The Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA) will host its fourth annual Ohio High School Landscape Olympics competition at The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, Ohio on Oct. 10 and 11.
The two-day experience will provide more than 250 students from 18 Ohio schools the opportunity to explore careers in the green industry and get face-to-face with industry leaders. Day one includes an opening ceremony and career exploration networking event where students are invited to have conversations with exhibiting businesses. The day concludes with a pizza party at Acres of Fun, a local amusement center.
Day two is competition day. Students will compete in teams in a series of 13 hands-on competitions to mimic landscape installation, equipment operation, maintenance, irrigation, cost estimating, sales and other relevant projects. Each student will compete in a maximum of four competitions and awards will be presented for “Top Student in the State” and “Top Team in the State” at the event’s conclusion.
“We have been encouraged to see this program grow from year to year,” said ONLA’s Marketing and Communications Manager Alana Settle. “This is the first year we’ve had multiple schools send two teams of participants. We believe this indicates an increased interest in learning about green industry careers.”
Aimed to be the leading workforce development experience of its kind in the U.S., the Ohio High School Landscape Olympics is positioned to attract the next generation to green industry careers and set them up with viable contacts for their first job.
Competitions will be hosted by: Benchmark Landscape Construction, Inc.; Bobcat Company; Columbus State Community College Landscape Program; Exscape Designs; FX Luminaire; Grunder Landscaping Co.; Hidden Creek Landscaping; Hunter Industries; ISA; Ohio CAT; OSU ATI; OTF; Peabody Landscape Group; Schill Grounds Management; Unilock; Willoway Nurseries, Inc; and Wolf Creek Company.
2019 Ohio High School Landscape Olympics Sponsors
Benchmark Landscape Construction, Inc.; Bobcat Company; Bryan Equipment; Columbus State Community College Landscape Program; EMI; Enviroscapes; Exscape Designs; FX Luminaire; Grass Groomers Inc; GreenScapes Landscape Architects & Contractors; Grunder Landscaping Co.; Hidden Creek Landscaping; Hunter Industries; ISA; M. J. Design Associates, Inc.; McCullough’s Landscape & Nursery, LL; Nufarm Americas, Inc. (Gold Sponsor); Ohio CAT; OSU ATI; OTF; Peabody Landscape Group; Rain One, Inc.; Rice’s Landscapes Redefined; Rine Landscape Group, Inc.; Schill Grounds Management; The Davey Tree Expert Company; The Pattie Group; Unilock; Willoway Nurseries, Inc.; Wolf Creek Company; and Yard Solutions.
