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Author: Landscape Management

Angry Birds?

Clean uniforms and tidy trucks are a point of distinction for many landscape and lawn care companies. Do you ever feel like you can’t keep the bird droppings off of your vehicles, no matter how often your crews wash them? Are your trucks red? A new study suggests they’re birds’ favorite targets.A recent study conducted by […]

Getting More Done by Trading Services: A Fig Tree Story

  By Jeffrey Scott, MBA Some contractors tell me, “I just can’t afford that right now.” Usually they are putting off important decisions (marketing, website, training, consulting, etc.). They think they must first grow more profitable and then they can afford these critical services. This is backwards. Waiting often doesn’t make things better! One possible […]

Where did it all go?

Randy’s Take Wow, it’s June already, and we’re almost half way through 2012! Where did it all go? Yes, that is the title of this blog, but where did it all go is meant to be about our profits. Where did all the money go? My intention for this blog is for the person who […]

To be a good salesperson you need to become a great buyer

Jeffrey Scott Great Scott! By Jeffrey Scott If you are going to be efficient with your time and make a sale that is win-win, you should be working with potential customers who “need” what you have — not just “want” what you have. If they need you, it means they have a problem you can […]

So you think your Monday started rough

Editor’s note: If you are easily queasy, please don’t read this post. Just got an email from a coworker: “My buddy has his own landscaping company.  He posted the following on Facebook.  This could only happen to this guy.” “So you think your monday is bad ? I just had an 80 year old man […]

Free Joy Rides

All manufacturers are pretty confident their products are good enough to serve the needs of their customers. The hard part — and this goes for just about any business owner — is to get those customers to walk in the door. Cub Cadet decided not to wait, instead bringing products to the customer.   As […]

Always make time to play

   It’s a beautiful spring night after a good Alaskan storm soaked us with 1.3 in. of rain here in Ramona, CA, resting in the foothills outside of San Diego, about 1,600 feet above sea level. About 45 minutes away, and another 3,000 feet more in elevation, we had 3 in. of snow. Some buddies […]

No good deed…

This is not the way to start a new life together. Josh Miller, an Atlanta landscaper, was ready to pop the question to his girlfriend. He’d even bought the ring and hidden it in an old winter coat in the closet for a couple of months. Unfortunately, he donated that coat to Goodwill. And proving […]

Rising fuel prices don’t have have to raise your blood pressure

Fred Haskett Fred’s Take As I was sitting in our Friday Staff meeting the past few weeks I realized the discussions while seemingly normal for the time of year – Spring Start-Up Operations – were all happening several weeks earlier than normal. Due to the current reality of 2012 we are facing some different challenges […]

Kohler donates more than 10,000 engines to high schools and technical colleges nationwide

   I must admit when I was in high school I had no interest in taking “shop” class. Oh, how foolish I was. The kids that took shop were “hoods” as we used to call them. Well now I pay those people I looked down my nose at a fair amount of money to fix […]

Machines of Glory

Put a pair of contractors in a couple of machines and your going to have two things — a business (or at least potential for one) and more importantly (at least from the perspective of the employees) a competition. Go to just about any equipment show and you’ll find an equipment rodeo that pits operator […]

Improve, change or fade away?

Randy’s Take — Randy Newhard, owner New Way Landscape and Tree Service Improve, change or fade away? “God, Randy what kind of title to an article is this,” I said to myself. Well, it’s an inevitable piece of advice we must do in life, whether its in our business life or personal life. My little […]

Plant in need

I try to avoid looking at it. Because every time I see it I am racked by guilt. Every day when I arrive to work, there it is — looking forlorn and woefully neglected: My plant. It started as a vibrant, hot pink petunia. Now, it’s not much of anything. Just look at it. I […]

Do our trainers know how to train?

Another entry from Fred Haskett, Managing Partner – Operations, U.S. Lawns of West and St. Charles County Do we really know how to “Train Our Trainers? A lot of us are in the midst of working on our “Training Programs.” This is an area that, as I have talked to different people around the industry […]

The People Have Spoken

The people have spoken, and they had good news for the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA). That’s because at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, held Jan. 15 in Nevada City, CA, the CLCA’s documentary, “Rock the Boat,” garnered the People’s Choice Award. Congrats, CLCA! The film, which the CLCA sponsored and co-produced, chronicles a […]

ASABE to develop new water use standard

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers wants to establish a new standardized process, and it needs your help. The Society is launching a project that will develop a standardized procedure for determining water available for irrigation use. Those with expertise in irrigation and water issues are encouraged to participate. Establishing a standardized process […]

The H-2B seasonal guest worker program creates and protects jobs for professional and skilled American workers

*Editor’s Note: Fred Haskett, Managing Partner – Operations, U S Lawns of West and St. Charles County, offers his thoughts on recent challenges to the H-2B seasonal worker program. Look for more commentary from Fred periodically on the Landscape Management Blog. A few days ago we said goodbye to our H-2B team. This is always […]

Ohio State Research Shows Dollar Value of Urban Trees

Thanks to the research of a graduate student in the Department of Entomology at The Ohio State University and funding from Bayer Environmental Science, the city of Wooster, OH now knows the true value of the trees that line its streets. By “value” we don’t simply mean trees’ contribution to the ecosystem or the fact […]

Owners — Are you in or out?

Randy’s Take Randy Newhard Are you in or out?  It’s a tough question to ask and honestly answer. I am both — in and out. I would think your answer depends on how long you have been in business. For me, it almost depends on the day, week or month — but mostly the week. I have […]

Cleaning up after the Occupy Toronto protest

   We got the following email from our friend Tom Delaney, Director of Government Affairs for the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET):    “The Occupy Toronto movement trashed one of Toronto’s inner city Parks. When the City issued a plea for financial support to help restore the park, one of our members came up with the […]

Don’t lose sight of how to win, close, motivate and rally in 2012

Randy Newhard Editor’s Note: Randy Newhard, CEO of New Way Landscape & Tree Services will begin contributing to Landscape Management‘s blog on a regular basis. Here is his first submission. Randy’s Take As I write my first blog, I am watching my struggling Chargers on Monday Night Football vs. the Jaguars. The Bolts have lost six […]

You can’t buy this kind of coverage

If it’s true — what goes around, comes around, then Glen Rock, NJ-based R&S Landscaping is in for some good karma this holiday season (and maybe it’s already happening in the coverage they got from the New Jersey Media Group). It seems R&S Landscaping decided to help celebrate one of the company’s long-time customer’s 70th […]

Just when you thought it was safe to head back to the grocery store

There’s a local talk show host here in Northeast Ohio who likes to use the phrase “I’m living in a world I don’t understand.” I’m beginning to agree with him. A few weeks back we heard about the incident of a family that was busted by a Safeway security guard when they forgot to pay […]

A little dirt under his fingernails

VP of Sales Pat Roberts helped free the mower from the bog-like conditions in which it was mired.    Those of us in the publishing industry generally sit behind a desk. Sure we make it into the field once in awhile and hop on a mower or a skid steer, but the bulk of our […]

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