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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.

Editor’s Note: Louisville quotables

The landscape industry’s largest trade show, GIE+EXPO, got even larger this year. There were 230 new exhibitors —a good sign assuming they all have done their research and have deemed the landscape market to be a promising one. While the LM team and I were running between the show floor and conference sessions like crazy […]

Andrew Masterman headshot

BrightView appoints new CEO

BrightView appointed Andrew Masterman as president and CEO. Masterman, who also will join the company’s board of directors, succeeds Pat Velasco, who has served as interim CEO since July when Andrew Kerin stepped down. Velasco, will remain on BrightView’s board of directors, will continue in that role until Masterman joins the company next month. BrightView is […]

GIE+EXPO ’16 exhibitor, attendance figures top last two years

GIE+EXPO organizers are calling the event a success, despite a few weather-related snafus. The 2016 GIE+EXPO, held Oct. 19-21 at the Kentucky Expo Center (KEC) in Louisville, topped the last two years’ records for attendance and exhibitors. Stormy conditions Oct. 20 shut down the outdoor demo area for part of the day and knocked out […]

Sack of cash. PHOTO: ©istock.com/artisteer

Early order program breakdown

Used strategically, early order programs can be a winning proposition. For as long as Mark Leahy can remember, he’s been looking for a deal. He recalls stocking up on bags of fertilizer in the early days when he ran his company out of a barn. “I would literally stack them by hand up to the […]

Editor’s Note: The ‘people rule’

Welcome to the Business Planner 2017: The People Edition. We hear repeatedly from our readers that labor and personnel are the most significant challenges they face as landscape industry business owners and managers. As the market continues to improve, we expect it to remain a difficult reality of the industry, so we knew it was […]

Gibson, Johnson share more on Swingle-LawnAmerica merger

It’s been a three-year-plus journey for Brad Johnson, founder of LawnAmerica, to find a buyer for the Tulsa, Okla.-based lawn care company. He turned down offers from several other companies and private equity firms and passed on becoming an employee-owned firm. The journey culminated last month when Swingle Lawn, Tree & Landscape Care became the […]

Photos: William Dellecker

Backstory: William Dellecker

William Dellecker Executive Vice President Yellowstone Landscape Bunnell, Fla. Education Wolfson High School Jacksonville, Fla. Class of 1974 Stetson University Bachelor’s in Business Administration Class of 1977 “I credit being an RA with teaching me early lessons about people. It was fun.” Master’s in Business Administration Class of 1978 Work Experience 1978-1983 AT&T Various positions […]

Peer group pros talk sales in Austin

The Better Than Both peer group, facilitated by landscape industry consultant Bruce Wilson, held a Sales Summit in Austin, Texas, Sept. 19-21. It was hosted by Native Land Design and drew 71 attendees from the seven peer group company members and another 15 attendees from sponsors. The event is the inaugural “university” held by this […]

Editor’s Note: Do you ADOD?

I don’t know about you, but this time of year—back to school—always makes me recognize how quickly the years go by. No matter how awesome the summer was I’m left wondering, “Where did it go?” By the time this issue hits your desk, the kids will have been in school for several weeks, pumpkin-spice everything […]

Editor’s Note: Fruits of our labor

Our garden sucks. That’s what my mom and I say to each other a few times a week these days, after one of us treks up to our tract at the community garden to water our sad-looking plants. I talked her into helping me with a 5-foot by 20-foot plot—one of the smaller ones available […]

Photo: Jerry Mann, lm staff & mariani landscape

Who’s your mentor?

Landscape pros and their mentors prove how these relationships can accelerate growth. Eric Remeis knew his 26-year-old landscape company was in a position to grow, but he needed some advice getting there. So why not ask for it? In 2015, the president of Yard Solutions in Groveport, Ohio, engaged a few people he knew could […]

EPA touts a decade of WaterSense savings

Since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) WaterSense program was launched in June 2006, WaterSense-labeled products have helped Americans reduce their water use by 1.5 trillion gallons of water, the EPA reports. That’s more than the amount needed to supply every household in California with water for a year. WaterSense and its more than 1,700 […]

Upgrades planned for Cultivate’17

Changes are coming to Cultivate’17. Ken Fisher, AmericanHort president and CEO, made the announcement at a keynote presentation on July 10. Since 2012, AmericanHort has worked with event experience engineers to discuss strategies to enhance the exhibitor and attendee experience and to address exhibitor requests to provide additional opportunities to connect with current and potential […]

Editor’s Note: The benefits of having a mentor

“Get a mentor” seems like a no-brainer piece of advice, right? Apparently it’s not. As I explain in this month’s cover story, research shows only 8 percent of small business owners say they have a mentor. I suppose the number is so low due to the age-old problem of small business people, landscape professionals included, […]

Backstory: Kent Miller

Kent Miller President Caretaker Landscape & Tree Management Gilbert, Ariz. Education Central High School Sioux City, Iowa Class of 1970 Fort Dodge Community College; Pima + Cochise Community Colleges 1972-1973; 1977-1980 Work Experience 1970-1980 Clerk U.S. Army + Department of Defense Fort Huachuca, Ariz. “I joined the Army out of high school to be a […]

Backstory: Richard Bare

Richard Bare President Arbor-Nomics Turf Norcross, Ga. Education Chaney High School Youngstown, Ohio Class of 1966 The Ohio State University Bachelor’s of Science, Ornamental Horticulture Class of 1970 Work Experience 1960-1966 Worker bee Terrace Gardens Nursery, Youngstown, Ohio “I had a very rich upbringing at my father’s nursery. Not monetarily—but with experience.” 1970-1973 Owner Fern […]

Deadline extended for Operating Cost Study participation

Landscape Management, the National Association of Landscape Professionals and Turf Books have extended the deadline to June 29 for companies to participate in survey for the Operating Cost Study for the landscape industry. “The information produced in this report and the actions taken by individual companies who use it could quite possibly be one of […]

LM150: Evaluating directly

You grew about 12 percent last year. Is that typical? That’s pretty standard for us, in the 10 percent to 15 percent range. Over the history of the company, that’s what we target, and we’ve usually been successful at it. We mainly target that range to provide opportunity for employees. Talk about your renewed focus […]

Milwaukee Tool to launch cordless handheld equipment line

Milwaukee Tool is the latest manufacturer to enter the cordless outdoor power equipment business. The Brookfield, Wis.-based subsidiary of Techtronic Industries teased the new products to the media June 8-9 at the company’s 2016 New Product Symposium in Milwaukee. With a January launch planned, Milwaukee didn’t release specifications, run times or price points for the […]

LM150: Setting a standard

After Greenscape, historically a landscape construction company, balanced its business with recurring maintenance and snow revenue post-Great Recession, company leaders set their sights on standardization. The company, owned by brothers Joe and Jon Ciffolillo, is prospering thanks in part to its Green Way training program, which launched last summer. Tell us about the Green Way […]

LM150: Focusing on growth

After a few years of what he calls “sluggish” growth, partially due to $30 million worth of damage done to the company’s properties from Imprelis herbicide, Ryan and his team are refocusing on sales. Your company is focusing on growth by enlisting all employees in the company to help find business. Tell me where the […]

LM150: Delegating with directors

Two years ago McCaskill—a lawn maintenance and home building veteran—and a business partner bought Encore Group, a small, primarily pool company. Since then, the company has skyrocketed sales on the landscape side. Last year, it created a director system to delegate profit-and-loss responsibility down the chain. Tell us about implementing a director system. Each one […]

LM150: Coaching team leaders

Yard-Nique’s exec believes everyone needs to be on the same page for a growing company to thrive. That’s why he brought a yearlong executive coaching program to his managers—and he’s pleased with the results. Tell us about your company’s executive coaching program. At the end of 2014, I got introduced to (management consulting firm) Dorrier […]

LM150: Encouraging education

Labor is a top challenge for Desert Classic. As the company strives to attract and retain employees through a variety of methods, perhaps the most successful effort has been covering certification costs for its team members—an expense Murray says is well worth the investment. Tell us about how you encourage employees to increase their knowledge and […]

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