Green for Life Magazine

WINTER 2021 VOL. 9, NO. 1

A LANDSCAPE ALBERTA MEMBER PUBLICATION

The Power of Gratitude

Open Book Management

GREEN FOR LIFE WINTER 2021 • 2

®

www.cnla-acpp.ca/savings | info@cnla-acpp.ca | 1.888.446.3499

ACTION to access discount: Contact CNLA for a membership confirmation letter to provide to your dealership. There is a $100 administration fee per purchase that must be paid to CNLA before the membership confirmation letter can be sent.

Wacker Neuson: Receive 5% off MSRP.

ACTION to access discount: Contact CNLA for a membership confirmation letter to provide to your dealership. There is a $200 administration fee per vehicle that must be paid to CNLA before the membership confirmation letter can be sent. Specific vehicle information will be required including VIN#. Please visit your local dealership for more information or by calling the CNLA office.

be used in conjunction with any retail incentives.

VW Canada: Huge savings on select NEW VW vehicles! Our fleet program is non-stackable and cannot

ACTION to access discount: Complete Petro-Canada SuperPass credit card application (available on the CNLA website) and then contact SuperPass sales at 1-888-999-2609 or superpasscanada@suncor.com, identify yourself as a member.

(at retail locations only). You can also receive 15% off car washes through your membership.

Petro-Canada: Apply for the SuperPass™ credit card as a member and receive a discount of 3¢/litre

ACTION to access discount: Complete the Michelin application forms (available on the CNLA website) and send to CNLA for processing. Once the setup process is complete, the CNLA member will receive a welcome package with instructions on how to start saving.

Tweel SSL and Earthmover Tires.

Michelin: Special pricing on MICHELIN® Passenger & Light Truck, Truck, Agricultural, Compact Line,

ACTION to access discount: Contact CNLA for a membership confirmation letter to provide to your dealership.

products.

Krown Rust Control: Receive access to our special fleet pricing program and discounts on specified

ACTION to access discount: Contact CNLA for a membership confirmation letter to provide to your dealership. There is a $100 administration fee per vehicle that must be paid to CNLA before the membership confirmation letter can be sent.

Specific vehicle information will be required including VIN#. Please visit your local dealership for more information or by calling the CNLA office.

Isuzu Trucks: Save up to $4,000 on select NEW Isuzu Trucks.

ACTION to access discount: Contact CNLA for a membership confirmation letter to provide to your dealership. There is a $200 administration fee per vehicle that must be paid to CNLA before the membership confirmation letter can be sent. Specific vehicle information will be required including VIN#. Please visit your local dealership for more information or by calling the CNLA office.

non-stackable and cannot be used in conjunction with any retail incentives.

General Motors Canada: Huge savings on select NEW GMC/Chevrolet vehicles! Our fleet program is

ACTION to access discount: Contact CNLA for a membership confirmation letter to provide to your dealership. There is a $200 administration fee per vehicle that must be paid to CNLA before the membership confirmation letter can be sent.

Specific vehicle information will be required including VIN#. Please visit your local dealership for more information or by calling the CNLA office.

thousands on NEW Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles!

FCA Canada Inc. - Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/RAM: Our Fleet program is designed to save you

ACTION to access discount: Complete Esso Business Account application (available on CNLA website) and then contact an Esso Sales Professional 1-800-835-4601 or essosales@fleetlink.com, identify yourself as a member.

litre (at retail locations only).

Esso: Apply for the Esso Business and Fleet Credit Card as a member and receive a discount of 2.9¢/

ACTION to access discount: Contact CNLA for a membership confirmation letter to provide to your dealership.

accessories.* Receive a discount of 10% off the purchase of any ECHO 58V battery powered products.

Receive a discount of 20% if you arrange a product demo with an ECHO representative and purchase a minimum of five ECHO/Shindaiwa gas powered units in a single purchase. * $250 minimum purchase required.

ECHO / Shindaiwa: Receive a 15% MSRP discount on any gas powered ECHO or Shindaiwa units and

ACTION to access discount: Contact CNLA for a membership confirmation letter to provide to your dealership.

®

Cat The Rental Store : Save 10% off list/book rate for equipment rented through the Cat Rental Store.

ACTION to access discount: Contact CNLA for a membership confirmation letter to provide to your dealership.

Cat®: Save up to $2,750 on the purchase of select CAT equipment and attachments.

Vehicles and Equipment

As a member of your provincial association, you automatically qualify for the member savings programs with the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association. CNLA takes pride in offering competitive discounts on a variety of programs and services to support your business. Visit www.cnla-acpp.ca/savings and log-in to the Member’s Only section of the site with your unique CNLA login. If you do not know your CNLA website login, contact our Member Services Team at 1-888-446-3499 or info@cnla-acpp.ca

Member Savings Programs

discount programs, professional development opportunities, networking events and preferred merchant processing rates with Chase Paymentech.

www.cnla-acpp.ca/savings | info@cnla-acpp.ca | 1.888.446.3499

ACTION to access a quote for Property and Casualty/Business Insurance and Personal Home and Automobile Insurance through Marsh: Call 1-888-949-4360 and identify yourself as a CNLA member or email cnla.hortprotect@marsh.com ACTION to a Group Life, Health and Disability Insurance quote through the People Corporation: Call 1-800-459-8990 and identify yourself as a CNLA member.

businesses in the Horticulture industry. This program offers Property and Casualty/Business Insurance and Personal Home and Automobile Insurance Programs brokered by Marsh Canada Limited, and a Group Life, Health, and Disability Insurance Program brokered by The People Corporation.

HortProtect Insurance: Our insurance program has been created and customized to meet the needs of

Financial Services

ACTION to access discount: Visit www.travelodge.ca, in the booking widget, enter your destination, dates and the number of rooms and guests. Click the SPECIAL RATE drop down field, click on CORPORATE CODE, enter Client ID # (available on the CNLA website) or call Travelodge at 1-800-578-7878 and quote your Client ID #.

Travelodge: Save 16% to 20% off at Travelodge Canada.

ACTION to access discount: Visit www.choicehotels.ca/cnla and input your CNLA ID # (available on the CNLA website) or call Choice Hotels at 1-800-424-6423.

Choice Hotels: Save 15% on the lowest internet advertised price at participating Choice Hotels worldwide, on an available-room basis.

Travel

ACTION to access discount: Contact CNLA for a membership confirmation letter to provide to your sales representative.

Supplies.

St. John Ambulance: Members receive an 8% discount on First Aid courses and 10% off of First Aid

ACTION to access discount: To register for the exams or purchase the certification manuals, please visit the CNLA website or contact the Professional Development department at CNLA certification@cnla-acpp.ca.

manuals and exam registration for all Landscape Horticulture Certification designations.

Landscape Horticulture Certification Program: CNLA Members receive discounted rates on training

Industry Training

ACTION to access discount: Log into the CNLA website, and follow the link there to get started.

Save $200 on LMN Professional Software License.

Landscape Management Network (LMN): Members receive free LMN Budgeting Software License.

ACTION to access discount: Contact Neil Brady at Schooley Mitchell at 1-855-572-7682 or neil.brady@schooleymitchell.com.

Identify yourself as a CNLA member.

services and/or shipping costs to optimize your expenses in each of these areas.

Schooley Mitchell Consultants: Receive a free, no risk analysis of your current telecom, merchant

ACTION to access discount: Contact CNLA for a membership confirmation letter to provide to your sales representative.

Retail Council of Canada: Members receive discounted rates on RCC webinars, access to select group

ACTION to access discount: Contact CNLA to request a copy of the discount card for your business and employees.

Work Authority:15% discount on all regular priced merchandise.

ACTION to access discount: Order online at deluxe.ca or call 1-800-461-7572 and input your CNLA member code (available on the CNLA website).

system.

Deluxe: Members save 15% on printed products. Receive discounted rates with Deluxe Payweb payroll

ACTION to access discount: Contact CNLA to request a copy of the discount card for your business and employees.

Mark’s: 10% off the regular prices on the majority of Mark’s workwear clothing, footwear and safety accessories.

ACTION to access discount: Visit www.staplesprint.ca to create your account.

Staples: Eligible for a 2% rebate once hitting annual threshold of $50,000 in print and promotional products.

Business Services

BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

WINTER 2021 VOL. 9, NO. 1

CONTENTS

ADVANCING THE PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY

04

Industry and Association News

MANAGING EDITOR Joel Beatson CONTENT & EDITING Kyla Hardon LAYOUT Kris Locke Landscape Alberta Green for Life is a professional publication for the landscape trade in Alberta.

Editorial and Advertising Landscape Alberta 18051 107 Avenue NW Edmonton, AB T5S 1K3 P: 780-489-1991 F: 780-444-2152 admin@landscape-alberta.com Landscape Alberta does not assume 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 herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Landscape Alberta or its members.

Material may not be reprinted from this magazine without the consent of Landscape Alberta.

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Photos from GISC 2020

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The Power of Gratitude

ISSN No: 1929-7114 (print) ISSN N0: 1929-7122 (online) Landscape Alberta Board of Directors Brian Gibson, Green Drop Lawns Ltd., Chair Ken Ruddock, ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc. Cody Brown, Tree to Tree Nurseries Ltd. Jeff Oudyk, CSLA, AALA, JLG, Land Tec Landscape Contractors Ltd., Vice Chair

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Power Garden Group

John van Roessel, CLM, CLT, JVR Landscape (2006) Inc., Treasurer Matthew Chausse, Seasonal Impact Laura Watson, Finning Canada Adam Jansen, The Jansen Group Landscape Alberta Staff Joel Beatson, CAE, CLM,­­ CEO joel.beatson@landscape-alberta.com

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Open Book Management

Marnie Main, Member Services Director member.services@landscape-alberta.com Valerie Stobbe, Trade Show Coordinator valerie.stobbe@landscape-alberta.com Kyla Hardon, Communications Coordinator kyla.hardon@landscape-alberta.com Lisa Warner, Events & Relationship Coordinator lisa.warner@landscape-alberta.com Cheryl Teo, Bookkeeper accounting@landscape-alberta.com On the Cover WIlco Contractors SW Inc., 2019 Landscape Alberta Award of Excellence Winner and 2020 CNLA National Award of Landscape Excellence Winner Follow Our Social Media Instagram: @landscapealberta Twitter: @landscapeab

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A Look Back at Our Association

CALENDAR January 12 – 14, 2021 LO Congress Connect https://locongress.com

Facebook: @landscapealberta

GREEN FOR LIFE WINTER 2021 • 3

Industry and Association News

GISC 2020 Virtual – Great Success!

It was an exciting few days as our industry “gathered” for the live portion of GISC 2020 Virtual, November 18 - 20.

Over 1500 people logged in over the 3 days accounting for nearly 4500 views of the education sessions.

This year’s sessions were truly outstanding with wonderful, knowledgeable speakers presenting on topics that spanned the industry, from Landscape Site Photography, Team Leader Training and Gardening Motivations to Tropical Plants, Winter Planning Success and Research Updates. Something for everyone in horticulture. The All Access Pass includes on-demand replay of all the sessions so that the learning can keep going for the next two months.

In addition to conference sessions, our trade show was a wonderful experience offering attendees the opportunity to live chat with exhibitors and browse products and services virtually! Many missed the hugs of the traditional GISC, but appreciated the chance to connect.

A big thank you to all our attendees, speakers, exhibitors, and sponsors! We look forward to making next year just as big a success – hopefully in person once again!

Missed this year’s event? GISC 2020 Virtual is available on-demand. Visit www.greenindustryshow.com to purchase your replay pass for $100, good through January 21, 2021.

Be sure to mark your calendars for next year’s exciting event: GISC 2021, November 18 & 19, 2021. On behalf of the entire GISC team, we thank everyone for attending!

Expansion of CEBA The Government of Canada announced the expansion of the Canadian Emergency Business Account (CEBA).

Starting on Friday, December 4, 2020, eligible businesses facing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are able to access a second CEBA loan of up to $20,000 – on top of the initial $40,000 that was available to small businesses.

Half of this additional financing, up to $10,000, will be forgivable if the loan is repaid by December 31, 2022.

This means the additional loan effectively increases CEBA loans from the existing $40,000 to $60,000 for eligible businesses, of which a total of $20,000 will be forgiven if the balance of the loan is repaid on time.

As announced in the Fall Economic Statement, the application deadline for CEBA has also been extended to March 31, 2021.

To apply, eligible businesses and not-for-profits need to contact the financial institution that provided their initial CEBA loan and provide the appropriate information and documentation.

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Industry and Association News WHERE TO START: To get the help you need: 1 To help slow the spread of COVID-19 and safely reopen our economy, download the COVID Alert App. 2 Visit our government’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan website for information about supporting your employees and your business.

3 Contact your local financial institution. Since we know most small businesses have a relationship with their local financial institution already, we’ve worked with the financial sector to increase their lending capacity to support you in this challenging time.

They are an excellent first resource.

4 Consult the Canadian Business Resilience Network, a partnership between our government and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce to help your business prepare, persevere and prosper through this crisis.

“For any growers with greenhouses and transitioning to the new United States Canada Greenhouse-Grown Plant Certification Program (CGP), you now have until Sept 30, 2021 to complete that transition.”

• On November 1, 2020 CFIA updated its Compliance and Enforcement Policy There is no significant shift in policy direction between the 2015 Compliance and Enforcement Operational Policy and the new Compliance and Enforcement Policy. Rather, the policy has been revised to include changes such as the coming into force of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) and changes to Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs). Updates were also required to reflect the evolving nature of CFIA’s operating environment such as online services for regulated parties through My CFIA. I did review the new policy and there are no changes specific to nursery growing in Canada. This version does lay out the penalties available to CFIA for enforcement and the financial penalties for a violation with penalty ($1300-$15,000 for a business; $500-$1300 for an individual)

5 Check out the new PPE Supply Hub – Canadian businesses in need of personal protective equipment, and businesses looking to sell these supplies can go to this hub to connect.

6 Make the POST Promise to show employees and customers that you take COVID-19 prevention seriously by practicing key health and safety steps and maintain a safe workplace.

7 Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety – for a free online course to provide businesses with all the information they need to reopen safely.

Updates from CFIA • For any growers with greenhouses and transitioning to the new United States - Canada Greenhouse-Grown Plant Certification Program (CGP), you now have until Sept 30, 2021 to complete that transition. Facilities authorized under the legacy program will be able to continue shipments under the legacy program until the end of the new transition period.

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Industry and Association News Spring 2021 release of the third 49th Parallel Rose Aurora borealis the third rose to be introduced from CNLA and Vineland’s rose breeding partnership will be available in the market next spring.

This low maintenance, sunset pink rose measures one-metre in height with a one-metre spread and features black spot resistance and winter hardiness across Canada.

Garden Centres Canada Summit Plans are underway to hold an in-person Garden Centres Canada Summit in Edmonton on July 11-13, 2021.

Corey Bordine, our keynote speaker, is committed to attend, and efforts are ongoing to secure more speakers.

The event will include a full day each of interactive garden centre tours and presentations. Participants will get to share their experiences, be inspired and learn from each another.

Stay-tuned for more details and see you this summer!

Remote Learning is so Hot Right Now Fresh on the heels of GISC 2020 Virtual, there are several great opportunities for Landscape Alberta / Saskatchewan members to take advantage through the next several months.

1 Green Industry Show & Conference registration remains open for access to all sessions with an on-demand format. For $100 you can access all the great sessions to watch with you and your team. www.greenindustryshow.com 2 ICPI Online Learning ICPI has moved all their contractor course offerings to an online environment. Click the following link to view the list of courses: https://icpi.org/ installer-contractor-courses.

Landscape Alberta members will receive a 10% discount on all courses – visit the Members Only Section of our website to get the discount code 3 The Smart About Salt Council (SASC) is offering Landscape Alberta members a discount on their Canadian focused educational offerings.

• The “Essentials of Salt Management” via a unique registration opportunity ‘Landscape Alberta Sponsored’ at a reduced cost of three hundred and fifty dollars ($350) when the code 3KT5Z03E is applied.

• The “Refresher” course via a unique registration opportunity ‘Landscape Alberta Sponsored’ at a reduced cost of one hundred and fifty dollars ($150) when the code CHAKPSY2 is applied.

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5 Growers of Quality Nursery Stock:

Specimen Caliper Trees Pot-in-Pot Trees Specimen Evergreens Container Evergreens Container Shrubs Perennials Located 5 kms east of Strathmore, AB on Range Road 245

From a patch of prairie pasture to a vibrant, progressive industry leader, Eagle Lake Nurseries is proud of its success over the past 50 years. This success has been made possible due to the dedication of our founders, staff, customers and suppliers. We look forward to celebrating this milestone with all of you throughout 2020.

403-934-3670

1-866-805-5007 info@eaglelakenurseries.com eaglelakenurseries.com Calgary Office : 403-263-4200

Peter Krebs (Sales Manager) : 587-434-6638 Rob Veno (Northern AB) : 780-910-8402 David Schramm (Central AB) : 403-934-1276

Serving the Growing Community Since 1927

Along with the best quality of baskets available, we offer a full line of burlap, poly-cord strapping, & flagging tape.

The Professional Gardener®’s vast array of sizes ensure the perfect fit for all your needs.

We heavily stock all popular sizes ranging from 18” baskets right up to 70” baskets as well as appropriate liners. We not only carry the very popular forms but also the type A -25° cone baskets.

Tom Wright (Saskatchewan) : 306-921-7615

We at The Professional Gardener® have you completely covered from bud tip to root tip!

Foli-Gard® Anti-Desiccant GREEN FOR LIFE WINTER 2021 • 7

Industry and Association News

“The federal Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade has just announced a Revamped CanExport program that will provide up to $75k Funding to assist Small & Medium Enterprises (SME’s) to compete abroad.”

Nursery Export Development Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) like nursery farms can individually apply to the CanExport program for support with developing international sales. The CNLA AgriMarketing project is a different opportunity than CanExport, and continues despite restrictions on travel due to COVID, more to follow later this month on AgriMarketing.

The federal Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade has just announced a Revamped CanExport program that will provide up to $75k Funding to assist Small & Medium Enterprises (SME’s) to compete abroad. This program offers SMEs up to $75,000 in funding for specific types of expenses to explore new opportunities to sell their products and services outside of Canada. The new changes take into consideration the evolving activities businesses are investing in during the pandemic.

New Rent Subsidy now available Parliament has passed Bill C-9 at such a critical time for many retailers.

Bill C-9 is the legislation that includes the new Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) program, introduces the new Lockdown Support program, and extends the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) until June 2021.

Businesses who have suffered a revenue drop can apply for rent support with CERS through CRA’s online application form. Eligible retailers will receive a subsidy of up to 65%. Alternatively, businesses temporarily shut down by a mandatory public health order could get an additional 25% bump up to 90%.

For more information on these programs: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/subsidy/ emergency-rent-subsidy.html

SMEs and entrepreneurs can now apply for project funding toward the following business activities: • Ecommerce • Online advertising • Virtual trade shows CanExport Innovation also delivers funding support for companies to support the development of R&D partnerships in other countries to codevelop, validate or adapt technologies (e.g. IP protection, certification, shipping technology).

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GREEN FOR LIFE WINTER 2021 • 9

PHOTOS FROM

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GISC 2021, November 18 & 19, 2021.

On behalf of the entire GISC team, we thank everyone for attending!

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GISC 2020

Be sure to mark your calendars for next year’s exciting event:

The Power of Gratitude

BY JACKI HART

Gratitude is a change maker. It’s powerful and contagious.

Practicing gratitude can shift you from stressed to smiling or from floundering to grounded in the blink of an eye. What does gratitude have to do with your business and its’ prosperity?

Everything. Let me explain.

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The Power of Gratitude Most of us come and go through our days, weeks, months and seasons with a lot on our plates. Whether in high speed multi-tasking mode, or in high effectiveness hyper-focused mode or anywhere in between, we can easily skim over the ‘’obvious’ small incremental successes and swat them aside as ‘expected’ results – charging on ahead focused on the bigger goals.

Where the rubber starts to hit the road in the gratitude value department is when your multi tasking mode seems to never be enough to reach the end of your to do list, and the hyper focused mode just seems to put you farther behind on everything else. Sooner or later each year, most of us quietly wonder if its’ all worth the long days, drive thru diet and exhaustion.

I have many wonderful long-time colleagues whom have mentored me on the power of gratitude over the years. Some through sharing their self fulfillment and joy from Church activities, some through their strong religious faith, and others from stories of cherished family memories and business triumphs.

Gratitude: An Attitude of Choice 2018 for me was a full stop in the gratitude value lesson department. In 9 short months, l lost my beloved four-legged labradoodle ‘daughter’, both of my parents, and our chocolate labrador retriever. I had an important and tough choices to make. Either be consumed by deep deep grief, or be lifted up and comforted with huge gratitude for having had each of them in my life, until the last living breath of each of theirs. A tough choice. I chose gratitude. (I think that I’ve said ‘thank you’ more times in the past year than in the last 50) And it’s not yet let me down as a grounding force through really tough times.

When I reflect back on 25 years of highs and lows as a contractor business owner and the challenges that come with seasonal peaks, 20+ staff and a highly demanding wealthy clientele – I see the parallels of navigating crises – whether business or grief, no matter what the cause. My business for many years was ‘my child’. Sometimes making me laugh, shake my head in disbelief, curse in frustration and yes, it even brought me to tears on more than one occasion.

“When you’re grateful, truly deeply grateful, you FEEL better.

Giving thanks and expressing gratitude, whether silently to yourself, to a Deity, to a friend, child, parent, neighbour or co-worker – it’s powerful.”

The one thing that has always pulled me back to my feet was a good dusting of gratitude.

When you’re grateful, truly deeply grateful, you FEEL better. Giving thanks and expressing gratitude, whether silently to yourself, to a Deity, to a friend, child, parent, neighbour or co-worker – it’s powerful. When you tell someone that you’re truly grateful for the impact or contribution they’ve made toward you, they’ll feel better. They’ll feel more grounded, appreciated. They’re then more likely to ‘Pass it on’.

It’s contagious.

A Culture of Gratitude What if….. at every training session, every staff meeting, and at the start of YOUR day, there was an open invitation and routine to express gratitude? What if your staff had a weekly chance to thank someone on the team for something that happened the week before they’re grateful for? What if you paused each morning with family, or on the way to work, to tell someone (or the universe) what you’re grateful for? What if you and your team focused more on resonating from a place of gratitude? I think it would be powerful, and spill into the experience of your customers in measurable ways.

I’m truly grateful for many things, including the wonderful spirit of community for mutual improvement in my Peer Network. I’m grateful for their accolades as their Network leader and facilitator. I’m also grateful for the high return on investment my clients report that I bring to them through my business coaching work. I’m grateful for cherished memories, and to be the living legacy of my parents’ character and values.

As we look ahead to 2019, and each work hard to take ourselves to our own next level, I’d like to nudge each of my readers to take a moment this month to think about gratitude, what you’re grateful for, and how you could each leverage its’ power to be your foundation for a better, stronger you next year.

With best wishes for many things to be grateful for in the year ahead.

Reprinted with permission from Consulting by Hart.

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Power Garden Group

Eagle Lake Professional Landscape Supply About the Power Garden Group We got involved with the Power Garden group last year when we discovered they were growing food for the Calgary Food Bank close to our store location in SE Calgary. Power (Projects Organized with Energetic Retirees) have been growing veggies at the TransAlta Janet substation since 1999 and had to relocate their garden at that site due to a building development.

To make a long story short we were approached by John Holmes, the fulltime garden volunteer of the group, and asked for some help in the supply of compost to get the new garden ready. John is quite the character and together with his

sidekick Fred Ritter, we looked at how we could help out this group that were doing so much good work in the community.

We donated a few truckloads of compost and went down for harvest day last fall and were amazed by how well-organized the group was and how much produce they were loading onto the awaiting Calgary Food Bank trucks.

The Food Bank has shipped over 407,670lbs of fresh produce all around the province grown by the Power Gardeners since 1999. Last year’s harvest went as far north as Edmonton and south as far as Medicine Hat, helping those who need it most.

The more we got to the know the team of volunteers involved, the more we

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discussed how we could partner with the group and offer whatever help they needed. What started as a rough plan last winter resulted in the recent harvest day at our sod farm east of Strathmore as we all chipped in to load around 23,000lbs of potatoes, beets, carrots, zucchini and squash into our BigYellowBags for delivery to the Calgary foodbank.

The Get Growing Garden is located on an acre that we previously used to grow putting green sod, and has had over 40 volunteers ploughing, sowing, weeding and gardening there throughout the summer. In a season that started out with so much uncertainty back in the Spring, the Get Growing Garden has been a real joy for our organization to be involved with.

Power Garden Group Eagle Lake Professional Landscape Supply

“Eagle Lake Professional Landscape Supply have been Landscape Alberta member for many years, and feel it’s important to support the industry and highlight the many successes happening around Alberta.”

Anyone that knows Eagle Lake Professional Landscape Supply’s President Eric Heuver around Strathmore won’t be too surprised to see the company offering support to a growing initiative, and he was out with the rest of the crew on harvest day picking vegetables.

John, Fred and the rest of the volunteers have worked together with Eric and our farm manager Tyler Walker throughout the summer and the big focus now will be how to increase the yield for next season.

The Power Gardeners have been nominated for a Community Spirit Award this year and will hopefully be recognized for what a humble and happy group of retirees can teach us all

about philanthropy, generosity of spirit and contributing to your community.

Questions from the Association LA: What is your Landscape Alberta background?

Eagle Lake Professional Landscape Supply have been Landscape Alberta member for many years, and feel it’s important to support the industry and highlight the many successes happening around Alberta.

LA: What are the roadblocks and successes of such an initiative?

As a company, we are very proud to be associated with this initiative, and our team here at Eagle Lake Professional

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Landscape Supply has become really motivated to support such a dedicated team of volunteers. As growers ourselves, their continued successes have both impressed and energized our team.

LA: Are there any other projects that you have been involved in?

We currently support two other community vegetable gardens in Calgary who donate all their produce to the Calgary Food Bank, and we have been a supporter of the Calgary Children’s Foundation through our Big Yellow Bag program for almost 10 year now.

LA: How was your 2020 season?

The 2020 season was challenging in many ways, but ended up being a very busy season for us.

Open Book Management

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” - Steve Jobs Open Book Management (OBM) is the philosophy that businesses will experience greater success by sharing relevant financial and operational information with every employee. It’s the practice of communicating with people via the numbers. Employees receive information that not only helps them do their jobs well but gives them an understanding of how the company is doing as a whole. According to John Case, who coined the phrase “open book management”, “a company performs best when its people see themselves as partners in the business rather than as hired hands”. The intent is to give employees relevant information about the company so they can make better decisions as workers. This information includes, but is not limited to, revenue, profit, cost of goods sold, cash flow and expenses.

Open Book Management involves four basic practices: • Train employees so they become business literate and can understand financial statements • Empower employees to use the information to improve efficiency and profit • Trust employees as business partners on equal footing • Reward employees fairly for the company’s success.

John Stack, who is likely the most successful advocate of OBM, says, “the more people know about a company, the better that company will perform. This is an iron-clad rule. You will always be more successful in business by sharing information with the people you work with than by keeping them in the dark.” He uses three basic principles in his management practice called The Great Game of Business1. His basic rules for OBM are: 1 Know and Teach the Rules: Every employee should be given the measures of business success and taught to understand them 2 Follow the Action & Keep Score: Every employee should be expected and enabled to use their knowledge to improve performance 3 Provide a Stake in the Outcome: Every employee should have a direct stake in the company’s success and in the risk of failure Similarly, John Case made sense of open book management with three main points2: 1 The company should share finances as well as critical data with all employees 2 Employees are challenged to move the numbers in a direction that improves the company 3 Employees share in the company prosperity.

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Open Book Management

“People have to see the Big Picture. They have to know what they are doing, why it’s important, where they are going, and how business is helping them get there.”

There are significant advantages to OBM. Employees gain an accurate financial picture and feel a greater sense of investment and responsibility for the success of the company. OBM encourages employees to look for ways to improve efficiency, increase profit and avoid mistakes. It teaches them to think and act like business owners. It encourages opportunities to celebrate successes. It allows staff to become better decision-makers in their jobs because they know and understand the bigger picture. And it builds consensus and teamwork.

Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch contends workers in an open-book setting “feel a greater sense of ownership and urgency, often sparking improvements in processes and productivity” when they know what they are up against. As such, the mentality that they are all in the business effort together can serve as a jump-start of innovation and teamwork.

In order to become an open-book company, the owner needs to understand the numbers. This can be a deterrent to open-book management if the owner does not have a clear understanding of the numbers. It can be embarrassing for the owner to admit that they don’t have a strong understanding of the company financials, but this is also an easy fix and should not be a reason to dismiss OBM. It can also be overwhelming to think about implementing OBM in your business. When implementing the system, it should be broken down into smaller, achievable goals that should be celebrated when reached. This keeps momentum and keeps everyone engaged.

Some business owners will be afraid of sharing too much financial information with the staff. However, Jack Stack explains that “a company of owners will outperform a company of employees any day of the week. We do everything we can to instill the habits of ownership in people, and to encourage them to think and act like owners.

But people will only think like owners if they have a larger purpose, if they’re not just working for a pay cheque. You can’t turn employees into owners simply by letting them choose their hours or paint their work areas. People have to see the Big Picture. They have to know what they are doing, why it’s important, where they are going, and how business is helping them get there.”

If you’re interested in implementing OBM, there are a few things you can do: • Hire a professional to help with the process • Teach your staff about business finances before handing them any financial statements

• Make the education fun and practical.

• Keep the financials summarized to revenue, labour, equipment, materials, subcontractors, overhead and profit. If possible, get industry averages to compare to your local area and type of work • Communicate the WHY to your staff For more information on OBM or how to implement it at your company, feel free to contact me.

The best argument for open-book management is this: the more educated your workforce is about the company, the more capable it is of doing the little things required to get better.

Stack, J. (1992). The Great Game of Business. New York, Currency Doubleday.

Case, J. (1995). Open-book Management: The coming business revolution.

New York, HarperCollins.

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