September 2016 Landscape Trades by Landscape Ontario

September 2016 VOL. 38, NO. 7

landscapetrades.com

Top sales pros never forget service

RETAIL DETAIL

Tips to trim unbillable time Tom Shay on controlling questions

Garden centre growth strategies â&#x20AC;&#x201D; across Canada Page 6

12 PM40013519

The lighter side of complaints

Retail caters to urban dwellers

Deiter Martin: Respected mentor

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Contents

SEPTEMBER 2016 VOL. 38, NO. 7

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Lee Ann Knudsen CLM | lak@landscapeontario.com

ASSISTANT EDITOR Scott Barber | sbarber@landscapeontario.com ART DIRECTOR Kim Burton | kburton@landscapeontario.com LANDSCAPE ONTARIO MAGAZINE EDITOR Robert Ellidge | rob@landscapeontario.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Mike Wasilewski | mikew@landscapeontario.com ACCOUNTANT Joe Sabatino | joesabatino@landscapeontario.com SALES MANAGER, PUBLICATIONS Steve Moyer | stevemoyer@landscapeontario.com INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS REPRESENTATIVE Greg Sumsion | gsumsion@landscapeontario.com COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Angela Lindsay | alindsay@landscapeontario.com ADVISORY COMMITTEE Gerald Boot CLM, Laura Catalano, Mark Fisher, Hank Gelderman CHT, Marty Lamers, Jan Laurin, Bob Tubby CLM, Nick Winkelmolen, Dave Wright Landscape Trades is published by Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association 7856 Fifth Line South, Milton, ON L9T 2X8 Phone: (905)875-1805 Email: comments@landscapetrades.com Fax: (905)875-0183 Web site: www.landscapetrades.com LANDSCAPE ONTARIO STAFF Darryl Bond, Amy Buchanan, Myscha Burton, Rachel Cerelli, Tony DiGiovanni CHT, Denis Flanagan CLD, J. Alex Gibson, Jeff Hicks, Jane Leworthy, Heather MacRae, Kristen McIntyre CHT, Kathy McLean, Linda Nodello, Kathleen Pugliese, Ian Service, Tom Somerville, Martha Walsh, Cassandra Wiesner

Landscape Trades is published nine times a year: January, March, April, May, June, August, September, October and November. Subscription rates: One year – $46.90, two years – $84.74; three years – $118.64, HST included. U.S. and international please add $20.00 per year for postage and handling. Subscribe at www.landscapetrades.com Copyright 2016. All rights are reserved. Material may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Landscape Trades assumes no responsibility for, and does not endorse the contents of, any advertisements herein. All representations or warranties made are those of the advertiser and not the publication. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the association or its members, but are those of the writer concerned.

RETAIL FOCUS 2016

Opportunities for fresh thinking FEATURES

6 Retail detail

Garden centres across Canada report growing revenue; success is all in the details. BY MIKE EDWARDS

12 Lighter side of complaints

Managers at garden centres are asked to be both saints and psychologists. BY DIANE STEWART-ROSE

16 Small-scale merchandise

As Canadians opt for tiny yards or condos, retailers find big opportunity in small packages. BY SCOTT BARBER

COLUMNS

24 Road to success

Successful and professional salespeople never forget the importance of service. BY ROD McDONALD

28 Management solutions

Implement strategies to shave away unbillable time; take the results to the bank. BY MARK BRADLEY

32 Legal matters

Enforceability of Notice provisions level the playing field. BY ROBERT KENNALEY

42 Mentor moment

A retail generation appreciates Dieter Martin. BY ROD McDONALD

DEPARTMENTS

ISSN 0225-6398 PUBLICATIONS MAIL SALES AGREEMENT 40013519 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT LANDSCAPE TRADES MAGAZINE 7856 FIFTH LINE SOUTH, MILTON, ON L9T 2X8 CANADA

GREEN PENCIL 4 B.C. UPDATE 34 CNLA NEWS 37 INDUSTRY NEWS 38 NEW PRODUCTS 39 CLASSIFIEDS 40 COMING EVENTS 40 WHERE TO FIND IT 40

COVER: Pre-planted containers from Sheridan Nurseries inventory.

SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

greenpencil A simple strategy for retail sales success

Control the questions W

ith the exception

of overtime, you know the game is over when the horn blows. In our industry, there is a different sound that indicates the game is over: “What is your price on...?” When you hear that from a customer, the selling is over. The customer has decided there is no further value you, as a salesperson, can add. This comment may come as soon as you have shown a product or it may be after you have answered many questions. It is not necessarily a sign that the customer is ready to buy; she just wants to know your price. And there is a good chance you are not going to make the sale. Perhaps this is where many get By Tom Shay the idea that most customers are price shoppers. Add to that how much information, pricing and products can be found on the ’net, and it is a fair assumption that we cannot compete in this situation. Let’s change the game. When a person walks into a garden centre, when the landscaper is talking with a customer, the customer needs to do the most talking in the form of answering our questions. Simply said, whoever is asking the most questions is the person who is controlling the conversation. We should be asking questions: “Why did you pick that item?” “What are you expecting this to look like after the landscaping is completed?” Definitely, we cannot be saying, “Can I help you?” or “What do you want a bid on?” The more we ask, the more we learn from the cus-

4 | SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

tomer. And, the better we can direct the customer to the best solutions, which often have better margins. There is also the issue of customers who take your information and, using a phone app such as RedLaser or ShopSavvy, decide where to shop. If you are a price shopper, any of these apps are great; find the item you want and then look it up to see what businesses are selling it for. If you have the time, you can always find someone that has an item for less. However, what we can do is eliminate that oneon-one comparison. Think about how many items we sell that require the purchase of other items. Most anything in the yard or garden requires a pair of gloves. Nothing is installed without a shovel. Any plant requires fertilizer. The list is endless. What if every shovel, rake, hoe, or garden tool came with a free pair of gloves? What if every plant came with the appropriate amount of starter fertilizer? How is the customer going to price-shop these comparisons? In our short time and space today we recognize the game can quickly be over, if we let the customer dictate the game according to price. If we want to win, we have to change the way we play the game. LT

Tom Shay comes from a small business background, and has dedicated his life to promoting profitability for business owners, especially those in retail. A popular Congress speaker, he headlines the Congress 2017 Garden Centre Symposium, set for Jan. 11 at the Toronto Congress Centre. Register at www.LOcongress.com.

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Retail

details Garden centres meet challenges for growth BY MIKE EDWARDS

6 | SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

Spiders and snakes. Santa Claus. Mandarin. Fashion. Radio. Oh, and edibles. Not just a random list, but some of the tools that help garden centres survive and grow in today’s predatory retail landscape. Of course, there is no magic formula for any business other than to be seasonably flexible and creative on several fronts all at once. Events are a universal way to draw traffic into any garden centre. “Hay rides suck,” laughs Brian Minter, president, Minter Country Garden in Chilliwack, B.C. However, spiders and snakes have played a role. “Our daughter Erin belongs to a group that protects and looks after abandoned animals,” says Minter, who is also a gardening lecturer and broadcaster. So experts were hired to come into the store to teach kids about tarantulas and snakes. “They were putting snakes around kids’ necks, putting a tarantula on somebody’s shoulder to show they don’t really bite. The parents loved it, too.” Rather than always having events that are strictly seasonal like Halloween themes, Minter says, “it’s about questioning everything you do and asking yourself ‘is it (socially) relevant?’” Garden centre events can provide both a public service and be entertaining, Minter believes. His business is one of many in the industry that support the SPCA or other animal welfare organizations, especially at Christmas time when Canadian gardeners have largely been driven indoors.

in fall, a couple of fashion shows each year, as well as our ‘eager gardeners’ event,” according to manager Tina Burback. “When we are at our coldest, craving sun and warmth, we build a large indoor landscape for Albertans to escape winter. And what was initially just a way to drive traffic in the depths of winter turned out to be a favourite spot for not only any average visitor, but both seniors’ groups and mental health patients.” Greenland Garden Centre has added a full-scale restaurant and has been attracting a younger crowd as the baby boomers start to slow down, according to Burback. Classes are conducted at the centre to teach crafts and decorating which are either free or offered for a nominal fee. Burback is also co-host of a Sunday morning gardening call-in show at CHED radio in Edmonton. She finds the media profile helpful to their business locally, as well as to garden centres everywhere because the advice is available to anyone live and archived on the internet.

STRETCHING THE SEASONS Garden centres certainly strive to stay open year round to flatten out the seasonal revenue dips. There is also another good reason, says Marina Phillips, manager, Cedarcrest Gardens of Saint John, N.B. “We try to stay open to keep our good employees employed as long as possible.” Open seven days a week in 2016 from March 1 to December 23, Cedarcrest Gardens has bridged the winter gap in January and February with weekend farmer’s markets. On Saturdays, locals can

EVENTS WITH MEANING Steve Wilson, co-owner (with brother Colin), Wilson’s Greenhouse and Garden Centre, of Saskatoon, Sask., notes that every second month his business works with a dog rescue organization on pet adoption days. “At Christmas time we do pictures with your pets — that’s really popular. Last year we had two Santa Clauses and this year we will have three Santa Claus stations for taking pictures.” At the Greenland Garden Centre in Sherwood Park, Alta., an Edmonton suburb, many events are used to bring customers into the store. These include “a harvest gathering Paradise in the middle of winter at Greenland Garden Centre.

SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

Winter weekend farmers’ markets draw many keen shoppers.

escape the cold at the market inside the 25,000 square foot greenhouse, Phillips explains. As many as 1,500 people have come out to the farmer’s market event. The greenhouse allows Cedarcrest to grow much of what it sells, including custom retail planters, depending on what is available in season. “Customers can bring in their own planters to be done up,” says Phillips. She adds that they have also started to meet the huge demand for homeowners who wanted landscape design services three years ago. “They come to us looking for help, so we created this division.”

Greater Toronto Area (GTA), it is the ethnicity of neighbourhoods that has to be catered to. Sheridan Nurseries, based in Georgetown, Ont., has garden centres scattered all over the GTA and southern Ontario, including a location in Unionville where the local population is 60 percent ethnic Chinese. “We have about five fluent Mandarin speaking employees full time that can answer any questions,” says Karl Stensson, president of Sheridan Nurseries. “There are many that come in that cannot speak English. This gives that customer confidence and doesn’t embarrass them.” At the downtown Toronto Sheridan location, there are different demands put on the business. According to Stensson, “customers want it now and they want something different.” For Sheridan, this often means stocking one-year exclusives of certain flowers in different colours at just that garden centre so customers can personalize their homes. Fashion — clothing and accessories — are increasingly taking over at garden centres that have the space. Five years ago Sheridan Nurseries introduced change rooms, mostly to attract what is a 75 per cent female clientele. “They want to buy something for the house,” says Stensson, “they want to buy something for me.” Minter notes that the garden centre “leaders of tomorrow” have to diversify into areas such as fashion and outdoor furniture. “You have to understand that it is a business and for a business to be successful you need to improve your bottom line continuously and you have to stop getting out of the seasonal swings. By having year round inventory, understanding whom your market is — 80 per cent is female, a little older demographic — ask yourself how you can create a positive experience for them.” continued on page 10

A CHANGING CUSTOMER BASE The demographics surrounding any garden centre affect what generates sales. For Cedarcrest, it’s the pesky deer population in rural New Brunswick that puts pressure on the landscape, but in the

Sheridan Nurseries caters to the ethnicity at their various locations and has helpful and friendly staff fluent in different languages to assist customers.

8 | SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

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make everybody mad, but they disappear because they can’t afford to keep going.” Quality of plant materials and customer service at big box stores are also questionable, according to Burback. “The flowers look good only when the truck drops them off. “They are also negligent in July and August when we have lots of fresh stock available.”

CUSTOMER, STAFF OUTLOOKS EVOLVE

PLANTING FOR THE TABLE Plant materials are still the heart and soul of garden centres and nurseries, so the trend for homeowners returning to edibles is a good news story repeated across Canada. Shawna Bell, vice-president, Jeffries Nurseries of Portage La Prairie, Man., says that its sales to garden centres extend as far west as Alberta, as far east as Ontario and into the states of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. “The trend for edibles is still very strong,” says Bell. This includes herbs, tomatoes and fruit. “People are planting apples, plums and small berries, trying to be self-sufficient.” This trend in edibles sales is echoed by Wilson, who notes that vegetable produce and fruit trees are now experiencing a renaissance with consumers. “Three or four years ago nobody wanted fruit trees. ‘They’re too messy’” was the sentiment, says Wilson. Canada’s variable weather dictates sales at garden centres, on top of seasonal averages. Spring came early in the Edmonton area this year, bringing an onslaught of customers to the Greenland Garden Centre — only to taper off just as quickly. Burback says she is continuously looking at the weather forecast for inspiration. “There’s always something in our back pocket. We can ramp up with ‘rainy day’ sales as needed.” Even with positive, revenue generating diversification under way at many garden centres, challenges such as staffing and big box store competition remain. According to everyone canvassed for this report, these two concerns are inextricably intertwined because experienced, knowledgeable staff is what sets the industry apart from the big box retailers. Wilson notes that Costco competes by selling plant materials during peak sales seasons. His business helps to offset this consumer buying trend with in-house expertise and competitive pricing. “And we grow a lot of our own plant materials,” says Wilson. It also doesn’t hurt that his garden centre supplies the majority of landscapers in the region and has a list that customers can pick from. “We are the largest paving stone dealer in Saskatoon,” says Wilson. “We’re a one-stop shop. People come in for landscaping, top soil, base gravel, sod, paving stone, fencing material, bedding plants, pots for the deck — everything.” Almost as worrisome to Wilson as the big box stores are the people who don’t understand business models that come into the landscaping market offering items like top soil at half price. “This is not sustainable; so they mess up the marketplace for a while and 10 | SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

Minter and Stensson agree that the younger generation of buyers and potential employees are very different from the past. “Millennials aren’t going to be spending big dollars in your store,” says Minter. “You have to understand their psyche.” They are interested in environmental concerns and are attracted to events that speak to this, such as saving populations of bees with the right plantings, adds Minter. “One of our biggest enemies is the next generation not wanting to be involved,” according to Stensson. “That’s been our problem. The next generation doesn’t want to work as hard or as manually as needed in a garden centre.” Sheridan has developed into a more upscale operation over the years and has been willing to invest in its locations and services such as two-year plant warranties. “It’s no longer mom and pop with their dirty boots on. People are coming out of their $100,000 cars, with their shined Florsheim shoes — they don’t want to step in mud. They’re coming in after work, they’re tired, they want service. You’d better have a higher end store and staff, you better have a selection, you better not say ‘I don’t carry that,’ but rather you say ‘I’ll get it for you.’” Investing in making staff more knowledgeable than at any competitor, big box store or not, is paramount for garden centre operators. It is intimidating for a customer to walk into a garden centre that carries 700 varieties of nursery stock, 300 varieties of annuals, 800 varieties of perennials, and 200 varieties of flower bulbs, adds Stensson. “It’s multiples of craziness.” This is when the customer needs help from staff who can provide answers, delivered with “the right attitude,” he says.

GROWTH TREND The garden centre businesses of those approached for this article all appear to be growing. For example, Minter Garden Centre reports record sales the last two years, Cedarcrest Gardens notes a similar growth pattern and Greenland Garden Centre is benefitting from the large growth area surrounding its suburban location. Wilson’s Greenhouse and Garden Centre, meanwhile, has experienced enough annual five to 10 per cent growth recently that it plans to double in size, to 120,000 square feet, in early 2017. No one sounds like they are resting on their laurels, however, while a lot of hard work starts to pay off at garden centres across LT the country.

Mike Edwards is freelance business writer based in the Toronto area.

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every trick BY DIANE STEWART-ROSE

Seven case studies on the lighter side of handling complaints I really appreciate the company of gardeners, both beginners and those with substantial experience. Those who have paid their dues through experience or education are mostly hard-working, physically fit sorts who get up early to work in the garden, sipping coffee and ripping out weeds as they go along; they stay up just late enough to see the stars come out. Garden centres are full of them as employees, and as customers, too. The vision of a landowner strolling through a tended estate is a romantic notion, which persists into this century. It presents a problem: What happens when your own personal oasis turns out to be not so much like Paradise and more like a bug infested, degenerating compost heap? This failure of vision causes a lot of complaints at garden centres.

My good friend Beth Endean and I are both descendants of farmers, and both educated in the same field unrelated to the garden centre industry. I estimate that we have jointly spent over 55 years in retail garden centre management positions. Beth’s garden was featured in the spring 2016 Toronto Botanical Gardens walking tour, hosting thousands of garden tourists carrying water bottles and wearing sunglasses and wonky hats. According to Beth’s observations, the garden guests were well informed and polite. These same folks come to retail stores, seeking help to realize their vision for a perfect garden. We estimate we have jointly handled over 5,000 complaints… everything from, “Some weeds grew in my triple mix,” to “I couldn’t bring back the emerald cedars because they won’t fit in my convertible sports car.” I asked Beth to comment on the art of complaint handling.

CASE STUDY 1:

Trying every trick in the book

Many years ago, Beth had a bulk delivery order for loose triple mix to be used for top-dressing. Five yards were ordered, loaded by Beth herself and delivered. The truck was so heavily loaded it could barely turn along Toronto’s Yonge Street. The customer spread the product and then called to say the volume was not what he had ordered, the product was not good quality, the delivery cost was too expensive ... and a cascade of complaints continued until it became apparent the customer actually wanted a couple of free yards of soil. Finally, tired of discussing the matter, Beth concluded the conversation and negotiations by saying, “But, but, but… nothing!” At the time, it was a serious matter but now she laughs — it has become a clear memory from time spent in customer service. 12 | SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

CASE STUDY 2:

Dead basil

A couple drove from Collingwood to Toronto to return two pots of shrivelled and toasted basil, a week after their purchase. It appeared that they may (!) have left these in the back seat of their car during a heat alert, while they went out to dinner in an air conditioned restaurant. Pointing to one of the two sad specimens, they explained it also fell over in the car and thus had no roots. The basil could not survive this abuse. I allowed a refund; they spent cheerfully and copiously on odds and ends for their garden… happy now! There can be a clear upside to a small investment in goodwill that allows a valuable relationship to continue. Because I replaced their basil, they allowed me to take a photo of their smiling faces — but it all could have gone badly and sadly wrong in a different direction had I denied their claim.

CASE STUDY 3:

Out of the cold and dark

CASE STUDY 4:

Retail therapy

Sometimes a garden centre worker must also be a therapist. A wellread and experienced gardener was saddened by the departure of an experienced staff member, whom she counted on for patience and good advice. I walked with her as she sniffled, fishing in her purse for a tissue all the way into the nursery. I held her arm, helped her pick out a clematis, staked it and escorted her to the checkout to conclude her excursion. I even gave her a slight discount and she went away feeling a little better. The customer is an excellent gardener and I have been fortunate to be invited to view her garden. She counts on the garden centre for therapy — both in the sense that her purchases are gratifying and senses are stimulated. But she needed emotional attention too, in a way that is not quite part of typical retail service.

A sheepish gentleman came into the garden centre to make a warranty claim, with proof of payment for all his purchases from the previous year. He had placed all the plants in his garage, in their pots, over-wintering in a cold, small and dark space. He watered them “from time to time,” he said. Two adult children who lived with him never planted the material, as they “just didn’t care about the garden and treated my home like a hotel, moving in and out for months at a time.” This last comment was not the result of a query! The gentleman’s mobility issues affected his ability to move around his garden, and he was therefore unable to plant or further tend his purchases. The failure of vision here is that he did not carry through on his commitment to his hobby. He failed to “be a gardener” — or to love his plants, for that matter! I found this claim to be astonishing, although I gathered my wits and explained that while I had great sympathy for his circumstances, he could not make a warranty claim since the plants were never planted into a garden. This situation begs a philosophical question: Is the retail warranty for the gardener or the garden? continued on page 14

SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

CASE STUDY 5:

The black hole blackboard

For another industry perspective I called Paul to get the from-the-trenches viewpoint of a landscape contractor. At first Paul said they never had any complaints, but then he restated that if he ever had complaints, he would fix the problem — always in favour of the complainant. Perhaps this explains why Paul and his son Murray have such an enviable retention rate. They have had many customers for 25 or 30 years. Paul explains he once had a complaint from an elderly man who received an invoice in his mailbox for lawn feeding, but didn’t see any fertilizer pellets sprinkled around on the driveway. Since the crew had done its job perfectly, the man couldn’t tell they had actually been on his property. Even when Paul installed an eight-ft. emerald cedar hedge for a client, and the hedge died over the winter, Paul decided to replace it at no charge. When I handle a complex complaint, I like to do a debriefing at the conclusion asking: Where did the first mistake occur? It seems that Paul observes this procedure too, and assigned this last complaint to “miscommunication” with the customer. Paul muses, “Does a complaint ever end well?” Pretty philosophical for a landscape contractor! Two parties must come to a resolution, he states. “It doesn’t matter that you resolved it in their favour, as you may still lose a customer. Even if you fix the problem, you started with an unhappy and complaining customer. At the end of the day, the customer may believe only that they got what they paid for,” and may recognize neither the effort nor the expense involved at your end. Paul has a big blackboard on the wall in his shop where he tracks requests and potential projects for customers. These are “no hurry jobs” that may get done eventually — expand patios, take down a hedge, etc. Some customers who are aware of the blackboard system ask that their jobs not be added to the Black Hole Blackboard, because it may be there for years and never actually get done. Many years ago, Paul and his brother worked together plowing snow. They plowed for a restaurant for a whole season, and when it was time to get paid, no funds were forthcoming. The very next time snow fell, Paul plowed, pushing all the snow up to the front door. I imagine the owner, chef and dishwasher all working together to shovel. Paul never got paid for the job, but felt that he had put all the snow back where it came from. 14 | SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

CASE STUDY 6:

Guerilla tactics

In my experience, some people feel comfortable threatening business owners with bad publicity through social media channels. In another age, such people wrote careful and thoughtful letters, and you replied in a considered and formal way. In this century people can “vent” in real time, quickly expressing their unhappiness and then “press send.” Otherwise-pleasant people you might meet at a dinner party (and decide they are nice enough) will hold you personally responsible for the deaths of two perennials, grown in pots on a balcony, and thus threaten to expose you on Facebook or Tweet something dreadful about your service. In fact, this isn’t a “service” issue at all, but a warranty claim. This is a tricky situation (with an obvious downside) that must be navigated carefully — as we all know that one unhappy customer can undo many hours of hard work and effort contributed by dedicated staff. I always welcome back any truly unhappy customer for whom I was unable to find a satisfactory resolution, and often I will see them in the garden centre again that same season. I leave the door wide open and welcoming, in case they are remorseful or later come to their senses and come back for what really is excellent service.

CASE STUDY 7:

I want that kind of lawn

“I want the kind of lawn that tempts you to rip your clothes off and roll in the grass,” said the frustrated man who wanted immediate and perfect turf, deciding to both begin and end with a topdressing project. On closer questioning, he was unaware that good turf resulted also from feeding, weeding and watering, requiring sustained effort over time. Experience is a good teacher, both in the garden and in the garden centre. Patience and hard work are required for success on both fronts. I gained a great deal of understanding into the art of handling complaints (and it is an art!) from observing many owners and managers in action. I was a quick study, and early on I decided I didn’t want a pot of geraniums thrown at my head — as happened to the first retail manager I worked with. I carry much sympathy for all those who suffer from disappointment in their gardens, but I care just as much for their tortured selections, too. Who hasn’t been disappointed when something living dies? Last week, I said to a customer who had dropped a tomato plant on its head in the parking lot and broken the main stem in half, “Be careful with that next time, it is a living thing.” A fair amount of time in handling complaints is spent both coaching people, scolding them in the nicest possible way and offering instruction for future success, particularly for those who have neither patience nor the skill LT to achieve optimum results. Diane Stewart-Rose is a graduate of the University of Toronto who has spent most of her adult career in the garden centre industry, working in management and as a consultant. She is shown at left, with Beth Endean.

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Small spaces,

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Condo living offers great outdoor space.

rbanization, baby boomer downsizing and the glut of condominium and townhome developments across Canada are alarming trends for the garden centre industry. However, they are also providing new opportunities for retailers willing to embrace this pattern. Art Vanden Enden says growth in the small-space gardening market has been anything but, well, small. As the vice president of garden centre operations at Sheridan Nurseries, a Southern Ontario-based garden centre chain and nursery grower with eight retail locations, he is facing the challenge of urbanization head on by providing options for condo and townhouse dwellers to develop — or maintain — their green thumbs. “Over the past decade, there has been a real surge in Art Vanden Enden, Sheridan Nurseries

16 | SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

the demand for small space gardening products like containers, raised vegetable planters and a wide variety of house plants, succulents and orchids,” Vanden Enden explains. “I believe it correlates with the fact that so many people live in high rise condos, as well as homes with smaller lots, and these products give those consumers an opportunity to enjoy gardening in ways that are a bit different than what we saw in the past.” DEMOGRAPHICS DRIVE DEMAND

Statistics show fewer Canadians than ever are living in detached homes on traditional lots with space for grass and gardens. The last National Housing Survey undertaken by Statistics Canada in 2011 shows one in eight Canadians live in condominiums, including low- and high-rise apartment buildings and row homes. Predictably, just over three quarters of condominium homes are located in the nation’s 10 largest cities, where massive skyscrapers increasingly dominate skylines. Tamsin McMahon, writing for Maclean’s magazine in 2014, described the trend. “Consider that condos made up

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less than 10 per cent of all homes built in our 10 largest cities before 1981, but more than a third of those built in the last decade — around 413,000 out of roughly 1.2 million new homes,” she wrote in a story titled Condo Hell. “While the majority of those are clustered in the big cities — Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver — condominiums are going up everywhere from St. John’s to Regina to Victoria. Cities as different as Guelph, Ont., and Whitehorse in the Yukon are now building more condos than single-detached houses.” The condo market isn’t just for Millennials, either. Many baby-boomers, long the bread-and-butter of garden centres, are taking advantage of red hot real estate markets by selling their detached homes in exchange for condos and town homes, Vanden Enden says. But their passion for gardening moves with them; it’s just being “downsized” as well. SEASONAL STYLE AND COLOUR Vanden Enden says many clients are incorporating exotic plants, succulents and orchids into their interior décor. Combined with driftwood, rocks or sea shells, the creative possibilities are limitless for unique table settings, window displays or entrance pieces. Others are embracing the little outdoor space they do have to create “outdoor rooms” on their balconies, terraces and patios. And perhaps the biggest boon for Vanden Enden and Sheridan Nurseries has been the trend among high-end clients to swap out containers and garden products with the seasons. “People enjoy having the opportunity to makeover the look and colour of their space four times a year,” he says. “They can do hot pastels in the spring, fall colours in the autumn, Christmas décor during the holidays and then do regular winter colours after that. It’s really no different than changing the linens, pillows and towels, or even simply bringing in seasonal decorations or adornments and then packing them away.” While that kind of consumer behavior is not entirely new, there’s no doubt, Vanden Enden says, it has grown significantly in recent years. DO IT FOR ME Kate Seaver, owner of Kate’s Garden, a full-service landscape company and retail store in Markham, Ont., dove into the custom urn and container market in the early 2000s. She still recalls vividly how it began. “One of my clients called me up and I’ll never forget it, she said, ‘Kate, I’m so busy, I have no time, 18 | SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

can you just come and do my pots on the front stoop? Here’s my credit card, come once a season and don’t bother me with the details.’” Custom urns and pots were really limited to the highest end of the retail market back then, Seaver says — think Toronto’s Rosedale neighbourhood, Shaughnessy Heights in Vancouver or Montreal’s Summit Park. Over the last 15 years, it has become mainstream, with homeowners and condo dwellers utilizing custom containers to turn a balconies into gardens or to liven up a front porch. “There is a big focus for a lot of people on curb appeal, and there’s nothing like the season-long show of a beautifully done container to make a home look welcoming,” says Seaver. Currently, Seaver and her team prepare and install urns and planters for some 100 clients, primarily on seasonal packages where planting arrangements are changed at least four times each year. Of course on balconies, containers are the only possibility, but the possibilities really are endless. “We recently worked with a longtime client as they moved from their home into a condo,” Seaver explained. “Leaving their garden was a really big deal, as it is for so many Kate Seaver, Kate’s Garden. people. But they were fortunate to be moving to a condo with a wonderful balcony that provided enough space to create a truly remarkable outdoor room.” Using containers, vegetable pots, furniture and design ingenuity, Seaver helped create a space that offers her clients the opportunity to carry on their lifelong passion for gardening, while also leaving room for eating and entertainment areas. TASTE FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT Seaver has watched the market for custom containers and other small space gardening products skyrocket over her two decades in business. And as the market grew, so too has the competition. “When we started in with custom containers, we were one of just a few businesses that were doing it,” she says. “Now the competition is crazy. It’s not just nurseries and greenhouses and garden décor stores that are doing it; Loblaws and the big chains are in on it as well.” To keep her share of the market, Seaver ensures her shop offers the highest quality products and service. “We have to do it better,” she says. “In our pots, we have tea bags in the bottom for greater soil absorbion. We use the proper container gardening soil. We have horticulturalists who are designing the pots and implementing the best planting practices. We do the wet to wet. Our process is better and the components are better quality. “We also try to be a little different and a little more innovative with our designs. Sometimes that means we’re a bit edgier and we try to stay ahead of the curve.” A great deal of thought and research goes into their container

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designs, she adds. It’s all about creating fresh and unique looks for her clientele. In the lower mainland area of British Columbia, Kathy Friesen, owner of Bloomsbury Patio Gardens and Outdoor Rooms, has been catering to small space gardeners for nearly 20 years. She transitioned into the green profession in the mid-’90s from a career in academia, in part because she noticed how many high-rise apartment buildings were being built around Vancouver at that time. “You couldn’t help but be struck by the development that was going on then,” she remembers. “I thought, there are all these people with balconies, perhaps they could use some help getting the most out of their space.”

NICHE, OR NOT? The business quickly took off, and Friesen found condo developers were eager to hire a professional gardener to take their display suites and sales offices to the next level. In those days, there were very few green professionals that focused on small space and balcony gardening; that has changed over the past five years, Friesen says, to the point where it’s no longer a niche market. “It has exploded,” she says. “Retailers are now getting into planters in a really big way. They’ve brought in new kinds of containers, made out of fibreglass, clay, and things that will work in cold environments and are frost proof; lighter based materials that are more suited to a balcony garden than traditional, heavy containers.” Weight is an issue only in that there are logistical concerns in hauling containers and plant materials through buildings and up elevators, Friesen explains. She has never come within 10 per cent of the allowable weight limit of a balcony with her garden designs. Artificial plants also have their place in small space gardening, Friesen says, and they have become increasingly popular since their quality — they look real! — has improved in recent years. Now, the challenge for Friesen, Seaver and Vander Enden is to market the value of small space gardening to the next generation of gardeners, to ensure that the trend — an increasingly profitable element of the garden retail industry — continues its upward trajectory. LT

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Service improves sales BY ROD McDONALD

I have been spending time this past spring and summer with my long-time friend, Don Rae. I have previously written about him in this column. Don started selling when he was 16 years old for Audio Warehouse, an independent electronics store in Regina. Don has been selling for over 40 years and he is one of the very best. Good is not a term that you would use to describe the man. Good is an insult. He is incredible! After all these years of selling and offering the highest level of service, he no longer really sells. He just takes orders. Customers, myself included, phone Don up and say, “I need a new television set.” He brings one over, hooks it up and hands you the remote along with the bill. To get to that stage in life where his customer base trusts him, without reservation, is not where he began his career. As with the rest of us, he started at the bottom, unloading trucks and putting product on display. He tap danced for his first sales. Fortunately for Don, as for many of us, he had an older person who guided his career from its infancy. The older man was his boss, Gordy Hammond. Gordy preached from the mountaintop, “Don’t be afraid of customer problems. That’s how we win them over, with service.” Truer words have never been spoken, yet how often have we seen salespeople, including managers and owners, hide from a customer who has an issue? In essence, they are telling that customer, “Do not shop here ever again. We are only here to sell you product, not to ensure the product meets your needs.” After having purchased five new vehicles from a local dealership over a 30-year period, I had a problem with the fifth. No one from the dealership would help me and the vehicle was only a week old. Do you think I will ever grace that dealership for the pur24 | SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

chase of my sixth vehicle? They were not there for me when I needed them. When Don and I get together our wives roll their eyes. In the background, we hear this demanding voice: “Don’t spend the next two hours yakking to Rod (or Don).” We are not yakking. We are collaborating, exchanging wisdom-based experiences on how to improve our sales abilities. Hustlers do that, they share their experiences. I am a hustler and so is Don. My wife hates that term. To her, the word hustler conjures up images of the aluminum siding salesman, going door-to-door, praying he can find a confused senior citizen. I often explain there are ‘good act hustlers’ and ‘bad act hustlers.’ To me, a hustler is nothing more than someone who takes whatever God-given talents they have and parlays those talents to their maximum. Hustlers want the best in life and they are willing to do the work to reap the rewards. Don and I were talking about the service part of health care. I had just returned from The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I told him how astounded I was by the level of service I had received at The Mayo. Now, before I go on, I fully recognize I was paying top dollar for my medical care in Rochester. I was treated exceptionally well at each and every turn. From the person who registered me, to the lab tech, the nurses, the receptionists in the different specialties and the doctors. I never had to wait. A 3 p.m. appointment was exactly that. I was not rushed during my appointments and I was treated as if I were a person, not something to be processed. I am proud of Canadian Medicare. I was 10 years old when it had its controversial beginnings in Regina in 1962. Every politician, today, promises to improve upon its performance. Even though I am a strong supporter of Canadian Medicare, I am tired of being seen

at 1 p.m. for a 10 a.m. appointment. I want to shout, “My time has value as well!” I am tired of rude receptionists. At a local lab, I watched the receptionist create conflict with the next six people when no conflict existed. I understand, fully, that working with the public can be a challenge, but there is no need to create problems for yourself or others. Some people make it a habit to aggravate those around them. When I observe this behaviour, anywhere, I think, “not a commissioned salesperson, is he/she?” Few of us complain when we are treated poorly by a health system employee. We know that if we do, nothing is apt to happen and we only make things worse for ourselves. It is next to impossible to have a staff member reprimanded, let alone removed. The slightest complaint can have us labelled as trouble makers. We are never allowed to be dissatisfied customers because we are never seen as customers. If I am not a customer, then why do our taxes pay for the system? Oh right. We are not customers, we are clients. Yet, when one of our employees from the green trades treat someone poorly, there are consequences. I had a customer complain about poor treatment from an employee. Her complaint was valid. I called her back; I apologized and I asked what I could do to rectify the situation. She told me that she appreciated I had called back to apologize, but she would never return to my store again. That one experience had left a sour taste in her mouth and I understand. If you want to increase your sales, ticking off customers should not be on the agenda. Several years ago, a customer in Don’s store was not getting along with the salespeople who waited on him. Don stepped in to see if he could resolve the situation. Don, as with all good sales people, listens. He realized the customer was most knowledge-

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roadtosuccess able when it came to sound systems, an audiophile. As the salesstaff suggested each product, the customer would point out the shortcomings of that product. “This one has a good high end but its middle is terrible,” and so on. Nothing satisfied him. Don recognized the customer was not being intentionally difficult. He was exceptionally knowledgeable about all of the product lines, reading the magazines, ratings and reviews. Rather than continue along the same path, Don admired the customer’s product knowledge. Then he asked the customer to pick out some products that would meet his needs, and that made the audiophile happy. Tom Sawyer sails again.

when it came to peonies, roses or water gardens. Instead of making suggestions, I asked questions and they were glad to provide the answers. Once I became acquainted with my keenest gardeners, I would ask which varieties I should carry to set myself apart. They would come back with lists and I appreciated their assistance. Those people helped me to be successful. You should never stand in the way of letting a customer shop. In my last column, I referred to that nugget, ABC, always be closing. There is another nugget along similar lines, ABB, always be building. One customer is not one sale. Rather, one customer taken care of is a lifetime relationship. One customer has friends and relatives, and a happy customer talks. I do that and so do you. I am so pleased with my local credit union, that whenever a friend starts complaining about a bank ex-

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perience, I take him or her over to my local branch for an introduction. I have taken quite a few people and each has been pleased with the experience. As salespeople, owners and managers, that is what we want. We want people bringing friends and relatives to our place. Don and I were talking about building a business and a repeatable customer base. Don shared that he has third-generation families buying from him these days. He also told me how proud he is that from dealing with one customer many years ago, he now has 12 branches of that customer’s family as customers. Repeat sales are what we want. Satisfied customers are what we want. Satisfied customers bringing their friends are what we want. These are the backbone to every successful business and business person. It takes a lot of work to get there. There are times when the service you provide is greater than the sale, but those times are a part of the road to success. Years ago, I had a customer who kept going back and forth between a Nova Scotia balsam Christmas tree and a white pine. He liked the white pine better but the balsam had sentimental value, as he had grown up in the Maritimes. This went on for an hour. Finally, he chose and we went into the store to ring up the sale. He looked at the largest and most expensive poinsettia I had and said, “I’ll take that.” Half the sale took an hour and the second half occurred within a moment. That is your life when you sell. The road to success is built, never randomly bestowed. Stay on it by building your LT customer base.

Rod McDonald owned and operated Lakeview Gardens, a successful garden centre/ landscape firm in Regina, Sask., for 28 years. He now works full-time in the world of fine arts, writing, acting and producing in film, television and stage.

26 | SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

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Controlling unbillable time: What makes good companies great BY MARK BRADLEY

Unbillable time

is one of those things that every company gets far too comfortable with, because it happens every single day … and it’s easy to hide. Unbillable time isn’t just limited to overhead staff, either. The time you spend estimating, accounting, fixing equipment, selling; none of it is passed to a customer. Unfortunately, that’s not even the worst of it. The worst kind of unbillable time are the hours spent by field staff that don’t generate any revenue. Not only do those hours cost payroll, they are lost opportunities for sales. Every hour wasted not completing jobs or contracts are lost opportunities for sales. And in landscaping, lost hours and sales are two of the most precious things we can waste. We have a limited season, and we have a shortage of skilled workers. Wasting field labour hours on unbillable time might just be the most expensive error you can make. Consider the difference between these two companies: l ABC Landscaping has three crews of three persons each, doing design/build/install work. They generate about $1.2M in total sales from their three crews. When tracking their unbillable time, they find that 25 per cent of payroll hours go to unestimated, unbillable tasks. l XYZ Landscaping has the same number of people and crews. However, they’re more efficient; only 15 per cent of payroll hours are unbillable. If their crews could build jobs at exactly the same speed as ABC’s staff, XYZ would generate about $1.37M in sales — a 15 per cent increase in revenue and productivity with exactly the same payroll, equipment and fixed/overhead expenses.

XYZ is going to be a lot more profitable than ABC at the end of the year. And XYZ is also able to bid cheaper and make more profit, since overhead, payroll and fixed equipment expenses are a smaller percentage of their overall revenue. Here are some ways to reduce that unbillable percentage, so we can bid more competitively and earn a fair profit: l

Communicate and plan at the end of each day Getting feedback at the end of each day not only builds more accountability, it gives you time to think/plan/react and adjust to incoming information. When seven different people are coming at you with seven problems at 6:30 in the morning, you don’t have time to react properly. You make snap decisions that are often just the least-worst op-

28 | SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

tion. Crews should phone or email (email is better since it’s documented) a status update each day, just before the end of the day. This gives you more time to adjust to changes and formulate a better plan, so you hit the ground running in the morning. If you’re looking for a proven method for end-of-day communication, download the free 4 o’clock 4 app on either iTunes or Google Play to improve end-of-day communication. Insist that all your foremen/crew leaders submit their report by no later than 4 p.m. each day. I know you’ll be surprised at what one email a day can do for your business. l

Job planners Equip your crews with complete lists of estimated hours, equipment and materials for every job so they can make timely requests for materials they need for the next day, or the day after. Institute a daily deadline (try 1 p.m.) where all material orders must be in to the office, or to your vendors. This will reduce the number of hours crews are forced into “make busy” work, while waiting on materials to be delivered.

Add loading and driving hours to time estimates You might be asking yourself, “What does it matter how I recover load and drive time, as long as I do it?” You can recover this time as estimated hours, or overhead hours, or even by adding an unbillable percentage to the cost of your labour. All those methods will recover the costs, but only one actually helps to reduce unbillable time. By accounting for load/setup/driving/cleanup time in the hours estimated for each job, you are actively tracking and getting timely feedback on those hours. If a crew knows it has 150 man-hours to get a job done, and every hour spent at the yard or driving is counting down their available hours, they’re far more likely to be inspired to plan better, move faster, and reduce stops on the way. If your jobcosting doesn’t start until they get to the site (which is what happens when you don’t include loading/driving hours in your estimates), it’s too easy for that time to just vanish into a massive pool of unknown, unaccounted-for hours. Although you can only estimate a.m./p.m. prep time in a design/build/install environment, you can include

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managementsolutions drive time in maintenance estimates. Counting drive time against the next or previous maintenance job will almost certainly increase urgency to get to the job, and reduce stops along the way.

the truck clocked in — it’s expensive on payroll and costs you valuable minutes in the morning or on the way home. l

Stocked, organized trailers Fully stocked and labelled trailers reduce time wasted loading and unloading, but more importantly, they prevent forgotten items and wasteful trips back and forth to vendors or the shop. If you’re losing a couple of hours a week to vendor or shop runs, it’s less time on-site completing work — which is reducing your sales. You will also find there is less planning, juggling and forgetting when crews have their own dedicated sets of tools — and they tend to take better care of them as well. l

Fuel tanks at the yard You might pay a bit more for fuel, but you’ll save countless unbillable hours waiting and fueling at busy gas stations in the morning. Plus, only one person needs to be clocked when you’re fueling at the yard. One crew member can stay a few minutes later to top up your tank while the others clock out for the day. Crews who stop on their way to jobs have everyone in

Start earlier Starting earlier in the day typically finds fewer commuters on the road, so you will spend less time idling in traffic. Daily inspections and regular maintenance It’s frustrating for everyone to get to a jobsite, only to find equipment or tools don’t work like they should. Daily inspections and regular maintenance schedules will help reduce the number of times your crews get caught with underperforming or unsafe equipment. You can save a few dollars skipping maintenance, but the costs to your productivity LT add up in the long run.

Mark Bradley is the president of Ontario-based TBG Landscape and LMN.

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Revisiting Enforceabilty of Notice Provisions under a contract

BY ROBERT KENNALEY

In construction, owners and contractors will often refuse to pay a claim on the basis of ‘technical defences,’ where the claimant allegedly failed to comply with a notice requirement under the contract or subcontract. Historically, however, claimants have often been able to avoid these defences by arguing that the notice requirements had been waived. Generally, notice requirements have been found to have been waived where the party on them showed, by his words or conduct, that he would not insist that the formal requirements be followed. Waiver has been found, for example, where the parties negotiated a potential resolution to the claim, where the hiring party was aware that the party hired was aware of the problem and where the hiring party had previously paid additional compensation without receiving the formal contractual notice. Two decisions of the Ontario Court of Appeal remind us, however, that notice is important and that the Courts will not hesitate to enforce a technical notice requirement where appropriate. First, in Technicore Underground Inc. v. Toronto (City), 2012 ONCA 597 (CanLii), the project was sub-

stantially impacted by a flood in relation to which the contractor and its servicing subtrade incurred costs and pursued claims. The contract (which was incorporated into the subcontract) provided that the claimant was to submit a detailed written claim no later than 30 days after the completion of the work affected by the situation. Neither the contractor nor the subcontractor did so and, accordingly, their claims were dismissed. This, even though the owner had been well aware of the flood and of the fact that the contractor and trade were incurring costs to address it. Some would say it was a case of ‘form over substance:’ the technical defence was allowed to prevail even though the owner had actual notice of the claim. The Court found that the clause was clear on its face and the parties, as sophisticated entities, should be held to their bargain. As regards the fact that the owner knew of the circumstances all along, the Court held that “one purpose of a notice provision is to enable the owner to consider its position and the financial consequences of the contractor providing additional work” and that the owner “is assumed to have been prejudiced

by a multimillion dollar claim being made years after the Contract permitted and long after the City could consider its position and take steps to protect its financial interests.” In this regard, the owner lost the right to pursue an alternate path. As regards the ‘waiver’ argument, the Court confirmed that a party will only be found to have waived its rights where it communicated “an unequivocal and conscious intention to abandon” those rights. In this case, the Court found no evidence of any such communications. (The case acknowledges that waiver by conduct can still be found, but only where there is clear evidence in that regard). More recently, the Ontario Court of Appeal has revisited the issues of notice and waiver, in Ross-Clair v. Canada (Attorney General), 2016 ONCA 2016 (CanLii). In that case, the contract required that, in addition to the original notice, the contractor submit to the owner’s consultant, within a certain period of time, a written claim containing information sufficient to allow the consultant to assess the claim and determine if additional compensation was justified. The contractor

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submitted a claim but the consultant took the position that it was not detailed enough. Neither side ‘budged’ on the issue, and the matter proceeded all the way to the Ontario Court of Appeal. An Application Judge originally held the information was sufficient, but the Court of Appeal disagreed. The Court of Appeal held that the claim could only be sufficient if it were supported by detailed information. Even though the consultant was intimately familiar with the project, the Court of Appeal held that the detail had not been provided. In particular, the Court noted that very little information on the amounts attributed to various subcontractors and no breakdown identifying things like the costs of labour, plant, and material or the amount of the percentage markup had been provided. As regards waiver, the Court held that there was no evidence of any prior communication or conduct that would show that the owner intended to waive its strict reliance on the terms of the contract. In that regard, that contractor was therefore held to the bargain that it had made about the conditions for additional payment, and the claim was dismissed. There are lessons to be learned from these cases. First, as the Court recognized, owners place these clauses into contracts for a reason. They are not merely intended to trip up claimants so the owner can get work done for free. Rather, there are good, sound, commercial reasons for the owner requiring such notice and, unless there is evidence of a clear and unequivocal intention to waive reliance on the clause(s), the Courts may hold the parties to their bargain. The more important lesson, however, is that contractors and trades can avoid the (potentially devastating) impact of the issue by simply following their contract and meeting the conditions precedent to payment. By simply meeting the contractual requirements, we can take the issue off the table. Third, these cases are now buttressing owners, coast-to-coast, who are now much more willing to (i) place very specific and detailed claims procedures into their contracts and (ii) refuse payment (all the way to trial if necessary) if the claims are not met. Accordingly, the playing field is changing: as the clauses will be enforced more readily, they should be all the more understood and followed. Lastly, contracSEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

tors and subcontractors must understand if their subcontracts incorporate the terms of the prime contract, between owner and contractor. The contrator wants to ensure the trades he retains will have met the same notice requirements as he does — so he is not responsible for a subtrade claim which he cannot make the owner. The subcontractor, of course, needs to know if he is bound by the notice provisions of the prime contract, so he can meet them if necessary. LT

Robert Kennaley practices construction law in Toronto. He speaks and writes regularly on construction law issues and can be reached for comment at 416-368-2522 or at kennaley@mclauchlin.ca. This material is for information purposes and is not intended to provide legal advice.

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britishcolumbiaupdate Landscape Trades devotes space in each issue to provincial association news. This issue features an update from the British Columbia Landscape Nursery Association.

Continued success with certification B.C. has been involved in the Landscape Industry Certified program since 1994, with at least two test days per year. This year, two test days

were set in July and October at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s (KPU) School of Horticulture. The most recent test on July 9, 2016, saw candidates tested in all five specialties: Irrigation, Hardscape Installation, Softscape Installation, Turf Maintenance and Ornamental Maintenance. BCLNA members, led by Nicholas Funke and Jeff Foley, provided the strong backs and discerning eyes to help set up and judge the event. KPU staff Rob Welsh and Shelley Murley are strong supporters of the program, working with BCLNA members and CNLA staff to organize, set up and run the test day. BCLNA is especially grateCertification continues to be important in developing qualified professionals for the hort industry.

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ful to BCLNA members who provide their time to judge the candidates. The list includes Kenji Maziguci, Jeff Pope, Cody Zahradnik, Monti Cantwell, Sandra Marriott, Jeff Foley, Shelley Murley, Frank Shang, Michelle Johnson, Thomas Schneider, Cable Baker, Kevin O’Connor, Jerry Ingram, Drew Cotton, Delanie Fisher, Conway Lum and Jamie Lamont. BCLNA staffer, Michelle Linford, assists with organizing the supportive logistical aspects of the event and Colin Vince from CNLA provides operational details and processing. If you have any questions about certification, or to sign up for the Oct. 14 and 15 test, contact Colin at CNLA, colin@cnla-acpp.ca.

Program promotes B.C.-grown plants PlantSomethingBC was launched in Spring 2016 with the objective to spread the ‘buy local, buy B.C.-grown plants’ message. PlantSomethingBC is a BCLNA initiative, funded in part by the B.C. Investment Agriculture Foundation,

B.C.’s green industry has come up with innovative ideas to promote buying local.

strongly supported by B.C.’s horticulture industry with over 100 landscapers, retailers, and growers participating in the program. Through out-of-home advertising, point of purchase displays, and social media marketing, the campaign asks gardeners to visit www.plantsomethingbc.ca to find garden

centres or landscapers that offer B.C.-grown plants in their area. Also available on the website is a searchable plant database to make finding B.C.-grown plants easy. Between February to May the website hosted over 1,300 sessions, with visitors from Vancouver, Duncan and Kelowna. The campaign also

SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

britishcolumbiaupdate How long does it take to milk a cow? By Bill Hardy, co-owner of Trice Farms/Grow & Gather in Maple Ridge, B.C., and Business Manager for HortEducationBC

This wheelbarrow of goodies is a gardener’s delight and made a great prize for the ‘Plant to Win’ photo contest.

connected with over 300 gardeners through a ‘Plant to Win’ photo contest. The contest encouraged B.C.’s gardeners to upload pictures to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a chance to win a wheelbarrow of gardening goodies. In 2017 PlantSomethingBC will be continued with a new focus.

I was pondering that question while trying to determine how many workplace hours a dairy professional required to complete levelone apprenticeship as a Bill Hardy Dairy Production Technician. While it may seem odd that HortEducationBC looks after the dairy profession, linking the only B.C. agriculture apprenticeship to horticulture has been a very good fit. HortEducationBC (HEBC) has been in existence for almost 12 years now. Its mandate has evolved over those years, from being about any and all training for horticulture, to becoming B.C.’s first government-funded Industry Training Organization (ITO) responsible for activities and resources related exclusively to horticulture apprenticeship in B.C. Now, HEBC has returned to fulfilling a much more encompassing role. Three years ago, the B.C. government reclaimed a great deal of the administrative tasks that the ITOs had been performing, giving HEBC greater leeway in serving the educational needs of its subscribers. Certainly, HEBC still provides apprentice

and sponsor support. It continues to set and maintain standards, market and promote our industry’s various options to youth and others, and it develops learning resources and training materials. Additionally, HEBC is responsible for assessing individuals who are challenging a trade designation, and is the avenue for sponsors to affirm their apprentices’ work hours. However, the lightening of bureaucratic constraints has HEBC reviewing its capacity and demand for performing a wider scope of training opportunities. The potential is remarkable, considering that HEBC presently plays a significant role to Red Seal Landscape Horticulture, Production Horticulture, Arborist Technician, Climbing Arborist, Field Arborist, Utility Arborist, Falling and Bucking, as well as Dairy Professional designations. Now that HEBC is no longer tied directly to government, the sky is the limit as far as what it can do to promote horticulture, agriculture, and those developing skills to work in these industries. Its board welcomes feedback as to gaps in currently available educational offerings. By the way, the answer is 1,500 hours — not to milk a cow — to become a designated Dairy Professional. LT

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cnlanews National Tree Day Whether you are a grower, planter or teacher, Sept. 21, National Tree Day, is a great opportunity to engage the public with the benefits of trees! Each year, members across the country participate in this nationally recognized day by holding planting events (often at schools), having sales on trees, or even just posting a picture on social media. Tree Canada provides an event listing on its National Tree Day website. Check it out to either register your event or find one in your area. Currently, Tree Canada’s Operation ReLeaf is focusing on Fort McMurray to help reclaim the loss of trees and urban canopy due to the recent wildfires. Visit treecanada.ca to see how you can help this worthy project.

National landscape winners announced In August, winners of the 2016 National Awards of Landscape Excellence competition were announced at a gala evening, hosted in Kelowna, B.C. The 13th annual ceremony was held in conjunction with the British Columbia Landscape and Nursery Association Landscape Awards of Excellence. The room was full of the who’s who in landscape horticulture. National judges received over 50 entries in the landscape categories alone, where only five could be named national champions. A huge thank you to everyone that participated in their provincial awards programs for a chance to be entered into the national awards – 2016 was one of the biggest years to date. The winners in the five landscape categories are: Bruce Wilson Landscaping in Ontario, for the Caterpillar Award of Excellence in Com-

mercial Landscape Construction/Installation; Pro-Land Landscape Construction in Ontario, for the Caterpillar Award of Excellence in Residential Landscape Construction/Installation; Joe Bidermann Landscaping Design in Nova Scotia, for the DynaSCAPE Award of Excellence in Landscape Design; OGS Grounds Maintenance Specialists in Ontario, for the National Award of Landscape Excellence in Commercial Maintenance; and Cedar Springs Landscape Group in Ontario, for the National Award of Landscape Excellence in Residential Maintenance. Congratulations to all the winners for truly outstanding projects! Harold Deenen was awarded the prestigious President’s Award for his years of service and dedication to the both the association and the industry as a whole. Donnie Burke accepted the Green for Life Community Award on behalf of Nova Scotia Lands and the other groups involved in the restoration of the Sydney Tar Ponds into the beautiful Open Hearth Park. Bradford Greenhouses Garden Gallery in Ontario was named Garden Centre of the Year.

Export development funds for growers CNLA is seeking funding applications from nursery grower members interested in pursuing business and export market development opportunities in the U.S. and other international markets. Partial funding (up to 50 per cent) is available to defray travel and other related market development costs. Funding is available for single year projects for the government fiscal years (April 1 to March 31) for 2016-17 and 2017-18. These funds are made available to industry through the Market Development Stream of Ag-

The Caterpillar Award of Excellence in Residential Landscape Construction/Installation was awarded to Pro-Land Landscape Construction of Ontario.

riculture and AgriFood Canada’s AgriMarketing Program. For more information and an application form contact rita@cnla-acpp.ca.

Save time and money with affinity programs CNLA members have unique access to over 20 affinity programs through their provincial memberships. The CNLA Member Services Team works hard to find a wide variety of programs that are useful to our diverse membership. We take into consideration company size, function, and needs, in order to custom build programs with a team of endorsed suppliers. Each supplier on the list has been vetted by the staff and the CNLA Member Services Committee (part of the Board of Directors). Multiple proposals for a particular program are sorted through before a final decision is made. The final decision ensures that a win-win-win relationship is achieved — first and foremost a win for the member, a win for the supplier and a win for CNLA. Visit the CNLA website to browse the list of programs and choose the ones that fit your company’s needs. Participation in most programs requires only a five-minute phone call with the Member Services Team, or a click of the mouse. You have the potential to save thousands of dollars and hours of time; what are you waiting for?

Garden Gift Card Program flourishes As word continues to spread about the Garden Centres Canada online gift card program, the need for locations offering the card grows. Participating garden centres accept the gift cards, increasing the demand for independent retailers. This program makes it very easy for someone to send a gift card to someone special that they may not live close to and are not familiar with their area. A map of participating garden centres is posted above the online purchase portal. Customers simply ensure that there’s a garden centre in the area of the recipient, fill out a personal message and gift amount, and send via text or email. All garden centres need to do to accept the cards is sign-up. Give the best gift of all, the gift of gardening! LT The Canadian Nursery Landscape Association is the federation of Canada’s provincial horticultural trade associations. Visit cnla-acpp.ca for more information. SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

industrynews Oldcastle acquires Techniseal Oldcastle recently acquired Montreal, Que.based Techniseal. Al Dorais will remain with Techniseal as president, and Techniseal’s headquarters, sales and marketing, as well as research and development will remain in Montreal. “Working together, Techniseal and Oldcastle look forward to continuing the growth of the industry leading Techniseal brand by providing superior customer service, as well as a robust pipeline of innovative new products to our loyal customers,” the company said in a media release. “Techniseal will continue to run independently from within Oldcastle and will remain focused on serving the needs of our entire customer network.”

Laval hosts urban forest conference The Canadian Urban Forest Conference (CUFC) brings together leading experts from across the country and allows for dialogue between professionals and community groups on innovative strategies, policies, technologies, research, and best management practices. Alternating coast to coast every two years, the CUFC brings together dedicated individuals and groups to share their experiences and novel approaches to the stewardship of Canada’s urban forests. This year, CUFC will be held in Laval, Que. Sept. 26-29. The CUFC is coordinated by the host city with guidance and support from Tree Canada. For more information, visit www.cufn.ca.

Pink Days in Bloom founder recognized Linda Follett-Ryan, founder of the cancer fundraising program Pink Days in Bloom, was

among 70 Canadians recognized by Governor General David Johnston earlier this summer for their volunteer efforts. A resident of Mount Pearl, N.L., Follett-Ryan built a partnership between the Canadian Cancer Society and garden centres throughout the Maritimes that has spawned many fundraising barbeques and tea parties. The office of the Governor General wrote, “In 2011, while recovering from breast cancer treatments, Linda Follett-Ryan established Pink Days in Bloom, a fundraising initiative for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation run in conjunction with Communities in Bloom. Her activities, from the Sharing Our Strength Breast Cancer Support Group to the Evening of Pink, have brought people together and inspired civic growth.”

ORCGA locate rodeo set for October The Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance locate rodeo has been moved to the fall this year to better accommodate participant’s work schedules. Held at the Nottawasaga Inn Resort in Alliston, Ont., Oct. 27-28, the locate rodeo puts professional locators skills to the test in a fun competition. To learn more or to register, visit www.orcga.com or call 866-446-4493.

Toro elects new CEO The Toro Company board of directors elected Richard M. Olson to the position of president and chief executive officer, effective November 1, 2016. Olson, a 30-year veteran of the company, has served as Toro’s president and chief operating officer since September 2015 and was elected to the company’s board of directors in January of this year. Toro’s current chief executive officer, Michael J. Hoffman, will continue to serve as chairman of the board.

Drafix Software purchases Earthscapes Drafix Software acquired the business assets of Visual Impact Imaging’s Earthscapes. “We’re thrilled to have the Earthscapes users join the Pro Landscape community,” said Pete Linda Follett-Ryan was recognized by the Governor General for her volunteer efforts.

38 | SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

Lord, President, of Drafix Software. “We’ve competed with Earthscapes for close to 20 years in a friendly, professional manner and we felt that by moving some of their assets to the Pro Landscape platform we will be able to provide an even better landscape design solution for both customer bases as well as new customers.” The two companies reached a deal that accomplished Pro Landscape’s needs to further expand its industry leading design software. For Visual Impact Imaging’s owners it allowed them to move on to other ventures.

NGB announces promo program The National Garden Bureau announced the four plant classes that will be featured in the 2017 “Year of the” program: bulb crop: daffodil; annuals: pansy; vegetables/edibles: brassica; perennials: rose. The National Garden Bureau Board of Directors selects crops specifically for the North American market that are easy to grow and genetically diverse with a lot of new cultivars to choose from. Breeders, brokers, seed companies, growers and garden centers throughout the U.S. and Canada are urged to highlight these flowers and plants when planning their marketing for the 2017 season. Both members and nonmembers are encouraged to take advantage of the publicity this program generates by using the four logos in their 2017 catalogs, websites, advertisements and other marketing materials. By mid-November 2016, National Garden Bureau will have photos of numerous cultivars of all four crops (provided by NGB members) posted on its website: ngb.org. NGB also provides PDFs of fact sheets, flyers, handouts, and signage. After Nov. 15, all materials can be downloaded at no charge from the NGB website. These tools will help the North American home garden industry promote the crops to consumers and encourage gardening with these specific crop classes. LT

newproducts Compact tractor The New Holland Boomer compact tractors now come with a factory-installed cab providing all-weather comfort. Boomer tractors are available with the choice of a three-range hydrostatic transmission or a synchronized shuttle shift, and are powered by clean-running, fuel efficient Tier 4B-compliant engines that provide plenty of power for snow blowing, plowing and loading. New Holland www.newholland.com

V-plow for utility vehicles SnowEx recently introduced a new, professional-grade V-Plow for UTVs. Measuring a full 6 ft. wide, the plow blade angles to 5 feet wide to fit most sidewalks and through gates. Two width settings cover the optimal tire track width on a range of popular UTVs. Configuring the plow to straight blade position, V position and bucket blade scoop position allows for customization when facing various snow management situations.

Hitch tool carrier The new CarryCat from Earth & Turf Products attaches to threepoint hitches on compact tractors. Fabricated with a heavy-duty powder coated finish, the CarryCat is designed to securely store commonly used landscaping hand tools. Features include standalone storage with adjustable standoff feet to suit a variety of tractor sizes, adjustable gasoline can holder, soft lined chainsaw mount and a receiver for drawbar.

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Forward plate compactors

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EFI snow blower engine The new Ariens AX EZ-Launch engine utilizes electronic fuel injection technology, enabling the company’s Sno-Thro lineup of snow blowers to start in extreme weather conditions. The EFI engine starts in two simple steps, versus six steps with a traditional carbureted engine. All that the user needs to do is turn the key and pull the recoil cord (or use the electric start). The engine’s system uses an electronic governor, which virtually eliminates speed loss and delivers consistent throwing performance along with an ultra-quiet idle.

Landplane attachment for utility vehicles Bobcat expands its utility vehicle attachment versatility with the new 62-in. landplane attachment. Available on 2015 Model Year 3650 utility vehicles, the bi-directional, site preparation and landscaping attachment allows operators to work in both forward or reverse to easily break up hard ground or level high points.

The new LF60, LF75 and LF100 forward plate compactors from Atlas Copco utilize a rounded plate design and a tubeless watering system, which helps prevent asphalt from sticking to the bottom of the plate. With a full water tank, the three models range in weight from 140 lbs. for the LF60 to 260 lbs. for the LF100. The LF series also features vibration reducing handles. Atlas Copco www.atlascopco.ca

Bobcat www.bobcat.com

Ariens www.ariens.com SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

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October 5-6, Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, Ont. www.canadiangreenhouseconference.com October 19-21, Green Industry and Equipment Expo + Hardscape Expo, Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Ky. www.gie-expo.com

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September 26-29, 12th Annual Canadian Urban Forest Conference, Laval, Que. www.treecanada.ca

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November 30-December 2, New England Grows, Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston, Mass. www.newenglandgrows.org November 30-December 2, The Buildings Show, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ont. www.thebuildingsshow.com December 5-9, International Irrigation Show & Conference, Las Vegas, Nev. www.irrigation.org January 10-12, 2017, Congress Trade Show and Conference, Toronto, Ont. www.locongress.com 40 | SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

2016-08-08 12:58 PM

where to find it COMPANY

PHONE

WEBSITE

404 Stone Limited 35

PAGE

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sales@404stone.com

www.404stone.com

Allstone Quarry Products Inc. 33

905-939-8491

info@allstonequarry.com

www.allstonequarry.com

Atlas Polar Company Ltd 30

888-799-4422

info@atlaspolar.com

www.atlaspolar.com

Bailey Nurseries 17

800-829-8898

www.baileynurseries.com

Beaver Valley Stone Ltd 36

416-222-2424

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Bobcat Company 29

infocenter@bobcat.com

www.bobcat.com

Canadian Greenhouse Conference 34

905-892-9851

info@canadiangreenhouseconference.com

www.canadiangreenhouseconference.com

Coivic Specimen Trees 34

905-878-9101

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Ford Motor Company of Canada Ltd 11

905-845-2511

www.ford.ca

Gravely 43

800-472-8359

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John Deere 15

800-465-9825

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Kubota Canada Ltd 19

905-294-7477

info@kubota.ca

www.kubota.ca

Landscape Management Network 22, 23

888-347-9864

info@golmn.com

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Lechuza Canada Inc 27

800-263-4734

www.lechuza.ca

Oaks Concrete Products by Brampton Brick 2

800-709-OAKS

www.oakspavers.com

Permacon Group Inc 44

800-463-9278

www.permacon.ca

PRO Landscape by Drafix Software 26

800-231-8574

www.prolandscape.com

Reist Industries 40

877-467-3478

www.reistindustries.com

Stihl Limited 5

519-681-3000

info.canada@stihl.ca

www.stihl.ca

Thames Valley Brick & Building Products 41

905-637-6997

info@thamesvalleybrick.com

www.thamesvalleybrick.com

Turf Tech Inc 25

905-636-0731

info@turftech.ca

www.wrightmfg.com

Unilock Limited 9

800-UNILOCK

georgetown@unilock.com

www.unilock.com

Wajax Equipment 21

780-851-9490

www.wajaxequipment.com

Zander Sod Co Ltd 20

877-727-2100

www.zandersod.com

info@ariens.com

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www.ThamesValleyBrick.com SEPTEMBER 2016 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

mentormoment

Always teaching BY ROD McDONALD

Dieter Martin has had a long career in horticulture, a very long career. He began his apprenticeship at age 14 in Ascffenburg, Germany, near Frankfurt. Today, he is 84. He immigrated to Canada in 1953, working at The University of Alberta. He became the head gardener of The University of Saskatchewan in 1957. In the early 1970s, his late wife Ilsa started a small greenhouse attached to their house in Langham, northwest of Saskatoon. That was the humble origin of what is

Quality is equally important. If you wouldn’t buy a plant yourself, then don’t sell it. Throw it on the compost pile. It makes for great compost, expensive compost. Today, I was out in our growing field and I was digging out crooked trees. No one wants to buy them anyways. Get rid of them. Service is what people need and they can’t find it at so many other places. Give people service and they will come back. Trust your customers. 99.9 per cent of people are good people. There is the odd one out to take advantage of you, but don’t let those few bad ones cloud your judgment. You are a grower but you also buy from other growers. Why? You can’t grow everything yourself. There just isn’t room. I sell to Lakeshore Nursery, they sell to me. We need each other in this trade. We should never be afraid of others in the trade. We should see ourselves as one. Do you have an opinion regarding box stores? They used to be cheap. Now their prices have increased but they still have no service. People come to us, the independents, for service. We have to provide service. It is how we stay ahead of the box stores.

Dieter Martin with a student, Landscape Trades columnist Rod McDonald.

recognized as one of the finest operations in Canada, Dieter Martin Greenhouses. Two of his children, Nancy and Peter, own and operate the greenhouses/nursery/landscaping operation. Dieter still works. He has been a mentor, officially and unofficially, to many of the people in the green trades across our country. He is always teaching. Dieter was my own ‘beloved mentor.’ My wife Maureen said I was fortunate to have him in my life when I was so young and needed him. He slowed me down and made me behave when I didn’t want to. When I was in my 20s, I thought I knew everything. One of the young men whom I now mentor, asked Dieter what I was like 40 years ago and Dieter replied, “He ran everywhere. Even when I would yell at him to slow down, he would walk quickly, just to spite me.” What is your basic business philosophy? Honesty. People trust an honest operator. They want to do business with someone who tells them the truth. Why sell someone something they will not be happy with? They will find out.

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Why do people fail in our trade or business? The real reason is that there are people who come into this trade who do not have their hearts in it. This is a wonderful trade, but only if you love it. If you don’t, then you should get out and do something you love. Over the years, the men and women mentored by Dieter have called his sayings ‘Dieterisms.’ Here is a sampling: “When in doubt, we go to the forest, for Mother Nature is the greatest teacher of all. ” “You tend to sell a lot of what you really like.” “Every man has a method of working and it is reflected in everything that he does.” “On a planting job, always include at least one plant that you have never used before. Try something new.” “Always be a one-man quality control team.” LT “Smart is important, but being practical is better.”

If you have a question to suggest, or a mentor to recommend, please e-mail editor@landscapetrades.com.

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