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TAG: Cover Story

With the future coming fast experts share what’s in store for compact equipment

May 10, 2023By
Experts say the future of compact equipment will bring more ways for contractors to increase efficiency in the face of labor concerns. (Photo: hhphoto.com)

Compact equipment has come a long way in the last decade. Insiders share what’s in store in the next five to 10 years. read more

Diversity: Creating company culture that fosters diversity

October 22, 2019By
Fostering diversity in the workplace depends on building a strong culture of inclusion. (Photo: Sean Rayford)

Whether a business with a large Latino workforce succeeds or fails usually comes down to one thing: culture, says Pam Berrios, president of Alexandria Landscapes in Alexandria, Va. Berrios, past president of the board of directors for the National Hispanic Landscape Alliance, also operates her own training and consulting company where she sees firsthand when diversity within a workplace is... read more

Diversity: Getting involved in the industry cultivates diversity

October 22, 2019By
(Photo: Ed Wallace)

Ed Wallace, owner of Midwest Landscaping in Long Beach, Calif., is active within associations representing the landscape industry. He was the first African American president of the Orange County chapter of the California Landscape Contractors Association. He’s proud of the diversity within his own chapter, noting that diversity ripples out into the association at the state level. “Gaining and retaining... read more

Diversity: Look beyond H-2B to solve staffing issues

October 22, 2019By

Maurice Dowell, co-owner of Dowco Enterprises, in St. Louis, Mo., says the cost of H-2B labor has started to get him to rethink his approach to staffing. “We’re blessed to have a facility almost adjacent to our clientele,” he says. “The problem is it’s not adjacent to the talent that we need to build our clientele.” H-2B labor isn’t cheap,... read more

Diversity: Creating a thriving female-owned business

October 22, 2019By

“Getting work has never been an issue,” says Trina Julian, owner of Country Girl Gardens in Hayden, Idaho. But embarking in the landscape industry as a woman wasn’t an easy road at first. When Julian started the business about 10 years ago, she struggled to be taken seriously by other landscape businesses when she needed some assistance hiring subcontractors for... read more

Employee Recruitment: Cast a wide net

October 22, 2019By

It’s difficult to recruit employees for snow removal services. The hours can be long and unpredictable; plus, it’s no surprise employees will be working in the cold. “It’s hard to recruit in the winter months because it’s seasonal on call,” says Bruce Vander Vennen, president of Jack’s Lawn Service and Snowplowing in Grand Rapids, Mich. “So, employees may only work for... read more