The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) presented its 2020 leadership and project awards during the association’s annual conference, Landscapes 2020: The Virtual Experience.
Jon Cundiff, LIC, president of Weed Man Kansas City, was honored with the Lifetime Leadership Award for his years of service to the industry, including his role as president, twice, of NALP and its legacy association PLCAA.
Claire Goldman, principal and head of design and business development for R & R Landscaping, in Auburn, Ala., was honored with the Women Entrepreneur of the Year Award for her work building R & R Landscaping, mentoring others and service to the community.
Neil Bales, COO, and partner at LandPatterns in Dallas, Texas, was recognized as the 2020 Young Entrepreneur of the Year. The award would have been presented at the National Collegiate Landscape Competition, but the event was not held due to COVID-19.
Awards of excellence
This year, 110 landscape projects were awarded an Award of Excellence from NALP. The awards honor outstanding landscape maintenance, design/build, lawn care, and interiorscape projects.
Each year, one or more outstanding projects receive a prestigious Judges Award. This year, Mariani Landscape received the only Judges Award for their project “Lake View” in Detroit Lakes, Minn., in the residential design/build category, above $1 million.
Safety award winners
NALP also presented awards to the recipients of its Safety Recognition Awards during Landscapes 2020.
The national program acknowledges industry companies that consistently demonstrate their commitment to safety. NALP’s Safety Recognition Awards are open to the entire industry.
This year, NALP presented 325 awards for the performance period from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2019.
Award categories include “No Vehicle Accidents,” “No Injuries or Illnesses” and “No Days Away from Work,” as well as the “Overall Safety Achievement Award.” Companies that participated in previous programs were also eligible for the “Most Improved” category. View a list of all award recipients here.
The “Best of the Best” award was earned by the following companies who, for the past three years, have maintained the “Overall Safety Achievement Award – Gold Level” status:
- Alliance Landscape Company – Fort Worth, Texas
- Affiliated Grounds Maintenance – Lake City, Pa.
- Curby’s Lawn & Garden LLC – Gardner, Kan.
- James River Grounds Management (Corporate), an Aspen Grove Landscape Company – Glen Allen, Va.
- James River Grounds Management (Chesterfield), an Aspen Grove Landscape Company – Midlothian, Va.
- Mahoney Associates – Southampton, N.Y.
- Pacific Federal Management – Tumon, Guam
- Reliable Property Services (Corporate), an Aspen Grove Landscape Company – St. Paul, Minn.
- Reliable Property Services (Madison Golf), an Aspen Grove Landscape Company – Waunakee, Wis.
- The Landscape Partners (GIC), an Aspen Grove Landscape Company – Fort Worth, Texas
- Trio Outdoor Maintenance – Lenox, Mich.
- United Right-of-Way – Phoenix, Ariz.
