In honor of Veterans Day

photo: LM

Cleveland’s Veterans Day Parade just passed our downtown office on E. 9^th Street. It’s a jubilant reminder of the great men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces and the sacrifices they made that allow us to sit at our desks and produce a magazine each month—comfortable, safe and worry-free.

Here at LM, we wanted to take a brief pause from our work to honor and thank those who served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps., Air Force, Coast Guard and National Guard. We thank those who gave years of their lives and sacrificed safety and comfort to keep us secure, and we remember those who died in the process. We also acknowledge the wives, husbands, parents and children that spent their days worrying, waiting and hoping their loved ones make it home. And our sincere condolences go out to the families whose loved ones never returned.

While no duty trumps their service to our country, veterans have made a vast impression on the green industry. We’re thrilled to see so many veterans return to take our industry by storm, and we’re proud to cover an industry that strives to accommodate veterans. In honor of Veterans Day, we’ve collected the following LM articles to give a brief glimpse of veterans’ impact on the green industry:

• “Continuing to Serve” by Emily Schappacher (June 2015)—After Chris Dambach, a Marine, returned from duty in the Middle East, he followed through on a challenge from his fellow troops to start his own landscape company. Today, Veteran Lawn & Landscape, now a $1 million company, works to maintain government properties, such as national cemeteries, military bases and Veteran’s Affairs hospitals. “In a way, I still feel like I’m serving, just without the uniform,” he says of serving military-based properties.
• “Closing the Gap” by Marisa Palmieri (Nov. 2013)—LM Editor Marisa Palmieri knows a thing or two about welcoming a veteran home. Her husband completed three overseas deployments with the Army National Guard. In this column, she discusses the proper, respectful way to discuss military life with veterans and reminds us that solving a work problem is not comparable to “diving on a grenade.”
• “Hiring Heroes” by Sarah Pfledderer (Nov. 2013)—Learn how veterans like Andrew Wagner of The Grounds Guys of Greater Little Rock, Ark.; Theresa Austin of Lambert Landscape in Dallas; Dirk Bakhuyzen Jr. of ProCare Landscape Management in Byron Center, Mich.; and others assimilated back into civilian culture through work in the green industry.
• “My military experience: How Green Industry business owners have turned their military service into success” by Marisa Palmieri and Sarah Pfledderer (Nov. 2013)—Daryle Johnson—CEO of All American Turf Beauty in Van Meter, Iowa, and a member of the U.S. Army from 1954-1956—and Brandy Prettyman—Co-owner of The Grounds Guys in Omaha, Neb., and member of the U.S. Army from 2001-2004—discuss their paths from military service to Green Industry business leaders.
• “My military experience: L.G. Scott Landscaping & Tree Service” by Marisa Palmieri (Nov 2013)—Larkin Gordon Scott III, vice president of L.G. Scott Landscaping & Tree Service in Providence Forge, Va., and a member of the Virginia Army National Guard, discusses his family business, which has military service going back to World War II.
• “Let the Light Shine by Beth Geraci (July 2015)—For the past 10 years, Green Oasis by Greener Grass Systems, a company in Eau Claire, Wis., has brightened the lives of military families by surprising them with free, elaborate light displays at their homes during the holiday season.
• “A greater meaning” by Beth Geraci (July 2015)—The Association of Montana Turf, Ornamental & Pest Professionals (AMTOPP) has groomed two Montana cemeteries alternately every year for the last 10 years. Called Summer Field Day, the event is held every August at one of two Montana veterans cemeteries: the Columbia Falls Veterans Home, Hospital & Cemetery in Columbia Falls, Mont., and the Eastern Montana State Veterans Cemetery in Miles City, Mont.
• “Art of Simplicity” by Marisa Palmieri (April 2013)—LM Editor Marisa Palmieri discusses how military slang and acronyms have infiltrated the business world. Learn the meaning of SME, SOP and KISS, but you’re going to have to Google the meaning of SNAFU.