NJLCA: The New Jersey Landscape Contractor Magazine - May 2017 Issue

THE NEW JERSEY

Spring 2017

Landscape Contractor

The Official Publication of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association

Published By

The New Jersey Landscape Contractor magazine is the official publication of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association, dedicated to the professional landscape industry of New Jersey. NJLCA was founded in 1966 as the Bergen County Landscape Contractors Association, and is today comprised of over 550 member companies throughout New Jersey.

New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association 465 Mola Boulevard, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407 Phone | 201-703-3600 -- Fax | 201-703-3776 E-mail | info@njlca.org Visit our website at www.NJLCA.org Publisher/Editor Gail E. Woolcott Contributing Writers Jane Beggs-Joles | Joe Bolognese | Josh Braen | Tom Canete Greg Carpenter, CLT | Kenneth Cerullo, Esq. | Jacqueline Clay Drug Free NJ | Ed Dugan | William Eastman Douglas H. Fischer | David Cort Freeman | Lindsey Getz Michael Kukol, CLP | Nelson Lee | LMN | Ron Mondello, Esq. Aaron Morse | Trent Nelson | John Raffiani | Marcus vandeVliet Danny Wood | Gail Woolcott NJLCA Combined Board President | Nelson Lee Vice President | Richard Goldstein, CLT Treasurer | Greg Carpenter, CLT Director | Anthony Agudelo Director | Jeff Baker Director | Tom Barillo Director | Justin Flatow, CLT Director | John Freitag Director | George Futterknecht, CLT Director | Dan Kindergan Director | Michael McMorrow Associate Director | Joe Bolognese Associate Director | David Gaynor Associate Director | Gregg Straffin Advisor | Dr. Bruce Clarke, Rutgers University Advisor | Dr. Steven Fischer, Bergen Community College Advisor | Dr. James Murphy, Rutgers University The New Jersey Landscape Contractor magazine is published triannually. 600 print copies are distributed to members and over 3,000 digital issues are sent to professionals in the Green Industry of New Jersey, as well as educational and governmental institutions. Subscription rates: $45.00 per year; $15.00 per copy. New Jersey residents only, please add 7% sales tax.

To advertise in The New Jersey Landscape Contractor, please contact Gail Woolcott at (201) 703-3600 or e-mail gwoolcott@njlca.org.

Article and photo submissions are encouraged and may be sent to NJLCA at the above address. Publisher assumes no responsibility for safekeeping or return of photos or manuscripts, and reserves all rights to edit material submitted for publication. © 2017 New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

PUBLISHED May 2017 Cover photo courtesy of Wicklow and Laurano Landscape Contractors, Flanders, NJ

contents Spring 2017

FEATURES

6 A Drug-Free Workplace is Good for

Your Bottom Line

9 Using Key Metrics to Work Smarter 12 Why Do I Need a Handbook?

15 On the Clock

18 Don’t Let “Price” Derail Your Sale

20 How Technology Should be Used to Save

on Labor Costs

22 Pay 4 Performance

26 Appreciating the Connection Between

Landscape Contractors and NJ Horticulture

28 Seed - The Most Important Element

30 Got Flowers?

32 Look Back to See How Far You’ve Come

36 Budgeting Basics

42 Five Irrigation Water Management Tips

for the Landscape Contractor

50 Porcelain Pavers vs. Concrete Pavers

49 Good Contracts Save Time and Money

44 Managing Your Truck Fleet

IN EVERY ISSUE...

NJLCA News Briefs 4 President’s Message 5 Letter from the Editor 5 The Buzz: Industry News 13 Welcome New Members 13 Advertiser Index 24 Landscape Industry Certified Technician Exam 34 Contractor Focus: DC Freeman LLC 38 NJLCA/IANJ Golf Challenge 40 Baseball Night 41 Associate Focus: Rohsler’s Allendale Nursery

Columns

7 Turf Talk

15 Makin’ Cents 19 Certifiable

21 Legal Ease

23 Can You Dig It? NJLCA.ORG

3

President’s Message

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Al has also been an adjunct faculty member at New York University, Fairleigh Dickinson University and the College of Insurance, teaching courses in employee benefits.

It is my pleasure to officially He earned his MBA in Economics from New York announce that Al Gettler is the University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Cornell Uninew Executive Director of the versity. He also holds the Certified Employee Benefit NJLCA. Specialist accreditation. He lives in Pearl River, New York with his wife and two children.

Al has extensive experience I am looking forward to working with Al and havin association management, having held management positions at several local and ing him achieve great things for our association.

On a different note, one of the major legislative national trade associations, including Executive Viceissues that we have recently been working on is the President for the Mechanical Contractors Association blower ban in Maplewood, NJ. As of print time, we of NY and the Executive Director of the Association of Master Painters of New York. In these positions, he have filed an injunction to stop the town from enforcing the ordinance. Our efforts were slowed down on was responsible for the overall administration of the associations, handling the association’s finances, mem- Friday, May 12th, but we will be sitting in front of the bership retention and recruitment, event planning and Federal Court relatively soon. We all need to join together during these times, so we can stop these items government relations.

In addition to his association experience, Al has also from getting traction before they get to this point.

There are already several other towns looking to do the worked for Mobil Oil, The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company and most recently Frontier Communica- same. tions.

You can help us continue to help you by attending the Yankees game on June 20th (all profits will go towards our legislative efforts) or by making a donation to the association. If you are not a member, join the association! We are doing this so we can carry out our work as an association to protest against the restrictions we all face on a daily basis.

In this issue, we talk about working smarter, not harder, which is sometimes very difficult in our industry. Late starts due to the inclement weather, high expectations of our clients, and a limited work force, all add up to a stressful season. Try to follow some of the advice given in this issue of The New Jersey Landscape Contractor magazine and maybe you will make it through with a little less aggravation! reetings Members,

Have a safe and productive season, Nelson Lee, President

Al Gettler, NJLCA Executive Director

4 SPRING | 2017

The Buzz We are so sorry to report that friend of the NJLCA and the green industry, MaryLou DesChamps, has passed away.

MaryLou DesChamps, 81, of Branchburg, NJ, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 31, 2017. She was born in Morristown, NJ, to her late parents Lillian and Cecil Stichweh.

In 1954, she married Paul L. DesChamps and resided in Boonton Township for many years before moving to Branchburg in 1980.

MaryLou was the President and CEO of Storr Tractor Company in Branchburg since 1990. Under her leadership, Storr Tractor was able to generate partnerships with Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, the Great Lawn at Central Park, The Botanical Gardens in Brooklyn, the Bronx Zoo, Liberty State Park, and MetLife Stadium, to name a few.

MaryLou wore many hats: She was a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, companion, friend and a successful businesswoman. She was active in community affairs back in Boonton Township, joining the women’s Auxiliary Police while her husband served in the Boonton Township Police Department.

In her spare time, she loved to be outdoors, whether it was feeding her koi fish in her backyard pond, driving along the mountainside, or bird watching.

She loved to play golf and in honor of her late husband, Paul, held an annual Golf Classic in his name at Copper Hill Country Club to raise proceeds for the Paul DesChamps Scholarship Award with the Eastern Amputee Golf Association, set up in 1992 to help countless students with their college education.

She also loved to spend time with her family, especially her beloved daughter Paulette, and dear granddaughter Danielle.

She is preceded in death by her beloved grandparents and parents; her loving husband Paul of 36 years (1990); her loving daughter, Lise Ann DesChamps (2011); her brother Charles Markle; her sister Elizabeth Helstoski; and her nephew Henry Helstoski, Jr. Surviving are her loving companion, Paul Strani of Bridgewater, NJ; her beloved daughter, Paulette and husband Peter Tartaglia of Butler, NJ; her cherished granddaughter, Danielle and husband Michael Centalonza of Randolph, NJ; her brother, Cecil and nephew Brian Stichweh, of Boonton, NJ; and many wonderful family and friends.

H

Letter from the Editor

ere we are late spring and it has been a strange start! Most in maintenance were able to get an early start this year, but were thwarted by a late snow storm and tons of rain in New Jersey! As I write, it is raining yet again. But just last week, we hit 90 degrees twice! This must be the craziest weather year we have had in a long time!

In this issue, we are talking all about working smarter. From getting things done quicker, to getting your budget together, from easier ways to estimate to technology, selling and so much more!

Nelson over there (on the left hand page) has told you the news that we have hired a new Executive Director. I will let him tell you the details, but will say that Al is looking forward to meeting all of our members.

I have to thank everyone out there for joining us at the trade show this year, which was a great success once again. Each year, we try to find new ideas, events, specials, etc. that will make you want to return again and again. I would love to hear YOUR ideas on how we can make the show better for you and your employees. Please take a few minutes to email me at gwoolcott@njlca.org and let me know your thoughts and suggestions. I always love hearing from our members and friends!

Coming up, we do have a few exciting events. In June, we are holding a Baseball Night at Yankee Stadium on June 20th. We have reserved seats in the Audi Club and your registration fee includes dinner, refreshments and the game. Any profits made will benefit the NJLCA’s Legislative initiatives, which we have been working extra hard on this year!

In July, our good friends at NY Life are throwing a members and family picnic for NJLCA. We don’t have all of the details yet, but you, your friends, colleagues and families are all invited and there will be plenty of food, games, and fun to go around! Keep your eyes open for our announcement of this event.

On another note, one thing I beg of all of you to do is take photos of all of your projects and maintenance work this year. The Landscape Achievement Awards applications are right around the corner and having before, during and after pictures is so important. Even if you don’t enter the competition, you can use these photos on your websites and social media. It is important to get your work out to the public!

And then before you know it, we will be running the NJLCA/IANJ Golf Challenge and the Landscape Industry Certified Technician’s Exam.

Both of these events have brochures and registration forms in this issue (pages 24 and 40).

Have a wonderful spring and summer and I hope to see you all very soon at a meeting or event!

Gail E. Woolcott Editor in Chief NJLCA Director of Operations

NJLCA.ORG

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Feature Story

A Drug-Free Workplace is Good for Your Bottom Line

A

ccording to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), 6.6% of Americans employed in full-time jobs report heavy drinking, defined as drinking five or more drinks per occasion on five or more days in the past 30 days. Nearly 70% of all current adult drug users ages 18 to 49 are employed full-time. Absenteeism among alcoholics or problem drinkers is 3.8 to 8.3 times greater than normal and up to 16 times greater among all employees with alcohol and other drug related problems.

The following best practices, published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), are helpful for all organizations that strive for a drug-free workplace: 1. Consult an employment attorney: The American Bar Association or your state bar association can refer you to a qualified employment attorney. Consult with your attorney whenever you alter your drug-free workplace policy, or if you’re launching a new one.

2. Set clear penalties: Clearly stipulate the penalties for policy violations. If your policy includes a drug-

3.

4.

5.

6.

testing program, state who will be tested, when they will be tested, and what will happen to employees with a violation.

Put it in writing: Every employee should receive and sign a written copy of your drug-free workplace policy. Verbal agreements and unsigned agreements have little legal standing.

Provide training: Ensure that all supervisors are trained on how to detect and respond to workplace drug and alcohol misuse. Maintain attendance logs of all trainings.

Document employee performance: Maintain detailed and objective records on the performance of all employees. A documented performance issue often provides a basis for referring workers to employee assistance programs (EAPs).

Don’t rush to judgment: Do not take disciplinary action against a worker or accuse a worker of a policy violation simply because the employee’s behavior seems impaired. Instead, try to clarify the reasons for the employee’s impairment. If drug testing is a part

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Turf Talk So here you are and it’s May. If you are lucky, your clean ups are done. You will probably be doing mulch until June. With a season so far advanced, soil temperatures were in the 40’s in mid-February. With crabgrass germinating at 56 degrees, what do you do about the crabgrass?

You really only have one option, Dimension. Dimension is a pre- and post-emergent weed killer. It will kill germinated crabgrass to the first tiller. If you did not realize it was a post-emergent weed killer, you may have noted it always kills the newly sown seed from the clean up. The moral is, if you seed in March, do not use Dimension. Use Dimension in April or May or it will smoke the new grass.

I avoid seeding in the spring if I can help it. There are so many ways for it to go wrong. Let’s say you do a renovation of 20% new turf. Whether you aerate and seed, slit seed or top dress and seed, the seed comes up late April-early May. You get a second application of fertilizer on it and you start cutting semi-regularly. Late May comes; it is now 85 degrees and the sprinklers are set for every other day. The fungus sets in from the stress, along with the heat and humidity. Then the root system, that is only 10 weeks old, is too small to keep the top shoot going. It peters out in late June. By mid July, the weeds have replaced the new seedlings. The customer is now complaining, telling you he can fix it, because obviously you cannot. Now you are crediting him the money from the seed back and you are not getting paid for work Crabgrass Stages of Growth you didn’t want to do in the Photo: Jared Hoyle, PhD, Kansas first place.

State University Spring spots in the lawn are usually from turn marks from the mower, compaction or trying to grow grass where there is just not enough light.

There is no such thing as seed that grows well in the dark.

Try to put your first round of chemicals down (fertilizer, pre-emergent and lime). Let it green up and see what you actually have. Chances are, only the worst of the worst will show through.

Looking forward into later in May, sod webworm moth is already visible and even with the consistent rain we have had; lawns are still drying out rapidly. With the immense population we had last season, it is only natural that this year’s population will also be above average. So, you had better forgo your second application of crabgrass pre emergent and move directly to a surface feeding insecticide.

Greg Carpenter, CLT is co-owner of American Beauty Landscape Design since 1983. He attended the SUNY Farmingdale Turfgrass Program and is an NJLCA Director. Greg also serves on the Rutgers Turfgrass Advisory Board and the Bergen Community College Horticultural Advisory Board.

Feature Story of your workplace policy, obtain a verified test result before taking any action.

7. Protect privacy: Hold discussions with employees about potential violations in private. Have another manager present to serve as a witness. Never accuse or confront an employee in front of his or her coworkers.

8. Be consistent: No individual employee or group of employees should receive special treatment. Inconsistencies in enforcement could be considered discrimination.

9. Know your employees: Getting to know your employees can make it easier to identify problems early on.

10. Involve employees: Workers at all levels of your organization should be involved with developing and implementing your drug-free workplace policy. This will reduce misunderstandings about the reasons for having a drug-free workplace program and help ensure that your policies and procedures are fair to everyone.

Employers who follow these basic steps, and who strive to create programs that are fair, consistent, and supported by all stakeholders, will set a foundation for staying on the right side of the law.

Since 1992 the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ), through its workplace initiative, Drugs Don’t Work in NJ!, has assisted small and mid-sized businesses in establishing and updating their drugfree workplace policies and procedures. Over 3500 New Jersey businesses have already joined Drugs Don’t Work in NJ! and have received a comprehensive drug-free workplace kit that contains materials for policy development, education for employees, supervisory training, implementation of a proven drug-testing procedure, and assistance for an employee with a substance abuse problem. All services provided by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is provided at no cost to the membership of the NJLCA. We support the NJLCA in its continual effort to provide a current, comprehensive safety curriculum to their membership and invite you to call us at 973-467-2100 to receive your free Workplace Kit.

NJLCA.ORG 7

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Feature Story

Using Key Metrics to Work Smarter

by Marcus vandeVliet, MV Enterprises

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Financial Metrics These metrics provide a big picture, overall view of the company’s performance. However, it’s important to understand that there are a couple of limitations. Financial information is a snapshot in time and can change significantly with a few transactions. It is also typically historical in nature. The two key financial reports are the Profit and Loss Statement and the Balance Sheet. The profit and loss statement can be very useful, especially when compared to a Budget Projection for the upcoming year. It is important to review the P & L versus budget (at least) on a monthly basis. The key metrics are the company’s year to date actual performance versus the projected budget.

Ideally, the budget should be broken down by division.

Divisions are typically created if the services are dissimilar, such as construction and maintenance. I would also definitely recommend developing a separate snow budget, due to the varying revenue and expenses from year-to-year. In larger companies, divisions may also be set up to separate the company into more manageable parts. For instance, having a masonry, tree, irrigation and fencing division.

Another key financial metric relates to cash flow. Most companies in the Northeast lose money three or four months out of every year. December can be profitable, but is weather dependent. January and February are seldom profitable.

March can be profitable based on the weather and the type of products and services your company provides. Snow revenue will definitely improve your winter profitability, but there are certainly no guarantees on how much it will snow, if at all.

It is important to identify how big the winter deficit will be.

There are a couple of key financial ratios that can provide helpful sales and production information. There are three

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ost business owners understand that certain parts of their business need to improve. The difficult questions become: • Where do I start?

• How do I prioritize the most important improvements?

• Should I start with a couple of quick and inexpensive improvements?

• Should I tackle the biggest need that perhaps that will take significant resources, time and money?

I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer, as a business owner you need to determine the best path forward for your company. A few key metrics that are accurate and current would certainly help prioritize the areas of improvement.

Key metrics can be broken down into three main groups: financial, sales and production.

key revenue metrics.

1. Sold Revenue: This is all the work that has been sold year to date. This is the most important metric for your salespeople.

2. Billed Revenue: This is the revenue that has been invoiced year to date. This is the revenue that you would find on your profit and loss statement. This is an important cash flow metric and is critical for improving the Accounts Receivable system.

3. Earned Revenue: This would be used for budgeting purposes. This more closely aligns the income and the expenses in the budget. For example, if you completed a commercial job in April but the payment was due in May, then April, would look bad and May would look very good. April would have the expenses and May would have the revenue.

There are also a couple of cost of goods sold ratios that can be very helpful. The first is how much revenue is generated by subcontractors. It is important to subtract the subcontractor revenue from your total revenue to separate your in-house produced revenue. The in-house produced revenue should then be divided by labor, materials and equipment.

When reviewing the budget, it also be helpful to look at these ratios as a percentage. Construction labor should be approximately 18 to 21% of revenue. Mowing and maintenance labor should be 25 to 28% of revenue. Materials should be 25 to 40% of revenue, depending on the type of work your company produces.

The most important financial ratio is Net Profit. At the

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Feature Story

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end of the day. this is what you have to reinvest back into the business, pay shareholders and to provide a bonus program for key employees. The company’s year end profit would also need to carry the company through the upcoming winter months. As the business grows, it is also important to develop a cash reserve. This cash reserve can then be used to fund future capital improvements and to provide an in-house line of credit.

Sales Metrics.

When developing your budget for the upcoming year, it is critical to focus on the revenue number. Your company sales goal will determine your cost of goods sold numbers.

As your company grows, additional resources will need to

be added. These may be field labor, salespeople, equipment and at some point, a new facility. Developing a 3- to 5-year strategic plan is very helpful in determining when additional resources will be required.

The upcoming sales goal for the company should then be allocated to each salesperson. For example, if the sales goal is $1 million and there are two salespeople, the allocation might be salesperson 1: $600,000 and salesperson 2: $400,000. In some cases, there will be carryover from the previous year.

It is important to track the carryover each year, because this will impact the current year’s sales goal. The annual salesperson’s goal should then be broken down into a monthly goal.

This should be tracked each month, with a focus on the yearto-date sales goal.

Feature Story

Production Metrics.

Although nothing happens before the sale is made, zero dollars are earned before the project is completed. The basis for setting project goals is determined by the estimate. Costbased estimating focuses on determining the labor, materi-

Effective scheduling is probably one of the more difficult daily tasks in a landscape construction company. It is almost impossible to always schedule the best crew with the right Continued on Page 40

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Tracking Sales Goals.

Closure rate is also a critical sales metric. The closure rate will show how many leads are actually being sold. For every presentation made to the customer, how many lead to a signed contract? Once a sales goal has been set and the closure rate is calculated, then the dollar amount of opportunities can be determined. For example, if a salesperson has a 50% closure rate and a $500,000 sales goal, then $1 million worth of qualified opportunities need to be presented to achieve the sales goal. The closure rate is usually based in dollars, but could also be calculated based on the number of proposals presented. Closure rate should be based on qualified leads.

Self-developed leads should also be tracked. I believe each salesperson should be generating a certain dollar volume of leads through their individual efforts. This could be networking, cold calling, trade relationships or existing customer relationships and referrals. If a salesperson’s total sales goal is $500,000, then perhaps $100,000 should be self-generated.

The most qualified leads will always come from existing relationships.

Lead source information is also critical in the sales process. It is important to ask every new lead how they heard about your company.

Obviously, the most desirable leads are direct referrals. Many lead generating sources are not very efficient. A lead source, such as Angie’s List or Home Advisor, may generate a lot of leads, but the closure rate tends to be much lower due to the competitive nature of these leads. It is also important to understand whether advertising campaigns, such as a direct mail or magazine ad, are effective and worth the financial investment.

als, equipment and subcontractor costs required to build each project. It also contains an overhead recovery component and a profit component. Project prices should be based on adding the cost plus the overhead plus the profit. The estimate should set the goal for the number of man-hours to install the project. It should also determine the material quantities and specifications to build the project. These end up being the basis for most job costing systems.

Job costing is critical in determining a company’s or a crew’s strengths and weaknesses. Job costing will compare the estimate or what we thought was going to happen to the actual or what essentially happened. Job costing holds all key people accountable, including salespeople, supervisors, designers, estimators and foreman.

The ability to not only look at a project’s profit, but to then group the data to show trends and patterns is significant. Especially in the design build arena, there are many individual crew, design and site variables. Therefore, looking at multiple jobs and finding a trend is important and actionable. The more data available, the more accurate your company’s average would be moving forward. Accurate measurement of average standard production rates, based on material types for most companies is a critical missing component in their estimating system.

An interesting exercise would be to gather your key people (sales and production) and ask them to write down on a small piece of paper how long they think it takes to perform a certain task. Define the scope of work for example, install a cubic yard of mulch 50 feet from the truck in an established foundation planting bed. Try this with a couple of different tasks and in most cases even production foreman and estimators will have a wide range of production rates. The real question is how long does it take your company on average to install the cubic yard of mulch?

Feature Story

I Run a Small Business. Why Do I Need a Handbook?

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by Jacqueline Clay, HR Advisor with Consolidated Human Resources

his is a question that small business owners ask over and over.

As a small business owner, you have a ton of paperwork to deal with on a regular basis. Further, as a landscaping business owner, you have employees in the office and out in the field that also require your attention. You are constantly juggling questions from staff, customers and vendors. You are beyond busy and do not have time for anything else. So, why do you need to worry about a handbook?

Work Smarter, Not Harder The answer is simple. The goal is always to operate efficiently and work smarter, not harder. Having a written document that conveys your standards, expectations, rules, practices and procedures can be a great time and money saver for your business.

Benefits of a Handbook A well-written handbook serves to reduce employee questions, which saves time and money. When used as a guideline for employee matters, it limits inconsistency, reduces the “I didn’t know” employee response, and acts as a defense for claims of unfairness, discrimination, and many other employeeemployer related issues by setting clear written standards, expectations and procedures for your staff.

Overall, a handbook is a communication device from you to your employees and acts as a foundation to ensure that employment matters are handled in a consistent and compliant manner, which could prove to reduce the risk of costly litigation.

What Should I Include in My Handbook?

A handbook does not have to be 100 pages. It can be just a few pages, noting the most important laws, policies and procedures that relate to and affect your business. Most importantly,

12 SPRING | 2017

the handbook needs to directly relate to your business and not be a carbon copy of something found on the internet.

While there are some common federal topics that must be included, the handbook should reflect your business, your expectations and standards, taking into account the legal requirements of the municipality/city/state in which you do business.

In addition to general laws that apply to most businesses, i.e., employment-at-will, fair labor standards, etc., what are some of the basics, that specifically apply to a landscaping business, that should be in your handbook? If you have landscaping crews that work remotely, you should have policies on distracted driving, overtime, use of equipment, prohibition of drugs / alcohol, conduct/performance standards, meal breaks rules, use of cell phones, customer relations and communication guidelines, just to name a few. Your policies should speak to the topics that affect the day-to-day operation of your business, ensuring to incorporate specific topics that could potentially put the business at-risk.

Boast About Your Company Benefits Employee handbooks are also good vehicles to communicate the benefits you provide to your employees. If you offer paid holidays, paid sick time, vacations, insurance benefits, etc., a handbook is a great opportunity to show your employees that you not only care about your business, but their well-being.

So, don’t let the fact that you are a small business stop you from the benefits of having an employee handbook. A well-designed and written handbook, will definitely save you time and money, as well as improve the overall culture of your business.

Jacqueline Clay is an HR Advisor with Consolidated Human Resources, LLC (CHR), headquartered in Elmwood Park, New Jersey. CHR provides HR Compliance, Payroll and Insurance Services throughout the United States. You can reach CHR at (877) 801-8400.

News Brief

A warm welcome to our newest and returning members...

Affinity Federal Credit Union Aaron Morse Oradell, NJ

Gaia Gardens Daria Paxton Montclair, NJ

Lakeview Landscapes Will Pacala Sparta, NJ

Arlington Landscaping, LLC Mark Bogdanowicz North Arlington, NJ

Greco Landscaping and Lawn Maintenance, LLC Rick Greco Franklin, NJ

McMillan Landscape Contractor Kevin McMillan Nutley, NJ

Back To Health Dr. Roman Kreyman Wayne, NJ Backyard Living Tom Vielbig Ridgewood, NJ Bradley Bennett Signature Landscapes Bradley Bennett Lincroft, NJ BrightView Landscapes, LLC Scott Schiraldi Hillside, NJ D & H Landscape Associates, LLC Lenny DiTomaso Oakland, NJ Dellfield Quality Landscaping Karen Sofield Lyndhurst, NJ Edward Bell Creative Landscapes and Design, Inc. Edward Bell Midland Park, NJ

Mid-American Salt, LLC Andrew Thiele Fort Wayne, IN

Harmony Landscaping and Property Management David McIlwain Bernardsville, NJ

MNC Landscaping Service, LLC Manuel Cruz Paterson, NJ

HFI Truck Center Kerry Webb Mountainside, NJ J & A Landscape and Snow Services Tabitha Iannuzzelli Bridgewater, NJ Joe Finizio and Sons Landscape Contractors, LLC Joe Finizio Oakland, NJ JPE, LLC John Eisenberg Fort Lee, NJ

Morgan Stanley Kaiyuan Chen E. Rutherford, NJ RVG Landscape and Maintenance, LLC Ryan Van Gieson Wayne, NJ SJ Pools and Landscaping Wellington Gomes Paramus, NJ

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Elegant Lawns NJ David Rabinowitz/Gordon Rich Bergenfield, NJ

Aquarius Supply.....................................www.aquariussupply.com.......................................27

Ensight Merchant Services Brian Fuchs Paramus, NJ

Foley CAT...............................................www.foleycat.com...................................................14.

Four Dimensional Designs William Stewart Ramsey, NJ

Association Master Trust.......................www.amt-nj.com........................................................6 Dave Stern Tires.....................................www.davesterntire.com...........................................51 Nursery Stock 2Go................................www.nurserystock2go.com.....................................10 Precision Companies..............................973-697-0900............................................................2 Proven Winners / Color Choice............www.provenwinners-shrubs.com.............................8 Schoenberg Salt.....................................www.gosalt.com........................................................52 SCIW Fence............................................www.hometownvinyl.com......................................16 Techo-Bloc............................................www.techo-bloc.com..............................................48

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Makin’ Cents On the Clock by Lindsey Getz, Lawn and Landscape Safe Harbor 401(k) Plans

Individuals are encouraged to consult their tax and legal advisors (a) before establishing a retirement plan or account, and (b) regarding any potential tax, ERISA, and related consequences of any investments made under such plan or account. For more information, contact Kaiyuan Chen at 917969-5844.

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Without time and motion studies – or at least some form of testing efficiencies – it’s virtually impossible to truly know if your job bid is going to be profitable, says Bill Arman, a consultant with the Harvest Group who works on time studies with his clients.

“The core element of an estimate involves knowing what it costs you to do something,” Arman says. “That includes knowing how many hours it will take. A lot of guys leave that purely to experience. They feel they can make a knowledgeable guesstimate based on the fact that they’ve been doing this a long time. Many do come up with a good guesstimate. But the ones who are bringing it to the next level are those that have done time and motion studies and know exactly how long it takes to perform a task.”

It’s that competition that drives Mark Borst, owner of Borst Landscape and Design in Allendale, N.J., to track his crews and review the numbers with them each week.

He says once the crew is aware of where things stand, they can work on ways to save time.

“If you’re not analyzing your hours, you can’t improve upon the unknown,” Borst says. “You can tell your crew to work faster but if you haven’t given them goals to aim for, it’s not going to help.”

Continued on Page 17

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Created by the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996, Safe Harbor 401(k) plans offer simplified discrimination testing requirements in exchange for required employer contributions. If the employer meets the safe harbor contribution requirements, the “Actual Deferral Percentage Test” and “Actual Contribution Percentage Test” will be deemed to be satisfied, and contributions made by highly compensated employees will not be limited by the contribution rates of other employees.

As long as no other employer contributions (including certain forfeitures) beyond the required safe harbor amounts are made, the plan will also be deemed to have passed the “Top Heavy” test for that plan year.

The plan sponsor has a choice of contribution formulas that will satisfy the safe harbor requirements. The employer may either: • Make a dollar-for-dollar match on salary deferrals up to 3% of compensation and $.50-on-the-dollar match for salary deferrals from 3% to 5% of compensation for all non-highly compensated eligible employees (e.g. a matching contribution of 4% of compensation for employees contributing 5% of compensation), OR • Make a non-elective contribution equal to 3% of salary on behalf of all non-highly compensated eligible employees.

Required contributions are 100% vested immediately. Highly compensated employees may also receive the same match or nonelective contributions, but are not required to.

If the employer chooses, the basic match formula may be enhanced within certain limits.

Advance employee notice requirements also apply. Plan sponsors should consult their legal advisor(s) with respect to these (and all other) Safe Harbor 401(k) plan requirements.

In 2008, “safe harbor” 401(k) provisions involving automatic contribution increases were introduced. Now, a plan sponsor can opt for either the Qualified Automatic Contribution Arrangement (“QACA”) or the safe harbor arrangement described above.

ow long does it take your crews to roll out in the morning? How many minutes do they spend mowing a lawn? How many man-hours does it take to plant six two-inch trees? Knowing this data is key to developing profitable bids, and keeping employees motivated.

“You need to make sure you’re operating at an efficient level and maximizing your profit,” says Joe Gonzalez, CEO of ArtisTree Landscape Maintenance and Design in Venice, Fla. “That’s especially important for a business like ours that is so labor intensive. Labor cost represents well more than 50 percent of our total cost of doing business. We need to ensure we’re being as efficient as possible. If you haven’t done time and motion studies and don’t have a good sense of your efficiencies, you’re bidding jobs mindlessly.”

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formation. This can simplify things as Arman says the information on a new job can just be “plugged in” and costs can be automatically generated.

Chris Speen, general manager of Twin Oaks Landscape in Ann Arbor, Mich., says in 2006 he developed a cost book that incorporates all of the materials purchased. He also developed gross profit margin job sheets. All of this was incorporated with the company’s software system. Having all this data at the tap of a fingertip with the ability to plug in information and receive updated data has helped the company

timates so that our crew has enough time to interact with customers when the opportunity arises.”

For sample square footage maintenance estimating guidelines, visit http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/ FileUploads/file/Estimating-_Sq_Ft_Method.pdf.

For a landscape maintenance field estimate sheet, visit http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/FileUploads/file/FieldEstimate-Sheet-8-6-2009-16.xls.

For a field hours verification helper, visit http://www. lawnandlandscape.com/FileUploads/file/FieldHoursVerification-Helper-13.xls.

improve efficiencies. But Speen says it was a lot of work to get to that point.

“This took years to develop, and it can be a lot of work to stay on top of your hours. The crew doesn’t always love it but they do always know how many hours they have on a job each day and that’s critical to our profitability.”

And Speen says that by staying so on top of hours, he knows exactly where the company’s profitability stands at all times.

“I know at all times how we’re doing. That even helps me forecast and change my game plan as I look to the future.”

Organizing Data.

Many of the companies that track this data also utilize spreadsheets and/or software to organize and digitize the in-

Reprinted with permission from the October 2015 issue of Lawn and Landscape. For more, visit www. lawnandlandscape.com.

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Bathroom breaks.

Gonzalez says writing a smart bid requires a combination of historic numbers and experience.

“You have a human element you have to account for that can change your timing,” Gonzalez says. “Did the crew stop for a snack? Or take a bathroom break? You also have to account for the weather. Is it windy and is that going to slow the crew down? Even the client is a variable. You show up to the job site and they’re waiting with a list of new projects. Each of these things can change the amount of time it may take you to do a job and you have to factor that into your bid. That is where experience helps.”

Jeffrey Johns, president of Coastal Greenery, in Brunswick, Ga., says for the past 14 years he’s been going into the field with a stopwatch to time his crew doing various tasks – without them knowing, so that they’re performing tasks at their typical speed. Johns says he’s accumulated a lot of data over the last 14 years – how long it takes to install a three-gallon, seven-gallon, and 15-gallon plant, for instance – but he continues to go out each year and check on those numbers.

“You have to make sure your numbers are still accurate,” Johns says. “Things can change with different crew members, weather conditions and new job sites.”

While being as efficient as possible is the name of the game, Ryan Scoggins, co-owner and operator of Top Notch Turf in Houston, says failing to account for “quality time”is a mistake. “If you give a guy nine hours for a job, including 8.5 hours of labor time and a half-hour of driving time, you’re not allowing for any quality time,” Scoggins says. “We account for three-minutes of quality time per stop in our es-

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Don’t Let “Price” Derail Your Sale

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by Danny Wood, Sandler Training by Danny Wood Enterprises

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as this ever happened to you? You’ve had great discussions with a prospect, taken lots of notes, and developed the proverbial “killer presentation.” You started the presentation, and received positive signals from the prospect: encouraging body language and words of approval. Things seemed promising.

Then, you got to the final slide, the slide everything else was to justify: the price.

And all the positive signals stopped cold.

The meeting ended without a commitment. The prospect had to ‘think about it,’ needed to talk with others, check the numbers, or any number of excuses other than say “yes” or “no” to your pricing. You left without any timeline and the deal died.

What happened?

You made a classic mistake. You saved the money discussion for last when making your presentation.

Have the money discussion before you present!

After you uncover pain that your product or service can address, you must discover the prospect’s expectations or limitations regarding the financial aspects—the price, costs, terms, fees, etc.—associated with the acquisition of your product or service. Why would you save that discussion for the final slide of your presentation? Doing so produces the perfect opportunity for a “Let me think it over” moment.

Many salespeople feel uncomfortable discussing money issues with prospects and clients. The discomfort may be the result of childhood messages that deems it inappropriate to talk about money. Can you remember your parents saying that it

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is impolite to ask someone how much money he earns or how much something costs?

Money messages are not all negative. Perhaps you were taught that “it takes money to make money,” or “money is a welldeserved reward for hard work.”

These messages were appropriate in the context they were conveyed. In the sales arena, it’s important to understand that discussing money is part of selling. This discussion must take place before the presentation.

If you are comfortable discussing money issues, you want to make sure that you don’t appear insensitive to your prospect’s concerns. Conversely, if you are uncomfortable, you must be aware of your tonality and body language. You don’t want to show your discomfort because it could undermine your credibility and cast doubt on the validity of your price or fees.

Having a strategy and a prepared set of questions can help ease this discomfort (for you or your prospects) and make the financial conversation a natural part of the selling process. The most direct strategy for uncovering a prospect’s budget situation is to ask.

Here are some examples: • Do you have a budget set aside for this purchase?

• Is the project funded?

• Are there budget limitations that I should be aware of?

If your prospect’s answer to your budget question is “yes,” appropriate follow-up questions include: • In round numbers, at what amount are you looking?

• Do you think you can give a ballpark idea of the amount you have to work with?

Certifiable Paving the Way

Joe Bolognese is an inside sales rep for Gamka Sales, Inc. He is a Past Vice President and currently an Associate Director of the NJLCA. He is also Chair of the Education and Landscape Industry Certified Exam Committees. He has over fifteen years experience in the landscape and irrigation supply industry and can be reached at jbolognese@njlca.org.

Using terms like “round numbers” or “ballpark” take the pressure off the prospect to commit to a specific amount.

If your prospect’s answer to your budget question is “no,” or they are reluctant to share information, you can “test the waters” using third-party stories. Reference one or two similar projects with other clients and disclose an investment range within which those transactions took place. Ask your prospect if he would be comfortable making a similar size investment if he felt your product or service was the best fit for his needs.

For instance, you might say: Jim, the last two projects we completed were similar to what we’re discussing. They were in the range of $18,000 to a bit under $22,000. I suspect that you’d be looking at a similar size investment. Can you be comfortable with an investment in that range? If not, tell me before we invest time in a project that won’t get off the ground.

[Jim indicates he is comfortable with the range.]

Where in that range do you suppose your budget for landscaping will fall once it’s established?

Photo: Tode Landscape Contractors, Wyckoff, NJ

If your prospect still won’t share any budget information with you, you’re not ready to present anything … because this person has disqualified himself from your sales process. Instead of investing lots of time, energy, and resources setting up a presentation that won’t close, make “Let me think it over” a thing of the past. Disengage politely. Work with a qualified prospect who will discuss budget issues directly, and who will commit to giving you a clear “yes” or a clear “no.” Your closing numbers, and your personal income, will improve as a result.

Danny Wood, owner of Sandler Training – Danny Wood Enterprises, works with individuals, entrepreneurs, and corporations providing training, coaching, and consulting services to develop market share, shorten sales cycles, and increase revenue. Clients look to Danny to help them develop and implement processes that create a sales-driven, client-centric organization. Visit www. dwood.sandler.com, call 201-842-0055 or email dwood@sandler.com for more information from Danny.

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This year’s LICT (formally CLT) test is gearing up to be another great time to hone in on those skills that help you to stand out, while safely completing the task at hand. As our spring season wraps up in a few weeks and we prepare for the summer to fill the heat index, remember to use this time to perfect your expertise in paver installation. Make sure you understand each part of the process and its importance to the final product. With every successful paver application, you will always need a solid foundation. Make sure your compacted aggregate base is to the proper planned height or the rest of your work will suffer the effects.

Next, add your bedding sand or QP and compact that as well to help you achieve the perfect surface to lay your pavers. When placing your pavers, make sure you set them higher than your edging to allow them to settle with the compactor to the desired height. Just as important as the method for installing the pavers, is the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) that you wear while working. Make sure you are wearing gloves when installing pavers and be mindful of harmful debris and silica dust that can enter your airways if you are not wearing the proper breathing apparatus. Using a saw to cut pavers is essential, but can also be dangerous if the proper respect is not given to the process. Do not rush the cut, watch for loose clothing and always keep your eyes focused on what you are doing. Please take the time to purchase the Landscape Installation Manual available through our association, which has an in depth description of this and many other modules that are a part of the test that you can take this October 7th, 2017. Register on pages 24-25 of this magazine, online at www.NJLCA. org or call 201-703-3600 and ask our LICT/CLT Chair Joe Bolognese (that’s me!) or our LICT/CLT Administrator Gail Woolcott to help you.

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How Technology Should Be Used to Save Labor Cost

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by Landscape Management Network Technology has an impact on everything we do. Work is no exception. Today’s machines and heavy equipment continue to advance at a rapid rate and they are changing the way we do business. Case in point: in the past, if we needed something done in the office or out in the field, we had to hire somebody to do it. Today, many of these jobs are successfully (and much more productively) filled by machines. Why? As most business entrepreneurs can attest, machines are reliable and they complete a greater volume of work in a shorter period of time. But this factor alone is not the whole story. The fact of the matter is: machines, unlike people, do not require payment, company benefits, sick days or holidays.

Machines never up and leave for another job and they work without complaint or asking for compensation.

Simply put, in today’s world, technology saves employers money.

Now, this is not to say labor workers are not important. Skilled labor will always be indispensable to the landscaping business. But, when paired with the right equipment and the right machines, labor workers can work that much more productively and, therefore, the amount of skilled labor a company needs can be scaled down and the amount of labor costs can be scaled down.

Similarly, when office staff is paired with the proper set of ‘machines,’ (think computers, software, electronic gadgets like email and GPS) their productivity levels increase. As a result, the amount of staff members re-

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quired to carry out administrative work is greatly reduced.

On that note, here are some of the ways technology saves you time and money in the office.

Better information in less time – Computers and the internet allow us to access, track and manage information at the speed of light. Technology allows us to retrieve better information, and spend less hours gathering it. Job costing information, GPS/location information, satellite images of properties – these are just a few examples of technology that can make more information available, without having to hire more people.

Less time wasted on mundane office tasks – Think about accounting – could you possibly imagine going back to writing your accounting transactions in a lined journal? Think about the time spent trying to report on your transactions, or trying to find mistakes. Computer software has completely streamlined this process. Ask yourself: what’s still being done manually in your business that could be automated with software?

Communicate faster – Cable modems, ISDN lines and DSL connections for our phones, fax machines and computers allow us to receive and send information faster than ever before. Email also allows us to instantly connect with staff, customers and vendors anywhere, anytime. Smart phones such as the Blackberry

Legal Ease

or iPhone keep communication lines with employees right at our fingertips, saving drive time, phone calls, and most of all – costly mistakes.

Improved efficiency – Instead of having to sort through piles of paperwork, with your files neatly and safely stored on the computer, you can effortlessly go through and retrieve or discard any old documents. Emails are also safely stored and can easily be referred to.

So here’s what we can learn from technology and its presence in the business world: like it or not, to be successful in today’s economy, landscape business owners will have to jump on the technology bandwagon. What can you do with your company?

• Manage and report finances with accounting software.

• Equip staff with Smart Phones for instant email communication, camera functionality, and even time & location tracking.

• • •

Estimating software that prices your work with a system, and produces reports that can be used by the field staff to manage their work better.

GPS technology to track vehicle and equipment locations, customer service times, battery life, speeding incidents, plus man.

A great website for a 24/7 brochure that shows off your work and makes your customers want to do business with you.

Owners want to improve efficiency for one simple reason: so their company can do more work with less people. Just like skid steers and excavators can save thousands of manual labor hours per year, technology can help office, and field staff, work better and faster with less staff and less headaches.

Big companies and franchises are so successful now because they have the technology to manage the vast amount of information that goes through their business on a daily basis. Today’s small businesses are lighter and leaner and can implement technology faster, and for less cost, but they have to be ready and willing to do so. With the huge savings in labor and time costs, today’s business owners simply can’t afford NOT to take advantage of the technology made so easily available to them.

Landscape Management Network is a collection of systems, tools, and training to help great contractors build and manage great businesses. Visit the LMN website at www.golmn.com.

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Protect our Employees, Our Friends and Their Loved Ones The Trump Administration has made it crystal clear that undocumented foreign nationals are to be deported. Having said that, if you share some basic constitutional rights with them, you may be able to prevent their deportation and the family heartache that follows.

One of the most common ways that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) police encounter and arrest undocumented foreign nationals is by simply knocking on the front door and asking if they can come in. Most ICE officers do this without a warrant and most immigrants just let them in. If ICE does not have a warrant, then the door should NOT be opened.

I advise my clients to purchase a hotel lock for their door, so they can open the door ever so slightly and ask the question “Can I please see your arrest or search warrant?” No warrant?

Politely close the door. Do NOT open the door. ICE is prohibited from opening or knocking down the door. Period.

In the VERY unlikely event ICE does have a warrant, have the ICE officers slide the warrant under the door or through the opening. Take your time to read the warrant. If the warrant was signed by a judge or magistrate, see what it gives the officers permission to do - arrest a specific person, or question people and inspect the place? If it appears valid, they have the right to come in - but make sure they only do what the warrant authorizes. OR, is it an administrative warrant (signed by an ICE official)? If so, ICE can only enter if YOU give permission. Do not - you don’t have to.

Another common method of arrest and deportation of undocumented immigrants is for ICE to ask individuals out in public questions regarding their nationality (where were you born?), how they came to the United States, etc. The encounter could be on the street, in the local bakery or even in court.

If ICE begins asking questions, the foreign national must not answer. He or she should respond that their attorney has advised them to remain silent. They should NEVER run away, but remain there until they have made it clear that they will not respond to questioning. The final question is “am I now free to leave?” I provide my clients with my business card (with my cell phone on it) and the “Red Card”. The Red Card details what they should say (or not say) and do when they have an encounter with ICE. Contact my office to obtain some of these “Red Cards” in Spanish and English. Tell the ICE officer you want to speak to your attorney. You have a right to an attorney, but you are NOT entitled to a public defender. The foreign national MUST refuse to sign anything given to them by ICE. Speak to the undocumented foreign nationals that you know and make sure that they understand that they are entitled to our constitutional protections under the 4th and 5th Amendments. Contact Ron Mondello for “Know Your Rights” seminars in several different languages, including Spanish and Arabic at no cost. Spread the Word! Reach Ron Mondello, Esq. at 201-703-9400 or visit www.njcrimmigration.com.

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Pay4Performance

by William Eastman, GreenMark Consulting Group

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ntroduction This is the first in a series on compensation. After three decades building and turning around businesses, I use the same approach for people on the line or in the office as used for sales. Instead of paying a commission for closed deals, this Quick Tip covers paying for the performance you need.

What You Need to Know This Executive Summary will cover 3 Major Topics related to Incentives: 1. Tie Incentives to Profit, Not Revenue 2. Tie Incentives to Contribution, Not for Just breathing, and 3. Everyone Has a Piece of the Budget

1. Tie Incentives to Profit, Not Revenue.

Profitability is the true measure of business performance.

If your pricing is solid - a smart mix of what the market will allow and enough margin to generate profits, then the focus should be on how to ‘share’ what is left in a way that grows the pie.

2. Tie Incentives to Contribution, Not forJust Breathing.

Repeat after me - all compensation systems work! That doesn’t mean you like the result. Understand you are paying people to do what the system rewards. If you reward connections (people tied to the family) or because of position (they are alive) and nothing to do with performance - you will just pay more for decreasing mediocrity. Good luck with that.

3. Everyone Has a Piece of the Budget.

If you share the new profit for improved performance, everyone must have line of sight to business objectives and a piece of the budget. Not having this information is like bowling with a sheet over the lanes. You roll the ball, it passes the sheet, and then there is noise. How many pins did you knock down? If you want to improve the score - where do you throw the second ball?

What You Need to Do 1. Tie Incentives to Profit, Not Revenue. This is the most challenging of the three. Small landscape companies usually don’t have the accounting systems that show cost breakdowns by activity.

1. Select your top service (most revenue) and break it into steps; 2. Each step is given material and labor costs, figure out what each step is costing you;

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3. Add a margin to each step. Given overhead costs, taxes, etc., it is hard to make any profit on margins below 30%. Start at 60% and see what happens. Another option is to ask “what if you had to buy that step from a competitor - what would they charge?”

2. Tie Incentives to Contribution, Not for just Breathing.

Once you know costs and a reasonable margin on every step, create a list of behaviors to bonus: 1. First thing is to figure out how much of it you will share. 5-10% is a good place to start and see what happens. It is better to pay less at the beginning and adjust up, than taking it away.

2. Find the behaviors critical in each step to bonus.

Wrap your head around the real goal - you want them to do more of the right things, so they make more.

What behavior will ‘more of ’ help your bottom line?

3. Make sure you measure it. If your current systems don’t capture the information, find the easiest metric and add it to your measurement puzzle.

3. Everyone has a Piece of the Budget.

Now that you have the steps in a major process identified and costed, don’t make it a secret. The goal is to get everyone in the Great Game of Business.

1. Business Objectives - if you have none, it is time to make this happen. People need line of sight between what they do and how they are paid. You are not running a charity. Most for-profit businesses follow this simple formula F=C+P+T. Finance ($$) equals Customers buying stuff you Processed and is built by Talent.

2. Individual Best Season - this is less about competing against a team member or someone in the next office,

Can You Dig It?

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Why Route Density is a Must Windshield Time is Not Billable Time

John Raffiani has been in the industry since the late 1950’s when he started to work at his grandfather’s shrub farm and greenhouses. Since 1965 he has installed numerous landscape, lighting, drainage and irrigation systems throughout the U.S. He also teaches irrigation, soil amendments and business courses for the Irrigation Association of NJ and others. Recently he has joined the education team at the national Irrigation Association.

it is all about competing with yourself. Challenge them to raise their game (the behaviors you identified for bonus) and grow their checks.

3. Make them responsible for their part of the budget. If a Foreman is running a crew that cost $3,000 in materials and $4,000 in labor - have them own it. If the Crew Leader can deliver what costs $7,000 at $6,500 - are you up for giving them a dime on the dollar?

Where You Can Get Help Your best choice is to join our closed Facebook Group NJLCA “Growing Every Day”. Ask to Join and once inside, you will receive real-time help and support for your landscape and business issues. Additionally we will make parts of our Best Practices Library available for download. I am looking forward to seeing you inside.

Summary The place to start is radical - look at all employees as members of the sales force. Why? Sales are the only employees in the company that can affect their checks, while everybody else is trading time for money.

If a well-designed sales compensation system drives more sales, what would happen if people doing the work could affect their checks? Chew on that until the next article, “The One Thing of Measurement”.

Bill Eastman is a Business Management Consultant with GreenMark.

Bill is the Managing Partner of Intellectual Property at the GrowthWorx - a business research and product development company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Bill brings to GreenMark 36 years in the consulting and training industry. Bill over his career has assembled a library of best practices for growth oriented companies looking to build a model of organizational excellence. The gWORX team in collaboration with GreenMark Consulting Group and It’s Landscape Business Success™ platform have developed a suite of business best practices. For more information contact William Eastman at 804-433-3886.

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It is generally accepted knowledge that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Sad to say that in densely populated NJ that is not readily accomplished. Many of you have that client who demands your maintenance work be done on a Friday yet you need to make a 20-minute trip to get there. You also serve several other accounts mere blocks away that want you over on a Monday or Tuesday.

What to do? It is time to take a close look at the margins the Friday account yields and account accurately for the travel time. If this account is a “cut and blow” only or uses a minimum number of services then a change is warranted. It may become time to insist that you will only keep the client if you can group them with your more numerous area accounts as WINDSHIELD time = NO PROFIT. If the account is a good one maybe an offer of something of value will get them to change; if not then maybe it is time to let go.

Another approach is called Strategic Lowballing (this is not as bad as it sounds). It starts by analyzing ALL of your accounts and creating ideal routes that cut travel time to the bone. Consider any and all factors such as rush hours, school crossings, trains, congested intersections and setting up right hand turns where possible. Then take a hard look at the accounts and see what you could offer in return for your clients to accept the days and times YOU want to see them. It could be a slight discount or a free service you would normally charge for (such as a simple soil test or lime application). There is routing software available but it only pays for larger multi crew operations and may prove less than ideal for your situation.

Remember that your net profit margin is your #1 priority. Cutting out wasted travel time is one of the best ways to increase profits as it will allow you to take on those additional accounts and work the same hours. Start by finding any and all ways to save 10, 20, 30 or more minutes per day and those minutes can become dollars.

Become a

L a n d s c a p e I n d u s t r y C e r t i f i e d Te c h n i c i a n What is Certification?

The Landscape Industry Certified Technician Exam is an internationally recognized hands-on testing program exclusively administered by the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association in New Jersey, in conjunction with the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). Certification seeks to recognize proficiency in the landscape workforce, upgrade the status of the landscape contractor, and provide the public with a means of identifying qualified landscape professionals.

Why Get Certified?

There are many benefits to becoming a Landscape Industry Certified Technician — it promotes safety and professionalism in the industry; international recognition and standardization; validates landscape skills; creates opportunities for career advancement; and instills pride in employees and companies. Individuals who pass the exam have the right to use the Landscape Industry Certified logo on all of their printed materials and vehicles and will receive a certificate and wallet card. Employers are encouraged to advertise that they have certified employees on staff. NJLCA, NALP, and other participating associations promote the use of certified individuals to the public. To maintain your certification in good standing, you must recertify every two years by reporting Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Upon becoming Landscape Industry Certified, NALP will provide you with more information on recertification.

How do I become Certified?

To become a Landscape Industry Certified Technician, an applicant must pass all of the modules in one of four designations: Turf Maintenance, Ornamental Maintenance, Softscape Installation, Hardscape Installation. You may test in more than one designation; however, you may only take one designation per test date. Successful completion of the Maintenance Modules demonstrates that a person has the skills to maintain a landscape project in a proficient manner. Successful completion of the Installation Modules demonstrates that an individual has the skills to take a landscape blueprint and proficiently implement the design in the field. The written portion of the exam is available in English or Spanish and NJLCA provides Spanish translators on-site during test day for the handson portion of the exam.

Who is Eligible?

There is no prerequisite for taking the exam; however, to become Landscape Industry Certified, NALP recommends that you have a minimum of 2,000 hours of work experience in the green industry.

Note: Certification is not a substitute for any state-issued pesticide, licenses, fertilizer applicator license, nor the Home Improvement Contractors Registration.

Exam Modules Softscape Installation: 1.01 Common Core (W) 5.02 Softscape Plan Reading (W) 5.03 Softscape Horticultural Principles (W) 5.04 Irrigation Components (W) 5.21 Plant ID 5.22 Basic Program Controller 5.23 Lateral Repair & Head Adjustment 5.24 Tree Planting & Staking 5.51 Sod Installation 5.52 Plant Layout 5.53 Rototiller

Hardscape Installation: 1.01 Common Core (W) 6.05 Hardscape Plan Reading (W) 6.06 Hardscape Principles & Calculations (W) 6.25 Chainsaw 6.61 Grading & Drainage 6.62 Instrument 6.63 Paver Installation 6.64 Skid-Steer Operation

Turf Maintenance: 1.01 Common Core (W) 8.07 Irrigation Components & Principles (W) 8.08 Turfgrass Maintenance Principles (W) 8.09 Turfgrass Maintenance Calculations (W) 8.22 Basic Program Controller 8.23 Lateral Repair & Head Adjustment 8.26 Power Blower 8.81 21� Mower 8.82 Intermediate WalkBehind Mower 8.83 Riding Mower 8.84 Edger & Trimmer 8.85 Aerator 8.86 Turf Fertilizer

Ornamental Maintenance: 1.01 Common Core (W) 9.07 Irrigation Components & Principles (W) 9.12 Ornamental Maintenance Horticultural Principles(W) 9.14 Ornamental Maintenance Calculations (W) 9.21 Plant ID 9.22 Basic Program Controller 9.23 Lateral Repair & Head Adjustment 9.24 Tree Planting & Staking 9.25 Chainsaw 9.26 Power Blower 9.91 Pruning

Proud Partners

Proud Partners

Be Outstanding In Your Field

Landscape Industry Certification Exam

Bergen Community College, 400 Paramus Rd., Paramus, NJ 07652

Full and Retake Exams Saturday, October 7, 2017 - 6:15 am The LIC exam has raised the standard of service we provide our clients, increased the pride and ability in the individual who put forth the work to achieve it and has made us a better company. We are very proud of our LIC team members.

-- Chris James, CLT, Chris James Landscaping

NJLCA extends member pricing for the exam to all NY, NJ, PA, CT and all other state landscape association members

Year you entered the Green Industry: To become Landscape Industry Certified, NALP recommends that you have a minimum of 2,000 hours work experience. Please check your work experience: q 1 year (2,000 hours minimum) q 2-5 years q 5-10 years q 10+ years Do you need an on-site Spanish translator? q Yes q No Study Guide to be sent in: q English q Spanish Do you have a disability that requires special accommodations? Please explain: _________________________________________ Name: ________________________________________________ Company: ___________________________________________________ Company Address: ______________________________________ City: _________________________________ State: _____ Zip: ________ Home Address: _________________________________________ City: _________________________________ State: _____ Zip: ________ Phone: ____________________________ Fax: ____________________________ E-mail: _________________________________________ I am a member of q NJLCA q Other _________________________ To pay by credit card: q MasterCard q VISA q Amex q Discover Card number: _______________________________ Cardholder’s Name: ___________________________ Exp.: _________ CVV: ______

Make all checks payable to NJLCA. Payments are due with this application form. No refunds will be given!

(Retakes: Please contact the NJLCA to find out which modules you need and/or fill in module numbers below)

NJLCA or Other Landscape Association Member

Maintenance Exam for Members: q Turf Maintenance or q Ornamental Maintenance...

Installation Exam for Members: q Softscape Installation or q Hardscape Installation...

Retakes for Members (1 - 2 modules)...................................

Module #(s): _____________________________ Retakes for Members (3 or more modules)..........................

Module #(s): _____________________________ Manual for Members................................................................

q$250 q$250 q $85 q$185 q $80

Non Association Member: Maintenance Exam for Non-Members: q Turf Maintenance or q Ornamental Maintenance.....

Installation Exam for Non-Members: q Softscape Installation or q Hardscape Installation....

Retakes for Non-Members (1 - 2 modules)...........................

Module #(s): _____________________________ Retakes for Non-Members (3 or more modules).................

Module #(s): _____________________________ Manual for Non-Members........................................................

q$350 q$350 q$110 q$210 q $90

You will receive a study guide upon receipt of your application; however, the training manual is strongly suggested!

This form must be signed in ink by the authorized person in the company.

No refunds. Substitution of candidates is permitted up to 2 weeks prior to test date. A $25 fee is assessed for substitutions for administrative costs.

Signature: __________________________________________________________________

Date: ____________________________

Feature Story

Appreciating the Connection Between Landscape Contractors and New Jersey Horticulture

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by Douglas H. Fisher, NJ Secretary of Agriculture

NJ Secretary of Agriculture, Douglas H. Fisher, speaking at an NJLCA Member Meeting in 2015 at KubePak

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ew Jersey, suffice it to say, is an amazing powerhouse in the nation’s agricultural industry, and many of the state’s residents don’t really know the extent of it.

As one travels the various parts of the state, it’s easy to see how even our own residents may get the impression that New Jersey is entirely urban in character and looks less like states whose outward appearance suggests a more rural and agricultural personality.

After all, we have somehow managed to squeeze nine million people into a land mass of less than five million acres. It’s even more striking when you consider two million acres are in forests and more than 700,000 acres are in active agriculture. By far, we are the most densely populated state in the nation, and it takes only one rush-hour commute through most of the state to drive home that point.

Even so, New Jersey continues to earn its nickname of the “Garden State.” Our farmers grow hundreds of varieties of fruit and vegetable crops, as well as harvesting field crops like corn and soybeans, raising livestock, and creating a multitude of dairy products.

With all of that food production, the state’s number-one agricultural sector is horticultural and ornamental plant stock, sod, floriculture and Christmas trees (collectively referred to as “the nursery industry”).

The emphasis on this kind of production naturally leads to a connection between the growers of those plants and the landscape industry. It’s no surprise, then, that NJ is home to

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many of the country’s premier landscape contractors.

The work designed and constructed by the members of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association is absolutely impressive and provides a great asset to all New Jerseyans. Your work shapes our neighborhoods, providing beauty in both public and private spaces. How boring our non-agricultural environs would be if not for the landscapes, hardscapes and build-out spaces that provide dreams come to life for your customers.

The connection between agriculture and the NJLCA’s contractor members is clear when you look at the makeup of the association’s Board of Directors and Advisory Board.

From Board Chairman George Futterknecht (an ornamental horticulturist) to President Nelson Lee (a Rutgers-trained landscaper) to Advisory Board members like Dr. Bruce Clarke (director of the Rutgers Center for Turfgrass Science and a published author on turfgrass pathology), the collective knowledge on the Board is as much grounded in plant science as it is in landscaping artistry.

It is, in the truest sense, a symbiotic relationship. The horticulture professionals who help New Jersey stay in the top 10 states for horticultural production provide plants, trees, flowers and turf that are ideally suited to the climate, pest and disease profiles of our state, making their output the perfect elements for contractors here to use.

In return, the expertise of the state’s landscape professionals provides the most suitable way for those plant materials to be utilized and displayed for the public’s appreciation.

Think about that the next time you drive by a beautifully landscaped home, office park or sports complex.

Feature Story If you’re a landscape contractor, I encourage you to use plants grown and/or propagated here. If you’re not making the most of locally grown plant material, I urge you to do so.

We at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture stand ready to help make the connections between growers and contractors looking to do business together.

Doug Fisher has served as New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture since February, 2009. He was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 2001, where he served as Chairman of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and served as Assemblyman until being named Secretary of Agriculture. He was a member of the New Jersey National Guard and had a 30-year career as a supermarket owner. He is the former Treasurer of NASDA, past president of Food Export-Northeast, past president of the Northeast Association of State Departments of Agriculture. In 2014 he was awarded the Thomas W. Kelly New Jersey Food Council Government Service Award; in 2010 he received an Honorary American FFA Degree; was named Legislator of the Year in 2008 by the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association and Legislator of the Year by New Jersey Farm Bureau.

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The New Jersey Department of Agriculture strives to underscore the importance of plant materials grown and/or raised in New Jersey as a way to not only support our nursery industry but also to reduce the risk of introducing plant pests and diseases into our environment.

The Jersey Grown program, a companion to the wildly successful Jersey Fresh promotion of our farmers’ fruits and vegetables, touts the advantages of buying plant material that is grown or propagated here. When customers or contractors select locally grown plants, they are both helping our in-state growers to thrive.

Together, the producers of these plants, and the landscapers who install them for the perfect look, make up a significant portion of New Jersey’s “green industry.” Hardscaping also counts for a large percentage of contractors’ revenue.

The connection between growers and landscapers makes both professionals a vitally important cog in keeping “garden” in the Garden State.

Feature Story

Seed – The Most Important Element

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stablishing vegetation on site is a job almost every landscaper or dirt mover encounters. Understanding the basic principles of seeding and turf establishment can help the contractor get the results that are required.

Seed type and quality is the most important part of the vegetation establishment process.

Garbage Seed = Garbage Results Choosing the right seed is a combination of factors, growing area, soil type, area use, sun/shade conditions potential maintenance issues and other environmental and site issues.

If you engage in commercial or government projects be sure to verify the seed specs. Do not assume you can use your standard seed mix. Many projects incorporate native seed varieties which can cost up to several hundred dollars per pound. A real profit breaker, if you do not budget correctly.

Know your Seed Tag 1. Grass seed product name and percentage of tested germination rate.

2. Other crop seed: The percentage by weight other than the pure grass species or varieties labeled, but not considered as weed seeds.

3. Weed seed: The percentage by weight of weed seeds in this lot.

4. Inert matter: The percentage by weight of material that will not grow. Usually comprised of stems or soil from harvesting.

5. Noxious weeds: If the product contains seeds that are considered noxious weeds as defined by your state these would be listed on the tag.

6. Address: The address of the company providing the grass seed.

7. State in which the grass seed was grown.

8. Origin lot number: Each lot of grass seed is uniquely numbered. This number appears on all documents so that it can be traced back to its origin.

9. Test date: Actual month and year this lot of grass seed was tested for germination.

10. Germination: The percentage of grass seed that will germinate in an approved seed testing lab.

How much seed are you actually getting?

Total viable seed in a bag = Lbs. of seed x germination rate • 28.81% Fescue = 14.9lbs with 85% germ = 12.7lbs viable seed • 29.72% Fescue = 14.86lbs with 85% germ = 12.6lbs viable seed • 29.85% KGB = 14.93lbs with 85% germ = 12.7lbs viable seed Total seed expected to germinate in this 50lb bag is only 38lbs Understanding the Viable Seed quantity is important • Gives greater understanding of a seed tag – generally the greater the germination rates the better quality of the seed cultivar • Aids in comparison shopping of seed prices • Ensures you are applying the correct amount of seed • Highlights the fact that a cheap bag of seed is not always the best bargain It should be noted that in NJ seed speciation’s for new work are specified and inspected by the local Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Guidelines can be obtained at the local SWCD office.

On State or Federal jobs, seed and planting specs are often a part of the overall Erosion and Seeding Plans approved for the job.

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Feature Story

Insuring Germination The basic requirements for germination of turfgrass seed are adequate moisture, favorable temperatures and oxygen.

The first step in germination is absorption of water (sometimes referred to as imbibition). The rate at which grass seed absorbs water depends on the amount of water present and the permeability of the seed. As water is absorbed, the seed swells and chemical reactions occur which enable the seed embryo to develop and grow. After application maintaining adequate soil moisture is key. Frequent light watering along with protective mulch coverage insures that the critical top 2 “of soil maintain a moist environment for the newly germinating seed. As the turf grass develops less frequent but deeper watering helps develop a deep vibrant root system.

Oxygen, though plentiful in the air, may not be so in the soil. Soils with especially high clay content can experience low oxygen levels if they are over saturated with moisture or are tilled or graded when super saturated (mottling). If these conditions exist corrective measures such as improving drainage or improving the soil structure should be taken.

Temperature is out of the control of the contractor but understanding optimum germinating temperatures can determine optimum planting times of the year.

Cool season grasses prefer a soil temperature between 50 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit for germination. Air temperatures for cool season grasses should be 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Seed can be sown outside of optimum temperatures. “Temporary” seeding is often employed when vegetation needs to be established on bare soil areas to control erosion. This method employs using a variety of annual grasses that have less restrictive germination requirements that will die off and allow for a permanent seed mix when conditions are more appropriate for seeding. Another method “Dormant Seeding” is often practiced in the Northeast where permanent seeding is performed in cold weather and left to lie dormant until germinating in the spring. Care must be taken to use a longer lasting mulch layer at a rate that ensures the ground will be adequately protected through the spring.

Common Seeding Methods Mechanical Seeding and Straw Mulch is probably the most common seeding method seen. Seed, fertilizer and lime (if required) are applied to the area with a spreader. A mulch layer of straw is then applied over the area. A Straw Blower, a piece of equipment that breaks up and shoots the straw over the area in an even layer is preferred. Rate of straw mulch should be around 2,000lbs/acre. The mulch should then be anchored to the soil either mechanically using a crimper or by using a spray on Tackifier.

Mechanical Seeding and Erosion Blanket is often used when areas could be subject to environmental factors that could cause run off and erosion. Seed, fertilizer and lime (if required) are applied to the area with a spreader. An erosion blanket made of straw, excelsior or coconut is then rolled over the seeded area and anchored using approved staples.

In some extreme conditions a permanent type matting may be specified.

Hydroseeding requires specialized equipment that allows the operator to mix seed, fertilizer and tackifier in a tank with water that is mixed into a homogenous slurry. This slurry is then applied to the site. This one step process can take advantage of various mulch types to, not only create an excellent seed development environment, but can provide superior erosion control when needed.

Ed has almost 40 years’ experience in the landscaping and erosion control industry. He presently owns and operates Northeast Bowie Sales a company specializing in the sales of Hydroseeding and straw blowing equipment as well as erosion control products. In addition, he serves as a Board member for the Internarial Association of Hydroseeding Professionals and holds numerous industry certificates. He has authored and published his own “Hydroseeding Primer” manual and frequently contributes articles to Soil Erosion and Hydroseeding Magazine.

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Common Seed Varieties Common Cool Season Grasses • Perennial Ryegrass – Provides fast germination and good coverage. Susceptible to drought and high traffic wear.

• Fine Fescues – Common varieties such as Creeping Red or Chewings provide a fine bladed grass that is shade tolerant and drought resistant.

• Turf Type Tall Fescues – Slower germination rates than rye but develops excellent deep root systems for drought resistance and wear tolerance.

• Kentucky Bluegrass – Slow to germinate but creates a beautiful luxurious lawn. Requires greater amounts of follow up maintenance.

• Annual Rye Grass – An annual grass often used to create quick cover on stock piles or other bare soils where temporary cover is wanted.

• Crown Vetch – A common vegetative solution for non mowable slopes.

• Wild Flowers – Used to create interesting flowering areas in rustic or low maintenance areas.

• Pasture Mixes – Specially developed grasses for use in horse or other animal pastures.

• Reclamation Seed Mixes – Seed mixes designed around indigenous species. Many of the species are warm season grasses that have shown some adaptability to the cool season zone.

by Ed Dugan, Northeast Bowie Sales

Feature Story

Got Flowers?

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opefully you do. Because if your clients don’t have the flowers they expect they won’t be happy. Here are some simple things you can do to get the best flower display on the block: 1. M ake sure the plant is getting enough sun: While many plants will grow quite happily in partial shade, they may not flower as heavily as they would in full sun. Make sure you know how much daylight a site is getting before promising a client a garden full of blooms. Full sun is at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day; part-shade is 4-6 hours. In northern climates many plants need full sun to produce a large crop of flowers. Pay attention to the plant label: no amount of fertilizer or water will get a rose or a tomato plant to perform in shade.

2. Age: Woody ornamentals will often flower better once they have had a year or two to get established. Buying and installing the largest size plant available will help to speed this process along. Some plants, like climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris) are notorious for taking their sweet time before blooming. All you can

Proven Winners Hydrangea Lets Dance® Blue Jangles® do for these stubborn characters is wait.

3. W ater: Water stress can affect a plant’s flowering.

While many shrubs are drought tolerant once they are established, very dry conditions can keep the plant from flowering as well as it would when getting regular water. If you are under watering restrictions you do not need to water these plants to keep them alive, but you may have to explain to clients why they don’t look

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their best. For shorter periods without rain, supplemental water will help to keep the flowers coming. A client who wants more flowers is a good candidate for an irrigation system.

4. Pruning: Plants that set their flower buds on the previous season’s growth (old wood) should be pruned immediately after blooming. Plants that produce flowers on the current season’s growth (new wood) should be pruned back in late winter or early spring to stimulate the new growth. If you prune at the wrong time of the year, such as cutting back lilacs in fall, you will remove next spring’s flowers. If you or a client have made this mistake it won’t hurt the plant in the long term, but you will have to wait another year before enjoying flowers. Proven Winners has a good pruning guide on its website. Go to www.provenwinners.com and type in ‘Pruning Demystified.’

5. Cold winters: Very cold winters can damage the flower buds of plants that bloom on old wood. Hydrangea macrophylla is the most familiar plant with this problem, but Forsythia and Weigela florida can also disappoint homeowners. If you regularly have trouble overwintering flowers in your area, consider planting a reblooming variety of H. macrophylla or W. florida. While cold temperatures may still damage the early summer flowers of these plants, your clients will be able to enjoy a second crop of flowers on the current season’s growth. Note: reblooming varieties are typically not any more cold-hardy than traditional varieties, so don’t expect them to grow in a colder zone.

6. Late spring freezes: This is similar to the problem of cold winters, only maybe more heartbreaking. You think that you’ve made it through winter without any damage, and then a freak Easter weekend freeze hits! Also damaging: temperature swings. Plants can take cold weather if it comes gradually in the fall and leaves slowly in the spring. A 65F day in February can feel like a mini-vacation, but if it stays warm long enough for plants to break dormancy and then goes back to typical winter cold plants will be damaged.

Fruit growers will protect their crops by running sprinklers all night to protect blooms or placing huge fans (even helicopters!) in orchards to keep cold air from settling on the trees. These aren’t realistic options for the suburban landscape, but if you know a frost is coming you can lay down a frost blanket to protect the plants.

7. Fertilizer: You can’t fertilize your way into more flow-

Feature Story

by Jane Beggs-Joles, Spring Meadow Nursery ers, but too much fertilizer can reduce bloom. Applying a lot of nitrogen can encourage vegetative growth at the expense of flowers, and fertilizing late in the season can result in soft new growth that doesn’t harden off for winter.

8. Deer: They cause a lot of problems, and nipping off flower buds is just one more to worry about.

If cold hardy plants that shouldn’t have a problem in your area aren’t flowering, look for deer or rabbit damage. Soft new growth in spring is especially tasty. Late winter is when these herbivores are especially hungry, so keep up the repellant applications.

9. When in doubt, ask your nursery grower for a recommendation: They may know of a newer variety with better bud hardiness or heavier flower set. Ask about dwarf or compact varieties, too.

If a plant stays small there’s less chance of untimely pruning.

Another thing to consider is color other than flowers. Foliage and fruit can also add color to the landscape. Like flowers, foliage color and fruit tend to be more abundant and vibrant in sun rather than shade. But plants with variegated foliage or shiny leaves can be showy additions to shady sites.

A garden without flowers can be a real source of frustration. Try to think of it as your chance to be the hero – who wouldn’t recommend a landscaper who brings them flowers?

Jane Beggs-Joles is the Director of Landscape Marketing for Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc. Jane has a B.S. in Horticulture and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics, both from Michigan State University. She has over twenty years of experience in the wholesale nursery industry, and as part of the Spring Meadow Nursery team has had the pleasure of introducing hundreds of new woody ornamental varieties under Proven Winners Weigala Sonic Bloom® Pink the Proven Winners® brand.

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Feature Story

Look Back to See How Far You’ve Come

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started in this business when 21” Sensation mowers were the standard. All grass clippings were picked up and we scraped the bottom of the mowers every day when the blades were changed to remove the grass that had accumulated under the deck. Trimming around trees and along foundations was done with hand trimmers until the Disston battery powered cordless electric grass shears came along, but still you had to bend over to do the job. After gas power edging of the curbs and sidewalks, they were cleaned off with a broom, which was an art to watch an expert clean off walks as fast as he could walk.

Shortly after came the 5hp push blower. Great for cleaning sidewalks, driveways and even front landings and decks, when you dragged them up the steps. Then the backpack blower became popular, but you only used them for blowing off the curb and steps while someone else did the walks and driveway with the push blower.

Monthly, the shrub beds were power edged, spaded, weeded and cultivated manually with potato hooks, which certainly built up strong arms and backs.

Then came the 36” belt driven walk behind Bobcat and Bunton brand mowers. But we still outlined everything with the 21” mower to minimize the amount of manual hand trimming you needed to do and to keep the edges of beds looking sharp.

These big mowers were not well received by the public for two reasons: “I do not want those big machines on my property. They leave big tire tracks and tear up the lawn when you make turns. You can have the job only if you use a regular 21” push mower.”

Or we heard: “I should not be paying as much, seeing how you can cut my lawn so quickly with those big machines.”

Now we have even bigger, as well as ride on mowers to get the job done. Although the public has fully embraced them from an aesthetic standpoint – they still comment about how little time we spend on their property.

Weed wackers seemed to arrive at the same time as the

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36” walk behinds and were great at saving the back and making the job go quicker, but this is when I saw the quality start to suffer. Smaller trees were continually girdled, as bark was peeled away by the spinning string. Outlining using a mower with a sharp blade was replaced with the ragged finish of grass whipped with a plastic string. And who uses a power edger anymore? Edging is all done with the weed wacker.

What ever happened to that old 5hp push blower? Do any of you still have one? I still enjoy using mine around my home. Easy to start, easy to push and if you do not mind using a rake and tarp a bit more often – it still does a great job during leaf season. When the 8hp blower came out, the complaint was that it was heavy and too hard to push. Then came the 10hp, the 16hp, the 18hp blower. Where will it end?

Each heavier and harder to push, but they can sure blow everything out of their way. Less tarping, but more leaves and dust blowing around.

Then came the regulations! Pesticide licensing! No longer could you just purchase and apply lawn care products for grubs and weeds, or spider mites on hemlocks, now you needed a license. The turf and tree program was just beginning and the first recertification process after 5 years of being licensed was a meeting at Bergen Community College where 10 to 12 of us met as a group one evening. We discussed business, the problems we faced with different pests and what

Feature Story

by Michael Kukol, Horizon Landscape Co. can we dramatically reduce the need for labor and save man hours in the care of our clients property?

Although we will all have to deal with pesticide and Green Industry related regulations; laws surrounding employees will burden small business to the point where you either have to be large enough to overcome the cost of compliance or you stay small enough to avoid them.

What does the future hold for us? Do not think that things will remain constant. Sure, there will be the next big mower or fancy truck – but what about real changes? I have told my children that in their lifetime, I believe they will no longer have a television or large flat screen TV. Instead a hologram will be projected and they will watch “TV” as a real life size event in the middle of their room. (That would be a bit too scary watching Jurassic Park!) Consider the cell phone. The heart of the first phone in my truck was mounted behind the seat due to it being the size of a VCR player.

Over the years that eventually shrunk to the size of the Motorola Razor, which itself became obsolete. My biggest prediction? Sections of roadway and perhaps a bridge or two around the country will be left as memorials to what people in the 20th and 21st century traveled on.

Are you prepared to redirect your business as time marches on and inventions, laws and regulations bring change and innovation? Or will you shrink away into oblivion like the whaling industry? Stay alert, read, get educated, network with peers and industry leaders, be involved, make a difference and most of all – glance backward from time to time so you can march with confidence into the future.

Lastly, love what you do and work at it with all your heart, so at the end of the day or the end of your career, you can look back and say: “Job well done!”

Michael Kukol is the owner and President of Horizon Landscape Co. He is also a past Chairman of the Board and Legislative Committee Chair for the NJLCA.

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the future held. After about an hour our proctor, a professor at the college, asked if we had any questions to which we replied “no”. He then told us we were all recertified. (Do any of you out there remember that night?)

That was the beginning of a much more elaborate program, which has made great strides for our industry along the way. The education it has provided since those early days has been awesome.

That was a look at the past, but what does the future hold for our industry? Different power sources for our equipment have been used from hand power to diesel to propane and now battery power. Increases in the size and power duration of batteries are increasing every day. Will we have a bank of batteries in our trailer to swap out instead of pouring gas into the machines? Will the trailer or truck roof be a large solar panel for re-charging the batteries waiting to be used? What about a real alternative energy source? Something that has not been invented yet? A day will come when gas powered engines are obsolete. Consider the whaling industry that died over night when oil was discovered. And what of the heating oil industry that changed dramatically during the oil shortage of the 70’s, when many converted to natural gas. We can all think of something that changed in our life time we never expected to see. Times change and we need to be prepared for what comes next. We either change, adapt or fall by the wayside.

I always imagined from the earliest days I was in business, that a time would come when there would be markers set up around the perimeter of a lawn, a one man crew would pull up in a service truck, plug in his power pack to a receptacle in the lawn, throw a switch and a laser beam would cut and incinerate the clippings all in a few seconds. More likely will be the introduction of practical growth regulators. Anything that will reduce the labor intensive nature of this business. That is the biggest hurdle in our industry. It is too labor intensive. We do not sell products – we sell labor. That is where our innovation needs to be focused. How

News Brief

Contractor Focus: DC Freeman LLC

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orking in the industry since 1984, while studying Plant Sciences and Landscape Design at Rutgers and Cornell, David Freeman, owner of DC Freeman LLC, started his first company, “Eden In The Apple”, while he lived in Manhattan for 20 years, making a living landscaping, playing music and freelance writing. “I had a few interesting jobs, like creating the Spring Gardens at Lincoln Center one year, installing an indoor flower garden at the World Trade Center and a few jobs planting homes in New Jersey. But I really didn’t find my niche and learn how to run a business profitably until I moved out to NJ in 2005 and opened DC Freeman LLC. I used my love of art and base of knowledge and writing skills to find a way to communicate with a level of clientele who let me run with the ball creatively, because I could “speak their language”, and find a way, via more personal communication and sharing my knowledge of science and art history to give them that level of confidence in my skill set. I never wanted to plow snow, or dig foundations, etc. I wanted to design and install gardens that reflected their environment, emulate nature and provide people with a tranquil place on their properties. So I sought out several mentors, joined a couple of professional organizations, but mostly I read and studied to grow my horticultural knowledge base and improve my

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business acumen. I found that truly successful people were happy to share their skills and knowledge once they saw my zeal was as great as theirs. Then, when I added GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete) Waterfalls to that, that’s when things really took off for me. I’ve had people summon my crew and I to Florida and California to build gardens or waterfalls for them, and many people set us loose at their country houses, all over the North East. Somehow, I’ve simply been able to find a specific niche that works well for me, and communicate to clients my worth, using my skills, very personal service and a strict code of ethics. I stay small and tight; never doing more than two gardens at one time. With only 4 trucks and 6-8 men, several with me for more than ten years, we’ve managed, working a ten month season, to gross between three quarters of, and just under a million dollars, both of the last two years. We may even meet the actual goal this year. Still, I’m always concerned that I continue to ply my trade in such a way that I enjoy what I’m doing, and both my crew and I wake up each day looking forward to the next job.

I also find writing articles assists greatly in “keeping my head in the game”, and staying up to date on new techniques and newly introduced plant varieties; anything I can use to make my work stand apart from other companies, and stay within the niche I enjoy. I see myself creating gardens for people until my roots die.”

How Deep Do Your Roots Grow?

Finding a Niche That Suites You and Your Company Style

by David Cort Freeman Most of us who put in the effort to join a trade association do so because we want to excel at the trade we love. We attend the meetings and mix with companies of all sizes, people with different perspectives on life, areas of expertise, and business paradigms. I hear, and read many excellent business ideas through all these formats. But at the end of the day, I wanted my company to reflect the more human side of life. I chose Landscape Design and Build because I enjoy the creativity, the lack of “hardcore corporate environment”, the allowance to freely express my creativity in different ways, etc. I did not want to grow from doing what I loved, only to find myself, after ten years, sitting in an office working on a handbook laying out my expectations for other people to do all day exactly what I wanted to be doing….LANDSCAPING. I enjoy the dif-

News Brief

not every client is a perfect fit, there is a certain type of clientele with whom I work best. (Make no mistake, relationships with “clientele” truly connotes a deeper relationship than a relationship with “a customer”). That seems to change as my clientele grows up the socioeconomic ladder, so it is imperative that I grow with the level of clientele I serve.

All clients have one thing in common, they are people.

Take the time to learn a little psychology, what motivates people, something any owner can do, even without hiring a sales expert, and you can find the basic tenets behind what motivates people to buy.

I once hired a corporate coach who told me that if I wanted to grow my company to a larger size, that I had to be satisfied with “80-85% quality” in our work, instead of the 110% I like to shoot for, even though we don’t always reach that. I knew then and there, I really had to decide what my goals were. I wanted the 110% goal, so I grew slowly and carefully, yet still manage to increase 20-30% in revenue each year for the past seven years. By paying attention to detail when I meet with people; what generation do they come from, asking what they do, looking at whom they read, noticing what activities the family partakes in, I look for things that excite them. You can go a little deeper each time, too. Is there fine art on the wall? I make sure to let them know I know the difference between a Monet and a Rousseau. I use these as examples to explain the zeal I have for what I do.

Basically, I’m trying to engender a deeper level of loyalty.

Continued on Page 47

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ferent tasks that each job brings, the trip to choose new plant material to bring that expression to life, but - and it’s a big but! - I also wanted to receive a healthy profit margin for the work that I put in. I needed to find a slightly different path than the more corporate oriented companies that seek to grow in clientele, number of employees and vehicles each year. That path seemed to begin with myself.

What were your goals when you started out? What are your goals now? How have you meshed the two together?

Each owner begins with a certain vision of who and what they are, and what type of company they envision running in the future. Many people see success in chains like McDonalds; a set of easily repeatable, simple to describe tasks that are easily translated to a new employee. As a more artistic type, I sought to come to what is perhaps a different path to growth in revenue from year to year. I look around and see that money alone has never made anyone happy in and of itself. And yet, I believe the processes I went through, and continue to use, can help any size company keep their eye on the ball of what they envision their company to be, regardless of what that vision is. All it takes is a little self-exploration, whether alone, or as a group. I share a couple of methods that are effective for me. Anyone with a little imagination, and the right set of questions, can tailor them to their own vision and needs at any point in the game.

If you think about it, one of the main business tenets is to “Do what you do best.” I work best with people I come to know and understand. Sometimes our daily lives are so rushed, especially as an employer responsible for other’s lives and income, there is not always time to effectively explore such things. But I believe this is an imperative act if our company is to reflect the areas of life that we seek to honor as everyday people, and the business-people we are.

Being slightly “anti-corporate”, for me, meant leaning more on my human side. But that can be a double-edged sword. “Friends” often expect a better price. So I seek to create a personal path, while serving with the apex of professional behavior on a couple of levels as well. And because

Feature Story

Budgeting Basics

by Aaron Morse, Affinity Federal Credit Union

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B

udgets are like the New Year’s resolutions of personal finance. We all know we should have one and we all know it’s a fairly simple thing to follow—at least in theory. Like resolutions, we often map out personal budgets with the best of intentions, only to abandon them a couple of weeks later.

It’s easy to blame our budget failures on the numbers we use, or the categories we create, or even the specific app or budgeting system we choose—but more often than not, the underlying cause of a hard-to-stick-to budget is our relationship with it. Just like resolutions, if we design budgets that are too restrictive or too vague, there’s no motivation to follow them.

Whether you’re planning your first budget or re-evaluating your current budget, the ground rules listed below will set you up for success by changing the way you look at budgeting. It doesn’t matter if you manage your budget on your smartphone or if you prefer good ol’ pen and paper—these budgeting basics can be applied to every budgeting system.

36 SPRING | 2017

Budgeting Basic #1: Budgeting is about confidence, not guilt

A reason lots of people avoid budgeting is because they think it means giving up everything they love and converting to a super-frugal lifestyle. Or, they might be scared they’ll discover that they’ve been spending lots of money on the “wrong” things.

Budgeting is not meant to shame you into being financially responsible. At the end of the day, budgeting is simply about awareness. If you fully understand where your money is going each month, you can design a budget that allows you to truly enjoy your money. How fun is buying a new piece of equipment, if it’s what’s keeping you in credit card debt for another six months? How much can you enjoy your new office if the rent payment is stressing you out? Budgets are helpful when it comes to managing your bills and saving up for future expenses, but they’re also the key to spending your money confidently.

Feature Story Budgeting Basic #2: Stop comparing yourself to others

Budgeting Basic #3: Be real about your income

A rookie mistake when it comes to budgeting is using your salary (divided by 12 months) or your hourly wage (multiplied by hours worked) as your monthly income. Instead, take a couple of minutes to calculate your monthly take-home pay—this is your income after estimated taxes and other deductions (like health care, social security and retirement savings contributions) have been taken into account. Your deductions should be listed on your paycheck, and there are plenty of income tax estimate services online that you can use for free.

Budgeting Basic #4: Savings is an expense, too

If budgeting categories were a high school gym class, savings would be picked last. In many budgets, the savings category ends up getting whatever is left over after the “more urgent” expenses have been paid (and—in most cases—the not-so-urgent ones too!). The only way If budgeting to take your savings seriously is to give it categories were a the same priority as high school gym class, your living expenses.

If you contribute a savings would be set amount to your picked last. savings at the beginning of the month, your savings will grow so much faster and you won’t be able to “accidentally” spend that money on something else.

Budgeting Basic #5: Look to your budget instead of your balance For many people, budgeting simply means checking your account balance before making a purchase—and although

it’s good to stay on top of your account totals, looking at your balance is an unreliable way of determining what you can and can’t afford. Your account balance can’t communicate, for instance, how much money needs to be left untouched in order for you to pay your taxes this year or to renew your association membership next month or to repair your truck next week. Get into the habit of referencing your budget instead of your account balance before spending your money.

Budgeting Basic #6: Prepare for emergencies

Emergency expenses have a knack for breaking even the best budgets because they can very easily turn into a huge source of debt. If you don’t have the cash on hand to take care of them immediately, you’ll have to put them on a card or take out a loan, which will have you paying interest on top of the cost of the expenses.

Emergency funds are an important part of any budget and should be a separate category from general savings goals. In order to be effective, your emergency fund can only be accessed for real emergencies—like sudden unemployment, an unexpected medical emergency, or a critical home or vehicle repair. Instead of looking at your emergency fund like yet another savings category, look at it as a way to strengthen your entire budget. Not only will it cover tough situations, but it will also save you stress and give you peace of mind.

Aaron Morse is a Mortgage Loan Officer at Affinity Federal Credit Union and has worked in the banking industry for over 12 years. Aaron is also very involved in the township of Spring Valley, having served as a Legislative Aide to the Village of Spring Valley and a Treasurer for the Caucus to Serve Spring Valley in the past. You may reach Aaron at AaronM@ affinityfcu.com or call him at 908.547.9201.

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An effective budget is tailored to your specific combination of wants and needs, so forcing yourself to live within a sample budget you found online or in a personal finance book is not a long-term solution.

Budgeting categories can vary wildly depending on where you live, where you work, how you get from point A to point B, what you do for fun and what your personal goals are. Finding a budget that works for you will take trial and error, and the end result will look different from every other budget out there.

Get comfortable with the idea that everyone has different priorities, and that no two budgets look alike.

New Jersey Landscape Contractors Associat

6th Annual G

Tuesday, Septe

Galloping Hill Golf Course 3 Golf Drive, Kenilworth, NJ 07033 Phone: (908) 241-8700

Golfer Fees: $195 per golfer

Includes: Greens Fees, Cart, Bag Drop Service, Club Cleaning Service, Lockers, Lunch and Dinner

Special Foursome Price - $720 (save $60)! (if you register by the Early Bird Deadline)

Dinner Only: $100.00 per non-golfer Early Bird Deadline: August 11, 2017 Registration Deadline: September 8, 2017 A portion of the proceeds of the 6th Annual Golf Challenge will go to:

Scholarship Fund

Dress Code: Golf casual, collared shirts. No cut-offs or blue jeans.

Soft Spikes are now mandatory!

Agenda 11:00 am Registration & Driving Range 11:30 am Lunch 12:00 pm Putting Contest Begins 1:00 pm Shotgun Start 6:00 pm Cocktail Reception 7:00 pm Dinner & Awards

Registration is limited, so please register early!

• Early bird discount on foursomes ends on August 11, 2017. No exceptions!

• No rain date or refunds.

• Registration will not be processed without full payment.

• Please make checks payable to NJLCA • For further information or in the event of rain, contact the NJLCA office at (201) 703-3600.

• Return this form to NJLCA, 465 Mola Blvd., Unit 4, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407, Fax to 201-703-3776 or email gwoolcott@njlca.org.

• Register online at http://bit.ly/GolfChallenge17

38 SPRING | 2017

ciation and Irrigation Association of New Jersey

Golf Challenge

eptember 12, 2017

Please join NJLCA and IANJ members and colleagues at the 2017 Golf Challenge on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 at Galloping Hill Golf Course for a day of golf, friends, food, and awards!

Registration Form

Golfer Information: Name: _________________________________ Company: ______________________________________________ Handicap: ______________________________ Email: _________________________________________________ Name: _________________________________ Company: ______________________________________________ Handicap: ______________________________ Email: _________________________________________________ Name: _________________________________ Company: ______________________________________________ Handicap: ______________________________ Email: _________________________________________________ Name: _________________________________ Company: ______________________________________________ Handicap: ______________________________ Email: _________________________________________________ Would you like your foursome to include the players listed above or would you like to be placed in separate foursomes?

Please indicate below: (If you do not indicate a preference, we will designate foursomes according to handicap.) q Include above listed players in my foursome q Place above listed players in separate foursomes

Sponsorship q q q q q q q q q q q q q

Registration and Payment

Awards Cocktail Reception and Dinner

$3,000

Pre Tournament Lunch

$750

On-Course Beverage & Snack Cart (2 avail.) $750 each

_______ x $195 =

$ _________

Total # Dinner Only _______ x $100 =

$ _________

Total Foursome __________ x $720 =

$ _________

Golf Gift Bag

$2,500

Golf Shirt

$2,500

Golf Hat

$1,500

Total Foursome __________ x $780 =

Golf Balls

$750

(After August 11, 2017)

Golf Tees

$500

Total Sponsorship(s)

Golf Towel

$1,000

Golf Gloves

$1,500

Total $ _________

Golf Water

$500

Putting Contest (Million Dollar Prize Shot) $500 Special Holes (Closest to Pin, Straightest $350 per hole Drive, Longest Drive)

q q q q

Total # Golfers

(Before August 11, 2017)

$ _________ $ _________

Method of Payment: q Check # ________ q Credit Card Credit Card # ___________________________________ Expiration Date: ____________ 3- or 4-Digit CVV: ______

Tee & Green Hole Signs (36 available)

$250 per sign

Own the Hole

$350 per hole

Trophy Sponsor

$1,000

Billing Address: _________________________________

Hole-In-One (3 available)

$500 plus

City, State, Zip: __________________________________

insurance

Cardholders Name: ______________________________

Online Registration: http://bit.ly/GolfChallenge17 NJLCA.ORG 39

Feature Story Using Key Metrics to Work Smarter (Continued from Page 11)

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will not only help production plan for the upcoming projects, but will also provide the salespeople with realistic future starting dates for upcoming customers.

equipment for every project. Customer factors will also play a role in the scheduling puzzle. There are a few important scheduling metrics. I believe the most important is backlog by crew. As each project is sold, it should be assigned to a crew based on the number of estimated man-hours to complete that project. It is also important to add buffer days for change orders, unforeseen site factors, weather, etc. The project should be broken down by work areas to help stage materials and equipment for the project. Initial project preparation is also critical to meeting the man hour goals set for the project. This would include a pre-construction meeting prior to the project commencement when possible. The schedule

Monthly Crew Schedule.

Understanding your company’s strengths and weaknesses will help determine what needs to be changed. I am often asked “how do I compare against other companies?” My standard answer is “it doesn’t matter. What matters is where is your company today and where will it be one year from now?” Experience and gut feel can be useful tools, but the numbers don’t lie. Use accurate and current metrics to make better day-to-day decisions and to help focus on where to change. Nobody likes to change, but employees tend to buy into change based on fact.

Marcus is a full time consultant, primary to the landscape and other green industries. Areas of consultation include software implementation, business management, operations systems, estimating, employee training and strategic planning. Marcus has developed and built Construction Metrix, a landscape construction management software program. Prior to consulting Marcus managed both small to large landscape construction companies. Marcus has spoken for several National and State Trade Associations throughout the USA and Canada. Visit www.mventerprises.biz for more info.

For more info and to register, visit www.NJLCA.org or call 201-703-3600

News Brief

Associate Focus: Rohsler’s Allendale Nursery

R

ohsler’s nursery’s roots began in Garfield, NJ in 1913 where Austrian immigrant Herman George Rohsler, founder, started growing ornamental plants for the landscape. Around 1925, he purchased 100 Franklin Turnpike from the Tremain family and opened the Allendale nursery location. In 1940, the Garfield nursery located at 106 Hartman Avenue was sold. Until that time, both nurseries were in operation.

Herman Albert Rohsler and Marion “Lin” Linwood-Rohsler Herman Rohsler in the foreground with his brother Frank took over the nursery in 1955 under the sugar maple in the and are responsible for transfront yard in Allendale around forming the nursery into what 1940. The truck has both the it is today.

Garfield and Allendale locaThe Rohsler family is emtions listed on it. barking on its 5th generation at the sixteen-acre nursery and horse farm in Allendale and Saddle River. The nursery continues to grow many of the plants it sells in its greenhouses and fields, including perennials, annuals, poinsettias, mums, hydrangeas and more.

Rohsler’s strives to offer their customers an extensive selection of superb quality plants, flowers, gardening products and outdoor accents, along with professional landscape and floral design services at a fair price. Emphasis is placed on providing expert horticultural knowledge, advice and service to ensure gardening success and enjoyment.

Current management and family members are Bruce

Rohsler, Eric Rohsler, Mark Rohsler, Dan Rohsler, Robyn Rohsler Ortiz, and Dawn Rohsler.

Rohsler’s Allendale Nursery’s tagline on their website states: Garden | Landscape | Lifestyle and they truly encompass all of those things these days! They still offer varied, unique and well-nutured wholesale plant material, but also offer so many more services including bulk and bagged

NJLCA Members take a hayride to see the 16 acre nursery at a recent NJlCA member meeting

mulch and top soil, hard goods, tools, sod, bulbs and more!

They design, install and maintain both water features and landscape projects, perform tree shrub aftercare and pruning, and offer landscape renovations and maintenance.

Robyn Rohsler offers her one of a kind floral design services, creating everything from wedding flowers to get well arrangements and more.

Rohsler’s sure has come a long way in the past 104 years!

To learn more about Rohsler’s Allendal Nursery, visit www. rohslers.com.

Bruce Rohsler and son, Eric Rohsler

NJLCA.ORG 41

Feature Story

Five Irrigation Water Management Tips for the Landscape Contractor

W

ith summer in full swing, it’s important for landscape contractors to consider the growing irrigation needs of their turf. Turf health is highly dependent on the irrigation source and delivery system. While there are a multitude of management techniques that dictate the amount of irrigation water needed, there are also a handful of strategies that can be used to benefit surrounding turf and help ensure nearby waterbodies remain healthy. Healthy lakes and ponds equate to superior, reliable and predictable irrigation water quality.

Conducting an audit of your irrigation system may be the best place to start when developing techniques to maximize the efficiency of your irrigation water supply. This audit should

include documenting and repairing any leaking or malfunctioning irrigation heads, checking and confirming the overall output of the system, and adjusting any site-specific needs for dry or wet areas by reducing or increasing the application time of these areas. In addition to conducting an audit of your irrigation system, collecting samples of your water sources and testing the water quality can help uncover any underlying water chemistry problems or nutrient imbalances.

Timely irrigation can be one of the more overlooked

42 SPRING | 2017

techniques for proper irrigation application. Sometimes, residential or commercial activities and events, like weddings and golf tournaments, can interfere with proper and timely irrigation applications. However, by irrigating based on the plant’s needs rather than other factors, you can often lower water use and have healthier turf.

Accurate knowledge of lake and pond volumes allows the landscape contractor to determine precisely how much irrigation water is available at any given time. In a world where fresh water seems to be more and more valuable, it is critical to know how much water is available. Bathymetric studies of the lake are the best way to accurately determine the actual water volume of your irrigation lake.

Installing a water level measurement device in the lake combined with the bathymetric data will provide water availability information during all climatic conditions. When combined with an audit of the output of your irrigation system, exact application amounts can be determined as well as the amount of water left in reserve for future applications.

Nuisance algae and vegetation control should be at the top of the list for anyone that has a water body on their property, especially if that water body supplies your irrigation pump house.

Nuisance vegetation, if left unmanaged, can clog irrigation intake screens, damage pumps and valves, and ultimately make its way into the hundreds, or even thousands, of irrigation heads on the property. Clogged foot valves, rock screens, and nozzles reduce the overall output of the irrigation head, ultimately reducing the amount of water received by the turf. Continued cleaning of these heads can take valuable time away from other duties around the property and can often times be solved by proper treatment and prevention of nuisance algae and submersed aquatic vegetation.

Feature Story

by Trent Nelson, Aquatic Specialist and former Assistant Golf Course Superintendent

Many times nutrient imbalances, specifically high nitrogen and phosphorus levels, can lead to these nuisance vegetation and algae problems. Submersed aeration combined with nutrient remediation strategies have shown to significantly reduce freely available nitrogen and phosphorus levels. This reduction can ultimately lead to lower growth rates of algae and aquatic weeds in nutrient rich waterbodies.

Proper fertilizer and pesticide application is one of those concepts landscape contractors are heavily trained on during pesticide certification courses and through real world experience as they learn and grow professionally. Proper fertilizer application allows the turf to perform optimally when growing conditions allow. Overfertilization can require excess water for the turf to keep up with the available nutrients, yet under-irrigation may leave nutrients unavailable for the plant to uptake. With the price of fuel, labor and fertilizer, it is important to stay in the middle of the fertility scale. Pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides are vital in producing high quality turf. Once again, water plays a key role in the application of these pesticides. However, applying too much water over extended periods of time can lead to disease, requiring the application of a fungicide as well as increasing weed pressure such as sedge growth where water may collect.

The installation of beneficial buf-

fers, beneficial shoreline plantings, and buffer management is one of the single most important things anyone with a waterbody can do. A maintained buffer of dense turf that extends 3-6 feet from the water’s edge can greatly reduce nutrients from entering the water during and after heavy rain events.

This filtration of nutrients will maintain balanced water chemistry and the most effective and healthy water available for irrigation use. Maintained buffers also help to reduce sediment loss from erosion along the shoreline. Beneficial buffer plantings, or shoreline plantings such as pickerel weed, arrow arum, and or duck potato help to stabilize the shoreline, use available nutrients in the benthic region and attract wildlife to your pond’s edge.

Overall, proper water management creates high quality turf and vice versa. While there are so many items that require the attention of the landscape contractor these days, finding the right balance must include optimization of the irrigation system and application techniques. If you find this balance, you will undoubtedly make your life and the turf you manage far better.

Trent Nelson is an experienced Aquatic Specialist with SOLitude Lake Management, an environmental firm providing a full array of superior lake, pond, and fisheries management services and solutions. He can be reached through the website www.solitudelakemanagement.com.

NJLCA.ORG 43

Feature Story

Managing Your Truck Fleet - By the Numbers

by Tom Canete, Canete Landscape, Canete Snow and Ice Management and Canete Garden Center

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W

ith today’s rising truck and equipment price tags, it is very important to manage these large expenditures. Let’s start with your truck fleet and throughout this article cover some of the key critical topics on this subject such as tracking total costs of ownership, predicting operating costs, and visibility into savings opportunities. Years ago, our Accounting Department started tracking general repairs and routine maintenance (ex. parts, labor hours, vendor receipts for our internal mechanics, as well as any outside repair shops that we utilized). We quickly realized that we had trucks in our fleet that were older than twelve (12) years old and were costing us a boat load of money to operate. We were also purchasing new diesel trucks with the hope that we could put a couple of hundred thousand miles on them, before the truck had run its normal course of life and was no longer roadworthy.

The reality for us, and anyone in the landscape and snow management business, is that salt with its extreme corrosive nature is more likely to put that vehicle out of service long before the engine fails. To reduce the damage salt has done and can do to our trucks, we are now sending them out to our external vendor to have additional rubberized coatings put on the frames, prior to putting them on the road. We also wash the entire fleet and our equipment on a regularly scheduled basis post snow, pre-treating everything with a salt neutralizing spray, utilizing a hot water pressure washer for best results and of course, we focus our cleaning efforts on the undercarriages and salters. These pro-active steps have helped tremendously with our ongoing battle against the corrosive damage salt can and has caused to our fleet and equipment.

Another reason we loved our diesel engines was because of the gas pump. Years ago, diesel fuel was much cheaper than gas; however, this is not the case anymore. In fact, gasoline now costs less than diesel fuel. Therefore, at this time, a new truck purchase that’s gas powered is, in the long run, a bet-

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ter economic choice for your company. On the average, your savings in purchasing a gas-powered vehicle will be approximately $8,000.00 - $10,000.00. To further extend the use and life of the vehicle, I would recommend putting a portion of that savings, approximately $3,000.00-$4,000.00 into an aluminum or stainless steel dump body, instead of the factory steel body, as the factory body will require structural and cosmetic work, due to wear and tear and corrosion over its life. Please note that the estimates I provided above pertain to mid-size trucks and not to a larger single axle trucks, tandem or tri-axle trucks. These trucks would require diesel powered engines to create the extra power and torque needed to move the heavier workloads.

Circling back to my Accounting Department, I would like to provide another example of how their efficient work and tracking of all our equipment and maintenance costs paid off. I kept seeing our truck (truck #23) often in the shop for repair over the course of a year. We bought this truck, an F-450, 4x4, diesel demo truck, brand new in 2000. This particular truck had given us years of reliability through several snow/blizzards and landscape seasons. I thought to myself; “she’s family, we are never getting rid of her, she’s got that 7.3 diesel in it and will run forever.” Well, that’s what I thought until I looked at the profit and loss (P & L) and discovered that we spent $13,500.00 that year alone on that damn truck!

This led to me to really begin looking at all the truck related expense reports and yes, I was shocked at how quickly these repair bills added up.

Something else that began effecting our fleet was that our trucks, which would be loaded with landscape material or pulling our landscape maintenance trailers heading to their scheduled project/job sites or weekly lawn customers began breaking down on the road. This quickly became an expensive and logistical nightmare, as our crews were getting paid to sit on the side of the road waiting for help from

Feature Story

with a new piece of equipment/truck is more than a winter rental or subcontractor would cost you. Simply return the equipment in the spring, thereby eliminating maintenance and insurance coverage costs. This being said, there are times that owning snow equipment can make sense; however, most of these deals are found at Auctions, and this can be an extremely tricky proposition. Sometimes “lady luck” may be with you and you wind up in the right place at the right time, acquiring a nice truck or machine.

There is a small but very smart cost to owning “snow only” equipment. Do not let this equipment sit until October or November and believe that your skid-steers, loaders or trucks will run like they did when the winter ended. If you do, you’re more likely to have brake issues, dry rotted belts and tires, frozen salter parts, battery issues and other lovely mechanical problems that will surface in the midst of a snowstorm, usually during the hours of 2:00 am-3:00 am, when all the possible places you could get parts are closed.

Our company had to deal with these types of nightmare scenarios and here are some of the preventative actions we took.

Every piece of snow only related equipment, specifically trucks are not only started, they are driven for at least two (2) miles every other week. During the drive, salters and plows are operated to ensure that the hydraulic fluids, conveyers and bearings were moving and working properly.

In closing, my practical advice would be to have a sound financial system that tracks what you spend on all your equipment. Our company recently installed a bar code reader system that allows our mechanics to scan the truck or piece of equipment they are repairing or maintaining using their cell phone or a tablet. This not only creates a record of what was done and by whom, it also enables us to quickly figure out what our equipment repairs and services are costing the company. So, keep an eye out on what equipment and services are costing you and act on anything that is becoming a financial drain. Finally ask yourself can we use this truck or piece of equipment year-round within your landscape and snow business. If the answer is “no”, then consider renting or hiring out that piece of equipment or truck. Don’t fuel your ego with bragging rights to a snow fleet that doesn’t make financial sense.

Tom Canete is the owner and President of Canete Landscape, Canete Garden Center and Canete Snow and Ice Management. He is also a past President of the NJLCA. Visit www. canete.com for more info.

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a tow company or mobile mechanic. We also had to deal with juggling crews, rescheduling work and in some cases, sending employees home. We decided to pick three (3) of the older model trucks in the fleet that were cost ineffective and we sold them immediately. Adding insult to injury was the fact that each of these trucks had approximately 100,0000 miles on them. This is way shy of the couple 100,000 miles we expect to get out of our diesel trucks. The trucks wore out before the engines did. In any event, lesson learned, we purchased three (3) brand new mid-sized trucks equipped with gas powered engines. To ensure we were covered for any similar early break down situations, we purchased seven (7) year bumper-to-bumper warranties on them.

We then instituted an internal truck replacement and procurement plan. Every year, we would sell approximately 3-5 trucks that were cost ineffective. Factors that were essential in our decision making in the vehicle lifecycle included: depreciation, fuel consumption and maintenance. We were keying in on the optimal time to replace the vehicles within our fleet. We would also evaluate all our trucks at the five (5) year mark to determine the resale vs. the replacement value. Vehicle dependability was another deciding factor.

Each truck would be equipped with brand new most efficient plows and salters, since having dependable efficient equipment is crucial. This way when we get to the 5-7-year mark, we may decide to “semi-retire” a lawn maintenance truck moving it over to a construction of planting crew. Design/ Build trucks generally drive to a project and are parked for most of the day, putting very little wear and tear on them, unlike lawn maintenance vehicles that are driven all day 8-9 months out of the year. Obviously, if you try to replace your entire fleet all at once and you have a bad year, you can put the company in serious financial trouble.

If you have a strategic plan in place, the payment costs should be budgeted and expected vs. the unknown expenditures and scheduling nightmares the company could have.

If you figure it out by doing your homework, running new equipment will cost you less in the long-run, which will improve your bottom-line, as well as increase efficiencies within the company. This will enable you to be that much more effective and dependable to your customer base.

I would like to close this article discussing snow equipment. Many of the snow contractors I know, feel they need to own the snow equipment that they provide snow related services to their customers. I too was guilty of this way of thinking until I started my deep dive into the financial math behind this thought process. If you look at the cost behind purchasing new or used skid-steers, loaders or trucks that will not run until a snow storm hits. Now think about figuring out what a winter only rental would cost on the exact equipment and/or hiring a sub-contractor to perform the work and you would be amazed at the cost difference. In fact, the depreciation value you will lose just leaving a dealership

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Feature Story How Deep Do Your Roots Grow? (Continued from Page 35)

Not just on their side, but I’m showing them my loyalties lie with them. I’m investing in their quality of life, too. Just like adding soil amendments to ensure plants thrive, instead of merely survive, I’m growing strong roots. Add those Mychorrhizae to the planting bed! People are most comfortable with themselves. We’ve all heard the, “Birds of a feather…” cliché. But that’s only half of the equation.

Of course, we all want to qualify our leads to avoid tire kickers. Many people today don’t always know when they are looking at excellent work. But, I AM looking for people who ARE a little more discriminating and do have higher expectations. I’m looking for people who are willing to pay NOT to have me cut corners. Because their time is valuable to them, they are willing to pay a premium for my time. They know my time with them is tailored to their lives and their needs. The process is always ongoing. I listen to the level of vocabulary they use whenever we converse, and I adjust my language accordingly, both in person and in emails to reflect that. The real goal is to make myself indispensable to such a degree, that not only will they not think of calling anyone else when they need the services I provide, but they actively

sell my services to others for me. I’m not just selling my work, I’m selling an entire personal experience, along with the excellence in very tailored results. That’s does not mean I do the largest jobs out there, I don’t. It means simply that I’ve taken time to find a niche that keeps me both oriented towards the goals I seek to live by, and give myself an ability to have my level of income grow in some fashion each year, even if it is not fifty new clients and another team, truck and set of tools I’m setting out to accomplish that same goal. I’m just doing it in a more focused manner. That’s my niche. That’s my home.

Are you planting deep roots that maintain client vigor, or are you turning over the soil to rotate customer crops? We all have a choice to make.

David Freeman-Owner of DC Freeman LLC since 1987, recipient of the “Houzz –Best In Service” badge three years running; he earns a living as a Landscape Designer, Freelance Writer, Artist, Musician, and Poet. David (Who describes himself as a “A Landscape Poet”) is a longtime member of the NJLCA. After 30 years of practice, he is familiar face in the industry to many. Bringing a zeal for teaching, charity work and a sense of whimsy to all he does, David says, “I hope to drop dead with a shovel in one hand and a paint brush in the other.”

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Feature Story

Good Contracts Save Time and Money

by Kenneth F. Cerullo, Esq., The Commercial Agency

A

gation, tree work, etc.)? In the case of a loss, a good subcontract will provide a good defense to the attorney representing your interests. With a good defense, your attorney will be able to eliminate, or at least limit, your liability (resulting in less legal expenses and claims paid out). Less liability results in a better insurance claims record (loss runs) and lower insurance premiums. Lastly, you get the added benefit of limiting your time with lawyers!

In conclusion, good contracts with customers and subcontractors allow you to work smarter by spending your time doing what you do best – developing new business opportunities, estimating jobs, designing interesting projects, etc.

– instead of meeting with lawyers and attending depositions!

Kenneth F. Cerullo, Esq. is the President of the The Commercial Agency, Inc. – Contractor’s Insurance & Bonding Specialists. Ken is a graduate of Bucknell University with a degree in Civil Engineering. Ken later received his Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers Law School, and practiced Construction and Surety Law with a large New Jersey law firm. Ken can be reached by e-mail at kennethc@thecommercialagency.com or by phone at (201) 391-1324.

The author is not providing any legal advice or any professional insurance advice to a particular insured or in connection with any particular claims scenario. The author disclaims any and all liability in connection with any party’s reliance on the content of this article. Insureds are advised to consult with their own professionals as to their own insurance coverage.

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Wo rk i ng S ma r t e r

ll business owners seem to be busy these days – often working more and getting paid less! One way to work smart is to leverage the power of proper contracts with your customers and subcontractors as part of your business operations. Many contractors hesitate to invest the time and money necessary to develop and implement good contracts.

However, a well prepared contract with the help of an attorney knowledgeable in construction issues will help you comply with applicable laws, and often limit your liability in the event of a claim or disagreement. By investing some time and the minimal expense of an attorney review, the average contractor can create standard contracts to use with both owners and subcontractors – and save time and money in the long run!

Proper contracts with owners serve to minimize the chance of violations by the contractor of laws such as the New Jersey Home Improvement Practices Act (which includes landscape services) or the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act. Such violations can be costly with severe penalties (allowing disgruntled homeowners to seek triple the amount of losses caused by a home improvement contractor). There have been cases in which a contractor has been owed large sums of money from a homeowner, only to owe the homeowner at the end of the day as a result of not having a contract that is compliant with the law. Additionally, good contracts will delineate and limit your scope of work; and in turn, limit your liability to the work actually performed in the case of a loss. Many times contractors are sued for work they did not even perform! Lastly, insurance does not cover breach of contract.

A well prepared contract reduces the chance of misunderstandings between you and your customers.

On the other hand, proper contracts with your subcontractors will permit you to transfer risk and liability to subcontractors performing work on your behalf. A good subcontract with a subcontractor should include proper insurance requirements (including a written requirement that the subcontractor add your company as additional insured) and a hold harmless/indemnity provision requiring the subcontractor hold you harmless or indemnify you for claims and losses arising out of the subcontractor’s work. It’s only fair! After all, why should you be responsible for problems arising out of the work of your subcontractors (e.g., landscape lighting, irri-

Feature Story

Porcelain Pavers vs. Concrete Pavers: Pick the Right

A

beautiful hardscape is the hallmark of any home with curb appeal. Those who want to make their clients’ properties stand out, while getting the most out of their outdoor living spaces know that the best way to go about improving a hardscape is to make use of pavers.

Both concrete and porcelain pavers are extremely popular throughout the northeast, each offering their own unique advantages and each being equipped with their own merits.

While either option is excellent, though, one might be a better option for one of your projects over another.

How do you choose between the two? This guide is here to highlight the benefits and considerations associated with both concrete and porcelain pavers, as well as tips for choosing the right material for your hardscaping upgrade.

Concrete Pavers At-A-Glance As the name indicates, concrete pavers are made from concrete. This isn’t just your ordinary, standard, gray slab of concrete cement, though. Instead, skillful engineers work to design and manufacture pavers that look and feel just like real stone.

The concrete is cast in molds with specific cuts and shaping that resemble that which could be found in nature, and a natural texturing is also applied to all sides of the stone. The concrete is also dyed all the way through in order to give the material a beautiful, natural stone appearance that won’t fade or diminish over time.

Porcelain Pavers At-A-Glance Not all man-made stone pavers are made with concrete.

In recent years, it has become popular to create beautiful pavers from tough and durable porcelain.

High tech manufacturing processes make it possible to generate a ceramic material that is much thicker than the ceramic tile used indoors, making it very suitable for use throughout a home’s exterior.

Porcelain pavers, like their concrete counterparts, are often designed to emulate natural stone, or even other elements like natural wood, both in coloring and in texture. The result is a very affordable, practical and beautiful alternative to natural products.

Concrete Pavers: Benefits and Considerations There’s a lot to love about concrete pavers. Some of the many perks include: • Beauty – There can be no mistake about the fact that concrete pavers are absolutely gorgeous. They are de-

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signed to look and feel just like the real thing, and even the most well trained eye often can’t tell the difference.

Style – Concrete pavers are made with many different styles in mind. Whether your client is into an old world European style, prefers a touch of whimsy, or is looking for something very modern and stylish, you’ll find the perfect fit.

Affordable – Although concrete pavers look just like the real deal, they are available at a fraction of the price. This means that you can work with concrete pavers on any budget.

Versatility – Concrete paving materials are the perfect fit for an array of different hardscaping projects. Some of the most common uses for concrete pavers include patios, driveways, paths and walkways, swimming pool decks, etc.

Consistency – Unlike natural stone, concrete pavers are manufactured with care, precision and attention to detail. You’ll enjoy the same consistent quality from unit to unit.

Longevity – Concrete is able to withstand the tests of time. Once you install concrete pavers, your client be able to enjoy their beauty for many years to come.

Weather Resistant – Concrete pavers are resistant to the effects of the elements. They are able to hold up nicely in heat and cold, and aren’t impacted by the sun’s UV rays or rain.

Low Maintenance – Your client won’t have to invest a lot of your precious time and energy into taking care of their concrete pavers.

Of course, there are some things to consider when working with concrete. It’s important to make sure that you use the appropriate chemicals for melting snow and ice during the winter months, so as to avoid corrosion. In addition, keep an eye out for cracks and address them quickly to avoid problems with freeze and thaw cycles.

Porcelain Pavers: Benefits and Considerations Porcelain pavers also have a lot to offer. Here’s a look at some of the key perks to working porcelain into your hardscape: • Gorgeous – With a single glance, your clients are sure to fall in love with the rich, yet subtle beauty offered by porcelain. The ceramic material lends itself to being manufactured into a product that is nearly identical to natural stone and wood.

Feature Story

Material for Your Outdoor Oasis

by Josh Braen, Braen Supply • •

•

Budget-Friendly – Porcelain is an extremely low-cost alternative to working with natural materials.

Traction – Porcelain offers fantastic traction and is perfect for swimming pool decks or for creating walkways in areas subject to rain or water from irrigation systems.

Easy to Clean – Porcelain is relatively stain-resistant and is very easy to clean and maintain.

Although extremely hard and durable, porcelain is fragile during the installation process and should be treated with the utmost care.

Concrete vs Porcelain Pavers: Which Should You Choose?

All things having been considered, it’s easy to see that both porcelain and concrete pavers are excellent options for anyone wanting to take their home’s hardscape to the next level.

Because both materials are very affordable, practical and

readily available throughout our area, the decision will really come down to your clients’ personal tastes and desires, and the options that are available from each type of paving material.

It’s a good idea to take the time to really envision how the completed project will look, to make the right decision about the style of paver you want to install, as well as pertaining to the color schemes that your client wants to invest in.

This will help to narrow down the options significantly, so that as your client’s browse through the different product lines available from leading paver manufacturers, they can make a quick and confident decision.

Josh Braen is the general manager of Braen Supply. He manages both the inside and outside sales staff and oversees all day-to-day operations. Learn more at: www.braensupply.com

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