Green for Life May/June 2017

A Landscape Alberta Nursery Trades Association member publication

2016 Landscape Awards Life in Colour

May/June 2017 Vol. 5, No. 3

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CALENDAR

Advancing the professional landscape industry.

MANAGING EDITOR | Joel Beatson PRODUCTION & EDITING | Kyla Hardon ADVERTISING | Erynn Watson Landscape Alberta Green for Life is a professional publication for the landscape trade in Alberta.

Editorial and Advertising Landscape Alberta 200, 10331 - 178 Street NW Edmonton, AB T5S 1R5 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.

ISSN No: 1929-7114 (print) ISSN N0: 1929-7122 (online)

May 5, 2017 City of Edmonton Arbor Day Gold Bar Park, Edmonton, AB www.edmonton.ca

May 8-10, 2017 Grey to Green Conference Toronto, ON www.greytogreenconference.org May 10-11, 2017 Skills Canada Alberta Provincial Competition Northlands Expo Centre, Edmonton, AB www.skillsalberta.com June 1-3, 2017 Skills Canada National Competition RBC Convention Centre, Winnipeg, MB www.skillscompetencescanada.com June 17-19, 2017 Garden Days www.gardendays.ca For a full list of industry events, visit: www.landscape-alberta.com/?page_id=404

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. John van Roessel, CLM, CLT, JVR Landscape (2006) Inc., Treasurer Keith Plowman, K Plowman Contracting Ltd. Laura Watson, Finning Canada Adam Jansen, The Jansen Group Landscape Alberta Staff Joel Beatson, CAE, CLM, Executive Director joel.beatson@landscape-alberta.com Marnie Main, Member Services Director member.services@landscape-alberta.com Erynn Watson, Events Coordinator erynn.watson@landscape-alberta.com Valerie Stobbe, Trade Show Coordinator valerie.stobbe@landscape-alberta.com Kyla Hardon, Communications Coordinator kyla.hardon@landscape-alberta.com Cheryl Teo, Bookkeeper accounting@landscape-alberta.com

On the Cover Terra Landscaping Ltd., 2016 Landscape Award of Excellence Winer. Edmonton Federal Building, Nedlaw Living Walls 2016 Landscape Awards, Page 9 Life in Colour, 14

Follow us on Twitter @landscapeab Like us on Facebook @landscapealberta Follow us on Instagram @landscapealberta Green for Life May/June 2017 I 3

Industry and Association News...

Federal Budget Highlights After a delay, Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau unveiled a largely status quo budget as the Liberal government attempts to prepare for policy changes in the U.S. Among the announcements that could impact employers were an option for parents to receive EI parental benefits over an extended period of up to 18 months at a lower benefit rate of 33 per cent of average weekly earnings. EI parental benefits would continue to be available at the existing benefit rate of 55 per cent over a period of up to 12 months.

Centre for his keen involvement in development of the Canadian Landscape Standard. The third recipient was Phil Paxton from Alpha Better Landscaping Inc. for his role in bringing the Canadian Landscape Standard to life. The last award went to Anita Heuver from Eagle Lake Nurseries Ltd. for her massive effort in the Bill 6 consultation process. The Executive Choice Award recognizes members who have demonstrated dedication to helping the association grow and achieve its long-term goals.

For employers, a review of maternity and parental top up policies would make sense as the extended period at the lower rate could have an impact on the top up amounts.

Employer costs for these leaves could increase as a result of this change.

Canadians can expect to see a five-cent increase in EI premium rates in fiscal 2018 -19, up to $1.68 per $100 of insurable earnings, with some of that additional premium being used to fund expanded access to benefits.

In addition, the budget did not include a tax on employersponsored health and dental benefit premium.

Gloria Beck presented long-time colleague and friend, Tony Heuver, with the Lifetime Member award for all his years of dedicated service to the association and to our industry. It is beyond well-deserved and long overdue. Congratulations to Tony!

Landscape Awards Presentation Our annual Landscape Awards Presentation and Dinner was held March 8 at the Telus Spark Centre in Calgary. This year there were four recipients of the Executive Choice Award. The first went to Ron Oudyk from Land Tec Landscape Contractors Ltd. for his commitment to raising professionalism in the industry through his support of the apprenticeship program, Ronald McDonald House, and Skills Canada Alberta. The second award went to Jack Payne, from Classic Landscape

The Landscape Awards program received a record 53 entries this year, with 39 awards presented. Congratulations to Alpha Better Landscaping Inc., Earthlings Inc., Homescapes Complete Landscape Construction, Julia's Alpine Garden, Landform Inc., Modern Earth Landscaping Ltd., Park Landscaping Ltd., Planta Landscape Inc., Solid Landscape Construction & Design Inc., Surface Pro Services, Terra Landscaping Ltd. ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc. and Year-Round Landscaping Inc.

Thank you to our 2017 Spring Workshop Sponsors!

Thank you to our 2017 Awards Night Reception Sponsors!

4 I Green for Life May/June 2017

See photos of the award winning projects on pages 9-13.

We would also like to congratulate those companies whose award-winning entries have been nominated for the 2017 National Awards of Landscape Excellence: • Landform Inc. – Lamb Residence • Modern Earth Landscaping Ltd. – Donnelly Residence • ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc. – Slywka Residence • Year-Round Landscaping Inc. – Chow Commercial Building • Terra Landscaping Ltd. – Nedlaw Living Wall, Edmonton Federal Building • Alpha Better Landscaping Inc. – Legacy Phase 1, Storm Ponds and Entry Congratulations to all of the winners!

Thank you to our Landscape Award Sponsors

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Announce details for the Alberta Greenhouse Rebate Program (AGRP) The Alberta Government has made available the details of the proposed rebate on the carbon levy. As previously announced this applies only to greenhouses heated with natural gas or propane, and only for eligible production area. Submission of Applications will be accepted during the following application submission dates: • • • •

July 1, 2017 – August 15, 2017 January 1, 2018 – February 15, 2018 July 1, 2018 – August 15, 2018 January 1, 2019 – February 15, 2019

To apply, a grower must fill out the application form, including a calculation for eligible fuel use. Provide invoices for natural gas or propane for the application period and complete a mandatory producer survey. Forms can be submitted by email or regular mail as per the application.

To be eligible, you must have a commercial greenhouse in Alberta with sales of eligible crops exceeding $20,000 in the 12-month period prior to application. Eligible crops include vegetables, fruits, bedding plants, cut flowers, ornamental plants, tree seedlings, medicinal plants and other plants grown in commercial greenhouses. For further information, please contact Alberta Agriculture at 310-FARM (3276) or agrp@gov.ab.ca Ninth Edition of Canadian Nursery Stock Standard Now Available!

Originally published in 1967 as a guide to minimum production standards for nursery stock, the Canadian Nursery Stock Standard continues to be one of the industry’s most-referenced

documents. The Standard is reviewed regularly to ensure that it is consistent with modern production and marketplace practices. Under the guidance of the Nursery Stock Standard Committee, this current revision is the result of two years of work involving nursery growers with various production proficiencies and representing all production types and geographic regions of Canada. The revision process also included consultation with various user group organizations from across Canada, including landscape architects and municipalities.

Noted chair Brett Mattson (Mattson Tree Farms), the Committee acknowledges the efforts of all nursery grower participants, and extends thanks to the committee members of Bart Brusse (Sheridan Nurseries), Aaron Krahn (Lakeshore Tree Farms) and Harold Voogd (Sunstar Nurseries). “We are especially grateful to our committee members and editors Arnold Heuver and Dr. Glen Lumis for their many hours spent to review and incorporate changes and even to contribute to the new and improved format. Their efforts were above and beyond the high standards we have come to expect from our many dedicated volunteers.”

It is the intent of the Committee that this ninth edition will be a living document, allowing for changes and edits to be made as necessary. The Canadian Nursery Stock Standard will therefore be available as a downloadable .PDF document only. Download it at: http://bit.ly/2oyOlwE. New Certified Landscape Manager Manuals The national Professional Development Committee thought that the Landscape Industry Certified Manager manuals needed a refresh from when they were last edited in 2006. All seven manuals for: Corporate Financial Management, Technical – Exterior Landscaping or Interior Landscaping, Marketing and Sales Management, Leadership and Corporate Citizenship, Innovation, Strategic, Business and Succession Planning, Risk/Law/Contract/ Government, and Human Resource Management all were updated. Not to worry, the written exams have not changed – as the testable content is still relevant. The manuals themselves have been changed to include better diagrams, updated information, and an improved layout. Order yours today – http://cnla-acpp.ca.

150 Garden Experiences Highlighted for Canada's 150 In March, CNLA sponsored the Canada 150 Garden Experience awards that were given out during the North American Garden Tourism conference in Toronto, Ontario. Each of the 150 experiences were highlighted as "garden ways" to celebrate Canada's birthday year. CNLA encourages everyone to view the list and take part in as many as you can!

Included in the 150, were Parkland Nurseries and Garden, the International Peace Garden in Manitoba, Sheridan Nurseries, the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens and School of Horticulture, Pink Days in Bloom fundraising events, and 145 more. View the full list at www.gardencouncil.ca/150-2017-winners.php.

Green for Life May/June 2017 I 5

Company Accreditation gets green light The CNLA Board of Directors has approved the Landscape Industry Accredited Company designation, an international program offered by CNLA and the National Association of Landscape Professionals. This program recognizes lawn and landscape companies for their commitment to excellence. Accredited companies focus on certification as a cornerstone of their business practices, conduct their business affairs responsibly, value community and customer relations, and maintain high standards of workmanship and environmental stewardship in residential and commercial settings.

October 15, 2017 in Jacques Cartier Park, a National Capital Commission park, partner of the project.

Contact CNLA's Jason Young for more information: jason@cnla-acpp.ca.

The mosaïculture structures will celebrate Canadian Confederation, the Founding Peoples, the First Nations and our Canadian Heritage

City of St-Albert Gardener in Laval QC Preparing Wild Rose for MosaiCanada 150 Gatineau 2017 MosaiCanada 150/Gatineau 2017, a Canada 150 project funded by Canadian Heritage, the Government of Quebec and the Ville de Gatineau, will be held from July 1 to

The project, under the leadership of Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montreal, consists of creating mosaïculture artworks as a major attraction/event to celebrate Canada’s 150th Anniversary.

Wayne McCutcheon, volunteer gardener from St. Albert in preparing the Wild Rose that will represent Alberta at the Exhibit in Gatineau and will be displayed in St. Albert in 2018 Gardeners from across Canada are at work in greenhouses of Ferme d’Auteuil located at 3185 Avenue des Perron, Laval Québec, the flowers in the mosaïculture artwork representing their respective province or territory.

Growers of Quality Nursery Stock:

Specimen Caliper Trees Pot-in-Pot Trees Specimen Evergreens Container Evergreens Container Shrubs Perennials

403 - 934 - 3670

1 - 866 - 805 - 5007 sales@eaglelakenurseries.com eaglelakenurseries.com Located 5 kms east of Strathmore, AB on Range Road 245 6 I Green for Life May/June 2017

Mosaïculture is a most spectacular horticultural technique that combines the following different art forms: • sculpture for the structure, • paint for the palette of colours, and • horticulture as the means of creating living and changing artworks with plants.

• Mosaïculture structures representing the provinces and territories of Canada: these mosaïculture artworks have been designed in consultation with each province and territory.

After the exhibition, the structures will return in their province or territory to be displayed in 2018.

The theme of the Gatineau exhibit will reflect 150 years of history, values, culture and arts in Canada, represented by some 40 different structures. Admission to theMOSAÏCANADA 150/Gatineau 2017 exhibit in Jacques-Cartier Park will be free.

Member Profile: Grasschopper Landscaping Ltd. Grasschopper Landscaping Inc. is a landscape construction and maintenance company in Edmonton. We spoke to owner, Trevor Ross, on the importance of creating a strong company culture and staff retention.

Landscape Alberta: Tell us about Grasschopper and how your business got its start.

Trevor Ross: In the summer of 2001, at age 19, I founded Grasschopper Landscaping after my first year at University. I received a $3,500 loan from the BDC to purchase some lawn maintenance equipment, bought some signage and flyer advertising, and fortunately had the use of my parent’s old beat up truck. I hired a friend of my mine and we did residential spring clean ups and mowed lawns all summer. At the time it was a great summer job where I was self-employed and helped me to work my way through a B.Comm at the University of Alberta. We slowly grew over the next few years, hiring more staff and adding services such as residential softscape and hardscape landscaping, fences and decks. After taking a year off school to travel and weigh my future options, I applied to and was accepted into the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta. Shortly before the semester began I changed my mind and decided to instead pursue growing Grasschopper further, a very difficult choice at the time and quite a risk. Over the past 15 years I have continued to take calculated risks, and from this we have experienced consistent growth by increasing our service lines, expanding into new markets, and continually challenging ourselves to push further and be better. We now have a crew of over 50 year-round staff.

LA: Building a strong company culture is important for a business’s success. How has your companies culture got you to where you are today?

TR: An incredible company culture is our greatest competitive advantage by a longshot, and has been key to every facet of Grasschopper's success. I have always maintained a focus on integrity, respect, and positivity at the work place, and this same attitude is reflected back by our entire team.

Focusing on these ideals are great starting point, but a mantra alone is enough to achieve an incredible company culture, the company must do more to really set itself apart. For the first 11 years of Grasschopper, we had a very healthy culture, but only average success. It wasn't until 4 years ago that we did something to start getting some real traction. It was something I had heard of, but never tried because I thought it was something that only big, rich, or highly sophisticated companies did - a work retreat.

In 2011, the year before our first retreat, we encountered a very challenging season. While sales soared, and we generally worked well as a team, profits were virtually non-existent, and team morale was the lowest in our 10 year history. Something had to be done to turn the ship around, or we would risk losing everything we had built up until this point. I hired a facilitator to engage our managers and foremen in our first SWOT analysis, except this SWOT analysis was entirely inner focused.

We created a short list of what we did well, and a worryingly long list of what we didn't do so well. We spent many hours Green for Life May/June 2017 I 7

identifying goals to work on, then ventured out on a 3 day 2 night retreat to the mountains. Our team of young landscapers were doing what the 'Big Companies' did, and it was the best investment I ever made. We recognized our previous year's struggles, and came together to create solutions. Everybody contributed and bought into what Team Grasschopper was trying to accomplish. This annual retreat provided a turbo boost to our company culture, sense of teamwork, and success in achieving our goals. Since the inception of our annual retreat, our company truly has been growing in leaps and bounds, every year since we have exceeded our own expectations. We maintain this culture by continuing to pursue new team building ideas such as a Slo-Pitch Team (The Dirt Digglers), our annual Grasschopper Landscaping Awards Ceremony (The Choppies), and other fun BBQs, paintball outings, etc. This, combined with the ‘every employee is worth more than the bottom line’ perspective has been key to success.

LA: Retention is something a lot of companies in our industry struggle with. How does Grasschopper deal with employee retention and seasonal work?

TR: Our strong culture not only is the foundation of our success but also the primary driver of high employee retention. We invest heavily in staff training, team building events, and regular communication exercises. I have also learned that as important as it is to have the right people on the bus, it’s also very important to ensure the wrong people aren’t on the bus.

Though we are in a seasonal business, we also offer snow removal services in the winter, primarily to maintain the consistent employment of key staff.

LA: Grasschopper participates in industry training programs, such as Landscape Industry Certified programs. Why are programs like this important to your business and our industry as a whole?

TR: There are several reasons for this type of ongoing training.

Most importantly, investing the time and money in each individual staff member’s training and growth communicates to them that they are an important part of the team, more important than tunnel vision on the bottom line. Secondly, I believe that any training actually improves that worker’s performance, so it’s not only an investment in a person, but also an investment in their future knowledge and therefore production. They can also share that training with others, creating not only stronger individuals but a stronger team as a whole.

Your complete source for landscape supplies CONTRACTOR ORDER DESKS Fort McMurray: (780) 799-3757 Edmonton: (780) 466-5216 Red Deer: (403) 309-0600 North Calgary: (403) 274-7466 South Calgary: (587) 227-3231 (403) 305-7450 Lethbridge: (403) 327-0808 Bulk Products | Paving Stones | Retaining Walls | Natural Stone Outdoor Furnishings | Lighting | Packaged Products Pond Supplies | Tools | Landscape Fabric 8 I Green for Life May/June 2017

LA: Why Landscape Alberta? What do you see as the most valuable part of being a member of our association?

TR: I believe any company would receive great benefit by being a part of their trade organization. I’ve found Landscape Alberta to have a very dedicated staff who are very dedicated to serving their members. They have the budget, resources, and mandate to promote landscape industry interests that a singular company could not do on their own. I find the most valuable part of being a member of Landscape Alberta are quite simply the variety of new and innovative programs they offer on an ongoing basis.

2016 Landscape Awards The Landscape Awards program received a record breaking number of entries in 2015 with 53 projects being entered. After two days of judging, 29 Awards of Merit and 10 Awards of Excellence were given. The 2016 Landscape Awards were presented at the annual Landscape Awards Night held at Telus Spark Centre in Calgary.

The Landscape Awards Program The Landscape Awards reflect the association's commitment to creating and preserving the beauty of the urban landscape.

The program is also designed to reward independent landscape contracting professionals who execute top quality landscape projects.

We would like to thank this year’s volunteer judges for taking their assignment seriously and giving so generously of their time and expertise.

The Landscape Awards program has four main objectives: • Encourage landscape contractors to be the best in their field • Provide a marketing opportunity to those companies that receive an award • Encourage a company’s employees to aspire to excellence • Provide an opportunity to compete in the National Awards of Landscape Excellence

Julia Todorova, Julia’s Alpine Garden Adele Goodwin, Earthworm Landscape Design Co. Ltd Christian Houle, Terra Landscaping Ltd. Andrew Heighton, JVR Landscape (2006) Inc. John van Roessel, JVR Landscape (2006) Inc. Ken Ruddock, ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc. Cara Pagnucco, Sunnyside Greenhouses Ltd. Gord Koch, Olds College We would also like to give a special thank you to Expocrete Concrete Products, Manderley Turf Products Inc., Eagle Lake Nurseries Ltd. and Finning Canada for being prize sponsors for the 2015 Landscape Awards. Top honours went to ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc., Terra Landscaping Ltd., Year-Round Landscaping Inc. and Landform Inc. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners!

Members can enter projects into nine different categories covering construction, maintenance and design. Each entry is evaluated using a set of criteria; the submissions are not judged against each other. There are two award levels: a Merit Award goes to an entry that earns 70-84 points, and an Excellence Award goes to an entry earning 85 or more points. Entries that achieve Excellence status are eligible to be selected for the National Awards of Landscape Excellence, a Canada-wide program developed by the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association.

From left to right: Brian Brooker of Expocrete Concrete Products presenting an award to Tyler Grant of Landform Inc.; Laura Watson of Finning Canada presenting her award to Riley Mills from ULS Maintenance and Landscaping Inc.;Arnold van de Ligt of Manderley Turf Products Inc. presenting an award to Christian Houle of Terra Landscaping Ltd.; and, Anita Heuver of Eagle Lake Nurseries Ltd. presenting an award to Badee Joma from Year-Round Landscaping Inc.

Green for Life May/June 2017 I 9

Merit

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1. Homescapes Complete Residential Landscaping Bruchet Residence Residential Landscape Construction under $50 k 2. Solid Landscape Construction & Design Inc. Ramirez Residence Residential Landscape Construction under $50 k 3. Julia's Alpine Garden Small Space Functions Residential Landscape Construction under $50 k 4. Park Landscaping Ltd. Samson Residential Landscape Construction under $50 k 5. ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc. Cummings Residence Residential Landscape Construction under $50 k 6. Earthlings Inc. McFadyen Residential Landscape Construction under $50 k 7. Year-Round Landscaping Inc. Bacon Residence Residential Landscape Construction over $50 k 8. Homescapes Complete Residential Landscaping Virtue Residence Residential Landscape Construction over $50 k 9. Surface Pro Services Cusano-Simpson Residence Residential Landscape Construction over $50 k 10. Earthlings Inc. Bettger Residence Residential Landscape Construction over $50 k 10 I Green for Life May/June 2017

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11. ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc. Mitchell Residence Residential Landscape Construction over $50 k 12. Landform Inc. Barker Residence Residential Landscape Construction over $50 k

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13. Year-Round Landscaping Inc. Senyk Residence Residential Landscape Features 14. Homescapes Complete Residential Landscaping Artesia Show Home Parade Commercial Landscape Construction $100-$500 k

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15. Year-Round Landscaping Inc. Connaught Off-Leash Park Commercial Landscape Construction $100-$500 k 16. Year-Round Landscaping Inc. Elbow Discovery Ridge Riverbank Stabilization Project Commercial Landscape Construction over $500 k

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17. Alpha Better Landscaping Ltd. Auburn Bay Phase 44 MR Commercial Landscape Construction over $500 k 18. ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc. Evans Residence Maintenance – Residential

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19. ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc. The Tudors Maintenance - Multi Unit Residential 20. Alpha Better Landscaping Ltd. Heartland Phase 1 Commercial Maintenance

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Merit

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21. ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc. Baramy Investments Ltd. Commercial Maintenance

22. Terra Landscaping Ltd. Glynn Residence Green Walls/Green Roofs 23. Terra Landscaping Ltd. Jasper Activity Centre Green Walls/Green Roofs 24. Terra Landscaping Ltd. Parkland School Division Green Walls/Green Roofs 25. Terra Landscaping Ltd. St. Peter School Green Walls/Green Roofs 26. Landform Inc. Styner Residence Residential Landscape Design 27. Julia's Alpine Garden Family Paradise Residential Landscape Design 28. Planta Landscape Inc. Alford Residence Residential Landscape Design 29. ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc. Heuver Residence Residential Landscape Design

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Excellence

30. Earthlings Inc. McCarthy Residence Residential Landscape Construction over $50 k

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31. Year-Round Landscaping Inc. Herman Residence Residential Landscape Construction over $50 k 32. Landform Inc. Lamb Residence Residential Landscape Construction over $50 k

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33. Modern Earth Landscaping Ltd. Donnelly Residence Residential Landscape Construction over $50 k 34. ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc. Slywka Residence Residential Landscape Construction over $50 k 35. Year-Round Landscaping Inc. Flanagan Residence Residential Landscape Features

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36. Year-Round Landscaping Inc. Chow Commercial Building Commercial Landscape Construction under $100 k 37. Alpha Better Landscaping Ltd. Auburn Station Commercial Landscape Construction over $500 k

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38. Alpha Better Landscaping Ltd. Legacy Phase 1 - Storm Ponds and Entry Commercial Maintenance 39. Terra Landscaping Ltd. Edmonton Federal Building, Nedlaw Living Walls Green Walls/Green Roofs Green for Life May/June 2017 I 13

Life in Colour By Ryan Williams Do you remember the days when television streamed from a black-and-white box and only in living rooms? While beloved classic shows like “I Love Lucy” still have a place today, few people would want to live without technologies that have made our world so much more interesting and colourful.

Color has long been used to coordinate, contrast and depict emotion inside our homes. Thanks to innovative technologies, you can also use color in light to create the same effect outdoors by designing themed landscapes, accentuating architectural details and creating unforgettable moments around a home.

Before you leap into installing color changing fixtures, let’s take a closer look at what exactly constitutes a color. Any color of light is a combination of three factors: hue, saturation and value (or intensity).

Hue Hue is the primary attribute of any color. Its full range is typically seen on a visible light spectrum, or color wheel. The order of the color should take you back to first grade when you learn the common acronym ROY-G-BIV - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. LEDs can create each of these colors and various others in between, by combining three colored LEDs: red, green and blue. Together, they form the common industry initialism for color-changing lights, RGB. 14 I Green for Life May/June 2017

Saturation In the lighting industry, saturation is the second most important element of color because it allows a user to soften colors and reduce the harshness of extreme hues. Saturation is made possible by adding a white LED to the RGB mix. Thus, true color consists of at least four colors: red, green, blue and white (or RGBW).

Intensity The final member of the color trilogy is value, or the measurable amount of brightness, often referred to as intensity. Today, only a few RGBW color manufacturers have production on the marketplace that can adjust the color and intensity throughout the evening or for a specific event. With built in intelligence and unique controls, they allow you to increase the intensity during the evening hours when light is needed, then decrease it during the early morning hour to conserve energy and provide security lighting. Intensity complements any RGB or RGBW site.

Now that our color knowledge is up to speed, let's take a look at what is available in the marketplace. Consider the following four categories before selecting a color changing product: capability, control, setup and quality.

Capability Before looking at options, consider typical events often celebrated. Among people’s favorites are Christmas (two

Control After the excitement of having a “new toy” wears off, simplicity of the control is the determining factor of how often a homeowner or property manager will use the system. Remotes are nice but disappear easily, especially in one’s backyard. A wall switch is more suitable for older homeowners because the swift is permanently installed and easily accessible. On-wire control accompanies less expensive fixtures, but it is not convenient for site with more than 12 fixtures. Smart devices are always within reach, so if you are looking for the ultimate control experience, choose a control method available on the Apple and/or Android platforms.

Setup After the type of control is selected, decide what is being controlled; all fixtures globally, each fixture individually, fixed runs or custom configuration. Larger sites with 30+ fixtures require flexibility to set up custom scenes to vary colors as well as intensities (think red/white/blue for patriotic holidays). Smaller jobs can often settle for the simpler approach with all lights limited to the same color. Beware of systems limited to individual fixture control only; it is an extremely time-consuming process and can be frustrating.

to creating lasting memories for homeowners in all of their favorite colors.

Ryan Williams is the product marketing manager for FX Luminaire, a division of Hunter industries. FX Luminaire is an industry-leading manufacturer of landscape and architectural lighting products with a focus on the advancement of LED technology and digital lighting control.

Reprinted with permission from Irrigation Today.

Photo Credit: ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc.

Hort Mart

colors), patriotic days (three colors), Halloween (two colors), Easter (three colors) and Valentine’s Day (three colors). Then, there are the colors of sports teams, local schools, weddings, etc. This list can expand quickly, which is why systems capabilities matter. A few colors might add variation; a limited system will complement major holidays, while a premium system offers endless possibilities.

Quality Before selecting color changing LEDs, consider first how well colors blend. Mixing three or four colors LED colors often lead to striations and “rainbow effects” on the surfaces in close proximity. The effect is usually not apparent on all the colors. Therefore, it is worthwhile to inspect various colors from multiple distances before making a final selection.

Now that you have your color-changing plan in place, look forward Green for Life May/June 2017 I 15

Non-Billable Time is Killing You

By Jeffrey Scott

Every service company has to make an assessment of how much unproductive non-billable time their crews will have in a year, and this in effect becomes part of their overhead.

Do you track this? If not, you are not alone. Many if not most companies do not track non-billable time and are not aware of just how large it is.

Last week, a member of one of my landscape peer groups emailed me and the group with the following discovery: "The last 2 years I started tracking all unbillable hours for our field labor to get the numbers for our new budgets this year.

Last year we used 25% as un-billable and after running the numbers found out we are actually at 33.9%. That is a difference of 8.9%. The difference for us works out to $30,335 in missed opportunity..."

But the math shows that his opportunity cost is much higher!

The gap in hours (the 8.9%) was 2159 hours. If you multiple that by his hourly wage he charges out you get $115,700. Imagine if you had an additional 115k in revenue, and the labor was already paid for? How much of that would fall to the bottom line? If those became productive hours, all you would have to pay for would be the materials, and some other variable costs.

Your fixed costs are covered, and even some of your variable costs would already be covered. The rest would be profit. Even if you could recover just half of that, it would be a nice lift to 16 I Green for Life May/June 2017

your bottom line.

The total opportunity gains are even higher: Because the more productive time you spend at a client’s property, the more customer satisfaction and goodwill you create, the more you build your brand, and the more you avoid your clients from hiring someone else to service their needs. To protect your clients from shopping elsewhere, the best defense is a good offense.

And there is more: Even if you charge your clients for travel time, you can still aim to decrease travel time and increase productive time spent at a clients location. This will make you more money and make your clients even happier!

Jeffrey’s Breakthrough Idea: Stop the madness; your nonbillable time may be killing you unless you focus on it directly.

How much profit is leaking out of your company?

• • •

Measure it, and start to manage it.

Utilize incentives so your crews are constantly brainstorming on how to reduce their non-billable time.

Join me at one of my all day workshops (listed below) to learn which incentive systems work best, and how to motivate your team to work more efficiently, go to: www.GrowYourLandscapeBusiness.com

Jeffrey Scott, MBA, author, business coach, hall-of-fame consultant, is the expert in growth and profit maximization in the lawn & landscape industry. He grew his company into a successful $10 million enterprise, and he's now devoted to helping others achieve profound success. Over 6000 read his monthly newsletter. To sign up go to www.jeffreyscott.biz . He facilitates the Leader’s Edge peer group for landscape business owners; his members achieved a 27% profit increase in their first year. To learn more visit www.GetTheLeadersEdge.com.

Welcome to our

New Members Fuzei Gardens & Tree Service Ltd. Edzard Teubert Box 1, Site 1, RR 1 Millarville, AB T0L 2K0 (403) 931-3817 edzard@fuzei.com www.fuzei.com Harder and Sons Exterior Maintenance Services Inc. Lowell Harder 7 Manyhorses Rise Redwood Meadows, AB T3Z 1A1 (403) 949-3442 lowell@exteriormaintenance.ca www.exteriormaintenance.ca Jackson and Jackson Landscaping Cameron Jackson 20 Sunvale Pl SE Calgary, AB T2X 2R8 (403) 256-9282 jacksonandjackson@shaw.ca www.jacksonandjacksonlandscaping.ca SOLKOR Ryan Demchuk 10 Heart Rise Lac des Arcs, AB T1W 2W3 (403) 493-9950 solkor.ca@gmail.com www.solkor.ca

Green for Life May/June 2017 I 17

Bruce Kay, 2008 Executive Choice Award

1979 Awards Banquet, Henry Heuver

Landscape Alberta Nursery Growers Auction, October 2006

78/79 Board of Directors. Back Row L-R: Wade Hartwell, Brian Smith, Al Bergsma, Ernie Purschke, Doug Berggren, Tony Heuver, Ted Lord. Front Row L-R: George Monson, Jim Wotherspoon, Gerald Law, Henry Heuver, Don Stumborg, Fred Landscape Alberta Golf Tournament Haddock, Hans Van Bredorode.

A look back at our association

2002 Landscape Industry Certified Exam at Olds College

2007 Green Industry Show & Conference

1983 Banff Convention, Eric Heuver

CNLA Summer Tour, August 2000 18 I Green for Life May/June 2017

1988 Arbor Day L-R: Tony Heuver, Mrs. Getty and Garry Johnson

The people in these photos have been identified to the best of our ability. If we have made an error or if you are able to identify someone in a photo, please email admin@landscape-alberta.com, so we can update our records.

IT PAYS TO DEMO A CAT. LITERALLY. ®

TRY A CAT COMPACT MACHINE AND WE’LL GIVE YOU $750 WHEN YOU BUY.

t ’ n o d u o y f i n E ve buy a C at!

FOR YOU - POUR VOUS

$

750

If you haven’t purchased a new Cat machine from Finning in the past 36 months, there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.

It’s as simple as: Q

Schedule and attend a Cat Compact demo at your local branch.

Q

Buy from Finning and you could get $750*, and as a member of a participating association get additional machine discounts.

Q

If you buy from a competitor, present us proof of purchase* and still get the $750!

To schedule your demo, call 1-855-743-7979 or visit finning.ca/DemoForDollars today.

*Some restrictions apply, including but not limited to the following: promotion applies only to purchases of new units from Finning or from a competitor, as approved by Finning in its reasonable discretion; available only to customers who have not purchased a new Caterpillar machine from Finning in the previous three years; applicable only to purchases in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan; to qualify, customer must schedule a demo with a Finning sales representative and attend the full demo session on the date scheduled; applicable to BCP machines only (Skid Steer, Compact Track Loader, Compact Wheel Loader, Multi-Terrain Loader, Mini-Excavator, Small Excavator or Small Wheel Loader); one $750 reward available per customer.

Promotion ends June 30, 2017 or earlier, if announced by Finning; quantities are limited; purchase must be made within 90 days of the demo date; if a competitor’s machine is purchased, customer must contact the Finning sales representative within 90 days of the demo visit and present original competitor’s sales invoice showing full price build-up, proof of delivery and any other information required by Finning.

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