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Author: Marisa Palmieri

Marisa Palmieri

Marisa Palmieri

Marisa Palmieri is an experienced Green Industry editor who's won numerous awards for her coverage of the landscape and golf course markets from the Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA), the Press Club of Cleveland and the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). In 2007, ASBPE named her a Young Leader. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism, cum laude, from Ohio University’s Scripps School of Journalism.

Overview: Blue skies ahead

Lawn care operators are positioned for a strong 2013. Businesses operating on the lawn care side of the Green Industry are feeling positive about the year ahead. Nearly 90 percent of respondents to Landscape Management’s Lawn Care Market Report survey say they are “very optimistic” or “somewhat optimistic” about their 2013 business outlook. Companies say […]

Expense tracking

Lawn care operators report concern but stability for 2013.  The cost of doing business is always a concern for Green Industry businesses. Lawn care operators (LCOs), in particular, have specific costs to contend with: inputs like pesticides and fertilizer. “As far as the products we purchase, they’re pretty stable,” says Kelly Banfield, president and CEO […]

What consumers want

Green Industry marketing experts translate the results of PLANET/Harris Interactive’s  consumer survey. In December, Harris Interactive conducted an online survey on behalf of the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) to discern homeowners’ landscape priorities. The study was conducted among more than 2,800 U.S. adults. To learn how some of the study’s results can be used by […]

Is the price right?

Lawn care companies carefully consider charging more.  Though many lawn care businesses say the time is right for a price bump (46 percent), just more than half say they’ll hold steady and won’t raise prices this year, according to Landscape Management’s Lawn Care Market Report survey. Only 2 percent say they’ll decrease lawn care prices […]

1-Minute Mentor: George Gaumer

Meet George Gaumer, retired v.p. and general manager of Davey Commercial Grounds Management, Kent, Ohio. Who’s your mentor? If I had to pick one, it would be my father. But here at Davey there are a lot of folks who have championed me and helped me along the way. My dad ran a landscape company […]

Government publishes interim H-2B wage rule

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Labor (DOL) jointly published the “Interim Final Rule, Wage Methodology for the Temporary Non-Agricultural Employment H-2B Program, Part 2” in the Federal Register. The rule is effective immediately. Comments on the rule are due within 45 days of publication in the Federal Register. The rule is […]

Share of wallet

Lawn care companies are adding services when looking to grow. Though fertilization and weed control have long been the mainstays for traditional lawn care companies, other services are prevailing as ways to increase customers’ total spending levels or reach new clients. When it comes to the service that will grow the most in 2013, lawn […]

Art of simplicity

With a husband who’s an Army sergeant, I’ve grown accustomed to military slang and acronym-speak. In our house we eat chow (food). We spell things in the phonetic alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie…). We inquire about ETAs (estimated times of arrival), we rack out (go to sleep) and things don’t get misplaced—they’re MIA (missing in action). […]

Senate immigration bill could have major Green Industry impact

The “Gang of Eight” bipartisan group of senators and representatives introduced a Senate immigration bill April 17. The 844-page bill is divided into four sections: border security, immigrant visas, interior enforcement and reforms to nonimmigrant visas (workplace programs), the Washington Post reports. The legislation includes many provisions that could affect the Green Industry, including a new […]

Non-traditional landscape industry marketing tactics

Two interesting marketing-related items came across my desk (or should I say inbox) today, and I couldn’t resist sharing them ASAP. Driveway drop A Plus Lawn and Landscape’s “driveway drop” wallets   Residents of Central Kentucky may be finding black wallets in their driveways this spring, but they shouldn’t be alarmed or try to call […]

April 2013 Web Extra: Green Industry chart of accounts

In Bruce Wilson’s April 2013 Best Practices column we reference a sample Green Industry chart of accounts, available for download, courtesy of the Wilson-Oyler Group. Download it now by CLICKING HERE.

TTIC to make first acquisition, become Enviro-Serv

Updated 4/2/12 at 4:39 p.m. Transfer Technology International Corp. (TTIC) has signed a letter of intent to acquire Royalty Lawn & Landscaping Inc., a full-service landscape company in the Tampa Bay area. Terms will be disclosed after closing. Upon closing, Royalty will become a wholly owned subsidiary of TTIC. TTIC, which recently announced that it […]

Pew survey: Most Americans say immigrants should stay

A new survey from the Pew Research Center finds that seven-in-ten Americans (71 percent) say there should be a way for illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S. if they meet certain requirements, while 27 percent say they should not be allowed to stay legally. There are approximately 11 million illegal immigrants in the country. […]

Founder of Grasshopper Lawns dies

Michael Kravitsky III, founder of Grasshopper Lawns in Larksville, Pa., died on March 26. He was 81. Kravitsky III, a founding member of the Lawn Care Association of Pennsylvania, started in the lawn care industry in 1964 with two Lawn-A-Mat franchises. “For two cents a square foot, a technician would spray on weed control, aerate, […]

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Family Businesses

Exclusive survey results and practical advice from experts and executives in the Green Industry When everything’s running right, there’s nothing better than a family business,” says Paul Sessions, director of the University of New Haven’s Center for Family Business in Connecticut. “When it’s not, it’s really tough.” Chances are, as a member of the Green […]

1-Minute Mentor: Bob Dobson

Meet Bob Dobson, president of Middletown (N.J.) Sprinkler Co., and president of the Irrigation Association. Who’s your mentor? Phil DeMarco, who owned an irrigation distributorship in South Jersey.  Phil and I have spoken daily for nearly 40 years. As a young contractor, Phil was my “go to” person. He is who I called when I […]

Finding balance

Instituting a few changes improved business—and quality of life—for one Green Industry owner. In 2010, Robert Welsch was “dog tired and chasing every lead.” The year before, his landscape design/build firm, Westover Landscape Design in Tarrytown, N.Y., had lost money for the first time since opening its doors in 2004. Welsch felt like he was […]

What happened in Vegas?

PLANET’s Green Industry Great Escape encourages new ways of thinking What happened in Las Vegas at the Professional Landcare Network’s (PLANET’s) Green Industry Great Escape? More than 150 contractors, suppliers and spouses convened at The Cosmopolitan Feb. 20-23 for education sessions geared toward executives, leadership meetings, networking and fun. Hopefully what they learned won’t stay […]

Vitamin N

I’m on the cusp of the generation Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle, defines as having “nature deficit disorder” or a deficiency in vitamin N (N is for nature). A child of the 1980s, I had minimal access to technology other than the television in my early years, […]

March 2013 Web Extra: Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens

About a third of the 150 attendees of PLANET’s Green Industry Great Escape, held Feb. 20-23 in Las Vegas, signed up to tour the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, which highlighted the year of the snake during its annual Chinese New Year exhibit. The beautiful public space located in the Bellagio Las Vegas casino and […]

February 2013 Web Extra: Bonus Project Portfolio pictures

In the February issue’s Project Portfolio section, we featured a functional, Old World-inspired residential landscape from Olney, Md.-based Botanical Decorators. Here are a few more images of the award-winning project.                                    

Learning from Florida

Five tips for dealing with state and local fertilizer regulations. During the last few decades, Florida’s water quality has worsened due to a variety of factors like urbanization, development and population growth. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the state’s surface and ground waters have faced excessive nutrient loading due to nonpoint source […]

Cash flow woes?

Flexible equipment payment options provide relief when money’s tight. Cash flow concerns? Consider flexible payment options such as skip payments or seasonal payments, which are offered by several landscape equipment manufacturers. For Jerry Roberts, owner of Roberts Brothers Lawn Care & Landscaping in Sparta, Tenn., experience with flexible payment options in his cattle farming business […]

Listen up!

Potential hearing loss is a concern for you and your workers. Protect your team with a new, free training course. Hear this loud and clear: A 25-year-old Green Industry worker regularly exposed to occupational noise without hearing protection may have the hearing of a 50-year-old person who is not exposed. After years of noise exposure, […]

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