The Buckeye, Nov/Dec 2018

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 Vol. 29, Issue 6

The Official Publication of Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association

INSIDE:

RETAIL ROUNDTABLE: HOLIDAY PLANS SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: TAH BENEFITS SURVEY: LABOR NEEDS & EDUCATION

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November/December 2018 Vol. 29, Issue 6

The Buckeye is published six times per year by Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. 72 Dorchester Square, Westerville, OH 43081 614.899.1195 | www.onla.org

EDITORIAL / ADVERTISING ISSN 1536-7940 Subscriptions: $75/year alana@onla.org OFFICERS Andy Doesburg, President Ward + Thornton Landscape Josh Posey, Immediate Past President Buckeye Resources, Inc. Tim Clark, President-Elect H. J. Benken Florist & Greenhouses, Inc. DIRECTORS James Beardslee Beardslee Nursery Lenny Garrard Bobcat Enterprises Columbus Tom Hilgeman Bower & Branch Ryan Kolb Ryan Kolb Co. LLC Mindy Moore Cardinal Landscape, Tree Service & Lawn Care Steve O’Neal Columbus State Community College Ellen Gallucci Purcell Riepenhoff Landscape Ltd.

CONTENTS 3

Executive Director's Message

5

President's Perspective

6

Legislative Update

8

ONLA Golf Outing Recap

16

MGIX Member Summit

FEATURE STORIES 13

Marty Grunder's Business Buzz

14

Retail Roundtable: Spring Recap

17

Sponsor Spotlight: TAH Benefits

19

Why Trees Matter

STAFF Ken Fisher, Executive Director Karen Lykins, Accounting Roni Petersen, Membership & Certification Alana Settle, Marketing & Communications Mary Ann Shrum, Education Tracie Zody, MGIX

22

Safety Update

24

Green Industry Business, Labor and Education Survey

THE FINE PRINT The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, directors or staff and do not constitute an endorsement of the products or featured services. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as members of the ONLA does not constitute an endorsement of the products or featured services.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

10 New Members 26

Ohio Certified Nursery Technician Order Form

29

Classifieds

29

Calendar of Events, Advertising Index

Front Cover: The growing operation at Petitti's Garden Center. Learn more about their holiday plans on page 14. onla.org

November/December 2018

1

2019 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS Membership Renewal Fees are due by December 31, 2018 Renewal letters will be mailed to company contacts in mid-November.

Questions? Contact Roni Petersen at roni@onla.org or 614.899.1195 For more information about ONLA Membership, visit www.onla.org

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2  The Buckeye

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE Ken Fisher, ONLA Executive Director, ken@onla.org

What we do together matters when it comes to growing and protecting the future of our industry in Ohio and beyond.

Government policy and elections have impact on our businesses. The mid-term elections in November are important and your vote matters.

We are fortunate to have excellent advocacy representation here in Ohio through our ONLA lobbyist Belinda Jones. We are also well represented at the Federal level by the capable advocacy teams we work closely with at AmericanHort and National Association of Landscape Professionals. Staying up to speed on current issues is important for a business owner.

Do you sense the trade war being waged all around you in Ohio? The good news is that our nursery and landscape industry isn’t experiencing a direct hit so far, but our colleagues in other parts of agriculture and equipment are starting to feel the impact. What could that mean for us down the road?

I’m not voicing a political statement— the pros and cons of holding our trading partners accountable vs. the value of open global markets is a great discussion— but the near-term economic considerations resulting from tariff discussions with China, Canada, Mexico, and our European trading partners can and will have an impact on our business economy here in Ohio.

Ohio is ranked seventh out of the 50 states, with $3.3 billion in exports to Canada, China, Mexico and Europe, for exports potentially impacted by tariff talks. That’s to be expected in a state that is home to 25 Fortune 500 companies—fifth most in the country—and has a large manufacturing sector.

Agriculture is one of the areas most at risk in Ohio. A recent Ohio State University study found that an Ohio farmer could lose more than half of his or her annual net income if the threatened 25 percent tariff is imposed on U.S. soybeans and corn in China.

Researchers with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) have projected a 59 percent loss in annual net farm income based on historical trends in yields on corn and soybeans and projections for price drops in both commodities. The researchers compiled data from six Ohio corn and soybean farms of similar size and created a onla.org

representative Ohio farm comprised of 1,100 acres split evenly between corn and soybeans. They used the representative farm to determine the financial toll a tariff could take on an Ohio farm.

Net annual income on that representative Ohio farm was projected to drop from $63,577 to $26,107 under the proposed tariff, according to the study performed by Ben Brown, manager of CFAES’s farm management program and Ian Sheldon an agricultural economist, who serves as the Andersons Chair in Agricultural Marketing, Trade and Policy in CFAES. Across Ohio, the loss of soybean exports to China would be an estimated $241 million annually. The study is the first to show the financial impact a 25 percent tariff on China’s imports of U.S. soybeans and corn could have on an Ohio farmer and on the entire state.

That level of economic impact across the state could affect overall consumer spending and additional tariffs on steel may upset other industries including agriculture equipment suppliers. The broader agricultural marketplace is starting to push “pause” at some levels to see what happens with these trade wars. There is an early indication that major equipment sales have been dialed back lately because of a slowdown in projected revenue growth for businesses that consume steel— like machinery manufacturers—in the wake of higher input costs, which are a function of the tariffs imposed.

While we may not be in the direct line of fire today, our nursery and landscape industry in Ohio is tangent to the current tariff impacts. Our team at ONLA is working hard to stay on top of these issues and our state and federal coalition partners are helping us monitor the overall agricultural and equipment markets for early warning signs. But ultimately it is your participation in advocacy and your vote in November that impacts the eventual outcomes.

Your membership and participation in ONLA events will encourage others to join. I appreciate your continued support of ONLA. Help us get the word out: the industry benefits from a growing ONLA membership.

Because “what we do together matters”. B

November/December 2018

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EVENT CALENDAR NOVEMBER

FEBRUARY

1, 2 15

21 27

Ohio High School Landscape Olympics OCNT Testing, Westerville, OH

OCNT Testing, Westerville, OH Advocacy Day, Columbus, OH

DECEMBER

MARCH

12-13 MGIX Member Summit 31 Membership Renewal Deadline

5, 7 21

JANUARY

APRIL

17

OCNT Testing, Westerville, OH

18

MGIX Training Days, Dayton & Cleveland, OH OCNT Testing, Westerville, OH

OCNT Testing, Westerville, OH

FOR DETAILS, VISIT ONLA.ORG/EVENTS 4 The Buckeye

onla.org

PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE Andy Doesburg, Ward+Thornton Landscape

As I wrap up my year serving as ONLA’s president, I must first express my appreciation for the team of dedicated board members, staff, and committee volunteers who have been passionate about furthering ONLA’s mission. It has been a pleasure working with them.

As I mentioned at the beginning of my term, this year, ONLA took a hard look at the value of its membership offerings.

Many of our popular programs stayed the same. Some evolved to meet the changing needs of our members.

Many of you took advantage of programs this past spring and summer designed to help you build your professional network and improve your job skills.

Five Diagnostic Walkabouts, early morning tours discussing pest and disease identification and management, were held in the spring and summer at various locations across Ohio.

A successful retail tour in August highlighted six of our industry’s best garden centers in Northeastern Ohio.

Nearly 100 golfers and 17 sponsors attended and supported the annual Golf Outing on September 28. ONLA raised $8,500 to benefit the Ohio High School Landscape Olympics.

In October, ONLA partnered with the Ohio Landscape Association to host a clay shoot in support of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape PAC. $2,250 was raised for the PAC. Earlier this fall, more than 70 committed nursery and landscape professionals and educators convened for ONLA’s annual Committee Meetings. I overhead many great discussions surrounding membership, certification, youth outreach, and more. I look forward to seeing the committees’ work in 2019.

& 13 at the Hilton Columbus at Easton. This is a not-to-bemissed event. It’s designed specifically with our members’ needs in mind, providing a new forum for connecting with like-minded professionals and industry leaders. The program will include a keynote by Terri McEnaney, president of Bailey Nurseries, four education tracks, roundtable discussions, and opportunities to meet with sponsors over lunch. The conference will also include ONLA’s annual meeting, where we will celebrate the winners of the 46th annual Landscape Awards and Professional Awards.

But don’t think ONLA has stopped there. Much has already been planned for 2019.

Make plans to join ONLA and partner associations at the Ohio Statehouse for Green Industry Advocacy Day, on February 27, 2019.

Gear up for spring and train your employees at ONLA’s MGIX Training Days on March 5 in Dayton and March 7 in Warrensville Hts, a suburb of Cleveland. These oneday conferences include breakout education sessions and workshops for landscapes and retail garden centers.

I look forward to passing the gavel to our incoming president, Tim Clark of H.J. Benkins Florist and Greenhouse, as the membership elects our 2019 Board of Directors at the MGIX Member Summit.

It has been an honor to work with you this past year and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as your president. If you have questions about ONLA’s programs and initiatives, please know I’d like to hear from you. Thank you for your continued support as a member of ONLA. B

On November 1 & 2, ONLA will welcome 232 students from 20 schools for the 3rd annual Ohio High School Landscape Olympics. More than two dozen green industry companies are supporting this year’s event, what has become one of the best workforce development programs for our industry in the country.

We will conclude our busy year with our new annual conference, the MGIX Member Summit, on December 12

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Andy can be contacted at adoesburg@wtland.com November/December 2018

5

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Belinda Jones, Capitol Consulting Group

LAME DUCK At deadline for this article, the crystal ball is cloudy relative to election outcomes. While recent polling has the gubernatorial and other statewide candidates in close heats, President Trump has embarked on an ambitious "get out the vote" campaign tour. One thing is for certain is that the outcome of the governor's race will affect actions of the General Assembly during lame duck.

Ohio has over 250 professional licenses with about 20 percent of the Ohio workforce required to obtain one. McColley referred to discrepancies in the number of training hours to become a cosmetologist compared with becoming a licensed Emergency Medical Technician (implying it takes more hours to become a cosmetologist) and stated that such requirements are "unjustly burdensome on some professions more than others".

The importance of the lame duck period cannot be underestimated. Any bill that fails to pass both chambers by December 31, 2018 must be re-introduced during the next General Assembly and start the committee process all over again.

The bill would require occupational boards and agencies to justify their programs every five years. This begs the question, is SB 255 less government or more government?

If republican gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine wins, we are hearing that there will be little action during lame duck.

However, if democratic gubernatorial candidate Rich Cordray wins, republicans may add several issues to the lame duck fire as they try to accomplish some republican "wins" while Governor Kasich is still in office.

Among the issues we are hearing may be addressed no matter who wins are: unemployment compensation; criminal sentencing reform; as well as some education and health care issues. One bill that may be in the hopper is SB 255 (see below).

Government: Less is More or Less?

Generally, we all share the same thought that the less government is involved in our lives, the better. As reported in prior articles, SB 255 does that and more.

SB 255 was introduced by Senator Robert McColley (R; Napoleon) this past spring. If enacted, the bill would "establish a statewide policy on occupational regulation, to require standing committees of the General Assembly to periodically review occupational licensing boards regarding their sunset, and to require the Legislative Service Commission to perform assessments of occupational licensing bills and state regulation of occupations."

In his sponsor testimony, Sen. McColley indicated that he introduced the bill to provide "regular legislative oversight" to occupational licensing boards (and occupational licensing) to reduce onerous barriers to entry in the workforce, citing that

6  The Buckeye

From the green industry point of view, we have concerns from a couple of angles: 1) as written, we believe that SB 255 would apply to state agencies including the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and their oversight of pesticide applicators; 2) we are concerned about the architects board and landscape architects board; and, 3) ONLA’s Ohio Certified Nursery Technician program. Recently, the ONLA Board voted to oppose SB 255.

Meanwhile, supporters of the bill include the Heritage Foundation, the Buckeye Institute, and the Brookings Institute. Opponents include the Ohio Society for Association Executives, the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers, and many others.

Still, SB 255 passed out of the full Senate prior to summer recess and is one of the bills that could get attention during lame duck.

WATERSHEDS IN DISTRESS As reported previously, Governor Kasich continues to pull out all the stops on trying to address the harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie (and other bodies of water). Having failed to get his "omnibus OEPA bill" introduced, the Governor drafted an Executive Order that among other provisions directed the Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission to declare eight sub watersheds in the Maumee River Basin as "watersheds in distress".

Kasich went the extra step of appointing two new folks on the Commission who would likely vote in favor of the proposal.

When the Commission met to weigh the terms of the EO, they

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ultimately decided to create a task force to study the implications, including number of farms in the eight sub watersheds, cost to farmers, and whether ODA has sufficient resources to administer the program.

Assuming the Commission goes along with the Governor's recommendations, the next step would be for ODA to promulgate rules for the sub watersheds. However, ODA decided to go ahead and move forward with the rule package even though the Commission has yet to render an opinion. This is a "cart before the horse" type move that happens when a Governor is in the last quarter of his term.

In order to secure less opposition from the ag community, the rule package watered down some of the requirements that are already in place in the Grand Lake Saint Mary's area. Folks from Grand Lake Saint Mary's cried foul because they have worked hard to comply with the more stringent provisions imposed upon them a few years ago.

Suffice it to say that between the lack of a bill, the Commission work, and the JCARR process, watersheds are not the only things in distress. ONLA Past President Mike Dues deserves a shout out for tackling this complicated web of issues in his area by digging into the details, attending meetings, and talking with neighbors. Thank you, Mike! We will keep you posted! B Belinda Jones Capitol Consulting Group bjones@capitol-consulting.net 614.224.3855

The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and other commodity groups have provided opposition comments to the Common Sense Initiative and JCARR. If you would like to read their comments, and/ or be kept apprised as these issues unfold, please email me at bjones@capitol-consulting.net.

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November/December 2018 

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2018 GOLF OUTING FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 Nearly 100 golfers gathered for a day of camaraderie in support of ONLA's signature workforce development program, the Ohio High School Landscape Olympics. $8,500 was raised to benefit the third annual Olympics, taking place November 1 & 2, 2018.

GOLF •

First Place Team: Oberfield's Second Place Team: M.J. Designs Closest to the Pin: Skip Nasrallah Longest Drive: Matt Lambert THANK YOU, Longest Putt: Bret Schlister

Presenting Sponsor:

• 2018

SPONSORS!

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT: Grunder Landscaping Co., Hans Nelson & Son Nursery, Inc. Grunder Landscaping Co., Hans Nelson & Sons Nursery Inc.

Welcome New Members!

These companies and individuals have been approved for membership, pending the completion of the application process, which includes requesting comments from the ONLA membership regarding the qualifications and/or dues classifications of applicants. Please submit comments within three weeks of receiving this issue to info@onla.org, or call 614.899.1195.

The following companies are applying for ACTIVE membership: Cascade Lighting Inc. Christine Dunchuck 3395 Miller Park Road Akron, OH 44312 Exscape Designs Mary Lipply 10121 Kinsman Road Novelty, OH 44072 The following individuals are applying for STUDENT membership: A-Tech Stacy Cevera Megan Christo Blake Farmer Kayleen Kennedy Elias Pizarro Colon William Racey Michelle Salyers Joshua Tantari Kodi Wick Columbus State Community College Ryan Atkinson Kevin Bowen Vicki Cox Camden Eidson Love Jones Christine Pollard Laura White Cuyahoga Community College Sarah Castrigano Amanda Gainer Veronica Somrak 10  The Buckeye

Jackson High School Nina Condon Tommy Davies Emma Fonte Joseph Fuchs Mattiew Gamer Haley Garbe Ian Glosser Sebastian Lenzer Keegan Minard Calvin Mumpfield Shane O'Brien Sean O'Hara Ashton Pugh Camden Ries Brady Scheetz Brandon Schleig Dvena Schleig Alexis Walker Peyton Wentzel Mid-East CTC Parker Omen Dalton Reed Brady West Adreana Wilkinson Patrick Henry High School Jazalyn Baker Joey Boden Hailey Book Zach Chupa John Cole Jaylin Drew Andreas Escalante Cameron Gebers James Gerken Skyler Mars Wil Morrow Quinn Neiling Makayla Panning Autumn Patrick

Amelia Patrick Brayden Petersen Trent Shively Kenton Shoemaker Logan Smith Aaron Walters Mackenzie Whitman Trey Woods Randolph Wright Smam Zimmer Kylie Brinkman Emily Vargo Wayne County Career Center Dakota Baughman Mason Duncan Jamarque Evans Trenton Goch Nathaniel Grant Michael Hickernell Michael Husk Karen LeDoux Rikki Morris Landon Neptune Saige Parks Latrice Schlabach Kyle Stone Jacob Balog, Gates Mills Environmental Center Darrell Mastrangelo, Gates Mills Environmental Center Jessica Cvelbar, Kent State University Christopher Thompson, Kent State University Salem Sydney Collier, Lorain County JVS Blake Kessler, Marysville HS Grant Kessler, Marysville HS Isabel Emanuel, Ohio State University Lina Sasaki, Ohio State University Tyler Engel, University of Cincinnati onla.org

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12  The Buckeye

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BUSINESS BUZZ Marty Grunder, Grunder Landscaping Co.

Recently I had the pleasure of touring Pacific Landscape Management, a stand-out operation focused on commercial maintenance in Portland, OR. The tour was part of the annual NALP Field Trip I co-lead each year, and this time around we got to see up close and in person the company the accomplished team at Pacific Landscape has built. Under the leadership of Bob Grover and Elias Godinez, Pacific Landscape has grown to become a $22M/year operation and is regularly recognized as one of Oregon’s best places to work. In other words, there’s a lot to learn from them, no matter the size of your company.

Here were my top takeaways:

Opportunity is the greatest motivator.

Unlike most landscaping companies, Pacific Landscape does not struggle to find and retain good workers. Instead they’ve created a workplace culture and community that people want to be a part of. Their folks have real career paths at the company. They are both empowered to make decisions and equipped to do their jobs with the training and the tools they need to deliver. And the opportunities Pacific Landscape offers extend beyond the work at hand, with learning sessions on personal finance and home-buying to help their team members get a leg up. To do all of this takes time and effort, but it’s an investment that pays off. Think about it: Do you want to spend your energy endlessly filling and refilling positions, or would you rather build a company that good people seek out and stay with?

Good financial controls take the emotion out of decision-making.

Pacific Landscape’s CFO Ron LaGraff shared this insight with us, and it really resonated with me. Numbers—so long as they’re accurate—don’t lie. No matter how strongly you may feel about a particular decision, look closely at what your financial metrics are telling you and then have the discipline to follow them. Are you offering the right mix of services to net a healthy profit, or should you narrow your focus? Will that shiny new piece of equipment improve efficiency and essentially pay for itself, or can you accomplish just as much without it? Do the math before you make the decision.

always good to be reminded that training works best with regular reinforcement. Learning is not a one-and-done gig; it’s an ongoing process that you have to foster and repeat if you want it to stick.

Don’t sell; help people buy.

At Pacific Landscape, they don’t push services and products that their prospects and clients don’t need. Instead they work to understand their pain points, promise a solution, and deliver—consistently and repeatedly. Pacific Landscape has the unique distinction of maintaining the campus of Nike world headquarters. Asked how they landed and have kept Nike as a client, Bob put it succinctly: “They weren’t happy, and now they are.” Do you understand your prospects’ pain points? Are your clients happy? I am asking myself these questions before and after every sales call I make.

I learned so much from Pacific Landscape Management that I’ve asked Bob to speak at our GROW! 2019 Annual Conference, in Denver, CO, this February. He’ll be joined on stage by an inspiring slate of industry leaders as we spend three days helping owners, their right-hand men and women, and their office managers move their companies forward. Learn more at growgroupinc.com. B

Contact Marty at marty.grunder@ grunderlandscaping.com

Devote every fourth training session to reviewing the previous three.

We have dedicated a lot of time and energy at Grunder Landscaping to developing a training program that ensures our team members can do their jobs expertly and safely. But it’s

onla.org

November/December 2018

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RETAIL ROUNDTABLE

FOURTH QUARTER UPDATE

ONLA's Retail Committee weighs in on a new topic each Buckeye. Have something you'd like to see the committee tackle in a future issue? Email alana@onla.org.

customers on poinsettias, but also on the other families of holiday plants that thrive indoors and look great year round.

Noelle Clark Akin, Petitti Garden Centers Just a few comments as fall quickly turns into holiday!

Sales on seasonal live goods have been strong August and September. Early mums, ornamental peppers and kale, and especially the late Celosia varieties, ‘Intenz’ and the like, looked awesome and sold well. Despite our best efforts to push the “fall is the best time to plant” agenda, and place promotional pricing on perennials and nursery across the board, both departments are slightly down. September’s weather did not help, with many hot and humid days in the upper 80’s and some 90+ degree days. The cooling trend in temperatures will help bring out the fall decorators and gardeners, but that planting window and the fall foot traffic are reduced.

Tim Clark, H. J. Benken Florist & Greenhouses, Inc. At Benkens our 4th quarter is pretty busy! We start by growing our pansies and fall mums and bring in pumpkins and gourds and all things fall. Sales have been brisk but the weather has just been too hot for this time of year. We are all looking forward to the warm days and cool nights that’s for sure! We also grow and sell roughly 10,000 poinsettias ranging in size from a 3” pixie to a giant poinsettia standing 5 feet tall. Those are always fun to look at but never fun to deliver though! In mid-November we start our Christmas production of wintergreen hanging baskets and porch pots along with handmade boxwood wreaths, holiday cones, mailbox covers and more. We really concentrate heavy on live goods during the Christmas season such as fresh wreaths and specialty garlands, fragrant evergreens, poinsettias and lots of porch pots and hanging baskets. We have four large walk-in coolers that we are able to store our fresh greens in so they stay fresh all season long.

We are very lucky in that respect. We do offer a small selection of artificial wreaths and trees but our main focus is on fresh cut and live goods. The closer we get to Christmas our floral department really kicks into gear and they start pumping out fruit baskets and fresh centerpieces for the holiday rush.

As for holiday, we are in full swing! The retail stores will be fully deck out by November first! Our “Country Roads” theme is one of our biggest with buffalo check, cozy red knits, fluffy Snowmen, rustic red pick-up trucks, woodland critters and pine cones. We’ve focused a lot of the holiday buy on kids crafts, family games, stuffed & plush items, and a lot of llamas! We are very excited about launching our own brand of professional, outdoor lighting! We are expanding the houseplant department and educating our

14 The Buckeye

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Ron Wilson, Natorp’s Nursery Outlet So far, fall has been somewhat reminiscent of the spring; hotter than heck, then rain, then cool, then rain, then hot, and then cool, then rain. Nevertheless, we got off to a slightly slower start Labor Day Weekend, but since have been steadily coming up in sales. So, I think we’ll wind up good at the end of the fall season. As for the holidays, we’re a bit different than most. Our plans are to begin getting ready for the 2019 seasons. When we made major changes to our retailing model seven years ago, eliminating holiday sales was a part of the new plan. Yes, we always had fun, enjoyed the season with employees and customers and all that comes with it, but holiday sales were dwindling and so were any profits from the rest of the year. Today, we use the holiday season to look at summaries, have conversation about the good, the bad and the ugly, make plans for changes and improvements, establish the marketing plan, as well as physically begin getting ready for the 2019 spring and fall sales. P.S. Our online sales do allow customers to purchase our live evergreens for the holidays, and to keep planting as long as the soil is workable and weather cooperates.

Jeremy Newell, White Oak Gardens As far as purchasing per category goes we have not made any major changes in buying strategies for Christmas trees (we sell around 900 trees) or poinsettias. Giftware purchases are slightly above normal. We increased our winter greens purchases by around 30%. That category continues to grow, especially with expanded retail space in which to merchandise it well. We are also making an intentional effort to maintain a bigger selection of everyday houseplants during the holiday season.

We have eight Make and Take workshops scheduled (porch pots, centerpieces, etc.).

Our Wine Night (partnered with a local winery) is on the Thursday before Thanksgiving. This is an invite-only, after-hours event and a holiday sneak preview.

We try to really get the surrounding area excited with our road frontage decorating. We paint large round straw bales and an old Volkswagen beetle and place in our landscape beds. This year we are doing a red and black plaid theme on these outdoor items (subject to change between then and now).

We will be a little crunched for time on making unique greenery pieces (hanging greenery baskets, et.) this year due to personnel changes from last year. We might try a "production party" in which a group of team members create as much as possible in one evening after hours.

Marketing includes one or two emails per week and 3–5 Facebook and Instagram posts per week. We send out a print postcard to our mailing list. The postcard usually lists our events, gives idea inspiration, and includes an offer of $5 off a $10 or more purchase. B

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Pictured: Above: Holiday merchandise available at Petitti's Garden Centers Left: Holiday porch pots available at White Oak Gardens November/December 2018

15

MIDWEST GREEN I N DU STRY EX P E RI E N C E

Member Summit December 12–13, 2018

Hilton Easton Columbus

It’s What You Know

It’s Who You Know

Grow your business with education that dives deep into best practices and emerging trends.

Don’t underestimate the power of networking to advance your career and business goals.

• • • •

• • • •

Landscape Design & Maintenance Business & Marketing Plant Trends & Best Selections Pests & Diseases

Networking Lunches Meet Member Summit Sponsors and attendees during "speed-networking" style lunches on both days.

Sponsor Displays Networking Lunches Industry Awards Breakfast Roundtable Discussions

Keynote Speaker Te r r i M c E n a n e y President, Bailey Nurseries

Awa rd s Ce l e b rat i o n And Breakfast! Featuring the ONLA Board of Directors elections, Professional Awards, and 46th Annual Landscape Awards.

Registration is Open! $295 per attendee. Includes: Two days of Breakout Sessions, Keynote, Awards Celebration, Roundtables, access to sponsor displays, and coffee, breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

Don't Wait! Space is limited to 500 attendees.

16 The Buckeye

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Sponsor Spotlight

TAH BENEFITS Take a minute to learn more about one of our MGIX Member Summit Presenting Sponsors, TAH Benefits

Tell us a little bit about your company TAH Benefits was originally founded in 1976. The main office is currently located in Westerville, OH but we also have an office in Portsmouth, OH and Wake Forest, NC. In total there are only 10 employees, which has proven to be a good, manageable number to do what we want to do.

What products or services do you offer?

We work exclusively with small and mid-sized organizations to manage their employee benefits plans. “Manage” means everything from selecting and advising on which plans to implement, then implementing the plans, handling the on-going administration, providing employee communications and enrollment tools, facilitating billing or claims resolution, preparing and filing compliance requirements, and more equally exciting stuff!

When it comes to your company’s services, what are you most proud of? What sets you apart from similar businesses?

In our market-space, two things in particular stand out: The first is that we provide a level of knowledge and resources to our clients that are not commonly found in our market. Whether that means access to markets or tools and technology, we do a lot with small and mid-sized businesses that often times are only done in larger market segments, if at all. The second, but most important, is the simple fact that our people are really good at what they do. All of them. The quality of the work and their work ethic—they’re special people who take pride in what they do and they want to do right by the client. Our company culture is one of self-management. There’s entirely too much going on for us to worry about managing people. We’ll manage work and work flows but we’re not managing people – that has to come from the individual themselves, and our folks have bought in. Fortunately for us that sets us apart.

Are there any specific ways you can help ONLA members succeed in their business or career goals?

Obviously what we do isn’t specific to the green industry, however there are particular aspects of what we do, or what we know, that can be particularly beneficial to an ONLA member who does or wants to provide benefits. What plans are available and how best to offer them, how to make sure you’re doing everything in a compliant way—those types of things, if they’re done correctly, can have a meaningful impact on employees onla.org

without becoming an unsustainable burden to the employer.

All of our years and experience working with green industry employers certainly helps us in that regard.

Why did you choose to sponsor the MGIX series of professional development and networking events?

We’ve had a long, successful relationship with the ONLA, so naturally we’re going to continue to support their programs.

But with the re-vamped MGIX in particular, we’re excited because we feel the audience this caters to is more of the audience we’re looking to reach when it comes to what we do and where our value can be best realized.

The MGIX Member Summit this December will have topnotch education sessions, sponsor networking lunches, roundtable discussions, and more. What are you most looking forward to? What do you hope to accomplish while you’re there?

ONLA events always provide a convenient opportunity for us to see our current clients and to engage with them away from their place of business, and that’s always fun. But naturally we also hope to meet some new faces with the hope of letting them know what we do and conveying the value we might be able to bring to their organization.

Do you have any tips for MGIX Member Summit attendees? How can they get the most out of their networking experiences with sponsors?

Being the first year of the new format I don’t know that I have any great tips specific to the Summit, but probably like most things—if you keep your eyes, ears and mind open, you’ll find something of value to take with you when you go.

Meet TAH Benefits on December 12 & 13 at the MGIX Member Summit, or learn more at tahbenefiits.com November/December 2018

17

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Hayseed Hank’s Super Soil is an enriched soil created from a screened blend of topsoil, Bull Country Compost & composted yard waste. It is nutrient rich and does not require any additional compost or fertilizer.

Uses: • Fill a raised bed • Create a new garden • Boost new plantings • Patch existing lawns • New lawn install • Potted plants

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18 The Buckeye

onla.org

WHY TREES MATTER

THE ROOT OF IT ALL Jim Chatfield, Ohio State University Extension, chatfield.1@osu.edu

A few weeks ago, I hosted a workshop with Christine Balk of Davey Tree at Morton Arboretum in Chicago for their Landscape Below Ground series they hold once every ten years.

The workshop topic: Root Rots. So, let us broaden that a bit, and talk roots overall. Here are ten short ruminations on roots.

FOOD FOR ROOTS One of the first things to understand about roots is that they do not produce food—and fertilizer is not food. Plants produce their own food through photosynthesis in the leaves, and to some extent in flowers (modified leaves), and to some extent in bark. Roots receive food as their manna from heaven above, delivered by phloem just inside the bark. Fertilizer provides needed minerals; NPK and micronutrients, but not plant’s energy source, the CHO carbohydrates synthesized from the coming together of carbon dioxide and water topside.

DON’T GUESS, SOIL TEST Very useful information on phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), pH, CEC (cation exchange capacity), micronutrients, organic matter, and others are delivered by soil tests. But what about the rest of the story? Do soil tests tell all? NO. Arguably the two most important elements are not covered by soil tests: Nitrogen and oxygen Nitrogen (N) is important in the development of amino acids and essential to plant growth as well as a nutrient that easily leaves the root zone by leaching and conversion to chemicals unavailable to roots. Typical soil tests do not reliably provide information on the nitrogen available to the roots at any given time. And oxygen (O), so critical to root metabolism, is not available from a soil test, although compaction can tell a lot.

ROOTS NEED OXYGEN. Which brings us to something crucial for roots; they need oxygen. Oxygen is critical for the function of animal and plant onla.org

cells, and roots are no exception. We know about above-ground oxygen, breathing it all the time. But what about below ground?

There is oxygen below ground, but it decreases with plant depth. That is why root growth decreases with plant depth (see next item). Plant cells also need water which contains some but less oxygen than soil. All of this leads to Erik Draper’s famous maxim: Plant ‘em high – watch ‘em die Plant ‘em low – never grow Plant ‘em right – sleep at night Too high, water wicks away. Too low, and you force the root system to adapt; sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t, and even when they do, often they develop stem-girdling roots (SGRs) that lessen transplant survival over the years.

WHERE’S THE ROOTS? Roots need minerals, water, and as seen above, the one thing many, including our customers and clientele, forget—oxygen.

This helps explain where roots grow. Here is one summary:

Tap roots are rarely present

Most (> 90%) roots are in upper 3 ft. of soil.

Of these, most (>80%) of the “feeder roots” are in the upper 6–8 in. of the soil.

Horizontal spread is 2.5–3.0 times crown spread.

Most roots (>60%) are outside of drip-line.

Source: Dr. Nina Bassuk, Professor of Horticulture Physiology, Head of the Urban Horticulture Institute, (Dr.) Susan Day, Department of Horticulture, Cornell University.

November/December 2018

19

ROOTS ARE CONNECTED TO THE SHIN BONE… ER, I MEAN STEMS. Root systems (and job applicants) need connections. Roots are connected to the stems and then leaves and flowers and fruits by the vascular system (phloem, vascular cambium, and xylem). The phloem is delivering food to the roots, the xylem is delivering water and minerals to the topside, and the vascular cambium is producing phloem to the outside and xylem to the inside.

Do not interfere. A rubber hose that is left on a tree stake can stop food from getting to the roots the only way it can, though the phloem just under the bark. That stem expands in girth due to the vascular cambium. And if instead of a continuation of the phloem to the roots there is a rubber hose…

Likewise, a halo root system often develops when the roots and stem are buried at transplanting. This is a response to lower oxygen conditions for the root system, but it not only uses stored energy of the plant but also can encircle the stem, creating the aforementioned SGRs. Doom or partial doom.

Not to mention the connections at the crown or collar (juncture of the stem system and the root stem), where there are many plant pathogenic fungi that flourish. And not to mention when roots of one plant are connected to a neighboring plant, a major way that vascular pathogens (that plug up the xylem) such as the Dutch elm disease fungus and the oak wilt fungus make it from one elm or oak to the next. Thus, the root grafts provide the connection to the vascular system of the roots and stems of their sister plants.

ALL ROOT ROTS ARE CREATED EQUAL: NOT. Which brings us to those root rotting pathogens. These organisms enzymatically degrade the root cells that provide water and minerals to plant tissues above. They are legion: from water molds such as Pythium and Phytophthora to fungi such as Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, Thielaviopsis. Many species of these organisms also cause problems further northward, onto collars, upper stems, and even fruits.

Who cares? I was reminded of this early in my horticultural life when I managed a greenhouse in Colorado. I had a degree in botany and knew close to nothing about horticulture, which was helpful as it turned out. The growers were expert carnation growers. The bottom had dropped out of this market a few years before I arrived and they had shifted gears, including growing a couple hundred thousand florist geranium cuttings a year.

Pythium black leg was a problem, with up to 25% of the cuttings killed. Thy drenched with a chemical, Benlate (now retired for non-related reasons), but still – 25%.

Ignorant as I was about growing geraniums I looked it up in the Ball Red Book, and there it was: Benlate was not effective against water molds (it was an effective drench against e.g. Fusarium and Rhizoctonia), but Banrot was. Both were used as drenches, one with blue in the label, one with purple in the label. We switched 20 The Buckeye

onla.org

to Banrot: ½ percent loss from Pythium. My first, and last, practical horticultural miracle!

I have seen this over and over again. There is much to know in caring for plants, and sometimes knowing one piece of the puzzle makes all the difference.

ROOT ROTTERS ARE EVER WITH US One oversimplification, possibly forwarded by plant pathologists such as myself, is sort of a binary view of the world. Root rotting pathogens are either absent or present, and heaven help you if the former is true. It may be somewhat true in a bedding plant flat, but this is far from the case in the landscape. A good example of this is a problem we had at Secrest Arboretum in the early aughts.

The historic Secrest Taxus collection, started in 1942, began dying in 2002, which was a dry, droughty year until late July.

This seemed odd, since Taxus is known to suffer most when soils are too wet or compacted, having too little oxygen available to roots. Taxus is known as a plant that cannot tolerate “wet feet”.

The previous year, 2001, was historically wet. What was up? We dug up some of these huge, 20 x 20 foot plants; they had grown and done well for 60 years as their environment was good for Taxus. We found Phytophthora cinnamomic, a notorious root and crown rot, water mold organism.

Others found the same thing at other large Taxus plantings at other arboreta that had similar weather conditions those two years. So, what might explain this? Our hypothesis: hard to test but true for other Phytophthora-plant interactions, is that the Phytophthora cinnamomi was there all along, rotting many feeder roots in 2001, but, these are large root systems, and following other wet years the plants may have recovered in 2002. Except the new generation of feeder roots in 2002 was hindered by the serious dry conditions, and we lost about ½ of the collection. Then, again a decade later, the same 1–2 punch occurred and we lost the rest.

Lessons: Pay attention to the role of environment in plant disease and the fact that pathogens are often present but are constantly in a state of conflict (winning some and losing some) with the root system of the susceptible host plant, and the fact that fungicides are difficult to effectively use on large plants with large root systems.

structure that we associate with soil health. These aggregates develop with the assistance of microbial glue, microbes that glue together these combinations of mineral components of the soil with organic matter, resulting in larger pore size to go with the micropores still present. More macropores, more oxygen for roots.

This results in a wide array of positive outcomes, from production of humis to better tilth, but also results in a better microbial mix to counter the effects of damaging soil microbes such as Phytophthora cinnamomi, the water mold pathogen of Taxus fame. John Lloyd, Dan Herm’s first PhD student at Ohio State, elegantly illustrated this along with Dan’s fellow scientist Harry Hoitink, in how properly degraded organic matter, such as composted bark, helped reduced Phytophthora cinnamomic, root and crown rot on rhododendron. Everything is tied to everything else.

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOIL Finally, it is tempting to think that we can add beneficial microbes to a growing system and, voila, all shall be well. An example where this does provide benefits is the addition of the Rhizobium bacteria to soybeans and other legumes, resulting in better availability of nitrogen to roots. This occurs naturally but adding it to seeds does help the process. There are other examples, but be aware that just because it can be true that adding microbes helps and just because it sounds natural and good does not mean it will work for a particular additive. Addition of soil “activators” and “hormones” and “super mycorrhizal fungi” to large root systems of mature plants or to soils as a regular matter does not mean success. Add organic matter instead.

FROST AND ROOTS No, not what you think.

“A tree’s leaves may be ever so good, so may its bark, so may its wood; But unless you put the right thing to its root, It never will show much flower or fruit.”

B

-Robert Frost.

THE LIVING SOIL One of OSU Extension educator Joe Boggs’ great slide sequences is his explanation of soil structure. Soil texture is the percent of sand, silt, and clay in soil. Soil structure relates to the physics of micropores and macropores present in soil. Addition of organic matter to soils or presence of adequate organic matter allows for the development of soil peds or aggregates in which soil minerals and organic matter clump to form that crumbly soil onla.org

November/December 2018

21

SAFETY UPDATE EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

By Gary Hanson, American Safety and Health, ashmci@aol.com

Safety is not always an employee’s top priority. We know that employees often take their safety for granted. They may feel pressure to complete a particular task in a hurried manner.

They may take short cuts to speed up a process. They simply may not recognize the potential serious risk of a particular task and make the wrong decision.

Pay attention to the signs that an employee may be at risk and counsel the employee on these when necessary. If counseling isn’t feasible or the behavior is such that an employee is likely to be at risk for a serious injury or cause a serious injury to other employees then that employee may not be a suitable candidate for continued employment.

Add to this the many issues that influence an employee’s state of mind before they even come to work. Personal issues, such as financial problems, marital concerns, kids that are sick or struggling in school, can make it difficult for employees to focus. Getting up late or being stuck in a traffic jam could affect their decision making.

Remember Safety Has to be Proactive Not Reactive.

If you have any safety problems or need help with your safety program, please call me on my cell at 1-330-495-3437 or at my office at 1-330-854-4577.

Then there is the simple fact that some employees generally have a negative attitude. They are not happy with their job or have a conflict with other employees or their supervisor.

All of these factors influence an employee’s safety behavior and fatigue, anger, frustration, distraction, and the use of drugs and/or alcohol all put an employee at serious risk of injury or injuring someone else).

It is important for managers and supervisors to be aware of these factors and observe employees for signs of emotional distress. I recommend that managers or supervisors sit down with employees to determine the causes and see if there is something that can be done to help. Sometimes just listening or talking with an employee is beneficial. Some positive counseling can go a long way in helping employees resolve behavior problems.

service •

value • selection

your source for unusual B&B and container nursery stock

Unfortunately, sometimes an employee may be in such a state that they are not fit for duty or may be at risk to themselves, other employees, or the public. In those situations, I recommend that you call a family member to pick up the employee home. In some cases, you may even want to offer a cab ride.

The employee may refuse this, if so, document that you offered this to the employee.

If there is a concern that an employee may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol you may want to have that employee take a drug or alcohol test. If you do, don’t let the employee drive themselves to the testing facility. Take the employee and bring them back. Then call their family to have someone take them home. Don’t let them drive if you suspect they may be under the influence. If they refuse to submit a test, it could be terms for dismissal.

22 The Buckeye

570 T.R. 2152 Loudonville OH 44842 800-364-6229 • 419-368-8110 fax hobbynursery@zoominternet.net www.hobbynursery.com

dependability...always onla.org

GREEN INDUSTRY OHIO

Advocacy Day

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019 Network with colleagues, meet with state legislators, and make your voice heard on issues critical to your business.

Your participation in this grassroots effort is more important than ever before. Advocacy Day is a great opportunity to partner with fellow Green Industry colleagues to explain issues critical to your business and the size and importance of Ohio’s Green Industry to our state legislators.

Meetings with your elected officials give you the opportunity to offer to be a resource to policy makers on issues like water quality, water quantity, immigration, workers compensation and/or environmental reforms.

Legislators want to make informed decisions. They want to hear from you. You have the knowledge that can help advance decisions that are favorable to our industry.

Tentative schedule of the day: 9:00–9:30 am

Registration & continental breakfast

9:30–10:30 am

Guest Speaker or Panel Discussion

10:30–11:30 am

Briefing Session – Learn about bills and issues and how to communicate with your legislator

11:30 am–Noon

Guest Speaker from the Legislature (TBD)

Noon–1:00 pm

Lunch and networking

1:00–4:30 pm

Pre-scheduled meetings with legislators

4:30–6:30 pm

Legislative Reception

Registration and more details can be found at onla.org/advocacyday

HOSTED BY:

GREEN INDUSTRY BUSINESS, LABOR AND EDUCATION SURVEY James Hansel, M.En, Career Tech Program Specialist, Great Oaks Career Campuses, HanselJ@greatoaks.com

This report is a follow-up to the 2017 Cincinnati Horticulture Student Career Interest Survey (available online at onla.org/ memberresources). For this study, I posed questions to business owners/managers asking them to identify business concerns and attributes employers look for in employees.

Labor issues continue to play a significant role in the horticulture industry and a lack of quality employees often leads to reduced revenue. The industry survey contained nine prompts including industry sector category, business concerns, attributes desired in new employees and questions regarding horticulture education. Industry and student surveys contained two identical prompts for comparison between respondent groups. The Survey Monkey questionnaire opened in early November of 2017

SKILLS AND PERSONALITY TRAITS

What Businesses Say They Look For

and closed at the end of April 2018. Respondents were mostly from the Greater Cincinnati region with a few from North Carolina and Maryland. Fifty-four business owners/managers responded to the survey. Request for response was delivered via email, word of mouth and through the Tri-State Green Industry Conference held in Sharonville, Ohio in February of 2018.

STUDENT & BUSINESS COMPARISONS

This survey compared survey responses from businesses to those in the student survey. Survey data shows that 43% of industry respondents ranked a “get the job done” attitude as the number one characteristic they looking for when hiring employees, contrasted with 19% of students who identified that attitude as the number one attribute they offer an employer. Communicating

WORKPLACE OPPORTUNITIES

What Students Say They Can Offer

What Businesses Say They Can Offer

What Students Say They Want

5%

A person with creative ideas

35%

20%

Diversity of work/tasks

23%

15%

A person with a deep knowledge of plants

4%

11%

Flexibility in work schedule

14%

43%

A person with a "get the job done" attitude

19%

37%

Opportunity to learn new skills

37%

11%

A person with certifications/ specialized training/ horticulture education

3%

13%

Pathway for advancement/ own a business

16%

26%

A person with a desire to learn and experience new things

39%

19%

Competitive wages/benefits

10%

24 The Buckeye

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clear expectations during the recruiting and interviewing process will help potential employees understand the importance of a productive work ethic.

Another gap in what business needs versus what students offer, involves creative expression at work. Only 5% of industry respondents ranked someone with creative ideas highest desired trait, whereas, 35% of students selected this as the number one thing they offer an employer. Providing students an opportunity to be creative may help enhance job satisfaction and increase employee retention.

Industry and student response data regarding what a business offers and what students want in their careers were very similar. The largest discrepancy was in the competitive wages/benefits prompt where 19% of industry respondents ranked this as the highest offering and only 10% of students selected this as the primary attribute they want in their careers. Congruency in response rates is positive for the horticulture industry because it shows that career opportunities in horticulture align with what students want in their careers.

BUSINESS NEEDS

The survey asked respondents to rank business concerns, labor needs, and involvement with horticulture education.

Recruiting quality employees is a challenge for many businesses and requires an engaging approach. Offering jobshadowing opportunities, project-based learning partnerships, guest lecturing in horticulture classes and outlining career opportunities are targeted ways to share opportunities with potential employees. Identifying specific labor needs and providing clear career pathways are what potential employees seek when making career decisions.

Survey data shows that 35% of respondents identify full time labor as their primary need. Various levels of seasonal labor was the main need for the remaining 65% of respondents.

This may have a negative impact on hiring skilled labor, and require growing businesses to find ways to provide key employees annual income, as this is a consistent concern of parents and potential students when inquiring about horticulture careers. Low wages or inconsistent income can be particularly challenging for employees with families or those paying back school loans. Finding ways to maintain a competitive annual income may be necessary to recruit and keep highly qualified employees.

In a related question, respondents were asked to predict their future hiring needs. If these hiring predictions are accurate, there will be between 129 and 160 full-time horticulture jobs onla.org

GREEN INDUSTRY BUSINESS DATA 54 businsses from the greater Cincinnati region participated in the study INDUSTRY SEGMENT Turfgrass/golf course maintenance Public horticulture/education Plant production Landscape installation, maintenance, sales Landscape architecture, design Arboriculture, tree care Agriculture, food production 0%

5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

BUSINESS CONCERNS Long-term planning (succession 15%

Find labor to build my business 54%

Using technology 2%

Marketing 13%

Effectively managing employees 16%

LABOR NEEDS Interns 7%

Short-term seasonal labor (3-6 months) 15%

Long-term seasonal labor (6-9 months) 11% Full-time labor 35%

Consistent seasonal labor (returning employees) 32%

November/December 2018 

25

LABOR NEEDS AND DESIRED HIRING ATTRIBUTES Management experience/training 7%

Specialized horticulture education/tr aining 15% Green industry experience 5%

Willingness to work/positive attitude 73%

HIRING PLAN FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS No new full-time employees, 6%

available in the areas where the surveys were completed.

The next question is, where and how can an employer find these employees?

The survey asked respondents to rate their involvement with local horticulture education and 80% of respondents cited a range of active involvement to occasionally connecting with local horticulture educators. All survey respondents were aware of local horticulture education.

Respondents also ranked the skills they think local horticulture educators should teach to better prepare students for a career in horticulture. The majority of employers ranked employability/professionalism (55%) as the most important skill. Landscaping/maintenance and growing/ production skills ranked highest by 11% of respondents respectively. I think a follow-up study identifying specific ways industry professionals connect with educators would better quantify these connections and identify strategic support targets like recruiting and post-program placement.

ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK

5 or more full-time employees, 34%

3–4 full-time employees, 8%

1–2 full-time employees, 52%

Comments from survey respondents provides further insight into what some horticulture business owners/managers are seeking in potential employees. Numerous respondents cited positive attitude and the ability to work well with others as attributes needed in new employees.

One respondent stated “the right attitude and good work habits are impossible to train” while another posted “easier to teach plants and products than to teach good work ethic”. One respondent summed up a common sentiment for employability skill training; “soft skills are the most needed skills in today’s workforce”. Time management, understanding the retail business model, and ability to pass a drug test appeared in several comment sections.

PRIORITY SKILLS FOR EDUCATORS TO TEACH

Several respondents mentioned the need for analytical and critical thinking skills in light of new technology and research available to the horticulture industry. Comments regarding mechanical knowledge, organic/sustainable practices, IPM and pruning appeared in the education prompt comment section. Experiential learning opportunities couched in industry/educator partnerships provides students and opportunity to hone critical thinking skills employers want. Teaching models that simply rely on memorization/recall are becoming an outmoded method of educating a workforce that has unprecedented access to information. The question, “How can I apply related information to this specific problem?” is now more pressing. B

Plant selection & biology 7% Growing & production 11% Business & management 9%

Landscaping & maintenance 11% Equipment use & maintenance 7%

26 The Buckeye

Employability & professionalism 55%

onla.org

GET CERTIFIED IN 2019!

Become an Ohio Certified Nursery Technician WHY?

Grower

•

The grower is the base of the green industry. In order to have healthy plants to sell, the nursery employee must be knowledgeable in a wide variety of subjects including plant identification, development and health; growing and harvesting techniques; plant nutrients; pest and disease elimination; and plant maintenance.

• •

Improve your skills and increase your worth as an employee Gain recognition from the public, colleagues and competitors Provide professional development for your employees

2019 TEST DATES

January 17, February 21, March 21, April 18, May 16, June 20, July 18, August 15, September 19, October 17, November 21 SPECIALIZATIONS: Landscape

The public, architects and contractors have come to rely on landscape contractors and installers for dependable landscape construction techniques and horticultural expertise. In order to provide sound scientific horticultural advice and proper installation, the landscape installer must be knowledgeable in a wide variety of areas including plant identification, plant usage, plant health, soils, turfgrass management, use of pesticides, construction techniques, design, sales and more.

Garden Center

The retail garden center is the information center on which homeowners have come to rely for dependable horticultural expertise. In order to provide sound scientific horticultural advice to customers, garden center employees must be knowledgeable in a wide variety of subjects including proper plant usage, plant health, soils, turfgrass management, landscape design, proper planting and maintenance of nursery stock and more.

Core

Core is important to all aspects of the Green Industry. Plant ID, Professionalism, Safety & First Aid are examples of the Core chapters of which all nursery and landscape professionals should have knowledge.

A program of:

TRAINING MANUAL ORDER FORM NAME: COMPANY: ADDRESS:

CITY:

STATE:

PHONE #:

E-MAIL:

Check enclosed Check #:

Card Number: Exp. Date: Card Holder: Signature:

3-digit:

VISA

MasterCard

ZIP:

MEMBER RATES (Call for non-member pricing) * Landscape + Core ______ x $125.00 = $_______ Garden Center ______ x $75.00 = $_______ Grower ______ x $75.00 = $_______ All Manuals ______ x $250.00 = $_______ Replacement CD Rom ______ x $25.00 = $_______ Total = $_______ * Written Manual and Computer Based Training CD Rom for each

Return to: The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association • 72 Dorchester Square • Westerville, OH 43081-3350 Ph: 614.899.1195 • 800.825.5062 • F: 614.899.9489

PREFERRED SERVICE PROVIDERS

Are you taking advantage of this exclusive member benefit? ONLA members are entitled to the following services designed to reduce company expenses while addressing the specific needs of green industry businesses. The providers below were chosen by ONLA, and many offer discounts to ONLA members. If you have any questions regarding details on a benefit, please call ONLA at 614.899.1195 or email roni@onla.org. Please ensure that your correct email is on file with ONLA so that you receive important member announcements and updates.

ENERGY PROGRAM GROWERS ENERGY SOLUTIONS (GES) Grower Energy Solutions (GES) programs help manage your energy costs by bringing ONLA members together as one buying group. GES is an energy program that provides the opportunity to manage your energy needs and save on your natural gas & electric costs. Our programs can offer pricing to members located in all Ohio gas and electric utilities that allow third party supply. Joe Perlaky perlaky@bex.net FUEL/FLEET PROGRAM - SUPERFLEET Whether you have one company car or a fleet of over 100, your business can save an ongoing 5¢ per gallon on fuel with the SuperFleet MasterCard Program®. Call 1.844.821.0649 HEALTH/LIFE/INCOME INSURANCE TAH BENEFITS The ONLA Insurance & Employee Benefits Programs has partnered with various insurance plans to offer a wide variety of benefit options for members including medical, vision, dental, life, and disability. Our insurance representatives will help tailor-make a program specifically to fit your needs, including advanced plan designs, management techniques, and improved benefits administration that can result in substantial cost savings and reduction of employee benefits liability exposure. Jay Hazelbaker info@tahbenefits.com IT - STREAMLINER SOLUTIONS GROUP Streamliner Solutions Group, LLC is proud to offer ONLA members discounts on all of our services. These include VoIP, Backup and Data Recovery, Networking, Web Design and more. We're dedicated to putting you on track for tomorrow.

Lora Gray lora.gray@ssghris.com ONLINE TRAINING GREENIUS (FORMERLY LS TRAINING) Greenius is a suite of online tools for landscape contractors for the purposes of onboarding, training with performance excellence as a goal. With over 30 videos for the workers, in English and Spanish, and 8 videos for Crew Leaders/Managers; Greenius is for those company owners who want to work smarter, not harder. All videos, exams, field checklists and tail28 The Buckeye

gates can be viewed on all devices including tablets, phones and Apple products. Field checklists and tailgate talks come in a convenient web-based app that is fisher-price easy. Greenius your crews and put more green on your bottom line! Sylvia at 877-482-2323 or sylvia@gogreenius.com PROPERTY/CASUALTY INSURANCE SEIBERTKECK Save on your property and casualty insurance with SeibertKeck. SeibertKeck’s group program is designed for ONLA members to save at least 15 percent with the best coverage rates for your liability, fleet and equipment. Marc McTeague mmcteague@seibertkeck.com SAFETY SERVICES - AMERICAN SAFETY & HEALTH MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS, INC. American Safety & Health Management Consultants, Inc (ASH) fills the growing need for professional safety and health management services for companies of all sizes. ASH has the capabilities to provide Total Safety Management, from working on a single problem area to evaluating, developing and administering an entire comprehensive safety and health problem.

Gary Hanson ashmci@aol.com SOIL & PLANT TISSUE TESTING/AG HORT. CONSULTING SERVICES - CLC LABS Through CLC LABS, ONLA members receive various laboratory services at a 10% discount off list prices including testing of soil nutrients, soil texture, soilless media nutrients, plant tissue nutrients and irrigation water suitability testing, plus consulting services on all aspects of testing. Chuck Darrah clclabs@aol.com WORKERS' COMPENSATION CAREWORKSCOMP The ONLA Workers’ Compensation Group Rating Program has saved its members over $21.4 million in the last 11 years.

Through CareWorksComp, members are offered multiple savings levels, ranging from the BWC maximum to a lesser percentage, for companies with claims. Free, no obligation analysis of potential workers’ comp premium savings. Cordell Walton cordell.walton@careworkscomp.com onla.org

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

ADVERTISER INDEX

Landscape Crew Leader BrightView Landscape Services Columbus, Ohio

Buckeye Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Irrigation Technician BrightView Landscape Services Columbus, Ohio Landscape Designer Environmental Management, Inc. - EMI Dublin, Ohio

buckeyeresources.com Bull Country Compost. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 bullcountrycompost.com Ernst Seeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ernstseed.com Evergreen Seed Supply.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 evergreenseedsupply.com

Gardener/Estate Manager Gahanna, Ohio

Fairview Evergreen Nurseries. . . . . . . . . . . . 12 fairviewevergreen.com

For details, visit onla.org/careers.

Ads listed here were current as of press time. For details, or to place a classified ad, visit onla.org/ careers

UPCOMING EVENTS

Green Velvet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 greenvelvet.com Hobby Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 hobbynursery.com

View www.onla.org/events for more information.

O designates qualifying OCNT recertification events.

Horizon Plants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Ohio High School Landscape Olympics 11/1/2018–11/2/2018 Wooster, Ohio onla.org/ohlo

Millcreek Gardens LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Native Plant Symposium O 11/30/2018 Cincinnati, Ohio cincinnatizoo.org MGIX Member Summit O 12/12/18–12/13/18 Columbus, Ohio onla.org/mgix OCNT Exam 1/17/19 Westerville, Ohio onla.org/ocnt OCNT Exam 2/21/19 Westerville, Ohio onla.org/ocnt Green Industry Advocacy Day 2/27/19 Columbus, Ohio onla.org

horizonplants.com

millcreekplants.com Oberfields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 oberfields.com Spring Meadow Nursery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 colorchoiceplants.com Unilock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC unilock.com Willoway Nurseries Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 willowaynurseries.com

Ad Rates & Info Contact Alana Settle, alana@onla.org, 614.899.1195

MGIX Training Days O 3/5/19 & 3/7/19 Dayton, Cleveland, Ohio onla.org

onla.org

November/December 2018

29

M I DWE ST GR E EN INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

Member Summit December 12–13, 2018

Hilton Easton Columbus

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Join Us D E C E M B E R

1 2–1 3 ,

2 0 1 8

MGIX Member Summit Hilton Columbus at Easton

THE SPONSOR EXPERIENCE Gone are the days of passively waiting for attendees to talk to you. ONLA will help you form meaningful connections, throughout the day, with 500 of the most ambitious business owners and managers who are invested in improving and growing their business.

One of just 50 sponsors.

Every attendee will know you’re there.

Warm, inviting atmosphere of a modern and upscale hotel.

Quick and easy set up of marketing materials in premium display space.

Joining in on roundtable discussions, education sessions, networking lunches and more.

Personalized marketing opportunities and guaranteed brand exposure.

Contact Us!

Benefits B U I L D R E L AT I O N S H I P S

• •

Receive a complimentary, full-access pass. Join in on education sessions, special events, and meals with attendees.

Participate in networking lunches and roundtable discussions.

P R O M OT E YO U R B U S I N E S S

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Showcase your business in an on-site marketing display.

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Receive the attendee email and mailing list after the event.

MARKETING PERKS

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Recognition on promotional materials, MGIX webpage, on-site signage, and post-event recap articles and press releases.

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Shout outs on ONLA’s social media with links to your social profile or website Company listing with logo in event programs.

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ADDITIONAL BENEFITS ( va r i e s p e r s p o n s o r l eve l )

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info@onla.org | 614.899.1195

Additional Sponsorship at one or both MGIX Training Days in March, 2019 Complimentary admission for additional company representatives Complimentary advertising in ONLA’s Buckeye Magazine.

Complimentary advertising in program.

Choice of additional sponsorship of one MGIX Member Summit program or attraction.

ONLA.ORG/MGIXSPONSOR