The Landscape Professional March/April 2020

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Landscape PROFESSIONAL The official magazine of the National Association of Landscape Professionals Profession

March/April 2020

Cultivating People e are e the e lifeblood o off a service business. s. Butt how w do you find and keep the e go good ood embers s share ones? NALP members recruiting and retention strategies—what —what works and what hat doesn’t. t.

PLUS: Members Talk About their Biggest Business Challenges April is National Lawn Care Month Meet NALP’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year

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OPEN THE DOOR TO POSSIBILITIES THAT DIDN’T EXIST BEFORE

&/30-- 50%": BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS •

President Andrew Ziehler, Landscape Industry Certified, Ziehler Lawn and Tree Care

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President-Elect Shayne Newman, Landscape Industry Certified, YardApes

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Secretary/Treasurer Bob Grover, Landscape Industry Certified, Pacific Landscape Management

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Immediate Past President Jeff Buhler, Massey Services

DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE •

Bruce Allentuck, Allentuck Landscaping Co.

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Mike Bogan, Landscape Industry Certified, LandCare

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Lisa Fiore, Landscape Hub

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Paul Fraynd, Landscape Industry Certified, Sun Valley Landscaping

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Phil Key, Ruppert Landscape

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Roscoe Klausing, Landscape Industry Certified, Klausing Group

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Joe Kujawa, Kujawa Enterprises Inc.

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Frank Mariani, Landscape Industry Certified, Mariani Landscape

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William MacMurdo, Bayer Crop Science

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Joe Munie, Munie Greencare Professionals Inc.

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Tim Portland, Yellowstone Landscape

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Chris Senske, Senske Services

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Brandon Sheppard, Weed Man

THE EXTERIOR TECHNICIAN PROGRAM GOES ONLINE FIVE SPECIALTY AREAS TO CHOOSE FROM: SOFTSCAPE INSTALLATION, HARDSCAPE INSTALLATION, TURF MAINTENANCE, ORNAMENTAL MAINTENANCE, OR IRRIGATION.

National Association of Landscape Professionals landscapeprofessionals.org NALP is the national trade association representing the landscape industry that continuously strives for the highest level of professionalism through education, best practices and certification.NALP helps to advance the landscape industry through education, advocacy and professionalism.

Nicole Wisniewski, Editor Cheryl Claborn, Advertising Rob Ghosh, Design Page Howard, Copy Editor Lindsey Getz, Contributing Writer Kristen Hampshire, Contributing Writer Heather Tunstall, Contributing Writer 12500 Fair Lakes Circle, Ste. 200 Fairfax, VA 22033 800-395-2522 | 703-736-9666 | Fax 703-736-9668 © 2019 The Landscape Professional is published bimonthly by the National Association of Landscape Professionals expressly as a member service.

National Association of Landscape Professionals 3

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Landscape PROFESSIONAL 26 Cultivating Growth People are the lifeblood of a service business. But how do you find and keep the good ones? NALP members share recruiting and retention strategies—what works and what doesn’t.

Cultivating

DEPARTMENTS 6

From the CEO

8

NALP Members Speak Out: What is Your Biggest Business Challenge?

12 Data Driven: April is National Lawn Care Month 22 How We Do It: How Canopy Lawn Care Recruits and Retains Women 36 From the Hill: NALP Government Relations Update: Winter 2020 38 I am a Landscape Professional: Christopher Brown, Teed & Brown THE NALP EXPERIENCE 14 NALP Experience: Leaders Forum 2020 16 NALP Experience: CEOs Reveal Secrets to Success

10

The Top 5 Lawn & Landscape Trends

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18 NALP Experience: How to Find and Keep Employees in a Tough Labor Market Young Entrepreneur of the year

20 NALP Experience: How NCLC Can Help You Grow Your Workforce

Advertiser Index Bartlett Tree Experts ...................................................................31 Bayer................................................................... Inside Back Cover Billy Goat ................................................................................................21 CASE ..................................................................Inside Front Cover Colorblends ......................................................................................... 34

Florasearch ............................................................................................3 John Deere ..............................................................................................5 Kawasaki ................................................................................................17 Kubota ..................................................................................................... 24 NALP Legislative Days .............................................................. 13

4 The Landscape Professional // March/April 2020

NALP National Lawn Care Month ................................... 23 NALP Safety Recognition Awards ................................... 35 Proven Winners ..................................................................................9 STIHL ......................................................................................................... 7 Z-Spray .............................................................................Back Cover

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LETTER FROM THE CEO

Our Annual Meeting Is Changing – Beginning in 2022 THE NALP ANNUAL MEETING – LANDSCAPES – WILL BE HITTING THE ROAD, starting in 2022. After more than a decade in Louisville, the association’s signature annual meeting will travel to different locations around the U.S.—exposing you and your team to new venues and enabling new connections.

NALP has assembled a planning task force, including industry suppliers and manufacturers, lawn care, maintenance and design/build professionals, to provide guidance and input into the design of the new meeting. Member input is also being gathered to ensure that the meeting provides the best education and networking opportunities while incorporating local facility tours and the latest innovations.

The work of the task force is expected to be complete in June when the dates and locations of the 2022 NALP Annual Meeting is announced.

I’d like to thank our dedicated task force members: Q Beth Berry, Real Green Systems

6 The Landscape Professional //March/April 2020

Q Mike Bogan, LandCare

Q Roger Phelps, STIHL

Q Jeff Buhler, Massey Services Inc.

Q Don Winsett, The Davey Tree Expert Co.

Q Mike Caprio, Lawn Doctor

Q Andrew Ziehler, Ziehler Lawn and Tree Care

Q Dan Carrothers, FMC Q Phil Fogarty, Weed Man Q Ed Furner, Mariani Landscape Q Matt Gramer, NatureWorks Q Jerry Grossi, ArborLawn Q Bob Grover, Pacific Landscape Management (Chair) Q Helen Hinkson, BrightView Q Scott Jamieson, Bartlett Tree Experts Q John Janes, Caterpillar Inc. Q Matt Jesson, Green Lawn Fertilizing/ Green Pest Solutions

We look forward to opening up new opportunities for you and your team as we create the future NALP Annual Meeting experience, beginning in 2022. In the meantime, we look forward to LANDSCAPES 2020 and 2021 in Louisville.

If you have any thoughts or ideas about our new Annual Meeting, please feel free to contact me at britt@ landscapeprofessionals.org. TLP

%UÓ :RR Britt Wood, CEO

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NALP MEMBERS SPEAK OUT

Ð What is your biggest business challenge? Ð

“This year, Davey will hire about 6,500 people across all four of our service lines. With that in mind, I’d say one of the biggest challenges that faces our industry is retention of people. That means making sure to interview and qualify the right people who will be a good fit for the company and for the industry—but then also keeping them. For our company, retention is more of a challenge than recruiting. Moving forward, we are working to create a new orientation and onboarding experience. It will really focus on the first three months of employment. For a large organization like ours, it’s a lot of moving parts and that’s a large undertaking but one that we believe is essential.”

“The field labor market is a challenge, which is the byproduct of a healthy economy. Finding, attracting, retaining and growing field level people is not easy to do. But there are a lot of things we’re trying. We’re recruiting at the high school level. We’re recruiting at the college level. We have a pretty comprehensive employee referral program that rewards existing team members for bringing in friends and family. LandCare focuses heavily on helping to develop and grow and treat our team members like family to reduce turnover. We also do things in our business to help reduce our reliance on labor like utilizing new growth regulators and different types of machinery.”

Mark Hopkins, Regional VP, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri for LandCare

Brigitte Orrick, The Davey Tree Expert Co., Kent, Ohio

8 The Landscape Professional //March/April 2020

Ð

“Of course, like everyone says, it’s always labor. But it’s also a matter of finding the right people. You can find people who are willing to work, but finding the right people is a challenge of its own. We’ve done a lot of different things to address this. We’re looking into the Apprenticeship Program right now. We’ve also made efforts online, through referrals and even going out and hanging local fliers. It’s all about continuing to be creative and varying your approach. You can’t do just one thing.”

Skip Thompson, CEO, Tidewater Landscape Management, Savannah, Georgia

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DATA DRIVEN

The Top 5 Lawn & Landscape Trends of 2020 A GREAT LANDSCAPE NEEDS A great foundation. What’s better than a great foundation? One that has a modern twist via technological advances.

That could be why foundational elements combined with new technology are the themes that make up this year’s list of lawn and landscape trends, according to NALP. Crafted using the expertise of professionals across the country, NALP annually predicts design and maintenance trends that it feels will inspire Americans as they think about their landscapes in 2020.

Here are the five trends NALP members predict will define outdoor spaces in 2020.

1

Ornate, Geometric Hardscaping Intricate hardscape patterns–think waves, chevron, lattice and basketweave–continue to show up in residential landscapes. These patterns mirror popular home decor patterns. And homeowners are taking them outdoors into their walkways, patios, retaining walls and fire features.

2

Contemporary and Transitional Landscape Design Homeowners are embracing simplistic designs with multi-purpose function. Outdoor kitchens serve as an outdoor entertainment and visually appealing space, but also function as a place to cook dinner.

Contemporary sculptures or modern fire or water features add unique and fun elements to a landscape design.

Also, transitional landscape design is part of this trend. An example of this would be native plants that can handle various temperature shifts.

10 The Landscape Professional //March/April 2020

Photos: 1. Plants Creative Landscapes, 2. GoldGlo Landscapes, 3. Farmside Landscape & Design, 4. Dennis’ 7 Dees Landscaping & Garden Centers, 5. Bonick Landscaping

4

Your Style, Your Garden Design Homeowners want gardens that do double duty. They want them to look aesthetically pleasing and also deliver the goods. The goods could be fruits, vegetables or herbs to add to those dishes they create in their outdoor kitchens. For those homeowners with smaller spaces, container and vertical gardens are trending.

3

Bountiful Shades of Blue Many of the companies predicting color trends are naming various shades of blue as their colors of choice for 2020. Sherwin-Williams is talking about Naval, a strong and calming dark blue. PPG is sharing Chinese Porcelain, a cobalt and moody blue, as their top hue. As a result, industry experts predict blue will appear in the landscape. While not an abundant ower color, blue does appear in plants like hydrangea, delphinium, grape hyacinth and globe thistle. But blue can also crop up in other areas of the outdoors, including sculpture and water features.

5

One Click, Remote Irrigation Homeowners want to nourish their landscapes and save water at the same time. Today’s latest irrigation technology allows them or their land care professionals to control irrigation systems from anywhere. They do this via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and smartphone apps. TLP

National Association of Landscape Professionals 11

DATA DRIVEN

April is … National Lawn Care Month NALP DATA SAYS MORE THAN THREE IN FOUR U.S. adults have a home with landscaping or a lawn, and 94 percent say that lawn and landscape services were performed at their homes recently. So the start of the spring season is the perfect time to harness your customers’ excitement about outdoor spaces and remind them about the benefits of a well-cared-for and well-maintained lawn.

Join NALP to promote April as National Lawn Care Month on social media, using the hashtag #LawnCareMonth.

The goal is to build awareness of proper lawn and landscape care and get people excited about getting outside.

Here are some key facts that make lawns and landscapes so important during not only National Lawn Care Month but throughout the year.

well cared for, they absorb unhealthy water runoff that might otherwise filter into bodies of water. It may be surprising to learn that an average, healthy lawn can absorb more than 6,000 gallons of water from a single rainfall event, says the Journal of Environmental Quality.

Q Healthy lawns and landscapes provide oxyQ Healthy lawns and landgen. Grasses absorb carbon scapes clean the air. Grass dioxide and break it down and plants play a vital role into oxygen and carbon. In in capturing dust, smoke fact, a 50-foot-by-50-foot particles and other pollutants lawn produces enough oxyto make our air cleaner. In gen for a family of four. fact, lawns alone capture more than 12 million tons of Q Healthy lawns and landdust, according to the Georscapes act as natural gia Turfgrass Foundation. coolants. Lawns can be Add to that the additional 31 degrees cooler than absorption of dust provided asphalt and 20 degrees by trees and plants and it’s cooler than bare soil. Trees easy to see the role these shading homes can reduce plants provide in creating attic temperatures by as healthy air. much as 40 degrees. These natural coolants reduce the Q Healthy lawns and landneed for electric cooling scapes protect bodies of units, saving energy and water. When lawns are reducing electric bills.

12 The Landscape Professional //March/April 2020

Did you know?

DUsing turf instead of concrete on road embankments = a 200% reduction in traffic noise.

D84% of Americans think it is important to have a wellmaintained yard.

D84% of Americans say the quality of a home’s landscape/yard would affect their decision to purchase it.

Q Healthy lawns and landscapes minimize noise. Lawns and plants dramatically reduce noise pollution; they can reduce noise levels by 20 percent to 30 percent over hard surfaces like concrete and pavement.

For a National Lawn Care Month toolkit, including a logo, photos and infographics you can use to promote the event, visit. www.landscapeprofessionals.org/lawncaremonth. TLP

LEGISLATIVE DAY ON THE HILL JULY 21-22, 2020

JOIN US IN WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 21-22, 2020 FOR OUR ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE, AND MAKE PERSONAL VISITS TO CAPITOL HILL.

LEGISLATIVE DAY ON THE HILL

Find out more at landscapeprofessionals.org/legdays

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Join us in Washington, D.C., July 21-22, 2020 for our annual legislative conference, and make personal visits to Capitol Hill. You CAN make a difference for your company and for the industry. Our team is powerful, but it can’t do it alone. Legislators listen to business owners — team up with other industry professionals on the hill and make your voice heard.

National Association of Landscape Professionals 13

THE NALP EXPERIENCE

Leaders Forum 2020 NALP’S LEADERS FORUM DREW MORE THAN 200 ATTENDEES IN JANUARY—A 10 PERCENT INCREASE OVER 2019.

Attendees are fond of the Cabo San Lucas location, which has been one of the most popular Leaders Forum destinations. Leaders Forum combines higher level business education with networking to help landscape professionals take their businesses to the next level.

Join NALP at Leaders Forum 2021 on Jan. 21-23 in Maui, Hawaii.

Learn more at www. landscapeprofessionals. org/leadersforum.

Photos: NALP

14 The Landscape Professional //March/April 2020

National N Na ati tion on nal al Association Assssoc soci occia o iattiion on of of Landscape Laan ndsccaap pee Professionals Profe rro ofe fessio ssio ss ion naals als ls 15 15

THE NALP EXPERIENCE

Lawn and Landscape CEOs Reveal Their Secrets to Success

great experience, they’ll switch.

It’s about how awesome the customer is.

AT THE CEOS UNPLUGGED panel at NALP’s Leaders Forum in January, seven of the lawn and landscape industry’s top CEOs shared business advice with an audience of more than 200 other industry professionals.

Here’s a glimpse at what they shared with the packed room.

Michael Hupf, Lifescape Colorado: Who wants to partner with the government anymore with H-2B? We need to take labor into our own hands.

WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES AS A LEADER? Krisjan Berzins, Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape: I’m approachable and I’m not a micromanager. But I don’t like meetings.

Jeff Foley, Para Space Landscaping: I’m hardworking, but I lack a bit of structure.

WHAT’S COMING IN 2020?

Berzins: We as an industry need to focus on customer experience. If they don’t’ have a

Lisa Fiore, LandscapeHub: There is a lack of innovation.

We need to focus on solutions.

How do we sell more services online?

Foley: Leaf blower bans and pesticide bans in Canada are tough. In terms of what’s trending, green infrastructure, such as rain gardens and green roofs, are hot. There’s opportunity if you are cutting edge with that technology.

WHAT’S ONE CHANGE YOU ARE MAKING FOR THE BETTER? Berzins: We’re implementing new software and a new CRM. Hupf: We’re working on an accountability culture.

Fiore: We’re working on CRM program adoption and are close to full implementation.

16 The Landscape Professional //March/April 2020

Stephen Mazelis, Mazelis Landscape Contracting: I would like to reach a point where I’m wearing fewer hats.

We’re at $1.5 million in revenue.

I’m at a point where I need to step back a bit.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN YOUR BUSINESS? Mazelis: Our employees. They are the roots of our company; we are in the people business.

Luke Hawthorne, Emerald Lawns: We grew over 30 percent last year – all while maintaining the same vision WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS VISION? Fiore: To improve the lives of green industry professionals.

We want to help them save time, work smarter, improve profits and improve quality of life.

Hupf: Building timeless outdoor spaces and having lifelong relationships. It’s a journey to get staff to buy in; it’s roughly a three-year exercise. TLP

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THE NALP EXPERIENCE

How to Find & Keep Employees in a Tough Labor Market

By Lindsey Getz

and keep great people?”

Chester, whose new book “Fully Staffed” comes out in April, says there are ways to win this battle.

“We all know there is an unemployment rate of just 3.7 percent right now, which means the So, how can you be that com- for companies to dig deeper good people already have jobs,” pany—the one that is getting the and try to understand some Chester adds. “But that doesn’t of the reasons behind what’s best people?

Eric Chester, a trusted source happening in their local markets. mean that you’re going to want to just employ people within that Chester says: “We all know it’s in the global dialogue on ema terrible situation, but what are 3.7 percent. You still want to ployee engagement, workplace culture and the emerging gener- the reasons behind it? Why can’t find the right people for the job.

So, finding the best people is your business, specifically, find ation, says that it’s important IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING WITH FINDING AND KEEPING employees right now, you aren’t alone. The lawn and landscape industry is facing a significant shortage of qualified workers and it seems that everyone is vying for the same people. In your own local market, you might feel as though the best workers get gobbled up by another company as soon as they become available.

Eric Chester

18 The Landscape Professional //March/April 2020

struggling with finding good hires.

That’s because finding the right people is more than a numbers game.

“Just because people are looking for work does not make them qualified to do the work,” he says. “First and foremost, we must instill the work ethic.”

According to Chester, it’s the “soft skills” that really do matter when it comes to long-term job success. These include things like showing up on time, dressing professionally, exhibiting a positive attitude, team work, honesty and integrity.

“So often we don’t train on any of those things—we just expect people to be those things, but that’s not always the case,” Chester says. “We can’t just complain that today’s workers don’t have the soft skills that we want.

We have to start talking about and teaching them ourselves; picking up where perhaps parents and teachers may have missed the boat.”

Although most people don’t think about teaching soft skills, Chester says these behaviors or habits can be taught with persistent instruction.

another part of the challenge.”

Chester says there are three areas in particular that need to be addressed when it comes to “surviving and winning the labor shortage battle.”

It’s something that he talked in depth about at NALP’s Workforce Summit in early March.

INSTILL THE WORK ETHIC—AND OTHER SOFT SKILLS Chester says even if unemployment rose and there was a larger labor pool to choose from, lawn and landscape business owners would still be

MAKE YOUR COMPANY THE BEST PLACE TO WORK The second thing that Chester says lawn and landscape business owners must focus on when trying to attract and retain the best people is how their company stands out from the others.

Being the “best place to work” doesn’t mean you have to start topping any national lists. You just need to be the best place to work in your community.

“If you’re not the best landscape business to work for in your area, it doesn’t matter how well you recruit.

People are going to leave for the company that’s better,” Chester warns.

So, what does it take to be the best place to work? Compensation is obviously part of it. You want to offer a competitive wage and good benefits.

But you can’t just stop there. Chester says there’s a lot more to it.

He suggests pondering the type of atmosphere that your company has. Is it a positive place to be where people actually like coming to work?

But going even further, he says landscape pros should consider whether they encourage fun in the workplace.

When you do, people build relationships and become closer—and that goes a long way in retention.

“Do people who work with you all get

According to Chester, it’s the “soft skills” that really do matter when it comes to longterm job success. These include things like showing up on time, dressing professionally, exhibiting a positive attitude, team work, honesty and integrity.

along so well that they go out and have a beer together when the work day is over?” Chester asks. “Or, if there was a rain day, would you ever tell everyone: ‘We’re headed down to the bowling alley?’ Those types of things matter to people.”

Beyond a positive culture, Chester says providing growth opportunities is also critical. While a lot of lawn and landscape business owners spend time thinking about growing their companies, they don’t always think about growing their people.

“If you aren’t trying to help your people become more than they are—and that’s something that they want—they are going to leave,” Chester says. “You can’t just hire people and leave them to stay in their roles forever. Your business will become stagnant and good people will leave. They want to do more. They want growth opportunities and if you aren’t providing them, they’ll find them somewhere else.”

BECOME A RELENTLESS RECRUITER Finally, Chester says the third step to take is to become a relentless recruiter.

“Recruiting is not just HR’s job,” he says. “You need everyone in your company to be doing it. But you need to teach them how.”

For instance, if someone were to approach one of your lawn care technicians while they were in the field and ask them about working for you, what would they say? You want your people to be talking about your company and sharing why it’s such a great place to work. But they need to know what to say and how to say it.

“In order to be successful with this, you need to reward employees who do it successfully,” Chester says. “If they tell someone how great it is to work for you—and then they actually come to work for you—they should be rewarded for that. It will inspire others in the company to follow suit.” TLP National Association of Landscape Professionals 19

THE NALP EXPERIENCE

How NCLC Can Help You Grow Your Workforce Jeff Rossen of Rossen Landscape shares industry insight into the annual student competitive event and career fair.

By Heather Tunstall EACH YEAR, THE NATIONAL Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC) is a beacon for over 800 students of landscaping and horticulture at two- and four-year institutions to test their acumen, flex their skills, and network with some of the top companies in the industry. Competitions range from plant identification to hardscape installation to business management—and far more.

But students aren’t the only ones with their eyes on the prize. The landscape industry professionals in attendance are watching closely, often hoping to spot a promising young person who could join their team.

“Any business committed to growth should go,” says Jeff Rossen, president of Rossen Landscape in Sterling, Virginia. “I don’t know of a better way to get in front of your target employee. NCLC has historically always been a great place to pick up

The Rossen Landscape internship served as Lauren Webster’s completion of her two-year degree at Sandhills.

Her post-internship plan was to continue her education and earn her bachelor’s degree from NC State. Jeff Rossen had been so impressed with Webster’s work that he offered her a job on the spot, letting her know that he’d be willing to pay her now what he’d pay someone with a four-year degree.

20 The Landscape Professional //March/April 2020

summer interns, which we then have the possibility to convert to full-time employees.”

Rossen would know. This year will be the third year his team has attended, on the heels of what Rossen considers to be a highly successful hiring find last year.

CATCHING A RISING STAR About a month after the 2019 event, Rossen received a call from a student he had met at NCLC named Lauren Webster, who was attending Sandhills Community College in North Carolina.

She was looking for an internship and, at that point, Rossen was still in need of a summer intern.

“The way she spoke over the phone, she was so professional, and she’s wise beyond her years,” he says.

The internship served as Webster’s completion of her two-year degree at Sandhills. And her post-internship plan was to continue her education and earn her bachelor’s degree from NC State. Rossen had been so impressed with Webster’s work that he offered her a job on the spot, letting her know that he’d be willing to pay her now what he’d pay someone with a four-year degree.

“I thought, ‘We’re going to pay somebody this amount and we wouldn’t even know what we’re

getting,’” Rossen says. “Whereas we know what we’re getting with her, and she’s proven herself.”

Webster explained that she still wanted to get her degree in design, and Rossen says that if she stayed on as an employee, she could still do that and the company would pay for it and give her the time off to do it.

Given an offer she couldn’t refuse, Webster joined the team.

“That is my NCLC success story — Lauren Webster,” Rossen says. Webster is the client relationship manager for Rossen Landscape now, with the plan to continue her education while working.

NETWORKING GOLDMINE While a great source for upand-coming talent, NCLC also offers a fantastic opportunity to talk with other landscaping pros, faculty members at higher education institutions and industry manufacturers.

“Another thing I like about NCLC is the networking that happens organically while you’re there,” Rossen says.

“And that is most definitely part of the reason I go—not just for the kids, but to get our name out there in the industry.”

The program gives ample opportunities to engage in productive conversations on a number of levels.

There is a dedicated career fair portion for students actively looking to meet with companies for potential internships or employment, as well

Lauren Webster explained that she still wanted to get her degree in design, and Jeff Rossen said if she stayed on as an employee, she could still do that and the company would pay for it and would give her the time off to do it. Given an offer she couldn’t refuse, Webster joined the Rossen Landscape team.

as the hands-on competitive events that give hiring companies a deeper look at skills than a resume can provide. But it’s also about visibility for the companies themselves.

“One of the major reasons we go is for market presence,” Rossen points out. “Just establishing that brand recognition is one of the reasons I’m always there.”

“The Industry/Faculty Reception is a great networking opportunity,” Rossen adds. “Making that connection with the faculty is a huge component because the faculty has a lot of influence over the kids. So if you get the faculty on your side, the kids tend to follow.”

Rossen Landscape is an Industry Growth Initiative (IGI) donor (learn more at www.landscapeprofessionals. org/igi) and an NALP Foundation Ambassador and will be handing out the annual Rossen Landscape Young Leaders Scholarship beginning at the 2021 NCLC event at Virginia Tech. TLP

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www.billygoat.com National Association of Landscape Professionals 21

HOW WE DO IT

How Canopy Lawn Care Recruits and Retains Women in Landscaping

By Maria Pallotta ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL CONVERSATIONS OF MY CAREER happened during my first week at Canopy Lawn Care. Our CEO, Hunt Davis, had a conversation about one of his long-term goals at Canopy. He wanted our workforce to match the diversity of our customer base. And for us in Raleigh, North Carolina, that means a workforce made up of more women than men. In Raleigh alone, more than 20 different languages are spoken. When he gave me that goal, my initial reaction was that it would take 20 years for us to get there.

But it really doesn’t have to take us that long.

My passion is recruiting more women into our industry and giving them a safe and successful place to grow their careers. I believe we can offer that. And if we place a focus on recruiting a more diverse workforce, our companies will reap the rewards.

Our companies will be more successful if we have more diverse opinions at the table. When decisions are made by one audience, it hurts everyone. More perspectives will help us gain clarity and p us all to make smarter deciit will help

sions. I also believe that those diverse perspectives will help us to improve our customer experience and relationships.

Melinda Gates just released an incredible book called “The Moment of Lift.” She talked about her experiences with women all over the world and she said: “Gender diversity is not just good for women; it’s good for anyone who wants results.”

At Canopy, we place a focus on diversity not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because we believe it will be a pillar of our success. y are p g If you passionate about recruiting

and retaining women at your company, here are a few tips that will help.

TIP #1: LISTEN Talk to the women at your company. Ask their opinions on what would make life easier. If they are working in the field, would different equipment make their lives easier? Ask them if there is anything holding them back from recruiting other women to join the company. Ask for their advice on what you can do differently to recruit more women. These women will give you the inside scoop on how things can be improved or changed. Ask for feedback and give them a safe place to share their opinions.

TIP #2: UPDATE YOUR RECRUITING STRATEGIES Did you know that women tend to only apply for jobs they are 100 percent qualified for? When you look at your job descriptions, is there anything in there that might be holding women back? Also, think about your employee experience.

Is there anything that could be improved during onboarding to make your teams feel more welcome? Do you have uniforms that also cater to your female team members? Small touches during this process go a long way to welcoming more women and retaining more women.

TIP #3: CREATE METRICS AND GOALS Any time you roll out a new initiative or program, it’s important to create metrics and goals. We track all diversity metrics including generation, ethnicity and gender. We also have goals in place for where we want to be in one year, five years and 10 years. The data will give you a clear picture of where you are and where you can improve.

Our workforce is changing, and we have a lot of work to do to make our workplaces more welcoming and supportive. By paying attention to our culture and the feedback from all team members, I believe we can build a workplace that everyone will want to be a part of. TLP

The author is chief of staff, Canopy Lawn Care, Raleigh, North Carolina.

22 The Landscape Professional //March/April 2020

APRIL IS NATIONAL LAWN CARE MONTH

#LAWNCAREMONTH

NATIONAL LAWN CARE MONTH The spring season is the perfect time to harness the public’s excitement about the outdoors and remind them about the benefits of a well-cared for lawn.

Help spread the word on the importance of lawn care.

Tweet about it. Write tweets using the facts and resources on this webpage. Use the hashtag #LawnCareMonth.

Use Instagram. If you are an Instagram user, post photos of your lawn care work and tag the photo with #LawnCareMonth. Everyone enjoys photos of beautiful lawns and landscapes.

Blog about it. Write about National Lawn Care Month in your company blog. Use the logo and photos to add interest to your post.

Tell clients about it. Promote National Lawn Care Month on your website or in e-newsletters or e-blasts to clients. It will get them thinking about their lawn and get them excited for spring.

Post to Facebook. Share some of the facts and resources on your Facebook page.

Join the industry and add your voice to help communicate the importance of lawn care! We’ve got tools to help.

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ÐCOVERSTORY

Cultivating

growth

People are the lifeblood of a service business. But how do you find and keep the good ones?

Here, NALP members share recruiting and retention strategies— what works and what doesn’t.

By Kristen Hampshire

AFTER WEEKS OF PLEASANT GREETINGS FROM the cashier at the gas station where R. Bruce Love picks up his morning soda, he put it out there. “I asked, ‘How would you like a different opportunity?’” The president of Lawn Rx noticed how this worker kept the store clean, treated customers right and was there every morning like clockwork. He was a dependable, caring employee at the gas station—a service business. usiness.

26 The Landscape Professional //March/April 2020

Continued on page 8

National Association of Landscape Professionals 27

ÐCOVERSTORY This is just the kind of team member Love wants to hire.

“Years ago, we used to hire reactively, recruiting employees as we needed them,” says Love, whose lawn care business is based in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He started the business in 2004 and grew 12 percent last year. His roster is lean, with 13 employees on staff. “It’s tough to find good people,” he says, singing the chorus line of the landscape industry.

Labor is the No. 1 challenge impeding growth for landscape professionals.

Because of this, Love doesn’t wait until he has an open position to actively recruit. And, he doesn’t rely completely on social media posts or Indeed.com. Getting to know people

in the community and experiencing their work ethic and customer service skills—and then extending an opportunity to interview for a job—has won Lawn Rx a few great employees who stay on board.

“I talk to them about the benefits of working outside,” Love relates. “There is a lot of freedom instead of being stuck in a store. I portray the career ladder and how they could move up. Because they are hearing this from the owner, it adds weight to the conversation.”

Ultimately, Love is dealing with labor challenges by positioning Lawn Rx as “a destination company” that attracts quality people.

Every effort helps.

“There’s no magic bullet,” says Jonas Pattie, president, The Pattie Gro Group, Westlake and Novelty, Ohio. The Pattie Group has reduced its depende dependence on H-2B seasonal labor from 30 to about 15 employees, “and it has been a multi-faceted, multi-pronged aattack,” Pattie says.

The company has a full-time human resources administrator and recruiter. “You have to be in all the places where you can find people—fro people—from job boards to socia social media to out in the com community,” Pattie says.

But the real key to landing quality labor is tenacity. “Don’t give up if you don’t get results right away,” Pattie ssays.

“Recruiting is time-consuming and it needs to be done year-round.”

To be sure, today’s robust economy eco and record-low unemp unemployment creates recr recruiting obstacles for se service

industries, including landscaping. “Five years ago, there were more people to hire in the market,” Pattie points out.

But economics aren’t the only factor creating labor woes. (Here comes the elephant in the room.) “What doesn’t get talked about enough is the way our children are being raised,” Pattie says, noting that technology is replacing outdoor play and over-scheduled kids lack the free time to explore in their own back yards.

“It tears away the love of the outdoors from a generation of kids—and that’s a huge shift that makes it hard to find young people who do love the outdoors and pull them into a massive, multi-billion dollar industry that’s fighting for people.”

Pattie points out that old Tide detergent commercials featured kids running into the house with grass stains on their knees. Now, commercials focus on drinks spilled on shirts.

So, how are landscape professionals finding and retaining good people?

NALP members share some of their strategies.

LOOK OUTSIDE “This industry cannot staff itself,” Pattie says. “We have to figure out ways to look for people outside of the industry who are interested in working. Then, you get them on board, teach them the skills and give them the knowledge they need to grow in the industry.”

This, of course, requires a training program and continuing education. But as Pattie notes, “We have found some excellent employees by taking willing people and teaching them what they need to know to be successful.”

Who’s willing?

“This industry cannot staff itself. We have to figure out ways to look for people outside of the industry who are interested in working. Then, get them on board, teach them the skills and give them the knowledge they need to grow in the industry.” -Jonas G. Pattie, president, The Pattie Group, Westlake and Novelty, Ohio

28 The Landscape Professional Pro offeess ssiio ona nal // /March/April Maarrcch/ M h/Ap Apri ril 2020 20 02 2 20 0

The Pattie Group has recruited teachers who are seeking seasonal summer jobs and enjoy spending time outdoors. “We’ve pulled in people from the restaurant industry,” he adds. Workers in other trades who are not paying overtime or are at mom-and-pop shops that lack the benefits Pattie Group offers also are potential team members for the company. So are recent college graduates who aren’t quite sure what they want to do yet.

Because many kids are growing up indoors, Pattie Group introduces the green industry to younger schoolchildren. And, the company makes sure they see the tech tools being employed in the field, from GPS and tablets to new robotic mowers. “It’s making sure they know the job is not just walking behind a mower,” Pattie says.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE— CULTIVATE PRIDE Kevin Regan, business manager, Regan Landscape, Kenmore, New York, notices that younger people entering the work world are looking for much more than a paycheck, so his company has focused on building a culture where people can feel proud of their work—like they are making a difference. “It’s no longer people plus production equals profit,” he says. “It’s people plus purpose equals highperformance and profit.”

Regan adds, “Most people want to have a purpose in their lives and work that is greater than them. Allowing an individual to feel like they are making a difference in my company is something we try to make happen.”

Regan shows its people various career paths in the business. There are four distinct areas of focus, with lawn care, maintenance, landscaping and hardscape. “There are different talents that go with those jobs,” he says. “So, we find out what people are passionate about right away in the job interview and show them the opportunities.”

Regan points to himself and his three brothers as an example. They all work in the company. “We have each found a corner of the business that we’ve grown over the years,” he says.

And over the years the Regan brothers have learned to identify team members’ talents, support them with training, and let them do their thing.

“Over-management is not the key to success,” he quips. “We allow our

team members’ personalities to come through—that’s important to us and to them.”

By putting in place systems for each job role, Regan can step back and allow employees to focus on their talents while ensuring accountability. “This allows individuals to find their purpose,” he relates.

For instance, Regan Landscape’s hardscape foreman joined the team six years ago, after running his own business for a while. He started as a general laborer doing “the daily grind,” Regan says. Then, the company was much smaller. (Today, the roster is a few shy of 50 employees during the busy season.)

“He developed himself into a strong hardscape foreman—we trust each

other,” Regan says. Could this foreman move up further in the company? Sure.

But, would he maintain the same pride in his work? “We encourage our team members to go ‘all in’ on what they’re really good at and we support them,” Regan says. “We want to build pride in the individuals we can’t replace.”

A WORD ABOUT REFERRALS Referrals are some of the best people The Pattie Group hires. “My employees are not going to bring in someone who won’t work hard or who doesn’t care,” Pattie says, noting that an incentive is tied to referred employees who stay on board.

However, there is a downside to referrals.

“Whenever I’ve hired a friend of an National Association of Landscape Professionals 29

ÐCOVERSTORY

employee and the friend doesn’t work out, it usually affects the other person,” he says, adding that he can end up losing two workers. “And, sometimes family members of employees think they can get away with more than others.”

BENEFITS—A HOOK AND LURE During an interview, Pattie brings up various perks the company offers.

Every employee gains access to health insurance, a retirement plan and discounts on products The Pattie Group sells. “If a team member wants to mulch their landscape, they can get mulch at cost,” Pattie says. The same goes for buying tires. “We try to parlay our buying power into buying power for our people as much as we can.”

Employees can earn Pattie Points by being noticed by peers for a job well

“It’s no longer people plus production equals profit. It’s people plus purpose equals highperformance and profit.” -Kevin Regan, business manager, Regan Landscape, Kenmore, New York

30 The Landscape Professional //March/April 2020

done. “They can turn in the points to buy a new Carhart jacket, or we’ll write them a check based on the number of points they have,” Pattie says.

As for health insurance, the benefit is expensive to offer but necessary, Pattie says. “If that makes our services more expensive for clients, so be it,” he says.

Last year, the company’s provider issued a 25-percent premium hike and Pattie shopped the plan. He found one that cost 11 percent more than his existing plan instead. “It’s hard,” he says simply. But he believes health insurance is essential to attract quality people.

The Pattie Group shares information with its people concerning the cost of insurance and the company’s overall financial health. Pattie wants his team to understand what it costs to run the business, and that the company is willing to spend more to do what’s right for its people. “We are very open book,” he says. “The more we can show our people and teach them, the better.”

FOCUS ON RETENTION About one in five new hires stay on

board for 30 to 90 days at Lawn Rx. “Those people just don’t fit into the culture if they have accountability problems,” Love relates, adding that screening for this quality is not so easy. But realizing the investment his company makes in onboarding and training new people, he takes a total training approach during a new hire’s first couple of months.

After accepting a job offer, the onboarding process at Lawn Rx involves two weeks working one-on-one with a veteran employee during ride-alongs.

Then, new employees move into the training/certification process, which takes about 30 to 60 days. “Within that initial couple of weeks, we can tell whether it’s worth getting them certified as a lawn care applicator,” Love says, adding that “the exams cost money.”

For Love, retention goes back to promoting Lawn Rx as a “destination company.” He does this by ensuring that technicians are dressed in clean, team attire and act professionally on clients’ properties. It’s about image.

“We are trying to make our company attractive to people, that way we don’t’

necessarily have to be out hiring all the time—we’ll have people asking us if there are positions open,” he says.

Landon Wise agrees that reliability is the key factor that interferes with his company’s employee retention rate.

“Even employees who come highly recommended—and we call their references—will show up and last a week, then they’re gone,” says Wise, president, Wyscape, Niceville, Florida.

So, Wise added a sort of responsibility test to the interview process.

“We require them to deliver their application to a given email address within a specific timeframe,” Wise says.

“We give them some responsibility and directions right away and see if they can follow through. And, if they can’t follow simple instructions, they probably won’t work out.”

This has helped with retention, Wise notices. “But, it’s still a struggle,” he says.

Another change Wise made to the hiring process was to require applicants to provide previous employers as references. “We found we were always getting positive feedback when we called references that were friends,” he says. Now, that’s not necessarily the case. “Applicants have to provide names of previous or current employers.”

A big piece of retention is winning back quality workers who are laid off during winter. When a landscape firm can bring back good people who are already trained, that helps ensure consistency of service and saves the cost of onboarding and educating new employees.

“We have an incredible core of people who can be relied upon, so we don’t have to start from scratch,” Pattie acknowledges. During winter, The Pattie Group stays in touch with its seasonal employees with a text messaging app.

“If we have a company event, they are invited,” he says. “It’s about staying vigilant and being in constant communication.”

PUT PEOPLE FIRST Regan Landscape will test a new incentive program this spring. The system rewards employees with a designated number of points for attendance, safety, training, quality service and “most improved.” At the end of the week, Regan will tally up the points, with 21 the maximum a team

member can get. The company will give a gift card to Tim Horton’s or 7-Eleven for employees with 20 points. Or, they can save their points and cash them in for bigger prizes—such as a half day of PTO for 80 points. “We will see how it goes in the spring,” Regan says.

The biggest mistake companies make is not putting their people first, Pattie says. Stuck on the idea that “clients come first”—and to be sure, without customers there’s no business—owners sometimes lose sight of the fact that without employees, there’s nothing to sell to clients in the first place.

“Really, our employees come first,” Pattie says.

Show them opportunity—and how your company is a destination.

“I’m optimistic about the future,” Love adds. “If we keep recruiting against our set of core values and show people our culture—it’s not just a job here—that is how we will be successful.” TLP

“We require job applicants to deliver their application to a given email address within a specific timeframe. We give them some responsibility and directions right away and see if they can follow through. And, if they can’t follow simple instructions, they probably won’t work out.”

-Landon Wise, president, Wyscape, Niceville, Florida

Kristen Hampshire is a contributing writer to The Landscape Professional and has written for the green industry for 20 years.

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National Association of Landscape Professionals 31

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

Meet NALP’s Young Entrepreneur o

Neil Bales of LandPatterns Byy Lindseyy Getz

32 The Landscape Professional //March/April 2020

of the Year

BEFORE NEIL BALES BECAME NALP’S 2020 YOUNG Entrepreneur of the Year, he was following in his older brother’s footsteps at the prospect of working together. Though his brother eventually went into ministry, Bales says he knew he’d found a home in the green industry. Most of all, he’s been inspired by the people—including not only clients and co-workers, but even competitors that he says have taught him so much about himself and the industry.

Currently, Bales is a partner in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas-based LandPatterns, an architectural firm founded

by Marc Dr. Marc Funderburk, ASLA, who is in the process of transitioning the company to Bales.

Though Bales has been with the company for a couple of years, he says he feels like his career is “starting over” in many ways as he keeps learning so many new things.

“It honestly feels like I’m just getting started,” he says of his career. “I’ve been extremely blessed to come here and learn from our founder and my partner. It’s given me a new take on where my career, our organization and our industry can go from here—and I’m excited!”

We recently caught up with Bales to find out more about him, his vision for the industry and how he feels about being Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS MOTTO? It’s not so much a business motto as it is my personal belief that I not only do business by

but live by. I try to get up each day and hopefully reflect the love of Christ and what Jesus has afforded me in life. That includes the grace and mercy he has shown me through my actions as a business owner and entrepreneur, as well as a husband, a dad and a member of the community. I genuinely hope that people look at me and can see the love of Christ in and through me.

WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT IN BUSINESS? I may not be able to narrow it down to just one moment because I have had a lot of proud moments working on amazing projects, being recognized for the fruits of our labor through national awards, and seeing the people that I work with grow as individuals and as professionals. Seeing others around me grow brings me great pride and joy. That’s meaningful. I love seeing their potential come to light.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE? Inevitably, it’s just the people

themselves and everything that comes with that. It could mean field staff issues or managing different personalities.

Oftentimes, that’s like a puzzle—making sure that I lead by getting the right people in the right seats. We’re trying to identify strengths and weaknesses while playing to the strengths and minimizing and supporting the weaknesses.

But people remain a challenge.

We’re all created in God’s image, but we are so very different. It’s what makes us unique and what makes this fun but also what makes it challenging.

WHAT BUSINESS WORRY KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT? Ultimately, I’m a believer in God and Jesus so whether my business succeeds or fails, I’m a child of God and He will sustain me. However, that’s easier said than done in the moment—so I do still have worries that I wrestle with. I have three in particular. One being people and where will we find the next staff personnel that we need? How will we train them when we get them? And how will we ensure they’re performing to the best of their abilities?

Second, we are a cashflow intensive business, so where is the cash coming from? How can we keep that cashflow up to date and current? Making sure we are managing and monitoring receivables and payables while adding to our bottom line is a worry.

The third, which doesn’t worry me as much as it gives me pause, is how will we grow into the future? What technological advancements can we do as an organization and hopefully remain on the forefront? I think about the latest technology and how it’s changing everything from time management to irrigation to job production. How do we stay on the forefront of that and implement it well? I tend to think this a lot. What’s the next great thing and how can we lead in that effort and hopefully blaze a trail toward the future.

National Association of Landscape Professionals 33

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU ON A MONDAY MORNING? The things that motivate me are also part of that last question—which is where our industry is going. I’m very motivated in this current time in my life to try and ensure that we’re as profitable as we can be. That when we make mistakes, we take a step back and review and learn from those.

I’m motivated by constantly trying to ensure we’re teaching people correctly but also all learning as a team. That we have open dialogue and feedback around these things. Daily fires I come across in this business also motivate me. I was just talking to a staff member about how much I love this industry because it’s ever-changing; no two days are ever quite the same.

margins. But Bill, over a period of five to seven years, has really helped teach me a lot and help me grow. I’m so grateful to him.

One of the other two people I speak to in terms of business mentorship would be a gentleman I worked for in college, Howard Thrash. I worked for an upscale men’s retail clothing store and learned a lot about hands-on small business. He taught me a lot about being driven and refocusing when necessary. I learned so much from him up close and personal.

Then, for my first job out of college, I worked for Andee Bechtold, who was with Longhorn Landscape Creations at the time. She was phenomenal about being an open book. There was never a number she hid or a conversation she

WHO IS YOUR BUSINESS MENTOR AND WHY? I have several. Industry consultant Bill Arman plays an integral part of the growth of this business and has been teaching me a lot. When I first met Bill, I probably couldn’t spell the word business correctly, let alone profitability and

It’s a tremendous honor to be NALP’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year. I just feel so much gratitude because it certainly validates a lot of my efforts and hard work over the years.

Hopefully, it also validates others around me for what they’ve poured into me or shown me.

hid, and I saw how clients appreciated that transparency. She didn’t mind having tough conversations when she needed to, and she was good about coming alongside and teaching and supporting me in doing the same.

I also have to say that both of my brothers have been mentors to me. I’m the youngest of three. I have worked with and for my middle brother, Connor Bales, though he ended up getting into ministry full-time. He has a landscape architecture degree as his background, so I learned a lot about design from him. But I also learned a lot about how to deal with people. I learned how to handle adversity up close and personal really well and do it with honor and dignity and in a Christ-like manner.

Then my oldest brother, Jayson

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Bales, is a financial planner. I learned so much about driving sales and how to develop relationships from him.

No matter what the sales proposition is, it’s more about the relationship you’re building. If you build the right relationships, business can come from that. But even when it doesn’t, you’ve learned a lot. I also consider him extremely wise and someone who can give pause and consider the big picture. He helped me understand the bigger picture things in life and appreciate what God has provided.

The last person I’d say who has been a true mentor for me in my business— and we’re in the process of transitioning ownership from him to myself—is the founder of the company, Marc Funderburk. He has just been such an inspiration. The way he thinks about clients and their needs is so thoughtful and intentional. It’s always with the clients’ best interests and looking out for them first and foremost. A lot of people talk about that, but not everyone follows through. I’ve also learned a tremendous amount on the people side of the business. I don’t know of anyone

who is more caring and loving and compassionate toward people, which is all part of his innate nature. He’s slow to speak and methodical and thoughtful about what he says. To sit under his tutelage has been so rewarding.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BUSINESS BOOK? Right now, the book that I’m reading, which has already taught me a lot, is “Systematic Theology” by Wayne Grudem. I also read my Bible every day, which teaches me so much about how I should act in life and in business. Christ came for my imperfections and I try to remember that every day.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE THE NALP YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR? It’s a tremendous honor to be NALP’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year. I just feel so much gratitude because it certainly validates a lot of my efforts and hard work over the years. Hopefully, it also validates others around me for what they’ve poured into me or shown me. I feel a lot of pride and satisfaction and

joy from this award because it drives me to continue in that entrepreneurial spirit and hopefully pass on my passions to others in this industry. It reminds me why I’m in this business in the first place.

IN FIVE YEARS WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR BUSINESS GOING AND WHERE WILL YOU BE? I see a lot of growth with LandPatterns in next five years—not only on the bottom line but also amongst our people. We want to provide opportunities for our people to grow both professionally and personally. It’s also so important that our people have a good work/life balance. So, in five years, I plan to be right here sitting at the helm and walking alongside a team of amazing individuals who are the ones making the wheels go around.

My strength is putting people who are better than me around me—to do the job right. I hope to still do that: Put a team of individuals in the field and in the office around me who know how to do the work and do it well. I want to steward this well for Christ and for our organization as a whole. TLP

SAFETY RECOGNITION

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What can the Safety Recognition Awards do for You? Keep your company an active member of the Safe Company Program, including name recognition on the NALP Website Set a benchmark for measuring your safety program Receive National recognition and exposure for your commitment to safety Send the message to your employees that their safety is a priority and enter by the May 30, 2020 deadline.

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National Association of Landscape Professionals 35

FROM THE HILL

NALP Government Relations Update: Winter 2020

By Andrew Bray VP, Government Relations

H-2B Update - NALP Continuing to Keep the Pressure on the Administration for Additional Visas in 2020; Keeping Our Eye on a Permanent Fix! IN DECEMBER 2019, CONGRESS PASSED THE CONSOLIDATED Appropriations Act of 2020, which authorizes Congress to release up to 64,716 H-2B visas. This language is identical to the language that was enacted in each of the past three years. And DHS has provided supplemental cap relief in each of those years, FY 17, 18 and 19 in the amounts of 15,000, 15,000 and 30,000 respectively.

Since December, NALP has been pressuring the administration to release the maximum amount of supplemental H-2B visas and announce the decision as soon as possible to make the supplemental H-2B visas available on April 1, 2020.

NALP has also been pressuring Congress to weigh-in with the administration and a bicameral letter was sent in late January to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor to exercise the authority granted by Congress. The letter included nearly 40 Senators and over 150 U.S. Representatives, which was a new record for Congressional support.

From meetings with the Administration and intel from Congress, we do not believe that the Administration will authorize supplemental H-2B visas until the second half cap has been officially reached. We anticipate this to happen any day (as of writing this on February 18, 2020). Once the cap hit has been announced we will be strongly urging the Administration to promptly act and will be using all our resources and grassroots tools to make the case to release 64,716 additional H-2B visas and make them available on April 1, 2020.

While focusing heavily on saving those in need of H-2B visas for the 2020 season, we are also pivoting to 2021 and beyond. We are actively engaging Congress on introducing and authorizing legislation that would permanently reform the H-2B program and significantly increase the cap.

For more information on H-2B, please make sure you are receiving regular updates in NALP “the Advocate” published every Friday. Contact Andrew Bray at andrew@landscapeprofessionals.org for additional details.

EPA Makes Critical Registration Decision on Prominent Pesticides for the Landscape Industry WINTER 2020 HAS BEEN A VERY BUSY TIME FOR THE U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as they continue pesticide registration review for key pesticides for the landscape industry. The following activity has occurred concerning these pesticide active ingredients: Glyphosate, Neonicotinoids and Pyrethroids.

Glyphosate – In January, EPA concluded their review of glyphosate and reaffirmed their final interim reached in May 2019. EPA stated: “After receiving and considering public comments on the glyphosate proposed interim decision, EPA released the interim decision for registration review. As part of this action, EPA continues to find that there are no risks of concern to human health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label. EPA also found that glyphosate is unlikely to be a human carcinogen. EPA is requiring management measures to help farmers target pesticide sprays to intended pests, protect pollinators, and reduce the problem of weeds becoming resistant to glyphosate.”

This final affirmation ends a lengthy review process that included major determinations that spanned two Administrations. Glyphosate continues to be a chemical that receives increased scrutiny in the media and raises questions with NALP employees and their customers.

NALP is here to provide accurate and timely information. We have updated a memorandum of information on glyphosate, which includes updates on EPA, ongoing litigation and facts about glyphosate.

Neonicotinoids – In January, EPA released the proposed interim decision

for neonicotinoids (acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran and imidacloprid).

As expected, the decision contains proposed new measures that EPA has determined will reduce potential ecological risks, particularly to pollinators, and protect public health that will impact how landscape professionals can use neonicotinoids. The most impactful changes include: I. Cancelation of all residential spray applications to turf II. Maximum annual application rate reduction for turf and commercial ornamentals from .4 lbs. AI/A to .3 lbs. AI/A III. Residential Ornamental Label Advisory – “intended for use by professional applicators” IV. Spray and Runoff Restrictions a. Less than 15 mph b. Less than 4 ft off the ground c. Droplets medium or coarse d. 25 ft water buffer V. Increased Stewardship VI. Updates to Bee-box language & Water Soluble packaging VII. Increased Personal Protective Equipment NALP had been communicating with EPA for the past 12 months on this proposed interim decision and some of this was anticipated. It is important to note that this decision is not final. NALP

will be working closely with members of the Government Affairs Council and Lawncare Workgroup to further analyze all the proposed label amendments.

EPA has provided a 60-day comment period and NALP will be providing robust comments and a meeting with EPA to address our concerns.

Pyrethroids - NALP submitted formal comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the proposed registration review for Pyrethroids & Pyrethrin – Ecological Risk Mitigation Proposal for 23 Chemicals.

Initially published on Nov. 12, 2019 for a 60-day comment period, NALP promptly met with EPA and discussed the proposed mitigation with the NALP Lawncare Workgroup. NALP requested a 30-day extension, which was granted until Feb. 12, 2020.

Many of the proposals are onerous to how our industry uses these products. Specifically, we provided the following input on the 25-foot application buffer (which is unique to the landscape industry) and then we provided opposition to the proposed language concerning rain-water and spot-treatment language. While providing opposition, we also provided thoughtful alternative language we hope will be adopted.

NALP will be following up with EPA concerning our comments in the coming weeks. Contact NALP to read the comments submitted to EPA by reaching out to Andrew Bray at andrew@ landscapeprofessionals.org. TLP

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landscapeprofessionals.org/advocate National Association of Landscape Professionals 37

I AM A LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL

Christopher Brown, Teed & Brown Lawn Care

By Lindsey Getz CHRISTOPHER BROWN’S START IN THE industry began as a summer job working on a golf course. He loved being outdoors in the fresh air. That and his fascination with grass maintenance science lead him to pursue a turfgrass science degree from Penn State.

Though he imagined he’d wind up back in the golf course industry after school, some of the aspects of being a golf course superintendent did not appeal to him. He ultimately imately decided that starting a lawn care business would be e his best path forward. In 1995, Brown met Peter Teed, who had been working at a local lawn care company. The two o started GrassRoots Lawn Care Inc. that year, which became e Teed & Brown Lawn Care in 2004. Since then, the business ess has grown tremendously. Today, it has locations in Connecticut ecticut and New York. Brown also recently became one of NALP’s newest Trailblazers.

My biggest business challenge has been internalizing and understanding that management styles must evolve. The management style you use at a certain size might work well at that size but won’t necessarily work any longer once the company grows to a certain point. Understanding you have to constantly change your management style and the structure of the company and systems as you grow to accommodate that growth is a big realization—and a challenge.

There’s no perfect blueprint for how to do it—just something you have to be aware of and ready to handle as you grow.

I love growing the business and developing a more comprehensive and larger company. For the last several years, we been

FAST FACTS FAC Favorite business book: “The Goal.” Th The reason I enjoyed it is the author is innovative in in writing from a fictional standpoint but still develops business lessons he wants tto get across. You learn some tremendous business b lessons about how complex organizations organizat can run.

Five-year plan: We are hoping to add three more mo m ore llocations occata ioions ns toto make it five in the next five yyears. five fiv earsrs.s W ea Wee aalso lslo plan to be two-an two-and-a-half to three thr hree ee times tim imes es our our current size in term terms of total totota ottaal ccustomer ustotom us tomer volume and revenue.

growing at about 25 percent ar. The over the previous year. ates me challenge that motivates ward the is about thinking toward eed future. What do we need eed to improve now at Teed hat & Brown but also what problems will we run into a year from now that we should g on prepare for? Working ps me those strategies keeps motivated week afterr week. ears Over the last 25 years d of business I have learned such a tremendous amount through trial and error and kind of wish I’d availed myself of the NALP Trailblazer program at an earlier stage for myself. I think a lot of the mistakes we learned over the years could have been avoided had we talked to others who’d been through it. So, I became an NALP Trailblazer to be able to give back and help others learn from our trial-and-error process. TLP

38 The Landscape Professional //March/April 2020

Business mentor: or: One is Steve Jobs. He is such a visionary nary and was so fearless in moving forward ard with his bold ideas and vision. He had such confidence and willingness to make mistakes and that was truly inspiring to me.

Your Success, Our Science Andrew Ziehler Owner and CEO, Ziehler Lawn and Tree Care

Together, We’ve Got This For years, Bayer has been trusted by lawn and landscape professionals everywhere. Great lawns and landscapes need help to thrive, and so do great businesses – and that’s where we come in. From our world-class products, to our industry advocacy and know-how, we’re always there when you need us.

Visit es.bayer.us/lawn-and-landscape, and put science on your side.

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL INSTRUCTIONS Bayer Environmental Science, a Division of Bayer CropScience LP. 5000 CentreGreen Way, Suite 400, Cary, NC 27513. For additional product information, call toll-free 1-800-331-2867. environmentalscience.bayer.us.

Not all products are registered in all states. Bayer and the Bayer Cross are registered trademarks of Bayer. ©2019 Bayer CropScience LP. ES-1219-LL-0195-A-1

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