The following is a Spanish version of SafetyWatch for the December 2017 issue of Landscape Management. It discusses how to deal with difficult employees. Click here for the original SafetyWatch in English or see page 16 of the magazine. Empleados Difíciles Existen ciertos tipos comunes de empleados difíciles, pero pocas veces las cosas son tan evidentes como nos gustaría. Algunos empleados serán una... read more
Let’s imagine for a moment that at your initial design consultation, your prospect actually gave you a budget number. Some of you may be thinking, “That would be awesome. Now all I need to do is design to that budget (plus or minus), and I’ll have no problem getting the project.” The rest of you are wondering, “How the heck... read more
It’s important for contractors to perform regular maintenance on mowers to ensure their machines perform at peak levels for as long as possible. Routine mower maintenance is also a good way to identify minor issues that can be repaired quickly and inexpensively before they become major problems. There are a number of regular maintenance items that should be performed on... read more
Before you can generate a quote, you need to know how much area you’re working with. While that typically entails measuring each potential client’s property by hand, some landscape contractors are using property measurement tools to calculate that information. These web-based programs use satellite imagery and point-and-click measuring tools to provide accurate measurements of virtually any property. The types of... read more
Ben Bowen Landscape Designer & Manager Ross NW Watergardens Portland, Ore. Education Home-school Portland, Ore. Class of 1996 “My family moved to Portland when I was 17. Rather than start fresh in a new school, I finished out high school using a correspondence course.” Work Experience 1992-1996 Summer Laborer Bowen’s Inc. Phoenix, Ariz. “I worked summers for my grandfather, installing... read more
Electric equipment continues to prove its place in the landscape industry. Batteries last longer, equipment is lighter and more operators see these machines as comparable to gas. Landscape contractors share the benefits, setbacks and trends for battery-powered equipment. Making the switch With 90 percent of his equipment being electric, Ron Rose—owner of EQ Grounds in Auburn Hills, Mich.—says it has... read more
