Author: Dillon Stewart

Dillon StewartAug 23, 2018

In our February cover story, which takes a look at home-service review sites from the contractor’s perspective, Shaun Kanary suggests contractors should tailor their offerings on these sites to the type of customers who use them. “Be aware of the type of consumer that are using each site and match your product pricing,” says Kanary, who is marketing director […]

Dillon StewartFeb 8, 2017

LawnStarter, an on-demand maintenance service, hired Zak Cocos as vice president of growth. Cocos began his career at Indeed, where he advanced from intern to senior director of growth marketing in six years. In his time there, he increased website traffic from 80 million unique visitors per month to more than 200 million unique visitors per month. Canopy […]

Dillon StewartFeb 13, 2017

At The Lighting Summit 2017, held Jan. 18-19 in Omaha, Neb., McKay Landscape Lighting Owner Jerry McKay announced a new educational and networking event geared toward a landscape lighting operation’s top field employee or manager. The Lighting Summit Base Camp, which will be held March 8 in Omaha, Neb., will focus on operational training. The […]

Dillon StewartFeb 6, 2017

Bright lights typically bring to mind big cities like New York City or Los Angeles, but from Jan. 18-19, Omaha, Neb., was the city of bright lights as it welcomed 21 landscape lighting professionals for the 4th annual Lighting Summit. Hosted by McKay Landscape Lighting Owner Jerry McKay, the two-day seminar was held at the Hyatt Place Hotel […]

Dillon StewartAug 15, 2023

Jody Shilan is stepping down as executive director of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA) to “focus his energies working as an industry consultant, speaker and writer on a full-time basis,” according to a press release. Shilan, an LM Editorial Advisory Board member who writes a membership-based website FromDesign2Build.com, says that under his direction the organization became […]

Dillon StewartNov 3, 2023

Our expert panelists weigh in on the biggest mistakes they see in each of their areas of specialization. A novice lawn care operator is likely going to struggle, even with some basic training. It takes years of practice to become an expert at anything. While you might be the best turf manager on the block, […]

Dillon StewartAug 14, 2023

BrightView purchased the landscape maintenance division of Marina Landscape, a landscape maintenance company located in Anaheim, Calif. Terms of the deal, which was finalized on Jan. 1, were not disclosed. Marina is No. 20 on the LM150 list of top-generating firms with $64 million in 2015 revenue. “We have worked for decades to build up our maintenance business, and we […]

Dillon StewartJan 11, 2017

Tim Zech resigned as president of United Turf Alliance (UTA), a company that markets turf protection products under ArmorTech and Optimizer brand. Zech, who was with the company for seven years, will assume the position of turf and ornamental national sales manager with Willowood USA, a manufacturer of turf and ornamental chemicals and UTA supplier. Prior to UTA, Zech held roles with […]

Dillon StewartNov 10, 2023

We look at what was hot in equipment at the industry’s largest trade show. The 2016 GIE+EXPO and Hardscape North America, held Oct. 19-21 in Louisville, Ky., was the biggest showcase of green industry best practices and products ever assembled. More than 900 exhibitors showed off their offerings to a diverse crowd of more than […]

Dillon StewartDec 21, 2016

Davey Tree Expert Co. promoted Don Roppolo to manager of arboricultural training. Roppolo started his career in 1998 as a research technician for the Morton Arboretum. He joined The Care of Trees in 2002. He holds a master’s in urban forestry from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and he has authored curriculum for arboriculture programs at three universities. […]

Dillon StewartDec 21, 2016

Twenty-five year old Jerell Brown, owner of SML Services in Washington, D.C., has always been in the green industry—just not the one you’re thinking of. After getting arrested for selling pot and serving eight months under house arrest, Brown decided to turn his business acumen into something legitimate, a year-round, full-service landscape company, The Washington Post writes. […]

Dillon StewartDec 16, 2016

Office manager is a vital role. It’s important to fill this position with a trustworthy person because he or she holds the key to the castle—and sometimes much more. Owner Greg Boyer of Greg Boyer Hawaiian Landscapes in Kaneohe, Hawaii, learned this the hard way. According to the Honolulu prosecutor’s office, Tamila A. Alcoran, who was hired as […]

Dillon StewartDec 14, 2016

WAC Lighting held the first Landscape Lighting Summit Nov. 4-5 at its headquarters in Port Washington, N.Y. Industry professionals, such as electrical engineers, irrigation professionals and landscape contractors, gained knowledge on WAC’s current products, new LED technologies and concepts for lighting fixtures that are not currently in the marketplace. The event was hosted by Shelly and […]

Dillon StewartAug 23, 2018

College of DuPage, a community college in Glen Ellyn, Ill., is launching a new Landscape Contracting and Management degree that will prepare graduates to design, implement and maintain landscape projects in horticulture-related careers, Yahoo! Finance reported. The program, which is accredited by the National Association of Landscape Professionals, will teach students to design and construct landscapes, […]

Dillon StewartNov 3, 2023

Mickey Strauss Owner MSM Landscape Services Sylmar, Calif. Education Taft Charter High School Woodland Hills, Calif. Class of 1963 “I got my start in the industry in high school when I took an ornamental horticulture class in lieu of a science class.” Pierce College Los Angeles Ornamental horticulture 1963-1966 Work Experience 1963 Boething Treeland Farms […]

Dillon StewartNov 3, 2023

Most lawn care companies we spoke to apply six to eight rounds, but what they do with them varies and often depends on weather. Jeff Cooper President, Lawn Connection West Berlin, N.J. Most common grass types: Bluegrass-ryegrass blend, tall fescue Rounds: Base offering—six; Premium—eight March-April—Slow-release granular fertilizer with preemergent crabgrass control. Premium: Aeration with additional […]

Dillon StewartAug 15, 2023

The Toro Co. named Rick Rodier vice president of its Sitework Systems business. Rodier, who previously served as general manager for Sitework, has been with Toro since 1987 and has held a variety of operational, marketing and business management roles. He was named general manager of Toro’s landscape contractor business in 2004 and then appointed to general […]

Dillon StewartAug 16, 2023

Across the United States, the H.R. meetings were over, the timecards created and the systems in place, but just days before the Department of Labor’s nationwide Overtime Rule was slated to take effect, a federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction blocking the rule, which would have made 4 million Americans eligible for overtime pay. Now, with […]

Dillon StewartDec 7, 2016

David Ovando’s origin story mirrors that of many industry professionals. What started as a side job, cutting a few lawns to make a little extra money, turned into a career and a passion. “I just wanted to make $600 to pay rent,” said Ovando, owner of Mower Man Lawn Services in McKinney, Texas. “In the first […]

Dillon StewartFeb 27, 2023

It’s hard to look ahead when you’re speeding at 100 mph, but at some point, you have to set your sights on a finish line. When the time comes to sell your company, will you have built something that’s attractive to buyers? A recent Forbes article dissects the 2009 Brickman Group acquisition of D. Foley Landscape, a full-service commercial firm […]

Dillon StewartFeb 27, 2023

The National Parks Service installed 11,000 square feet of PremierPro Bermudagrass, a Sod Production Services brand of bermudagrass sod, at the Washington, D.C., National World War II Memorial. The grass, which was grown at Central Sod Farms of Maryland in Centreville, Md., a licensed producer of PremierPro Bermudagrass, is part of a trial of turfgrass varieties across a number of national parks. […]

Dillon StewartAug 23, 2018

Soon, California might not be the only state where landscape companies are forced to comply with water-conserving landscape practices. A new study released Nov. 15 found that increased development across Florida could double the state’s water consumption over the next half century, the Miami Herald reports. Without massive improvements in conservation efforts, including landscaping practices, experts believe the state’s water supply […]