Licensing in the landscape industry: Are you for or against? Landscape Professionals Richard Bare Arbor-Nomics Turf, Norcross, Ga. “I would lean in favor of licensing because it might eliminate or prevent poor operators from entering our industry. That being said, I do hate the idea of more government in our lives, but this would be a good move.” Adam Linnemann... read more
True or false: To be successful, an account manager or business developer needs a degree in horticulture or experience in landscape maintenance. False. Here’s why: A company can have people with a lack of landscape or horticultural knowledge as long as there is a depth and sharing of that knowledge in the company. As investment bankers, venture capitalists and corporate... read more
The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) seeks members and nonmembers for its peer group program. It currently has five groups with four to six landscape companies per group. A sixth group is expected to launch soon. “Any company can apply and will be considered for new groups as they form,” said Bruce Wilson, lead facilitator for NALP peer groups. Wilson,... read more
Arizona Cardinals fans use the phrase “protect the nest” to refer to winning at home. You can easily adapt this concept as an action plan to prevent your top employees from being poached. Years ago, poaching was taboo. Most companies would never think of going to a competitor’s job site or waiting for staff to leave the yard to approach... read more
It’s easy to be swallowed up the constant flow of information – the pings, clicks, beeps, alarms and various reminders from people and electronic devices that demand our attention. How many times have you heard someone say they couldn’t finish one thing or another because they ‘ran out of time’ or ‘lost track of time’? In reality, they were seduced... read more
How can we afford to pay more for our employees when our customers want to pay less for our work? Wow, it’s the million-dollar question. Especially in the landscape maintenance industry, which is more price-driven than ever. And if we did pay more, would it be worth it? Here’s what I observe in the industry: -We hire at the lowest... read more
