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Author: Beth Geraci

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Beth Geraci

Geraci is a freelance writer based in Cleveland. She has worked as a professional journalist for more than 15 years, including six years as a writer for the Chicago Tribune. A graduate of Allegheny College and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Geraci began her career as an editor at a newswire service in Washington, D.C., where she edited and distributed press releases from the White House and congressional leaders. She went on to become the community news reporter at the Jackson Hole Guide newspaper, winning two national feature writing awards. Her other experience includes working as a book editor in Chicago and as a professor of business communications at Cleveland State University.

Planet Community Stewardship Award Winner: Charity by design

For one architectural software firm, giving never gets old. When 32 Nemetschek Vectorworks employees participated in a Habitat for Humanity project in 2006, they laid the foundation for homes—and built a long-term commitment to volunteerism in the process. “Since then, our desire to play a larger role within our community spread like wildfire among employees,” […]

Photo: Ewing Irrigation Products

Giving a mile

Whether running for autism or pitching in on pro bono projects, Ewing’s community service has some serious legs. For years, Phoenix-based Ewing Irrigation Products has made a difference through projects big and small. The company has renovated a baseball field for foster kids and orphans, installed irrigation for people in the military and organized staff […]

Photo: AMTOPP

A greater meaning

In the Treasure State, one association is enriching the lives 
of veteran families, the hungry and the young. In Montana, where the population hovers around 1 million, people have to drive far to make a difference. And those in the landscape industry do drive far—up to eight hours, in fact—every year to honor veterans. In […]

Photo: Green Oasis

Let the light shine

From holiday light displays to fashion show fundraisers, Green Oasis is brightening lives however it can. For military families, the holidays can be particularly stressful. After all, decorating often isn’t a top priority when a loved one is deployed. The staff members at Green Oasis by Greener Grass Systems, based in Eau Claire, Wis., know […]

Photo: Jacobsen Landscape Design & Construction

A giving state of mind

In one New Jersey community, a big company 
is making a big difference. It’s been nearly 14 years since 9/11. For many people, life has gone on. But in some places, like Midland Park, N.J., just 20 miles outside New York City, the loss still feels fresh. When Glenn Jacobsen, LIC, owner of Midland Park-based […]

lemonade-stand

Hometown heart

For Tulsa-based LawnAmerica, no local need is too big or small to fill. LawnAmerica’s impact is rooted in much more than the lawns of Tulsa, Okla. The company’s altruism seeps into every crevice of the community, sustaining Tulsa’s disadvantaged in countless ways. Recipients of LawnAmerica’s generosity can be found in Habitat for Humanity homes. In […]

Photo: Zaretsky & Associates

Domino effect

With Project Scion, Zaretsky & Associates shows how transformative gardens and landscapes can be. Vacant lots dot the landscape in Rochester, N.Y.’s slums like one lost opportunity after another. But a closer look reveals progress. Progress, it turns out, has a name. It’s Project Scion. Project Scion is the brainchild of Bruce Zaretsky and Sharon […]

Prepped for preemergence

Get the upper hand on crabgrass this spring with these sound tips. Spring has sprung, and that means it’s time for lawn care operators (LCOs) to go into attack mode against weeds before they emerge. There are a slew of problematic spring weeds, like dandelions and clover, but perhaps no springtime weed is peskier than […]

photo: WINCHEL IRRIGATION

A look at controller trends

With today’s advances in water tech, irrigators see the benefits in efficiency and affordability. U.S. water rates are rising, water restrictions are becoming the norm, and technology is more affordable than ever before. Together, these facts are driving trends in irrigation controllers, setting the stage for more efficient, affordable and compliant watering on residential and […]

Photo: Irrigation Association

On the water front

Michael Dukes, Ph.D., P.E., CID, is an irrigation specialist and professor in the University of Florida’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department. He’s also director of the Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, which strives to protect Florida’s natural resources through responsible landscape management. Widely published, Dukes’ research centers on water management and quality. In October, […]

Product: Mowing Scroll

Taking a stand

As the stand-on mower category grows up, its audience grows too. With various mower types, such as zero-turn radius (ZTR) and walk-behinds, competing for space in the mower market, stand-ons elbowed their way in during the late 1990s. And their useful place in the world of mowers is becoming more firmly cemented as time goes […]

Just the right size

So many factors affect the success of a landscape maintenance business, it’s hard to know where to begin. Those looking to maximize on-the-job efficiency may want to take a closer look at their mowing and landscape maintenance crew sizes. It’s just one aspect of an operation, but with the potential to impact everything from route […]

Photo: ©istock.com/Whiteway.

Battling herbicide resistance

With herbicide resistance a reality in agriculture and golf, lawn care could be next. Lee Kral, lawn care manager at Mountain High Tree, Lawn & Landscape Co. in Lakewood, Colo., got a reality check about seven years ago. That’s when, through a colleague’s father, he learned about glyphosate-resistant crops in agriculture production. He’s been keen […]

Photos: Inside Out Design

PLANET Community Stewardship Award winner: Inside Out Design

Inside Out Design puts outdoor classrooms and environmental projects front and center of community efforts. Last spring, 100 sets of little hands were digging in the dirt at Good Shepherd Catholic School in Frankfort, Ky. Overseeing their efforts to install a new outdoor classroom were Andrea Wilson Mueller and a four-person Inside Out Design crew. […]

Photo: Mazelis Landscape Contracting Corp.

PLANET Community Stewardship Award Winner: Mazelis Landscape

Mazelis Landscape Contracting Corp. gives back to those who gave and the community that’s helped it prosper. The firefighting brotherhood runs fast and deep through Stephen Mazelis’ veins. The owner of Mazelis Landscape Contracting Corp. is the son of a New York City fireman and himself a longtime volunteer. So when duty calls, Mazelis and […]

PLANET Community Stewardship Award Winner: Nemetschek Vectorworks

When 32 Nemetschek Vectorworks employees participated in a Habitat for Humanity project in 2006, they laid the foundation for homes—and built a long-term commitment to volunteerism in the process. “Since then, our desire to play a larger role within our community spread like wildfire among employees,” says Eric Gilbey, landscape industry specialist at the Columbia, […]

PLANET Community Stewardship Award Winner: The Mustard Seed

At The Mustard Seed, altruism is deeply rooted.  Sometimes it takes letting go of the past to see the promise of one’s future. Long haunted by a childhood tragedy, Mark Halla couldn’t let go for decades. But all that changed when Halla himself changed. “If we’re really honest with ourselves, our nature is very selfish,” […]

PLANET Community Stewardship Award Winner: Greenscape

A North Carolina business uses its volunteerism to promote life outdoors. When Greenscape President Daniel Currin was growing up, kids went outside to play and didn’t return until dinner. They dug in the dirt, played games in the yard, threw the ball around and did what kids do. Or, used to do. Thanks in part […]

The giving trees of the 9/11 Memorial

A cold rain fell on the 9/11 Memorial the morning of Feb. 25. Then a thick fog rolled in, engulfing the New York City skyline in a sea of gray. The dreary weather was a fitting backdrop as visitors perused the names of more than 2,700 people who perished in New York on September 11, 2001. […]

1-Minute Mentor: David Frank

Meet David Frank, president and CEO, David J. Frank Landscape Contracting, Germantown, Wis. Who’s your mentor? I’ve had many mentors at different periods of my career. When I was starting out at age 10, many of my clients became wonderful mentors, significantly because of my young age. At that time, I was fortunate to have […]

Construction comeback?

The design/build sector finally shows signs of growth. After years of decline, the construction business finally is showing signs of a turnaround, reports Engineering News-Record magazine in its latest Construction Industry Confidence Index. The second-quarter report released in June showed that a record 69 percent of more than 300 respondents felt optimistic about the state […]

1-Minute Mentor: Chris Davitt

Meet Chris Davitt, president of Ruppert Landscape, Laytonsville, Md.   Who’s your mentor? Over the course of my life and career, my mentor has changed, but one is Craig Ruppert. That started when I first began working with Craig [at age 11]. There are just so many fundamental processes about work and life that Craig […]

LMC expands footprint in Houston market

Lawn Management Co. (LMC), Houston, has completed the acquisition of Perennial Landscaping, a wholly owned subsidiary of a large Texas real estate development company. The acquisition expands LMC’s footprint in the commercial class A segment of the Houston market. Terms were not disclose. “This acquisition makes sense for both of us,” LMC President Brad Cox […]

Getting attached

For one business owner, a small investment in attachments pays off big. It’s no secret that finding innovative ways to grow your business has become increasingly important in recent years. And some landscape business owners, such as Carl Williams, general manager at Lawn Sense in Monroeville, Pa., are finding compact equipment attachments to be a […]

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