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Author: Casey Payton

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Casey Payton

Payton is a freelance writer with eight years of experience writing about the landscape industry.

Potting partygoers learn about creating attractive containers. (Photo: James Martin Associates)

Party on: The scoop behind plant potting parties

James Martin Associates (JMA), a landscape firm headquartered in Vernon Hills, Ill., has found a unique way to apply its in-house expertise to give back to the community through“potting parties.” The company donates these parties to nonprofits who can then auction them off to raise funds for their causes. Over the last 15 years, the […]

Solar panels; Photo: Earth Works

A bright idea: Solar panels

When Doug McGregor looked at adding solar panels to his landscape company five years ago, the return on investment (ROI) didn’t make sense. The tax breaks were not guaranteed, and the cost of installation was high. Since that time, a lot has changed. In April 2018, Earth Works installed 124 new solar panels to its […]

Employees pitching ideas. Photo: Timberline Landscaping

Idea generation with ‘The Sharks’

The team at Timberline Landscaping in Colorado Springs, Colo., created an in-person opportunity for employees to pitch ideas to help the company grow strategically. Sound familiar? The company modeled the initiative after the hit TV show “Shark Tank,” on which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to celebrity business people in an effort to get them […]

Bioretention area. Photo: Bluegrass Landscape & Snow Management

Bioretention opportunities

New regulations from the local sewer district on adding bioretention areas to make up for lost green space inspired Bluegrass Landscape & Snow Management, based in Bridgeton, Mo., to make the leap into the field. It’s been a big investment of both time and money to get into bioretention—but it’s been paying off. Chris Darnell, […]

Photos: Cagwin & Dorward

Leadership school

How Cagwin & Dorward builds future leaders. At Cagwin & Dorward, a full-service landscape provider specializing in maintenance for primarily commercial clients, there has always been a strong focus on providing leadership training and development for managers. But a little over a year ago, Steve Glennon, president, CEO and COO of the Novato, Calif.-based firm, […]

Case Study: A recorded approach

One of the biggest training challenges is consistency. Based on who facilitates the training and even how busy things are, the experience at a landscape company can differ from trainee to trainee. To streamline messaging and make training more accessible, Perficut Cos., based in Des Moines, Iowa, launched Perficut University, a multifaceted approach that includes […]

Photo: Gachina Landscape Management

Case Study: A matter of health

After Gachina Landscape Management Founder and President John Gachina died from prostate cancer in 2015, men’s health became a greater focus for the Menlo Park, Calif.-based company. Company leaders launched a multipronged effort to encourage the company’s employees (94 percent of which are male) to be proactive with their health care. There have been several […]

Seeding the future

One of Bruce Allentuck’s missions since starting his business has been to get people outside more. It’s what has kept him so passionate about the green industry, and it’s what drives his landscape designs at Allentuck Landscaping, Co., in Clarksburg, Md. It’s also what inspired an idea to work with kids—because, as Allentuck puts it, […]

Photo: Level Green Landscaping

Case Study: Water works

Watering is an essential aspect of maintaining a landscape—but not all clients have an irrigation system or the time to keep up with watering by hand. Level Green Landscaping, based in Upper Marlboro, Md., discovered many of the commercial properties it served in the Washington, D.C., area did not have an irrigation system. And rainfall […]

Photos: Pacific Landscape Management

Case Study: Happy, healthy employees

How one landscape company used a weight-loss challenge to promote wellness. Healthy employees are happy employees—and happy employees are good for business. That’s one reason why Hillsboro, Ore.-based Pacific Landscape Management implemented a weight-loss contest in which the majority of its management team participated. Owner Bob Grover says that the idea also stemmed from the […]

Photos: Neave Group Outdoor Solutions

How one company is using VR to sell more jobs

How an emerging technology helps one landscape company sell more jobs. There’s no question that a 3D design rendering can close a deal. Without a picture, many clients struggle to visualize what you’re proposing. But even a picture has its limits, according to Neave Group Outdoor Solutions, which is using an emerging technology—virtual reality—to bring […]

Case study: A fundamental idea

One landscape company builds its culture by communicating company values consistently. While Heads Up Landscape Contractors (HULC) —a full-service landscaping company providing design, construction, irrigation and grounds maintenance in Albuquerque, N.M.— always has had a strong culture, its leaders say formalizing some of its fundamentals in a program called “The Heads Up Way” has been […]

Photo: Greenscape

Case Study: Benefits of offering porter services

Offering porter services has allowed one company to play point for its commercial maintenance accounts. A desire to “dominate the site” led Greenscape, based in Holly Springs, N.C., to begin offering outdoor porter services more than eight years ago. Greenscape’s porter services include a variety of “extras” commercial landscape clients may need, whether it’s emptying […]

Photo: Integrated Landscape Management

Case study: Portable party

With its towable event trailer, one landscape company’s staff can entertain clients anywhere. Having seen event trailers in action at some Arizona Cardinals football games, John Garigen and Robert Clinkenbeard, co-owners of Integrated Landscape Management (ILM), started thinking about implementing a similar idea for their business. The company, which has locations in Phoenix, Las Vegas […]

Photo: LandCare

One company puts a new spin on safety training

LandCare’s Spring Safety & Equipment Rodeos kick off the season well. There are many ways to train your team—some more impactful than others. For LandCare, a Frederick, Md.-based national landscaping firm with 50 branches across 20 states, holding a Spring Safety & Equipment Rodeo at the start of the season has been an effective way […]

Photo: J. Barker Landscaping Co.

Diversifying with demo work

One landscape company found new work amid the foreclosure crisis. In 2008, the economic downturn left many landscape business owners wondering if they would survive. As businesses and homeowners cut back on expenses, landscaping services often got the axe. Many companies were looking for ways to diversify. Around this time, J. Barker Landscaping Co. in […]

Case Study: Appreciation celebration

Why one landscape company turned a one-time thing into a monthly event. What started as a one-time celebration to reward the team for a job well done has turned into a monthly event for A+ Lawn & Landscape, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. A few years ago after a good month, management rewarded the team […]

Could adding composting services be beneficial for your business?

A teen’s startup shows how composting services could be a fit for landscape firms It all started with two high school sophomores who wanted to ensure they could work together during the summer before their junior year. Uncertain that a job at a local business would allow them to remain a team, pals Grant Berman […]

Photo: SNOW & SONS TREE & LANDSCAPING

Using co-ops to find potential future hires

Participating in co-op programs helps one company get ahead of the workforce. Cooperative education programs—also known as co-ops—can be a great way for students to gain real-life working experience while also receiving their education. And for landscape business owners, who often cite “finding employees” as one of their biggest challenges, a co-op can be a […]

On the same page

How hand-off meetings help estimating and production staffs succeed. Bob Franey, president of RF Landscape Services in St. Louis, Mo., has learned that having a system of communication is important when selling design/build work. Although plants and materials bring in a small profit through markups, successful landscape business owners know true profit is derived when […]

The owner of DC Freeman got the jobs he wanted by targeting high-end clients with a new marketing piece.

Making the most of direct mail campaigns

How one business owner landed larger, higher profile jobs with direct mail. After 30 years of serving the same client demographic—upper-middle-class residential—Dave Freeman, owner of DC Freeman, based in Millburn, N.J., says he felt “stuck” in a certain niche. With referrals being what he calls his “bread and butter,” Freeman was challenged to find a […]

Photo: Boreal Property Management

Focusing on client retention

How a Wyoming company builds a community among second-home clients. Experts say attracting a new customer costs a company five times more than retaining an existing one. With this in mind, the owners of Boreal Property Management, a full-service property care company in Jackson, Wyo., have put an emphasis on client retention. By hosting an […]

Photo: Landscapes USA

Team effort: How one company involves employees in charitable acts

How one landscape company involves employees in its charitable donations. Dennis Dautel wanted to get employees involved in his company’s ongoing charity efforts. So five years ago, the CEO of Landscapes USA, headquartered in Austin, Texas, launched the Giving Back Program, which lets employees choose the recipient of a weekly company donation. “This is really […]

Photo: Tulikivi

Bringing masonry skills inside

Chad Turpin has always enjoyed the comfort of having a wood-burning fireplace in the home. However, he became frustrated to find they can actually work at a negative efficiency—drawing hot air up the chimney and leaving the rest of the home chilly. About a decade ago, the co-owner of Turpin Landscaping in Coatesville, Pa., was […]

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