall cost per hour to operate the equipment? What are your business plans for the next two to three years? Is cash needed for other... read more

Tightening things up

September 21, 2015By
Photos: GrowinGreen

Despite hardships, Jonathan Rigsbee’s North Carolina lawn care business continues to grow. Jonathan Rigsbee knows how to make the best out of a bad situation. Throughout his green industry career, the president and CEO of GrowinGreen, a Kernersville, N.C.-based lawn care company, has experienced ups, downs and everything in between. Perseverance and innovation have helped the company thrive in ways... read more

Framing water management

September 20, 2015By
Photos: Smart Water Management

One irrigation pro says selling water management on ROI is not the best approach. When I started my business I thought return on investment (ROI) was the best way to frame water management. But I quickly learned that’s not how it works in the property management world. Why? Bigger numbers sound, look and feel better. These are the same numbers... read more