A decade ago, there were only a handful of green industry software options. Thanks to the cloud and the advent of mobile technologies, many other programs are viable for landscape and lawn care companies. We selected this month’s cover story—and compiled its associated chart—because readers asked us to. “Perhaps this has been done recently and I missed it—a comprehensive... read more
Three contractors and a consultant stand by recovering overhead in labor rates. With plenty of arithmetic already ingrained in design/build projects, from consultative estimates to property measurements, contractors prefer to spend little time on operational calculations like how to recover overhead. That’s probably why many of them—three for three, in this case—are loyal to recovering it in their labor rates.... read more
A look at how companies approach irrigation service pricing—with a flat rate or charging on time and materials—and why they favor their method. If only irrigation professionals had X-ray vision. It would eliminate that part of the service call that takes an inestimable amount of time. The part when they must dig up the yard to locate the underground glitch... read more
Jerry McKay sheds light on how hiring a lighting service tech freed his team from the burden of service calls. When eight landscape lighting professionals gathered for The Lighting Summit 2014, hosted by McKay Landscape Lighting Jan. 22-23 in Omaha, Neb., their conversations went beyond manufacturer preferences and installation methods. In fact, the conference touched on none of that.... read more
Cougar Irrigation staffs up with former Nordstrom employees to deliver excellent customer service. Matthew Stamm is no farmer, but he sure knows how to cherry pick—employees, that is. The president of Cougar Irrigation, Austin, Texas, has hired the bulk of his irrigation technicians from Nordstrom on the philosophy the customer service skills they derived from the luxury retailer are... read more
Mowing professionals share why they sharpen mower blades in-house or outsource the task. Rood Landscape has sharpened its mower blades in-house for so long the brand marker on its grinder is no longer visible. Accordingly, Maintenance Department Manager Jaron Sickler can’t conjure from memory what manufacturer’s name once bedecked the machine. None of that is important, though, he says. The... read more
