“What I’m Reading Wednesday” is back after a brief hiatus last week while I was in Orlando, Fla., for the second annual Landscape Management Lawn Care Forum. I know, I know, excuses are like armpits, so I’ll stop making them and get to this week’s reads.
“Cornerstones: Cagwin & Dorward”
Pacific Sun (San Rafael, Calif.)
Readers often tell us their favorite articles are profiles of other companies–the ones that cover how they got started and their secrets to success. A local newspaper in San Rafael, Calif., recently ran a profile of LM150 firm Cagwin & Dorward, which did about $30 million in annual revenue in 2012. It’s worth a read to pick up a few tidbits from a company that’s been at it 58 years.
“8 Common Grammar Mistakes You Should Never Make Again”
Open Forum
Because we all need a good reminder sometimes. Author Gini Dietrich’s list of eight pointers is a good one, one that would make my high school English teacher Ms. Merrill very proud. That said, I can’t believe she left it’s/its off the list. This is one mistake I see over and over. It’s is a contraction for it is. (“It’s a sunny day.”) Its is a possessive pronoun (“…worth its weight in gold.”). Remember this: If you can replace the word in question with or it is or it has, then it’s is the one you want.
“Memorial Lawn Mower Man Chris Cox earns praise and chainsaw for cleanup during the shutdown”
New York Daily News
You’ve probably heard of Chris Cox aka the “Memorial Mower.” He’s the South Carolina man who drive to our national’s capital and cleaned up the National Mall during the government shutdown because he heard the Million Vet March was about to happen in Washington D.C. He wanted the memorials to be tidy and safe for the participating veterans. I first heard the story during October, and I was more than happy to read last week that his efforts had been recognized not just by the media, but by Crowd It Forward, a nonprofit foundation that gives recognition to those who deserve it through “random acts of crowdfunding,” and by Stihl, who rewarded him with a new chainsaw. Although Chris declined to accept the money raised by Crowd It Forward, he has decided to continue to serve by setting up an organization called the Memorial Militia, which will help disabled veterans with landscape work. Crown It Forward is still accepting donations to help set up the Militia. Now, who says there’s no such thing as good news?
