The Scoop Online - December 2016

Controlling Unbillable Time

Also Inside

A Dynamic Trade Show Floor

Who Won What?!

Pruning Clips Planned Giving

CREATING A CULTURE OF RECRUITMENT Developing a pipeline of talent

Vol: 39 No: 12 Dec 2016 T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E M I N N E S O TA N U R S E R Y & L A N D S C A P E A S S O C I AT I O N

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Volume 39 No. 12 Dec 2016

CONTENTS 21

43 38

IN THIS ISSUE 9

Events

10 From the Executive Director The Importance of a Handwritten Thank-You Note

52

12 Who Won What?!

Alicia Munson, MNLA Government Affairs Director, provides an analysis of the 2016 election outcomes. 

15 How to Discover and Perfect Your Brand Story Do you know why your customers do business with you? Can you clearly articulate that in 30 seconds or less? 

21 Creating a Recruitment Culture Chad Haldeman explains how to build and maintain a pipeline of talent before you need to hire. 

28 12 Ideas to Implement on Your Landscaping Website Homepage Designing a great website is like creating a perfect outdoor space — both require deep insight about how the space will be used.  

38 Life Is Full… of Fungi Faith Appelquist tells us about the best friends trees have ever had.   

52 Controlling Unbillable Time Unbillable time is one of those things that is easy to hide, but controlling it is what makes good companies great.      Landscape & Hardscape Install & Design  Garden Services & Landscape Management  Garden Centers  Growers: Nursery & Greenhouse  Irrigation & Water Management  Arborists & Tree Services  All

19 Green Industry Leadership Institute 2017 is the year to invest in and develop the next leader in your business.

26 MDA Update Protect yourself by ensuring label-required PPE is worn during all pesticide applications.

36 “All Politics Is Local” Alicia Munson highlights the rise of municipal policymaking during 2016.

43 Pruning Clips Dr. Schutzki returns to discuss and illustrate pruning renovation.

50 Legal Issues: St. Paul Sick and Safe Leave Requirements Bryan Zlimen advises us on how the new ordinance could affect your business.

56 Planned Giving Dale Bachman asks you to consider purposeful philanthropy in support of the MNLA Foundation.

60 Northern Green 2017 The trade show will be more dynamic than ever at this year’s all-industry winter event!

The Scoop, December 2016, Issue 12, is issued monthly, 12 times per year. All original works, articles or formats published in The Scoop are © Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association, 2016, and may not be used without written permission of MNLA, 1813 Lexington Ave N., Roseville, MN 55113. Subscription price is $99 for one year, which is included with member dues. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Scoop, MNLA, 1813 Lexington Ave N., Roseville, MN 55113.

Editorial Contributions. You are invited to share your expertise and perspective. Article ideas and manuscripts should, whenever possible, reflect real and specific experiences. When submitting an article, please contact the publisher at jon@mnla.biz or 651-633-4987.

MNLA reserves the right to edit all Scoop content.

december 16

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AD LIST MINNESOTA NURSERY & LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION Successful Businesses Grow Here!

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MISSION: The mission of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association is to help members grow successful businesses.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

herman roerick, president

Central Landscape Supply 320-252-1601 • hermanr@centrallandscape.com

scott frampton, vice-president

Landscape Renovations 651-769-0010 • sframpton@landscaperenovations.com

tim malooly, cid, clia, cic, secretary-treasurer

A Top Notch Equipment ................................................................................... 27 Anderson Nurseries, Inc. .................................................................................... 8 Aspen Equipment ............................................................................................. 11 Beberg Landscape Supply ................................................................................ 22 Carlin Horticultural Supplies/ProGreen Plus ..................................................... 42 Central Landscape Supply ................................................................................ 11 Cushman Motor Co. Inc ................................................................................... 16 Edney Distributing Co., Inc. ............................................................................. 57 Fury Motors ...................................................................................................... 20 Gertens Wholesale & Professional Turf Supply .................................................. 2

Water in Motion 763-559-7771 • timm@watermotion.com

Glacial Ridge Growers ...................................................................................... 35

randy berg, mnla-cp

GM Fleet and Commercial ................................................................................. 3

Berg’s Nursery & Landscape LLC 507-433-2823 • randy@bergsnursery.com

matt mallas

Hedberg Landscape & Masonry Supplies .......................................................... 4

Hedberg Supply 763-512-2849 • mmallas@hedbergaggregates.com

Hennepin Technical College ............................................................................. 27

mike mcnamara

Hiway Federal Credit Union ............................................................................. 54

Hoffman & McNamara Nursery & Landscaping 651-437-9463 • mike.mcnamara@hoffmanandmcnamara.com

john o'reilly

Jeff Belzer Chevrolet .................................................................................. 32–33

Otten Bros. Garden Center and Landscaping 952-473-5425 • j.oreilly@ottenbros.com

Lano Equipment, Inc. ....................................................................................... 59

jeff pilla, mnla-cp

Maguire Agency ............................................................................................... 27

Bachman’s, Inc. 612-861-7600 • jpilla@bachmans.com

nick sargent

Sargent’s Landscape Nursery, Inc. 507-289-0022 • njsargent@sargentsgardens.com

cassie larson, cae

McKay Nursery Co. ............................................................................................. 8 Midwest Transmission Center / DBA Clutch & U-joint Proven Force ............... 42 Out Back Nursery ............................................................................................. 25

MNLA Executive Director 651-633-4987 • cassie@mnla.biz

Plaisted Companies ............................................................................................ 7

STAFF DIRECTORY

RDO Equipment Co. ........................................................................................ 51

Cassie Larson, CAE • cassie@mnla.biz

Rock Hard Landscape Supply ............................................................................. 8

executive director:

membership director & trade show manager:

Mary Dunn, CEM • mary@mnla.biz communications dir.: Jon Horsman, CAE • jon@mnla.biz education/cert. manager: Susan Flynn • susan@mnla.biz Government Affairs Dir.: Alicia Munson • alicia@mnla.biz

regulatory affairs manager: Jim Calkins • jim@mnla.biz administrative asst.: Gayle Anderson • gayle@mnla.biz accountant: Kris Peterson • kris@mnla.biz foundation program coordinator: Paulette Sorenson • paulette@mnla.biz

advertising sales: 952-934-2891 / 763-295-5420

Faith Jensen, Advertising Rep • faith@pierreproductions.com Betsy Pierre, Advertising Mgr • betsy@pierreproductions.com legislative affairs consultant: Doug Carnival

6

Volume 39 No. 12 Dec 2016

➾ G OS C

MNLA .biz

december 16

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All information on these and other industry events are online at MNLA.biz. december 16

MNLA .biz

9

➾ F R OM THE EXECUTIVE DI R EC TO R

The Importance of a Handwritten Thank-You Note I don’t know about you, but when I’m sifting through the mail pile and see a hand addressed envelope I’m excited to open it. In a stack of bills and flyers, the personality of a handwritten note definitely stands out.

A Dynamic Trade Show Floor Controlling Unbillable Time

Also Inside

In an increasingly informal digital world, continuing to pull out pen and paper is a way to distinguish yourself. The handwritten thank-you Cassie Larson note speaks volumes simply as a medium and sends MNLA Executive Director the message that you care enough to invest yourself personally in acknowledging another.

While some may believe that the handwritten note is a dying art, it’s one I personally still strongly believe in.

It is an opportunity for us to connect to the people in our lives and associated with our business in a meaningful way. I see it as an opportunity to set yourself apart, both personally and professionally.

How could the art of the thank you note create loyalty and “raving fans”? Thank your biggest client for their continued loyalty. Thank customers who provide referrals to your business. Thank a new shopper for letting you assist with their store or online selection.

How could the art of the thank you note boost employee morale and productivity? Thank them for the inspiration they provide customers, for their positive attitude, or their dedication and enthusiasm. Being personally recognized will help motivate and inspire.

How could the art of the thank you note help secure business relationships? Business development is based on partners’ relationships. Keeping these communications CREATING A CULTURE positive is part of a successful business policy. Thanking OF RECRUITMENT

partners makes them content and more apt to continue a relationship. That gives your business more opportunities. A well-written thank-you note is a valuable but low-cost way to build on a solid partnership and show your gratitude.

So why not take the time to write a thank you note?

I can think of two common reasons people don’t write thank-you notes. The biggest excuse is not having the materials at hand. Note cards or stationary, a roll of stamps, pens and an address book — one trip to the store and you’re all set.

The second excuse is not having time. A handwritten thanks is often as short as three sentences, just like an email. The thank-you note is special; it’s meant to express your appreciation, so keep the focus there. Does it take longer to address and stamp an envelope than to click “Send”? Yes, but by about one minute — a minute well spent to say thanks well.

Handwritten notes still have a personality, warmth and, when needed, gravitas that computer screens don’t.

And people still enjoy opening them — at least I do. So, send a little joy someone’s way and help your business relationships prosper!

Who Won What?!

Pruning Clips Planned Giving

CASSIE LARSON can

be reached at: cassie@mnla.biz.

Developing a pipeline of talent

Vol: 39 No: 12 Dec 2016

T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E M I N N E S O TA N U R S E R Y & L A N D S C A P E A S S O C I AT I O N

ON THE COVER

Creating a company culture that retains your top people and builds a pipeline of talent is maybe the biggest challenge facing green industry companies today. Chad Haldeman of Resultants for Business, Inc. (RFB) offers a few specific things you can do to make sure you’re holding on to your best staff. Hint: you must keep them actively engaged. Then, Haldeman lists several steps to take to ensure talent acquisition is a core strategy for your business.

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➾ G OV E RN MEN T AFFAI R S

WHO won WHAT?! Analysis of the 2016 Election Outcomes Depending on your personal political affiliation, you may be reading this article’s title one of two ways — with exuberance, or devastation.

Alicia Munson

MNLA Government Affairs Director

No matter which side of the aisle we fall, many of us have spent the past month processing outcomes of the election and attempting to figure out what it all means — for ourselves personally, for our industry, and for the nation as a whole. With many questions remaining as we head into next month’s legislative session in Minnesota, starting on January 3rd, and President-elect Trump’s swearing-in on January 20th, here’s what we do know about the outcomes of this historic election: Presidency

President-elect Trump clinched the election with 290 electoral votes to Secretary Clinton’s 232 (at the time of this publication). Through the electoral process, each state receives a total number of “votes” based on their number of representatives in Congress. For instance, Minnesota gets ten electoral votes because there are ten members in our Congressional delegation — eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives and two U.S. Senators. Each state has a different number of Congresspeople based on their total population, so larger states receive more representation — and therefore more electoral votes. There are 538 total members of the Electoral College (as there are 538 members of Congress), so a candidate must receive just over half with 270 electoral votes (538/2 +1) to win. The candidate with the most electoral votes — based on the overall number of states they won and the size of the electorate in each of those states — will win, even if they lose the popular vote (as was the case this year). In fact, President-elect Trump lost the popular vote with fewer votes than Mitt Romney — the losing candidate — received in 2012.

One of the green industry’s top priorities at the federal level is reform of immigration policies — specifically to temporary worker visa programs like H-2A, H-2B, etc.

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Given the notable differences in President-elect Trump’s rhetoric around immigration policy prior to and following the election, it remains to be seen whether changes in these temporary worker visa programs will be prioritized and/or implemented — and if so, how.

Congress

Many pundits predicted that demographic shifts across the nation would result in a larger number of voters turning out in favor of Democrats, but Republicans were victorious in Congress as well as in the White House — holding onto majorities in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.

Some called it the “Trump effect” — increased voter turnout in less populous, rural areas spurred by interest in the Republican party’s candidate at the “top of the ticket”, ultimately benefitting Republicans “down-ballot”.

However, the “Trump effect” didn’t seem to have an impact in Minnesota’s congressional races. Prior to the election, Democrats held five of Minnesota’s eight seats in the U.S. House, while Republicans held three; following the election, the body maintained a 5-3 split.

In Congressional District (CD) 1, the incumbent Tim Walz (D) won reelection, as did Erik Paulsen (R) in CD3, Betty McCollum (D) in CD4, Keith Ellison (D) in CD5, Tom Emmer (R) in CD6, Collin Peterson (D) in CD7, and Rick Nolan (D) in CD8 — who eked out a 2,000-vote victory over second-time challenger Stewart Mills in one of the most expensive Congressional races in the country.

The only open Congressional seat in Minnesota this year was CD2 (vacated by retiring House member John Kline), where Republican Jason Lewis battled Independent candidate Paula Overby and Democrat Angie Craig, with Lewis ultimately winning the seat.

➾ S E CT I O N TITLE

Neither of Minnesota’s two U.S. Senators were on the ballot this year, but Amy Klobuchar’s term is finished in 2018, when it’s rumored that she’ll vie for a place in the Governor’s mansion rather than seeking reelection.

• In Senate District (SD) 2, Republican Paul Utke defeated incumbent Democrat Rod Skoe;

role as the Speaker of the House in 2017, after a race that saw his party gain a net total of three seats — widening their majority from 73 to 76 — while Democrats lost a net total of four — holding onto just 57 seats this election.

“But Alicia,” you might insist, “that only accounts for 133 seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives, and there is a total of 134…

Are you sure you did your math correctly?!” The answer is “yes”, but you’ll have to wait until a special election on February 14th, 2017, to find out who will fill the final seat. Republican Bob Barrett was deemed constitutionally ineligible to run in November after it was found that he did not reside “full-time” in the district for which he sought reelection — 32B. Republicans have selected Ann Neu as their replacement, who will run against Democrat Laurie Warner in her second attempt at a “win” in the conservative-leaning district.

While most favor Neu to win that race, Democrats picked up two other competitive seats in swing districts previously held by Republicans, with Democrat Andrew Carlson defeating incumbent Chad Anderson in 50B, and Erin Maye Quade beating Republican Ali Jimenez-Hopper in an open seat vacated by Tara Mack in 57A. The DFL’s progress in those areas wasn’t enough to match the momentum of Republicans in this election though, and six seats flipped in their favor:

• In SD5, Justin Eichorn (R) defeated incumbent Tom Saxhaug (DFL);

• In 5A, Republican candidate Matt Bliss defeated incumbent Democrat John Persell

• In SD17, Andrew Lang (R) defeated incumbent Lyle Koenen (DFL)

• In 5B, Sandy Layman (R) defeated incumbent Tom Anzelc (DFL)

• In SD20, Rich Draheim (R) defeated incumbent Kevin Dahle (DFL);

• In 42A, Randy Jessup (R) defeated incumbent Barb Yarusso (DFL)

• In SD21, Mike Goggin (R) defeated incumbent Matt Schmit (DFL);

• In 49A, Dario Anselmo (R) defeated incumbent Ron Erhardt (DFL)

• In SD24, John Jasinski (R) defeated incumbent Vicki Jensen (DFL);

• Republican candidate Regina Barr won an open seat in 52B, vacated by retiring Democrat Joe Atkins

• Republican candidate Mark Johnson won an open seat in SD1 — previously held by retiring Democrat LeRoy Stumpf

• Republican candidate Keith Franke won an open seat in 54A, vacated by Democrat Dan Schoen who ran for, and won, the Senate race in that district.

Minnesota Senate

The “Trump effect” referenced above DID seem to take hold at the state level, where State Senate races gave Minnesota Republicans another reason to cheer as this election cycle saw significant gains in the party’s favor. While Presidential elections typically give a boost to members of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party, Republicans reclaimed control — gaining a small majority with 34 seats to the Democrats’ 33.

Prior to the election, Minnesota’s State Senate was controlled by the DFL (holding 39 seats to the Republicans’ 28), and several long-standing members of that majority lost bids for reelection — shocking the Democratic establishment.

Overall, Republicans flipped eight seats in their favor — taking out six incumbent Democrats and claiming two open seats that had previously eluded them.

• Republican candidate Paul Anderson won an open seat in SD44 — vacated by Democrat Terri Bonoff who ran against, and lost to, Erik Paulsen in CD3 Democrats didn’t go without some surprises of their own, however.

Most notably, Democrat Steve Cwodzinski unseated Republican David Hann in Senate District 48 — a district he’d held since 2002, after most recently serving as Senate Minority Leader.

Democrats also flipped Senate District 58 — previously held by retiring Republican Dave Thompson — where DFLer Matt Little beat out Tim Pitcher (R) by a mere 268 votes.

Moving into the 2017 legislative session, Republicans selected Paul Gazelka (R, SD9) as their Majority Leader, while Democrat Tom Bakk (DFL, SD3) — who held that very position last session — will take on a new role as the Senate Minority Leader.

Joining Speaker Daudt in House leadership positions include Joyce Peppin (R, 34A) as Majority Leader and Melissa Hortman (DFL, 36B) as Minority Leader.

Ultimately, whether the party with which you identify is in control or not, it’s critically important to connect with the elected officials who represent you — from the Minnesota House to the White House. The personal relationships we build with legislators can have a profound effect, resulting in positive progress within the green industry as a whole.

Feel free to reach out to me at alicia@mnla.biz with questions about the election outcomes, for more information about who represents you, or with tips about how to contact your legislator.

Minnesota House

Prominent House Republican Kurt Daudt (31A) will maintain his

Alicia Munson can be reached at 651-633-4987 or alicia@mnla.biz.

december 16

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HOW TO DISCOVER AND PERFECT YOUR

BRAND STORY Do you know why your customers do business with you? Can you clearly articulate that as an elevator pitch? In other words, can you do it in 30 seconds or less?

Jeff Korhan | Landscape Digital Institute

➾ BRA N D I N G

W

hen you attend networking events, mingle at parties, or wait for your airplane to board, you can unlock new opportunities if you can tell your brand story well. Some businesses never figure this out because they are not willing to try. Others simply give up too soon.

Here’s how one small business owner figured it out.

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Fall Cleanup

Jim Koch is the Chairman of the Boston Brewing Company, brewer of Samuel Adams beer. He founded what is now a billion-dollar business by making it a habit to have one-to-one conversations with beer drinkers to understand them and share what makes Sam Adams unique.

Your current customers know, like, and trust you. They understand and appreciate the passion and care that drives your business. That passion is a significant factor in buying decisions and it comes through in your story.

Jim Koch learned this while having a conversation with a beer drinker that preferred one of the imported beers. The man reasoned that imports are backed by generations of talented brewers, whereas American beers are mass-produced. When Mr. Koch explained that he brewed his first batch of beer in his home kitchen and to this day it is still “handcrafted in small batches that he personally approves,” he made a connection. “Sounds like it’s almost handmade,” the man said.

Just like that, the now booming craft beer industry was born. Or at least it had a name that resonated with consumers. They were called micro-breweries back then and there were hundreds of them. Now there are thousands of craft brewers across the United States.

That conversation changed how Jim Koch marketed his beers, and one like it can change how you market your landscaping and lawn care products and services.

In his recently released book, Quench Your Own Thirst, Jim Koch notes: “Eventually, we would become known as a leader of the craft beer movement. All from listening to a guy in a bar.”

Now that’s a story.

Tell Your Story Like Hollywood

Are you wondering how to tell your brand story? Follow the lead from some of the greatest storytellers: Hollywood. Every successful Hollywood film follows a basic structure that you have intuitively come to know from watching hundred of films.

The template that legendary Hollywood producers religiously follow is a simple three-part structure: Beginning, middle, and end.

More specifically, the three essential components are: • The Beginning Hook • The Middle Build • The Ending Payoff

There’s always a beginning hook that draws you into a film. It’s what sets everything up to give it context for the target audience. For your business story, this is your superpower that connects with your ideal buyers.

Unleash Your Superpower

Aren’t your landscape and lawn care projects handcrafted in small batches too? A craft is something you do because you love it, and that love should come out in your brand story. Your brand story starts with you.

In a world of product and service sameness, you are the reason your customers want to be aligned with your business. Think of that reason as your superpower. Your superpower is the one thing that makes you invincible in the hearts and minds of your customers.

At a recent landscape industry event we discussed this topic and everyone around the table instantly named their superpower. This included retaining customers for many years, consistently generating new ideas, and developing a company culture that speaks to their core values. You probably know yours too, but to be sure, talk to your customers like Jim Koch did. Then talk to everyone who is not your customer, but should be, and learn how to connect the dots.

Within that gap is the story you must discover and perfect if you are going to grow your business beyond your current customer base.

Here’s why. Your current customers know, like, and trust you. They get you because they know your story. The challenge is perfecting that story so that it resonates with complete strangers.

A brand story is content marketing. It educates and inspires new customers to do business with you. It’s a complex brew, so to speak, of what you do and why you do it that is infused with your passion and unique methods for getting beautiful results.

There’s always a beginning hook that draws you into a film. It’s what sets everything up to give it context for the target audience.

For your business story, this is your superpower that connects with your ideal buyers.

For example, let’s say your superpower is creating innovative design-build projects. That’s the beginning hook. It attracts the buyer’s attention long enough for your team to determine the specific solution that emotionally grabs and propels them, and the story, forward. Now, stay with me for just for a moment because we are going to get a little technical. The beginning hook is the context that sets up the story. But filmmakers say the film really starts with the inciting incident. For Jim Koch, this was the aha moment when the term ‘craft beer’ was coined.

In the film Rocky the inciting incident is when Apollo Creed says, “I’m going to give this chump a shot at the title.” Boom! You now see where this is going. It will be a fight to the finish. In fact, embedded in every inciting incident is the climax of the story.

And so it is with your brand story. When you use your superpower to deliver the one solution that engages your buyer they instantly see the finish line. All you have to do is lead them to the climax of the story, which is your business delivering an exceptional experience.

That customer experience is the middle build. There’s drama, excitement, and discovery that builds with buyers once they see the light. What’s really happening is they are beginning to take your story and make it their own. That’s what buyers do. They tell themselves a story that validates their decision. It’s the same one they’ll tell their friends and neighbors. That story always answers why they decided to move forward with your company.

Finally, after the middle build is the ending payoff. This is the climax. It’s your company delivering on the promise of your brand story.

To be clear, your brand story is not about a transaction. It’s a representation of something greater, namely a memorable and marketable relationship with a growing community of loyal customers.

JEFF KORHAN, MBA,

is a landscape industry author, speaker, consultant, and the founder of Landscape Digital Institute.

He helps organizations create exceptional customer experiences that drive business growth in a digital world. Learn more at www. landscapedigitalinstitute.com.

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MNLA CERTIFICATION

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Prove what you know.

Become a Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association Certified Professional.

Who is eligible?

Who?

You are eligible to register for the exam if you meet the following requirements: • Have either two years of study in an accredited post-secondary nursery and/ or landscape program that includes a structured internship, OR • A minimum of 2,000 hours in nursery or landscape-related employment.

A signature of an educational advisor or work supervisor is required on the exam registration form to verify completion of the prerequisite.

Did You Know?

SA M E VALU E, N E W FO R MAT When and where are the 2017 exams?

When & Where?

Why does it benefit me in my career?

Why?

When: Testing will occur on three Fridays in February and three Fridays in March.

February 3, 10, 17 | March 3, 10, 17 Where: Testing will take place at the MNLA office in Roseville.

Please note, only seven seats are available for each test date. Please apply early!

• Identifies you as a professional.

• Gives you credentials and proves your qualifications.

• Provides you instant credibility with your clients and employers.

• Contributes to increased opportunities for advancement with many employers.

• Demonstrates your commitment to your profession.

• Distinguishes you from the competition.

• Qualifies you to do expert work and give advice.

Why does it benefit MNLA member companies?

MNLA member businesses that employ certified professionals enhance their professional image, increase customer recognition and respect, provide a consumer marketing tool, and offer an additional tool for employee motivation, evaluation, and advancement.

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Last year, we introduced a new process, and the exam is now given in an electronic format with immediate results and integrated photos and videos. It is still a two-part exam: you must pass a Basic Knowledge Exam and a specialty of your choosing (Landscape, Garden Center or Grower) to become MNLA Certified. To maintain certification status, all individuals must compile at least 18 continuing education points every three years.

SSIO

Did You Know?

HOW TO PREPARE: USE THESE RESOURCES TO PREPARE FOR THE EXAM: ONLINE STUDY CHAPTERS | PRAC TICE TEST | PL ANT I.D. WEBINAR

Develop the Next Leader in Your Business in 2017 Managing Conflict

This learning experience designed by MNLA and Resultants for Business will cultivate leadership skills in your key staff, helping to create the next generation of leaders within your company. The program incorporates highly interactive exercises, discussions, lecture-style learning, and project-based Managing activities and sessions. Using these multiple learning Change methods increases takeaways for each person and creates a rich adult learning environment. Plus, irreplaceable “from the trenches” experience will come from green industry personnel and other subject matter experts. The Green Industry Leadership Institute prepares your employee to take a more Knowing Your Staying on Top confident leadership role in your company. Only Own Strengths of the Work 16 applicants will be accepted into the 2017 program. These students will journey together for one year, meeting 10 times between February and December. More information and an application form Understanding is at www.MNLA.biz/leadership.

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CREATING A RECRUITMENT CULTURE Chad Haldeman | Resultants for Business

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➾ RE CRU I T I N G

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ost of my clients are leaders and/or managers in small to medium sized businesses. Some of them have come from a sales background, others from a technical or entrepreneurial path. All of them manage multiple priorities on any given day including leading and managing people. For those that manage sales teams, it is a challenge to maintain strong performance. It seems as though there are always “plates that are wobbling,” as one of my clients would say.

Statistics show that in a sales organization, the top performing quartile of the organization drives 60–70% of revenue. The flip side of this is troubling, that the remaining 75% of salespeople account for only 30–40% of revenue. The bottom line is that members of your sales team are a liability to your bottom line, burning scarce resources you need to help you grow your revenue and profit. In any sales organization, your compensation cost of sales is your fuel that you need to power your sales engine. One major key to success in any sales organization is to ensure you are investing in the right people who can provide you a return on your investment, retaining your top people and replacing those that cannot perform with the right talent that can deliver the results you need.

Sounds like a pretty clearly defined problem, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, although the solution is fairly simple, it is anything but easy to execute well. There are some very specific steps you can take to begin to make this a reality in your organization. Much like other areas of sales, a strong foundation of the right activities can yield the right results. In this article, I talk about creating a culture of recruitment in your company, and the first step is keeping your top peo-

ple by keeping them actively engaged.

Step One: Keeping and Growing Your Top People

In my experience, it is much more productive to focus on “making the highs higher,” than on trying to fix what is broken. To me one of the biggest mistakes a manager can make is to lose touch with the top talent of the organization. One of my clients once told me that he felt he just needed to “leave his top salesperson alone, and speak when I’m 22

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spoken to.” He really thought that is what this person wanted.

In reality, many of your top talent are with you in part because of a relationship with you, and a connection to your company culture. If we leave them alone, we risk weakening or losing that engagement. The Gallup Organization, in their work in employee engagement discovered that access to a manager was one of the determining factors in the level of engagement of an employee. A top salesperson often sees a manager as an important “tool in the toolbox.” Even though you may not have a strong personal relationship (you aren’t BFF’s outside of work) you can have a strong professional relationship with employees who know you care about them, and are invested in their success.

Here’s a few specific things you can do:

1. Have regular contact and communication, defined by the manager with input from the employee. This is critical to maintaining the relationship. This communication includes formal communication like quarterly performance reviews.

No matter how long someone has been in their position, top talent likes to know how they are doing, and what they can do to improve. You should have a regularly scheduled 1-on-1 focusing on key account growth, solution development, planning, and accountability for maintaining a strong foundation of the right activities. Keep these meetings, treat them as a non-negotiable part of your weekly calendar. If a manager continuously cancels and moves a meeting, the message being sent to the employee is that “you aren’t that important to me.”

2. Another key factor in keeping and growing your top salespeople is around continuous improvement. Top talent often have a very real growth orientation, which can manifest itself as income as one tangible way they “keep score.” But The Gallup Organization research, along with Daniel Pink in his findings from his best-selling book “Drive,” show that professional development is a core part of what engages and motivates people in their work today. As our economy nears a full employment level, it is critical that you are investing in the development of your top people, an investment that if made properly, can yield a very strong return for you and your business. As the old saying goes, if you don’t invest in your best people, somebody else will!

3. Have a specific conversation and develop a plan with your top talent about where they want to grow and improve. What is their desired path? Don’t fall into an age

old trap and assume you need to be grooming them for management. This could be a big mistake if their strengths focus around being an individual contributor. If you are in a technical business, certifications and technical training can be a great solution. Help them sharpen their skills and you both will benefit. Other common development solutions can be around improving communication skills, sales process, and effective use of technology. Ask them where they would like to grow, they’ll tell you.

As your top people are responsible for the majority of your revenue, this is the right place to focus as your first step in developing december 16

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➾ RE CR UITIN G

greatly diminished. Be intentional about what a good “fit” looks like for your culture, and for the “seat” you need to fill.

2. Maintain a regular cadence of the right activities. Put metrics in place for yourself and sales leadership that will lead to finding good candidates. Do some of these things before, during and after the time you actually need someone! This can include: • Monthly face-to-face meetings with good prospects.

Make it a smaller number that is manageable. If you do this regularly, your pipeline will fill.

• Outreach to key partners and contacts looking for talent referrals. Leverage your network, especially those who know you and your culture well.

a recruitment culture in your organization. My experience tells me I can get a better return on my time and resources by investing them with my best people.

Step Two: Building and maintaining a pipeline of talent before you need to hire.

The old sports metaphor, “the best defense is a good offense,” refers to the conditions created by a proficient offense who controls the ball, game clock, and pace of the game. They are successfully executing their game plan, which quite often leads to a win.

When creating and leading a high performing sales organization, finding top talent is one of the critical elements to achieving success. When I look back on the best teams I have helped build in the past, the common thread was the right talent aligned with roles that allowed them to do what they do best. Having said this, finding talented sales people is no simple task as the good ones are almost always working “heads down” in their current roles. Add to that our current nearly full employment economy, and the task can seem daunting.

Back to my sports metaphor. When it comes to finding great people, the wrong time to do it is when you are reacting to losing someone with no one in your pipeline i.e., playing defense. Starting from zero means a much greater effort, a more stressful process, and often, a much longer time needed to replace the person, leading to lost momentum and revenue. If you have an active pipeline of good people to engage with, you have just made a positive outcome much more likely. Who knows, it may even lead to an upgrade in talent!

So how exactly does one go about this? Here are the steps I recommend you take with your organization to build and maintain a quality pipeline of “A” players. Like many things in business, this is simple, not easy: 1. Define the work, define the role(s). If you don’t have a welldefined target, your chances of finding the right person are 24

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• Build a database of talent for your organization. Many good people may be happy in their jobs today, but things change. As part of maintaining the database, establish and maintain relationships with a smaller subset of “target prospects” you would like to see join your company. A good database will allow you to more quickly move qualified people along through your interview process.

• Always be on the lookout for talented people, know what to look and listen for. I once met a hugely talented salesperson on a golf course. I immediately could see and hear his talent and passion come through.

He ended up being a top performer for my client’s company, and is now a top rep in the medical device industry.

• Hold a job fair on a semi-regular basis to drive a greater volume of prospects your way. From a greater quantity of people comes a better chance of finding quality people. If you are a small company, make it company-wide, or partner with other non-competing organizations.

• Engage your employees in the search. Put a bonus out for help finding a qualified salesperson. One tip, make the bonus payable only when they successfully complete their probationary period.

So many business leaders acknowledge that talent is one of the key drivers of strong performance in today’s world. With that knowledge, I am amazed at how few companies make talent acquisition a core strategy in their annual plans. If you already have a talent-focused culture in your organization, you are already playing offense, and are well ahead of the pack. If not, make a plan right now and start ensuring a future of strong performance.

CHAD HALDEMAN is an experienced Business Advisor and Sales Performance Improvement Consultant. Connect with him and other RFB® Business Advisors at www.TheResultants.com.

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MDA UPDATE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND PESTICIDE USE (BULLETIN 7 OF 8) Corinne du Preez

Agricultural Advisor/ ACI Minnesota Department of Agriculture Pesticide and Fertilizer Management Division

Working with pesticides is hazardous. Protect yourself, and your employees, by ensuring any label required personal protective equipment (PPE) is worn during all pesticide applications.

READ THE PESTICIDE LABEL BEFORE YOU APPLY

PPE Violations and corresponding ORDERS Order to Comply: A person applying pesticide must obtain the PPE required by the label, before applying pesticides (and for this reason before resuming a pesticide application).

The pesticide label, and any associated labeling, provides PPE safety information specific to each product.

Example: The label information for Trimec Classic (EPA Reg. # 2217-543) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) All mixers, loaders, applicators and other handlers must wear*:

Violations: Missing pants, gloves and long sleeves Violation: Missing gloves and long sleeves

protective eyewear, long-sleeved shirt and long pants, shoes and socks, chemical-resistant gloves and chemical-resistant apron when mixing and loading, cleaning up spills or equipment, or otherwise exposed to the concentrate. *Applicators may choose not to wear protective eyewear with dilution rates greater (higher) than 5:1 or greater (higher) than 5 parts water to 1 part product.

Remember, it is a violation of both federal and state laws to use any pesticide product inconsistent with the label.

Meets all PPE requirements; Safety glasses: Must pants, long sleeves, safety include brow and temple glasses and gloves. protection

ADDITIONAL ENFORCEMENT Due to potential and actual safety hazards and health risks associated with the lack of proper PPE, documented noncompliance may result in additional enforcement, including financial penalties.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY MDA INSPECTIONS During an MDA Use Inspection, an MDA inspector will stop to observe your pesticide application. If you are not wearing the required PPE specified on the label of the pesticide you are applying, you will be issued an order to cease and desist the application until the proper PPE is obtained.

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Follow the link below to read: Minnesota Statute 18B.07, Subd. 2. (a) (1) https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=18B.07

can be reached at Corinne. dupreez@state.mn.us.

CORINNE DU PREEZ

BRIAN FERGASON, CPCU 651.635.2781 612.247.7346 Cell bfergason@maguireagency.com www.maguireagency.com 1970 Oakcrest Avenue, Suite 300 Roseville, MN 55113

12 IDEAS TO IMPLEMENT ON YOUR

LANDSCAPING WEBSITE HOMEPAGE Designing and building great landscaping websites is much like creating a perfect outdoor space. Both require incredible insight about how the space will be used.

Chad Diller | Landscape Leadership

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dditionally, neither landscape design decisions nor landscaping website ideas can lead to success without a keen eye for form and style. However, expertise in landscape design does not necessarily mean you can design the perfect website. Part of the reason you’ve succeeded in the landscaping industry so far is due to the fact that you know when to step back from areas in which you’re not gifted.

Designing a website for a landscaping company requires a great amount of time and energy, but you have a business to run, sales to make, and people to manage. Making bad decisions and including the wrong landscaping website ideas (or too many of them) will lead to paying a hefty price paid for a site that is ugly, confusing, and that will turn off many prospective clients. You may not know what makes for a great landscaping website, but just like a carefully designed property, you can feel when you’re on one within a few seconds. The homepage on your site is your landscaping company’s virtual front door, and the first place to start.

Understanding Homepage Basics

This article will help you to understand what landscaping website ideas you should consider including on your site’s homepage. Keep in mind these main points while considering specific elements: • You cannot include all of the suggestions we will outline, but many of them may potentially be used on your homepage.

You’ll probably have to omit some if they don’t work for your particular situation.

• Just like in landscape design, form follows function. The user’s experience is more important than what you want to say. You can accomplish both, but the visitor experience comes first.

• Don’t overcomplicate your landscaping website with a busy homepage. It’s not meant to accomplish every goal you have with your online presence, just be the starting point that easily leads the visitor to the next steps.

• Understand that just like a landscape, things go out of style and need to be renovated eventually. With the speed in which trends can change, it’s not unheard of to redesign a website every three years.

7 Essential Website Ideas for Your Homepage

Top: Here’s a great example of a clean logo at the top left on the Neave Landscaping desktop version of their website.

Above: T. Lake Environmental Design also has a great option for placement. The top center evenly divides the menu items into two sections.

Size: Your logo should be noticeable. People need to instantly understand whose landscaping website they are on.

However, your logo isn’t the focal point. It is meant to be a brief area of focus. Don’t go too big.

Design: Some landscaping websites look odd because the company only has one version of their logo. Have a graphic designer create slight variations in your logo in the same color combinations. You may find that one such shape or design looks cleaner on the top of your homepage or that you’re overdue for some fresh branding. Keep it simple with company name and graphical elements. There are other places for phone numbers, addresses, etc.

2) Hero Image

A “hero image” is the central and prominent image you see on a homepage or other interior page of great landscaping websites. Within a split fraction of a second, the visitor should know what the page is about. Website designers often call this the “blink test.” Look at a website page and then blink your eyes shut. Do you remember what it’s about?

Can you picture where the simple logo was located and a few other main homepage features?

In the green industry, we have awesome opportunities to showcase our work. People love seeing images of glowing fire pits, rugged pergolas, and vivid plants and lawns. Just be careful that your image isn’t too bold. Adjusting the opacity

While you should try to incorporate most of the elements in this article on your homepage, there are some homepage elements that are absolutely critical. We’ll cover those first and then later move on to ones that you may have to make tough choices between.

We will also give lots of love to our clients. They have some amazing homepages!

1) Logo Placement: For most landscaping websites, we recommend

placing a simple logo in the top left or center of the page.

Your website should be built on a responsive design template that fits to the window of whatever device you’re viewing it on. On mobile devices, your logo will adjust to be easily viewed.

Outback Landscape in Idaho Falls uses their hero image to direct visitors to learn about specific services. Another one of the best landscaping website ideas is to change these images and the Call-to-Action (CTA) button to go to seasonally-relevant areas to generate leads for your sales team.

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of the image is also a good way to tone it down while getting the message across.

Hero images can add visual appeal or integrate important functions to direct visitors to funnel them along to learn more. Here are some great examples on some of our clients’ homepages. They often change around these elements throughout the year, so some of these images may look differently if you visit these pages later.

3) Headline

Beyond the hero image, does the visitor know what kind of company you are, what kind of customers you cater to, and what areas you service?

Creating a compelling yet concise homepage headline can accomplish this. The headline should be “above the fold” and is often contained within the hero image. This is a term that conveys what someone sees on your website before they scroll down.

Think big picture. You don’t need to list every service. If you design and build outdoor spaces, you don’t need to list patios, structures, walkways, trees, shrubs, flowers, annuals, etc.

Use the broad terms that communicate the larger groupings.

Use descriptive language that evokes emotion, calls people to action, communicates your expertise or experience, and builds community.

They may see “Landscape Design” and hover to expand options leading them to “Ponds & Fountains,” all the while seeing other broad service options you provide.

Regardless of how your menus are structured, be sure visitors can easily find them no matter where they are. Menus should be placed above the fold. Recent trends also show website menus are no longer being located in sidebars, but rather placing it towards the top above the hero image. A common icon associated with most website menus now has been nicknamed the “hamburger” with 3 small horizontal lines being contained in a square (see the example shown in the “Oasis Turf & Tree” screenshot). This method is frequently used as a replacement for your full menu when your responsive site is seen at the smallest size (on mobile devices) as a way to save screen space.

5) Introduction Copy

Search engines crawl your website to identify what it’s about.

One of the many places they look is at the copy on your website’s pages. Providing two to three brief paragraphs about your landscaping business is a great way to include relevant keywords on your homepage.

Write for the reader but use keyword phrases when possible.

These phrases should communicate your service categories, where you are located, and who you do work for.

Again, within seconds, visitors should get a distinct impression if your company is for them or is not. Here are some great examples from our clients’ homepages: When reading the Introduction Copy on the HighGrove website, it’s easy for both readers and search engines to understand a little about their business, and that they provide Landscape Maintenance and Water Management services for commercial properties in the Atlanta, GA area.

Greener by Design differentiates their company by focusing on natural, healthy landscapes that last a lifetime.

4) Menu

As you develop relevant content for your website, you’ll end up with dozens, if not hundreds of website pages. While the abundant amount of pages on your website is a positive factor on search engine optimization (SEO), you should limit how many of them are easily found in your navigation menu. keep options to a minimum. At first glance, the visitor should be able to see approximately 4–7 menu items that are clearly descriptive in a word or two.

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Landscaping websites should also clearly state their physical locations. This is very important not only for SEO purposes, but will also help visitors to contact you or determine if they are located in areas you actually service.

There are two places this is commonly located, but our preference is to place this information in the footer of your website so your address is prominent on all web pages.

Keep thinking big picture. Try to

6) Locations

Prospective customers poking around your website should see more choices when hovering or clicking on these primary menu choices as they expand.

This will allow them to go to particular areas of interest.

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Top: Here on the Klausing Group homepage, the information for their branch offices is tucked away in the footer but still easy to find.

Above: Some companies like to include minimal contact information at the top of their homepage. The general service areas and their phone numbers are listed and specific location information is in their footer.

7) Call-to-Action (CTA)

There should be an obvious but tasteful CTA on your homepage.

These CTAs can be incorporated as part of the hero image as we referenced above. However, if your hero image is simpler without a CTA, there should be other places that call your website visitors to next steps.

Bottom-of-the-funnel CTAs like “free consultations” or “estimate requests” can direct visitors that want to waste no time and want a price.

Top of the funnel CTAs on a homepage will assist visitors beginning their buyer’s journey. They offer more information or resources to make an educated decision.

Top: Pacific Outdoor Living has a permanent CTA not only on their homepage, but on most of their website in the top right.

Above: Native Land Design directs visitors from the Hero Image to a category page that allows them to learn more about specific services.

Other Great Landscaping Website Ideas for Your Homepage

The seven elements we’ve covered so far are absolutely critical. The continuation of that list leads us to our next group of ideas for your green industry company’s homepage. After including the essentials, try to tastefully incorporate as many of these items as you can without over-cluttering the design.

8) Secondary Calls-to-Action

Landscaping websites frequently use thumbnail images as secondary CTAs to give additional highlights to specific areas of their site. These areas usually lead a visitor to specific image galleries or service categories.

Try to keep these images limited to one or two rows of choices. You can provide even more choices on the pages that these link to.

When you scroll down on the Greener by Design homepage, you’ll see two neat rows of service areas they feature. Clicking on them leads the visitor to discover more details.

9) Visual Gallery Links

Likewise, landscaping websites can also use the whole width of the lower section of your homepage to link to your image galleries.

On the Outback Landscape homepage, below where they incorporated three service thumbnail links, they also provide a link to their gallery.

10) Social Proof & Credibility Indicators

Landscaping websites have a tendency to overdo this item.

Remember that while it’s important to show you are a cut above your competitors, it’s all about the visitor before you.

Pacific Pavingstone combines an image with a customer testimonial on their website’s homepage.

Some items that you can include to provide social proof and credibility are: Customer Testimonials: Anonymize the customer name with just a last initial if you feel its best, and include the geographic area they live in. This helps with local SEO. Attach an image of the actual customer if they are okay with it.

Where Your Customers are Located: Don’t give actual addresses of residential properties, but plotting them as pins on a map can show where you perform services right down the street from prospective customers. After obtaining permission, you could also include logos of local commercial properties you service and link to their website or a case study you’ve written about their project.

Community and Professional Associations: Landscaping websites should also provide small association logos that link to their profile on association websites. These could be your local landscape industry association, MNLA, a local chamber of commerce, or national organizations such as NALP or ICPI. Awards: Another good landscaping website idea is to add current award seals for your achievements. MNLA makes these available each year for winners of their landscape awards program. Just don’t overdo it and make sure you keep the seals current each year.

11) Search Bar

If your landscaping website includes a lot of relevant content in blog articles, make it easy for visitors to find resources. december 16

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Adding a search bar to the footer of your website is a common location for this tool on websites and our preference for a location.

Here’s how Reef Tropical includes their search bar in their footer.

12) Footer Features

Besides a search bar, the footer of a website can discreetly house important elements like an additional site navigation menu, office addresses and contact info, and it also creates an opportunity for other features. Some of these features could include: • Social media links (just the icons, no scrolling feed widgets).

• Blog subscription form (make it super simple).

• Links to online review sites (just the icons to link to those sites).

• State regulatory licenses (if required on site).

• Copyright date. (It should include the current year and your company’s name. Don’t link to the agency that designed your website — that’s old school.)

Landscaping Websites That Are the Talk of the Town

Figuring out just how to add the best landscaping website ideas on your site could leave you scratching your head like a frustrated homeowner looking at their unwieldy backyard. You may not even know where to start. That’s why in some cases it may make sense to do what your best customers do: hire a professional. Whether you need minor homepage tweaks or your site needs a complete rip-out and re-do, we hope this article helps you to understand what you want out of your online brand. Laying out and implementing a homepage that works is a worthy first step.

THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY Chad Diller, account manager at Landscape Leadership, and originally appeared on the Landscape Leadership “Inbound Marketing & Sales Insight for Green Industry Companies” blog. Call (800) 681-9169 or visit www.LandscapeLeadership.com for more information. All websites represented are clients of Landscape Leadership.

CAREER CENTER:

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11/28/2016 8:57:09 AM

➾ G OV E RN MEN T AFFAI R S

“All Politics Is Local” — The Rise of Municipal Policymaking While our attention was diverted by some big names on the political stage during this year’s national and statewide elections, policymaking at the local level kept quietly chugging along.

Alicia Munson

MNLA Government Affairs Director

City Councils, specifically in Minneapolis and St. Paul, continue to make policy decisions that will impact business owners and employees alike — including members of the green industry.

One major piece of recent regulation is the sick and safe leave ordinance passed by the City of St. Paul in September — with a similar initiative having passed in Minneapolis this summer. As Bryan Zlimen of Zlimen & McGuinness notes in his article analyzing this policy on page 50 of this issue, “the trend of cities setting standards for employers continues,” as we’ve also seen with the minimum wage increase currently being considered by the City of Minneapolis.

Last April, City Council members passed “Supporting a Strong Economy and Working Families,” a resolution “which directed staff to … develop a recommendation for a study of the effects of establishing a minimum wage regionally and locally.”¹ In conducting the study this spring, researchers at the University of Minneapolis partnered with representatives from the Economic Policy Institute

One major piece of recent regulation is the sick and safe leave ordinance passed by the City of St. Paul in September — with a similar initiative having passed in Minneapolis this summer. as well as Howard University and Rutgers University to assess the “relative impact of a local minimum wage increase¹” to $12 per hour and/or $15 per hour in both Minneapolis proper as well as Hennepin and Ramsey Counties as a whole.

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Currently in Minneapolis, the minimum wage for small employers making less than $500,000 annually is $7.75, while the minimum wage for large firms (with more than $500,000 “in gross annual receipts²”) is $9.50 — both set higher than the federally mandated $7.25. Researchers concluded that “of the city’s 311,111 workers, 47,000 would be impacted by an increase to $12 an hour and 71,000 would be impacted by an increase to $15 an hour¹” — with individuals in “food service, retail, non-hospital health, and administrative support³” being most directly impacted by the change.

The study assessed possible effects on businesses, too — noting that an increase to $12 per hour would change “business operating costs at most 0.1%–2.0%²”, while an increase to $15 per hour could change “operating costs at most 0.1%–5.4%²”, with 51% of the overall cost of the increase being passed along to consumers².

What about the potential impact on employment rates? Researchers studied this as well, but the results were inconclusive in determining whether the wage increases would directly result in layoffs or reduced employment opportunities/increased unemployment across different sectors. Because “the economic models describe workforce participation… it is possible that an increase in the minimum wage [could change] either the total number of persons employed or the number of persons looking for work within a single industry¹” but showed “a slight decrease in employment, or no statistically significant change¹” in Minneapolis and Hennepin/Ramsey Counties overall.

Since data around businesses employing seasonal workers and the green industry generally was not

Percentage of Positions Paid $15 or more Per Hour by Industry Segment MNLA 2015 Compensation & Benefits Survey

Percentage of Positions Paid $12 or more Per Hour by Industry Segment MNLA 2015 Compensation & Benefits Survey 100

125 100

100

97

100

100

96

76

75

89

89

83

100

75 67

75

55 50

44

50 38 25 25

0

14

0 Retail Nurser…Wholesale N…Landscape C…Hardscape C…

Irrigation

Landscape … Professional …Tree Care/Ar…

Retail Nurser…Wholesale N…Landscape C…Hardscape C…

Irrigation

Landscape … Professional …Tree Care/Ar…

Percentage of Positions Paid $15 or more Per Hour by Industry Segment

Percentage of Positions Paid $12 or more Per Hour by Industry Segment

meta-chart.com

meta-chart.com

Since data around businesses employing seasonal workers and the green industry generally was not cited in the study’s key findings, MNLA’s Government Affairs Team reviewed results of our Compensation & Benefits Survey* to determine possible effects on members like you. cited in the study’s key findings, MNLA’s Government Affairs Team reviewed results of our Compensation & Benefits Survey* to determine possible effects on members like you.

Conducted in October of 2015, more than 125 member companies statewide participated in the survey, representing eight major segments of our industry: retail nurseries/garden centers, wholesale nurseries of woody plants, landscape contractors, hardscape contractors, irrigation installation professionals, landscape management professionals, professional gardeners, and tree care professionals/ arborists. Respondents provided wage data for a variety of positions, such as (but not limited to) manager, division manager, foreman, assistant foreman, designer, technician/pesticide applicator, and general laborer.

For the purposes of this article, we calculated the total percentage of positions reported (separated by industry segment) which are currently compensated at $12 or more per hour, as well as the total percentage of positions reported (separated by industry segment) paid more than $15 per hour. As illustrated in the corresponding bar graphs, the data bodes fairly well if a minimum wage increase were adopted.

However, survey respondents represent a small fraction of the entire green industry statewide, and the impact of such an increase would have a unique effect on each business based on a variety of factors, including annual revenue, total number of part- and fulltime employees, and location, among many others.

Regardless, if only one Metro area municipality is studying an increase to the minimum wage, why should green industry professionals in Austin, Breckenridge, or Crookston care about this issue?

Because policies implemented in Minneapolis and St. Paul are often

subsequently adopted by other metropolitan areas — then ultimately, statewide.

As former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Tip O’Neill once said, “all politics is local” — pointing out the upward trajectory of issues from the lowest (local) to the highest (state and federal) platforms of government. But given the stifling status quo of partisan gridlock in Washington D.C. and, at times, our own Capitol in St. Paul, it’s no wonder that municipal leaders see policy initiatives hurled back at them with increased pressure to get things done. And it’s likely that the trend toward municipal policymaking will continue to rise, as it remains to be seen whether or not newly elected officials at the state, federal, and executive levels can work together. Either way, there’s no question that our attention to, and participation in, government affairs locally is more important now than ever. *Interested in analyzing additional data regarding wages and workforce in the green industry? Copies of MNLA’s 2015 Compensation & Benefits Survey are available for purchase by members ($99) and nonmembers ($149) in the online Publication Store at www.mnla.biz. ¹http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/public/@clerk/documents/webcontent/wcmsp-187332.pdf ²http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/public/@clerk/documents/webcontent/wcmsp-187684.pdf ³http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/public/@clerk/documents/webcontent/wcmsp-187334.pdf

MNLA GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DIRECTOR ALICIA MUNSON welcomes your feedback and is available at alicia@mnla.biz or 651-633-4987.

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➾ F U NGI

LIFE IS FULL … OF

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Faith Appelquist | Tree Quality LLC

FUNGI

You may think a mushroom is a fungus. This is exactly like believing an apple is an apple tree.

The “rhizosphere” (a narrow region of soil containing microorganisms and root fungus) are lost in the stripping of topsoil, creating a hostile environment for growing plants.

Next time you look at a mushroom, don’t assume it’s hurting your lawn.

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➾ F U NGI

Chicken of the Woods.

Oyster Mushroom.

Trees are linked together underground through fungi.

White fungal threads of mycorrhizae fungi, effectively extend the root system of trees, shrubs and virtually all other plants.

R

emoving the mushroom will not kill the fungi no more than removing apples will kill an apple tree. Every toadstool you see, from the deadly to the delicious, is merely a sex organ attached to something underneath that is whole, complex and hidden. Mushrooms are fleeting, exposing themselves briefly above the surface while the webbing that anchors may extend for miles in a darker, richer world.

A small group of fungi called mycorrhiza have entered a deep and enduring truce with trees. This group of fungi is the best – and really, the only friends trees have ever had. The fungus acts as a sort of accessory root system, spreading through the soil and soaking up nutrients for the tree. In return, the fungus receives a rush of pure sweetness. The plant and the fungus remain physically separate but are joined together by their life’s work.

Wherever mushrooms are present in a lawn is a positive sign, indicating healthy soil. Mushrooms growing in grass should generally

be left alone, unless there are small children or pets about that may accidentally consume them.

Finding mushrooms sprouting from your tree is not necessarily a sign that the tree needs to come down. Most fungi are simply feeding off already decayed wood and do not themselves initiate decay.

Minnesota is home to as many as 10,000 mushroom species of which perhaps 40–50 are edible. Luckily, some delicious mushrooms such as Chicken of the Woods, Hen of the Wood, Morel and Oyster mushroom have no close look-alikes.

All living things; humans, animals, and plants alike, will, in death, be consumed and returned to the earth by fungi. Whether they are multiplying in the soil or in trees, they are everywhere and will outlive us by an eternity. is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, an ISA Municipal Specialist MN, and an ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist®. Faith can be reached at faith@treequality.com.

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11/21/2016 3:54:59 PM

PRUNING CLIPS: SNAPSHOTS OF THE ART, SCIENCE AND PRACTICE OF PRUNING

RENOVATION To some it’s renovation and to others it’s rejuvenation or renewal; however, regardless what it is called, it is basically starting over from the ground up.

Robert E. Schutzki, Department of Horticulture | Michigan State University Originally published in The Michigan Landscape magazine, a bimonthly publication of the Michigan Nursery & Landscape Association (mnla.org).

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➾ P RU NIN G CLIPS

T

Fig. 1 — Neglected shrub.

Fig. 2 — Extensive branch dieback.

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here are a number of reasons that suggest or lead to renovation.

Plants may have been neglected for years resulting in a dense tangled mess of branches (Fig.1); dieback or dead wood exists throughout the crown (Fig.2); or simply the plant has overgrown the location where it was planted (Fig.3). Successive years of shearing or heading to reduce height increases branch density at the top of the plant with little if any lateral branching in the lower portion of the crown (Fig.4). These plants often appear vase-shaped due to the shading caused by the upper crown and will benefit from renovation.

Some species renew themselves in spring by producing canes that arise from the base of the plant. Vigorous growth from multiple canes works itself up through the crown and competes with surrounding branches. The sheer number and closeness of the canes limit lateral branch development and can have a negative impact on foliage, flowers and fruit (Fig.5).

Renovation or cutbacks are typically performed annually on marginally hardy plants. Although root systems survive, the crowns of these plants exhibit varying degrees of dieback. Buddleia and Callicarpa in Mid-Michigan are typically impacted by winter temperatures resulting in a mix of new healthy stems and dead branches.

Annual cutbacks result in consistent crown appeal from branching habit, flowers, fruit and fall color. The overall ornamental display of Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Early Amethyst’ (Fig.6) has benefited from annual cutbacks.2013/2014 winter temperatures will especially increase the number of candidates for renovation this spring due to terminal dieback. It may be best to hold off pruning this spring until bud break to determine the extent of winter injury. On some species, a thumbnail scratch on their stems while dormant will be the telltale sign.

Fig. 3 — Overgrown its location.

Another reason to renovate may be to enhance the appeal of a species with distinct ornamental characteristics such as stem color, flowers, fruiting and foliage color. Classic examples are Redtwig and Yellowtwig Dogwoods. Vibrant colors are most pronounced on one-year-old wood.

Stem color begins to fade or change to gray/ brown with age. Annual renovation promotes the most attractive display.

Renovation can be used to maintain a relatively consistent form and size on some species. Mature root systems fuel bud development at the root/crown interface and give rise to forms and sizes typical of the species. Renovation of the Spiraea japonica cultivars can enhance the uniformity of these small shrubs (Fig.7).

Renovation is especially productive when plants have gotten out of proportion with their surroundings (Fig.3) and infringe on plants around them. This can occur with individual plants or single plants in a mass.

Dealing with an individual plant is easy; simply renovate it and manage the future growth. In the case of a mass, renovation can be used to determine whether an individual plant will continue to contribute to the integrity of the mass or should be removed.

Whatever the reason, renovation pays major dividends in ornamental appeal.

Renovation is basically starting over from the ground up. It involves taking the plant down to the ground to stimulate dormant buds or the initiation of new buds and subsequent shoot development. Renovation is heading cuts taken to the extreme. Growth responses can vary tremendously depending on the species. Species can respond with an explosion of buds and long shoots (Fig.8).

In some cases, growth is pushed to the maximum size of the species in one season.

These shoots may be tall, however, they often lack lateral branching. Apical dominance inhibits lateral breaks while these stems are moving upward. The age and size of the root systems will also influence the number of shoots and the overall height obtained during the first season. Lateral branching will usually occur in season two near the top of these shoots. There is also the opposite end of the spectrum, where responses to renovation are slow with

Fig. 4 — Years of heading on the top of the plant.

Fig. 5 — Closeness of canes.

Fig. 6 — Annual cutback on Early Amethyst Callicarpa.

Fig. 7 — Spiraea cultivar.

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➾ P RU NIN G CLIPS

Fig. 8 — Explosion of shoots.

Fig. 9 — Minimal growth response.

Fig. 10 — Viburnum carlesi.

Fig. 11 — Minimal number of shoots and less overall growth response.

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Fig. 12 — Cut close to the ground.

minimal bud development and limited growth (Fig.9). Not all plants can be renovated with success. Even though shoots will develop in time, the time that it takes a slower responding species will impact immediate ornamental appeal and may not be acceptable to clients. This Viburnum carlesii (Fig.10) was renovated with a less than vigorous shoot response (Fig.11) during the growing season. It will take several seasons before this plant returns to the prominence it once held in the landscape. Be familiar with a plant’s growth rate and habit before attempting renovation. In addition, inform clients on what to expect during the first and second seasons.

There are a few points to consider when making renovation cuts.

In most cases, the cuts should be made as close to the ground as possible (Fig.12). Shoots will emerge at or near the top of the cuts (Fig.13). If the base is left too high (Fig.14), it could seem that growth is emerging from a pedestal and appear to be a distortion in the crown. Cuts will usually result in multiple straight shoots with long internode lengths (Fig.15). Once new shoots emerge, consider employing both heading and thinning early in the season to shape the crown. Thinning will minimize future competition between shoots (Fig.16). Heading will encourage lateral shoot development lower in the crown (Fig.17). Internode length will also help to determine where to make the heading cuts to stimulate layers of lateral branches. Staggering the level of the heading cuts can aid in future crown development. Waiting for a few seasons to prune may compromise the future shape of the plant. Keep in mind that observing

Fig. 13 — Shoots emerge near the top of the cuts.

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➾ P RU NIN G CLIPS

Fig. 14 — Base left too high.

Fig. 15 — Upright shoots.

Fig. 17 —Heading cuts to encourage lateral branch development..

Fig. 18 — Overgrown Blue Arctic Willow.

Fig. 20 — Blue Arctic Willow midway through the season, June 21st.

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Fig. 16 — Thin several shoots.

Fig. 19 — Blue Arctic Willow, May 5th.

Fig. 21 — Blue Arctic Willow, August 9th.

Fig. 22 — Arrowood viburnum spring response to renovation.

Fig. 23 — Arrowwood viburnum in summer following renovation.

an individual species response to renovation will aid in developing future pruning strategies.

Here are a few examples of renovation in progress. Salix purpurea ‘Nana’, Blue Arctic Willow had reached a point where the crown was unmanageable (Fig.18). Blue Arctic Willow responds well to renovation. In fact, anything but renovation often leads to a distorted crown. It was cut to the ground in early spring. Figures 19, 20 and 21 show its development over the course of the season.

Viburnum dentatum, Arrowwood Viburnum was also renovated in the spring of 2013. It responded with several vigorous canes (Fig.22 and 23) that will be headed and thinned in the spring of 2014.

Are there any plants under your care that would benefit from

renovation? The dormant season is a great time to execute corrective measures. Late winter/early spring allows us to get in, perform the surgery and leave before late spring places other demands on our time.

Pruning Clips is a series focused on mastering the art, science and practice of pruning. Look for more Pruning Clips to follow.

DR. ROBERT SCHUTZKi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture at MSU. His research interests include plant exploration, plant evaluation, and landscape development. All photos used in this article are used by permission of Robert Schutzki and may not be reused in any way without express written permission.

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➾ LE GA L ISSUES

St. Paul Sick and Safe Leave Requirements The trend of cities setting standards for employers continues as the City of St. Paul has passed an ordinance requiring employers to provide paid leave for employees.

Bryan Zlimen

Zlimen & McGuiness, PLLC

The ordinance applies to all companies, regardless of size, which is a key change from the ordinance passed

by Minneapolis in May. The St. Paul ordinance will be phased in beginning July 1, 2017.

Leave Requirements: The ordinance requires employers to provide employees with one hour of “sick and safe” leave for every 30 hours worked. Leave hours are paid at the employee’s normal hourly rate. Employees may earn up to 80 hours of leave per year, but may only use 48 hours per year. Any leftovers carry over to the next calendar year, which is also subject to the 48-hour annual usage cap. An employer does not need to compensate an employee for unused leave after termination.

Businesses with at least one employee that regularly works in St. Paul will be affected. Any employees who work within the city boundaries for at least eighty hours in a year for their employer are entitled to benefits. That includes temporary and part-time employees.

Like Minneapolis’ policy, leave is not just for the employee’s illnesses under the ordinance; it can also be taken to attend to an illness or injury of a family member or for preventive healthcare needs or to care for a family member whose school or “place of care” has been closed due to weather, loss of power, etc.

Who’s Affected: Businesses with at least one employee that regularly works in St. Paul will be affected. Any employees who work within the city boundaries for at least eighty hours in a year for their employer are 50

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entitled to benefits. That includes temporary and parttime employees.

Exemptions: Unlike Minneapolis, St. Paul’s ordinance has no small-business exemption from the ordinance (Minneapolis’ ordinance excludes businesses with fewer than six employees). However, two important exemptions apply: 1) independent contractors are not considered employees; and 2) construction-industry employers may be found in compliance if they pay a prevailing wage, or if they pay DLI-registered apprentices according to a registered apprenticeship agreement.

Practicalities: Accrual of leave for existing employees begins on July 1, 2017; new hires after that date will accrue leave from the date of hire. Both new and old employees are eligible to use leave within 90 days of hire. Employers with existing paid-leave policies providing the same benefits as those in the ordinance do not have to provide additional paid leave. Employers must retain records of accrued sick and safe time for 3 years.

The ordinance requires employers to keep “records which document the 1) hours worked by employees, 2) the accrual of earned sick and safe time, and 3) the use of earned sick and safe time.”

Additionally, the ordinance requires employers to keep information provided in a request confidential.

Information given by an employee may only be disclosed if: 1) requested or consented to by the employee, 2) ordered by a court or administrative agency, or 3) otherwise required by law.

Bottom Line: With similar ordinances in both St. Paul and Minneapolis and a push for a state-wide law, employers in the Metro and beyond should be preparing to implement a paid leave program for their employees.

If you have questions about how to bring your company into compliance, the attorneys at Zlimen & McGuiness

can help answer questions about the new regulations and choose a compliance option that makes sense for you.

This article provides general information on business matters and should not be relied upon as legal advice. A qualified attorney must analyze all relevant facts and apply the applicable law to any matter before legal advice can be given. If you would like more information regarding business law, collections, or other legal matters, please contact Zlimen & McGuiness, PLLC at 651-331-6500 or info@zmattorneys.com.

BRYAN ZLIMEN is one of the founding partners of Zlimen & McGuiness, PLLC. His law practice focuses on assisting contractors & other small business owners. He has 12 years of experience working in residential construction and landscaping. He can be reached at bzlimen@ zmattorneys.com.

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ONE CALL LAW STAKEHOLDER REVIEW MEETING NOTICE Minnesota underground utility stakeholders are currently meeting to discuss potential improvements to MS216D, MN’s One Call Law. As you are aware, nursery and landscaping companies have a stake in safety when it comes to digging around underground utilities (natural gas, electric, fiber optic, sewer lines, etc.) Does the current language in MN’s One Call law enable you and your crew to perform your work safely and efficiently? Are there any issues with submitting locate requests and having all the underground utilities on your site identified? Are you encountering difficulty with working around utilities and avoiding damages?

This is your opportunity to be heard and voice your concerns so that you can make an impact and improve safe digging in Minnesota. The MN Office of Pipeline Safety invites you to the next MS216D stakeholder review meeting on Thursday, Jan. 19th at Connexus Energy in Ramsey, 10am – 3:30pm. Contact Mike Mendiola with MNOPS if you have any questions at (651) 201-7248.

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CONTROLLING UNBILLABLE TIME: WHAT MAKES GOOD COMPANIES GREAT 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.

Mark Bradley | TBG Landscape and LMN

U

nbillable 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 labor hours on unbillable time might just be the most expensive error you can make.

Consider the difference between these two companies: • 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.

• 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: 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 option. 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.

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 labor. 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 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.

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 onsite 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.

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 the truck clocked in — it’s expensive on payroll and costs you valuable minutes in the morning or on the way home. december 16

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➾ U N BI L L A BL E T I M E

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

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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 under-performing or unsafe equipment. You can save a few dollars skipping maintenance, but the costs to your productivity add up in the long run.

MARK BRADLEY is the president of Ontario-based TBG Landscape and LMN. Find out more at www.golmn. com. This article was originally published in Landscape Trades, Canada’s premier horticultural trade publication.

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Dream and Reality Landscape MN LLC Arturo Hernandez Minneapolis, MN, 612-225-8753 Total Automotive, Inc. Ronald Lehner Chanhassen, MN, 952-448-7750 Nelson-Rudie & Associates, Inc. Michael Woehrle New Hope, MN, 763-367-7630 Sampson Well Company Bruce Sampson Forest Lake, MN, 651-464-6088

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West Metro Supply Neil Navickas Eden Prairie, MN, 952-698-6906 Double K Enterprises LLC Mike Kotasek Belle Plaine, MN, 952-873-9074

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➾ F OUND ATION CORNER

Planned Giving Time goes by too fast. The time to consider planned giving to the MNLA Foundation is now.

Dale Bachman

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MNLA .biz

On Saturday, July 30, of this year, I had the pleasure of being present at Monrovia Nursery in Dayton, Oregon, for the dedication of their beautiful display garden in memory of Bruce Usrey, who passed away on July 7, 2015. Bruce was an owner of the nursery and worked for Monrovia for over 60 years; in 2016, Monrovia is celebrating 90 years in business. Bruce was a quiet, passionate, and generous leader who worked with his hands, heart, and mind. Some called Bruce, “The Eye”, because of his keen mind and sharp eye, which enabled him to see both the challenges and the opportunities at Monrovia. When asked about what he did for a living, Bruce would answer, “We grow a few plants, we make a little money, and we have a little fun.”

July is high season for travel to the Dayton area with vacations in the wine country, birthday and anniversary celebrations, and the Oregon Coast not far away. As a result, I could only find a room 20-plus miles away in Monmouth. I soon learned that Monmouth is the home to Western Oregon University. New blacktop was being installed on the main road between the two towns, so I faced lane closures both directions each time I made the trip. What turned out to be a slight inconvenience was more than made up for in this college town. Great breakfasts next door to the hotel. Fabulous ice cream on Main Street. A most unexpected and excellent performance of Shakespeare’s, “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Saturday night under the stars. Another amazing story unfolded as I walked through campus; a sign recognizing the efforts of a church member who one spring Sunday morning in 1867 called for a group of volunteers to plant trees near the school. In addition, a plaque recognized the class of 1887 for planting a Giant Seqouia next to what was the Chapel at the time.

Certainly, Monmouth and Western Oregon recognized december 16

the importance of tree planting within the community and the University.

A Planned Giving Commitment or Legacy Gift to the MNLA Foundation is like planting a tree today to provide shade and benefits for others in the future.

I certainly enjoyed the power and presence of “The Grove” with plantings beginning in 1867 that is now part of the Western Oregon University campus and the incredible character of a 129-year-old Seqouia. A planned gift is an enduring expression of your belief in the work of the MNLA Foundation and the importance of research, scholarships, and career development to our green industry in Minnesota. Planned Giving describes a wide variety of options that enable you to give during your lifetime and/or after your death, while meeting your current income needs. The typical planned gift is one that will provide charitable benefit upon the donor’s death. Planned gifts can come in many forms; some possibilities include: • Including the MNLA Foundation in your will or revocable trust.

• Naming the MNLA Foundation as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy.

• Naming the MNLA Foundation as a beneficiary of a retirement plan.

• Transfering ownership of a life insurance policy to the MNLA Foundation.

The need and opportunity to grow Planned Giving to the MNLA Foundation is real. This type of giving can help the Foundation meet long-term goals and help provide donors with responsible financial management in support of purposeful philanthropy. I learn a great deal about leadership by attending memorial services and

Monrovia Oregon Garden

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Giant Sequoia

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FOUNDATION SILENT AUCTION Bruce Usrey plaque

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: THE MNLA FOUNDATION SILENT AUCTION!

listening for the “eulogy virtues” established over a lifetime of dedicated service. That was certainly the case reflecting on the life of Bruce Usrey.

Time goes by too fast. Please join me in considering and making a planned gift to the MNLA Foundation. To learn more about this type of support, contact MNLA Executive Director, Cassie Larson, at 651633-4987 or cassie@mnla.biz.

Thank you for all of your support of MNLA and the MNLA Foundation.

In 2016 the MNLA Foundation hosted its’ second silent auction at the 2016 Northern Green Expo. With your help, over $7,000 was raised to help support the Foundation’s mission to improve the environment by investing in the future of the green industry! Funds raised from the silent auction support MNLA Foundation scholarships.

is chairman / chief executive officer of Bachman’s, Inc. and an MNLA Foundation trustee.

Thank you for your support of the MNLA Foundation!

DALE L. BACHMAN

The 2017 silent auction at Northern Green promises to be another great fundraiser! Join us for bidding during your visit to the show; the silent auction will be near the MNLA Foundation booth, just outside of Hall E. Items such as sporting tickets, gift certificates, craft beer baskets, jewelry, industry and non-industry specific gift baskets are all examples of the type of things that will be available for bid. Bring your checkbook and get ready to win big!

The 2017 Silent Auction will be held during Northern Green 2017, Wednesday through Thursday, January 11 and 12 (times vary). The Silent Auction will close on Thursday, January 12.

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➾ E L E CT I O N S

2017 Model Year Exclusive Allowance. Save up to $6,800 on select GM models.

OFFICIAL NOTICE ANNUAL MEETING ON JAN. 12 AT CONVENTION CENTER Notice is hereby given that the annual membership meeting of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association will be held at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 12, 2017, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. During the annual meeting, the results of the Board of Directors election will be announced. An electronic ballot was sent the first week in December to the primary contact provided to MNLA by each business member. Following is a short biography of those persons nominated to be on the ballot.

The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association and GM Fleet and Commercial are proud to offer a money-saving partnership which will save MNLA members thousands of dollars! You will receive a credit on your purchase of up to $6,800 on select 2017 GM models. For more information, contact Mary Dunn at mary@mnla.biz.

GM Fleet third square.indd 1

11/22/2016 9:48:19 AM

Candidates for Directors-at-Large TIM MALOOLY

Tim Malooly is a candidate for re-election to the MNLA Board of Directors. Tim is president of Irrigation

by Design Inc., which provides design, installation and service of commercial and residential landscape irrigation systems. He is also president of Water in Motion which provides design and consultation and program of applied technology upon landscape irrigation systems. In 2008, Malooly was named the EPA Water Sense Program Irrigation Partner of the Year for demonstrating creativity and collaboration in promoting water efficiency and conservation. His professional designations include Certified Irrigation Contractor, Certified Irrigation Auditor, Certified Backflow Assembly Tester, Licensed Technology Systems Contractor, and Certified Water Manager.

Malooly has spent many hours devoted to the advancement of his industry through volunteerism in the MNLA and the Irrigation Association (IA) and as a leader of seminars and classes held by other organizations and technical colleges. In 2003, he was awarded the MNLA Committee Member of the Year award.

Malooly is currently the chair of the MNLA Government Affairs Committee and is a past chair of the MNLA Irrigation Industry Committee. He has also served on the Irrigation Association Board of Directors.

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BX Series

B Series

BX Series

B Series

RANDY BERG

Randy Berg is a candidate for re-election to the MNLA Board of Directors. Randy is the owner of Berg’s Nursery, Landscapers/Garden Center located in Austin, Minn. which he founded in 1979 after graduating from Duluth Area Technical College with a degree in horticulture and landscape design. Berg’s company is comprised of both a garden center and landscape design/build division.

Randy has been a member of the MNLA since his graduation, and received his MNLA certification in 1981. He became an APLD Certified Landscape Designer in 1997. He is chair of the MNLA Communications & Technology Committee and is a past chair of the Garden Center Committee.

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MATT MALLAS

Matt Mallas is a candidate for re-election to the MNLA Board of Directors. He is the Manager of Purchasing & Logistics for Hedberg Supply, a landscape and masonry supplier based in Plymouth, Minn. Matt serves Hedberg in an executive capacity and also oversees a team of purchasing and dispatch personnel. During his more than 20 years of industry experience, Matt has managed sales and branch offices and has worked on installation. He has been a featured speaker at Hardscape North America and Mid-Atlantic Hardscape trade shows. Matt has an Associate’s degree in Architectural Drafting & Estimating.

*20% down, 0% A.P.R. financing for up to 84 months on new Kubota BX, B (excluding B26), L (excluding L39/L45/L47), M (excluding M59/M62) Series Equipment is available to qualified purchasers from participating dealers’ in-stock inventory through 12/31/2016. Example: An 84-month monthly installment repayment term at 0% A.P.R. requires 84 payments of $11.90 per $1,000 financed. 0% A.P.R. interest is available to customers if no dealer documentation preparation fee is charged. Dealer charge for document preparation fee shall be in accordance with state laws. Inclusion of ineligible equipment may result in a higher blended A.P.R. 0% A.P.R. and low-rate financing may not be available with customer instant rebate offers. Financing is available through Kubota Credit Corporation, 3401 Del Amo subjectBX,toBcredit approval.

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See us for details *20% down, U.S.A., 0% A.P.R. financing for Blvd., up to Torrance, 84 monthsCAon90503; new Kubota (excluding B26), L (excluding L39/L45/L47), M (excluding M59/M62) Series on these andis available other low-rate optionspurchasers or go to www.kubota.com more in-stock information. **Onlythrough terms and conditions ofExample: Kubota’sAnstandard Limited Warranty apply.

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84-month monthly installment For warrantyterm terms, seeA.P.R. Kubota’s Limited or authorized Dealers.

Optional equipment may be shown. repayment at 0% requires 84Warranty paymentsatofwww.kubota.com $11.90 per $1,000 financed.Kubota 0% A.P.R. interest is available to customers if no dealer documentation preparation fee is charged. Dealer charge for document preparation fee shall be in accordance with state laws. Inclusion of ineligible equipment may result in a higher blended A.P.R. 0% A.P.R. and low-rate financing may not be available with customer instant rebate offers. Financing is available through Kubota Credit Corporation, U.S.A., 3401 Del Amo Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503; subject to credit approval. Some exceptions apply. Offer expires 12/31/2016. See us for details on these and other low-rate options or go to www.kubota.com for more information. **Only terms and conditions of Kubota’s standard Limited Warranty apply.

For warranty terms, see Kubota’s Limited Warranty at www.kubota.com or authorized Kubota Dealers. Optional equipment may be shown.

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After participating in and contributing to MNLA events and initiatives for 18 years, Matt was chosen as 2015 Volunteer of the Year for his work with the MNLA Green Industry Leadership Institute. He is chair of the MNLA Networking Committee and a past member of the Hardscape Committee.

Also at the meeting, appointments to the MNLA Foundation Board of Trustees will be confirmed; and the following bylaws change for the foundation will be considered: ARTICLE V — BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS MEETINGS, APPOINTMENT, ELECTIONS & TERMS SECTION 1. Board of Trustees. The Trustees of the Foundation shall consist of nine (9) voting members, or such other number as determined from time to time by resolution of the sole Member.

One (1) of these Trustees shall be the past president of a current member of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association Board of Directors and appointed to serve by the Association Board of Directors. Two (2) One (1) Trustees shall be appointed to represent academia, i.e. colleges or universities an institution which offers an accredited program in horticulture or landscape education. Six (6) Seven (7) at-large Trustees shall be chosen from among the members of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association. Trustees shall serve for terms of two years, and shall be appointed for no more than three consecutive two-year terms.

The at-large and academic Trustees shall be appointed by the other Trustees, with those appointments ratified by a vote of the members of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association.

Terms for the at-large and academic Trustees shall be staggered.

ARTICLE VI — DUTIES OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS SECTION 4. Executive Committee. To provide for the transaction of business and decision-making that may become necessary at a time impractical to convene the Board of Trustees, authority for these matters shall be vested in an Executive Committee consisting of the Chairman of the Board, the Treasurer, the MNLA Past President Board of Directors representative, and one other member appointed annually by the Chairman of the Board, as well as the Executive Secretary as a non-voting member.

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Northern Green Premium Content Enjoy exclusive sessions and an upgraded experience in our special tracks.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 11

C E O

TRACK

PT. 1: 10:00 AM – 12:10 PM PT. 2: 3:00 PM – 5:15 PM ROOM 103 ABC

INTERACTIVE TRACK

Wednesday’s premium track for owners, CEOs, managers and top-level leaders will feature four hours of content from top speakers Charlie Hall and Northern Green keynote speaker Eric Chester.

Charlie Hall, a professor at Texas A & M University, is known for the enthusiasm, passion, and intensity he exhibits when speaking. Hall will speak on three topics: 1. Structural Changes in the Green Industry While the demand for green industry products and services has been picking up the last couple of years, the future of the green industry is still at a Dr. Charlie crossroads. On the one hand, a rosy (pardon the horticultural pun) picture Hall can be painted. But on the other hand, there are many challenges looming.

Join Hall as he picks his way among the thorny issues (economic, demographic, and otherwise) and elaborates on exactly what actions are needed to keep your business “blooming” in the coming year, followed with a panel discussion by top industry experts representing the grower, landscape, and retail segments.

2. Developing a Winning Value Proposition Many current trends and driving forces point to the fact that consumer demand in the green industry marketplace is maturing. Assuming this to be the case, a strategic response is required in order to survive. This session will focus on the three-pronged formula for success for the future – value, relevancy, and authenticity – and how these foundational tenants should be incorporated into every strategic marketing message in the future!

3. Biophilia and What It Means for the Future The biophilia hypothesis suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. We need nature in a deep and fundamental fashion, but we have often designed our cities and suburbs in ways that both degrade the environment and alienate us from nature. Biophilic design is an innovative way of designing the places where we live, work, and learn. In this session, Hall will explore the linkages between the built environment and elements of nature and how this translates to a bolstering of the long-term demand for plants and landscape architectural services.

Eric Chester, a trusted source in the global dialogue on employee engagement, workplace culture, and the emerging generation will provide a “can’t miss session.”

Attracting and Retaining Top Level Employees Eric Chester will present a research-based presentation on citing best practice examples from a wide variety of companies that have cracked the code on Eric Chester getting and keeping top talent in their respective industries. Based upon the groundbreaking research in his fifth leadership book, “On Fire at Work: How Great Companies Ignite Passion in Their People Without Burning Them Out” (Sound Wisdom, Oct. 2015), leaders walk away with actionable ideas for building an invincible army of entrepreneurs who take pride and ownership in their work.

C E O LOUNGE



BONUS: When you upgrade to the CEO Track, you’ll also receive exclusive access to the CEO Lounge during Northern Green. There will be complimentary snacks, comfortable furniture, a device charging station, and cash bar available throughout the day on Wednesday exclusively for those registered for this track.

THE CEO LOUNGE IS IN CEO Track generously supported by: ROOM 103 D. TM

L A N D S C A P E + M A S O N RY

THURSDAY, JAN. 12 PT. 1: 8:00 – 10:00 AM PT. 2: 1:30 – 3:30 PM ROOM 103 ABC

Thursday’s premium track, Operational Excellence, is facilitated by Landscape Management Network (LMN). Mike Lysecki, CTO of LMN and TBG Landscape, Mike will provide four hours of Lysecki exclusive, interactive content for Northern Green attendees.

In the morning, Mike will present Finding, Hiring, Training and Motivating the Right People…at the Right Time. In this session, you’ll learn the key systems used by TBG to earn a healthy bottom line because of its workforce, not in spite of it. Learn proven incentive programs for landscape companies by creating stickiness through pension and benefits. Can you afford not to have a pension program? Mike will show you how to hire and who to hire; how to show opportunity to new employees; daily systems (D4s) that keep problems in check, and incentives that show ‘What’s in it for me?” to staff.

Attendees will leave with proven systems for hiring, training and career development including templates for job postings, pre-interview questionnaire, interview questions, job descriptions, offer of employment, onboarding checklist, sample of a proper employee file, and a career development program.

In the afternoon, Mike will present How to Create and Maintain a Waste Elimination Program and Turn Waste Into Profits and give a step-by-step breakdown of how to estimate and plan jobs, organize equipment, and execute jobs using a landscape production system that turns typical wasted, unproductive hours into industry-leading profits and rewarding careers for key staff.

In this session you will learn how to create a 5S program for your shop and your yard and train your staff to identify the nine types of waste and how to eliminate them. Attendees will leave with all the forms and documents to create a 5S program including checklist forms for jobsite inspections to identify and eliminate waste. PowerPoint presentations will also be given to train staff.

Northern Green Special Ticketed Events

Access to each event requires a separate ticket for an additional fee, regardless of registration pass. You can purchase tickets when registering for Northern Green, or by visiting the event’s page on NorthernGreen.org.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017 | 5:30pm – 8:30pm In the Innovation & Inspiration Theater on the Trade Show Floor

GREEN INDUSTRY AWARDS

CELEBRATI0N

This year marks the unveiling of a new event to celebrate green industry success. A joint effort by MNLA and MTGF, the event will utilize the new Innovation & Inspiration Theater on RECOGNIZING E XCELLENCE IN MINNESOTA’S GREEN INDUSTRY the trade show floor, which includes a giant rear-projected screen allowing for a fantastic visual display.

Generously There will be dinner, drinks, a master of cermonies to act as a host for the evening’s supported by: festivities, and lots to celebrate! Ticket price: $40 Wednesday, January 11, 2017 | 7:15-8:15 a.m.; Breakfast served beginning at 7:00 a.m. | Room 102ABC

The 2017 Legislative Session begins on January 3rd, making Northern Green the perfect opportunity to gain insight into the many issues facing green industry professionals, as well as ways to get involved and grow results in government affairs.

LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST

This year’s Legislative Breakfast will feature a panel of experts and elected officials sharing insiders’ perspectives on topics impacting YOU. Following the Breakfast, attendees are encouraged to visit MNLA’s member services booth, where our new Legislative Action Center will be up and running – offering critical resources and opportunities to engage in grassroots action.

Craig Regelbrugge AmericanHort

Jacob Frey Minneapolis City Council

Dave Frederickson MDA Commissioner

Andrea Vaubel Assistant MDA Commissioner

Panelists Craig Regelbrugge (AmericanHort), Jacob Frey (Minneapolis City Council), Dave Frederickson (MDA Commissioner), and Andrea Vaubel (MDA Asst. Commissioner) will discuss green industry members’ top priorities at the local, state, and federal levels and directly address your questions as well. Come and learn about how you can have a voice on important issues that affect your business!

The Northern Green 2017 Legislative Breakfast is brought to you by the members of the MNLA Government Affairs Committee and our generous supporters (listed below). Ticket price: $35

Generously supported by:

Wednesday, January 11, 2017 | 5:15pm – 8:00pm | Ballroom A

A fun night of networking, including a pizza buffet, cash bars, and comedy from John Heffron. Join your green industry colleagues, kick back and relax. Ticket price: $20

COMEDY

NIGHT

Energetic and accessible, acclaimed standup John Heffron shares an array of relatable experiences from childhood through life as a married father. He’s learned a thing or two about relationships with family, friends, and even himself along his journeys, gaining an astute, uniquely honest perspective widely praised among his comedy peers. Audiences of all ages relate to his enthusiastic, hard-won wisdom, recognizing how often the path to maturity is marked by universal triumphs and failures. Rather than mock differences, the Detroit native aims to engage, connect, and enlighten.

Long before emerging victorious in the second season of NBC’s hit reality competition Last Comic Standing, Heffron first took the stage at the University of Michigan campus’ Main Street Comedy Showcase. He soon found himself skipping night classes to pursue his passion and branching into FM radio, serving as Danny Bonaduce’s wingman on Detroit’s number one morning show, Danny Bonaduce and the Q Crew.

Along with appearances on The Tonight Show, The Late Late Show, HBO, FX, VH1, A&E, and CMT, Heffron remains one of a small handful of veteran performers to tape two separate Comedy Central specials and has an hour special, Middle Class Funny, on Netflix.

John Heffron

In the podcasting realm, Heffron has guested on WTF with Marc Maron, The Joe Rogan Experience, and Ari Shaffir’s Skeptic Tank. He launched his own The State I’m In on the All Things Comedy network in August 2014. Much like his self-effacing live material, Heffron’s podcast invites guests and listeners alike to explore the ever-fluctuating position they find themselves in both physically and mentally.

In addition to headlining clubs and appearing at festivals around the world, Heffron remains in high demand as a performer at events for numerous Fortune 50 companies including Mercedes, Frito Lay, Sonic, Johnson & Johnson, Ernst and Young, and the FBI, just to name a few.

Generously supported by:

His four albums, Middle Class Funny DVD, and best-selling advice book I Come to You From the Future: Everything You’ll Need to Know Before You Know It are available on iTunes and Amazon.

A Trade Show Floor Cool Places to Go CAMPFIRES: CONNECT + GROW DIFFERENTLY

Lakeshore Campfire

Campfires on the trade show floor are hubs for gathering and learning, but they’re not your typical general session.

These unique learning spaces include hosted discussions, trade show floor Supported by: Supported by: walkabouts, demonstrations, and more…

Backyard Campfire

INNOVATION + INSPIRATION THEATER

Innovation & Inspiration Theater

Supported by:

This new theater with a 40-foot wide by 20-foot high screen in the center of the action will host a variety of live events, including the Green Industry Awards Celebration, as well as sessions focusing on photography, the Ryder Cup, presentations from Landscape Award recipients, and a plant fashion show! Plus, featured interviews, video highlights and educational content all tailored specifically for green industry professionals.

THE SANDBOX

HARDSCAPE

This new area will feature hands-on activities. Your team is invited to participate in the Northern Green Hardscape Challenge. Watch as teams compete throughout the day on Wednesday and Thursday for the title of “Master of the Hardscape Challenge” AND a $750 cash prize. Interested in signing up a team? Visit NorthernGreen.org for participation details. Plus, The Sandbox will also feature live tree climbing demos throughout the show!

CHALLENGE

The Sandbox

Supported by:

TECH LAB

Tech Lab

Come and experience the unexpected at Northern Green through exploration of the cutting-edge technology available with virtual reality (VR). At its core, VR is an advanced way to experience a 3-D model of anything a designer, engineer, or architect can come up with. Join Urban Ecosystems and explore the opportunities available to plug designs into this new technology and use it as a sales tool. It will give you a sensory feeling unlike anything you’ve ever had before!

IDEA WALL

Idea Wall

VIRTUAL REALITY

Sometimes the best ideas or solutions come from peer-to-peer suggestions rather than a speaker on a stage. Do you have a problem that needs a solution? Write it on the idea wall and let your colleagues brainstorm with you. Come back later in the day to see what potential solutions have been added. Don’t have an immediate problem to solve? Visit the Idea Wall and offer a solution that’s worked for you! Create, innovate, discuss, and solve industry issues together in this new space on the show floor.

That’s More Dynamic Than Ever!

Fun Things to Do PREVIEW

TRADE SHOW

PARTY

Tuesday, Jan. 10, 4:00–5:30pm

PREVIEW PARTY

Do you like to be first? The Northern Green Trade Show Preview Party is a chance for attendees of Tuesday Master Classes, anyone holding a 2 or 3-day Northern Green registration, or customers with a special invitation directly from their supplier to get a sneak peek into the trade show before it officially opens! Yes, you can be first! There will be free appetizers, cash bars, and surprise entertainment throughout the show floor during this happy hour affair.

TREASURE HUNT: “X” MARKS THE SPOTS

Supported by:

While you’re visiting with Northern Green 2017 exhibitors and learning about their offerings, you also have a chance to find treasure. A number of exhibitors have donated prizes for the Treasure Hunt. Simply follow the treasure map on the card provided outside the trade show entrance and dig up booth personnel at each participating booth to sign your card. Then, drop off the completed card in the big drum in Lobby E to be entered into a drawing to win fabulous prizes!

FREE LUNCH

CONNECT OVER LUNCH: FREE LUNCH X 2*

Supported by:

There’s so much to do at Northern Green that you won’t want to miss a beat. Grab FREE lunch at the trade show on Wednesday AND Thursday and keep right on conducting business with vendors or learning something new. *Available to the first 2,000 attendees.

CONNECT WITH INDUSTRY VENDORS IN PERSON...

...OR VISIT THEM ONLINE. Connect with these exhibitors all year long by visiting the Vendor Directory online at www.NorthernGreen.org.

Visit hundreds of exhibitors in a 178,000 square foot exhibit hall onsite at Northern Green 2017. For the latest listings, please check out www.NorthernGreen.org or the Northern Green app.

NEW SCHEDULE FOR 2017!

Tuesday, January 10: PREVIEW PARTY 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, January 11 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Thursday, January 12 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

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