Happy New Year! How many of you were like me and pondered aloud on New Year’s Eve how strange it felt to be ringing in the year 2020? Was it really 20 years ago that my best friend Mike had me sweating widespread blackouts and a massive computer shutdown? It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago.
Now that we’re in the year 2020, I can’t help but think of eyesight and 20/20 vision. Back in 2000, I was going back and forth between glasses and contact lenses. But now I have 20/20 vision (actually, better) thanks to LASIK surgery. I would recommend LASIK to anyone who is a good candidate. Seeing crystal clear all day is something I don’t take for granted.
I’m excited to see what visions 2020 brings me in year two of sitting in the Landscape Management editor-in-chief chair. Before I look ahead, here’s one last look back at 2019 — at the best sights while on the job:
Autonomous mowers in action 2019 was the year that showed me how close we are to seeing autonomous mowers being used as a solution to the labor crisis in our industry. I saw at least five different companies demo robotic mowers, from small units made for individual yards to a massive golf course fairway mower with a 100-inch cutting width. These autonomous mowers are no longer a vision of the future but a viable option for today. Do you foresee yourself using robots to mow, or are you already using them? Email and tell me your story.
Ready-set-go at 2019 National Collegiate Landscape Competition It was fun to see how competitive college students were at the 2019 NCLC in Fort Collins, Colo. This was best displayed in the hardscape competition, when teams of students were challenged to complete a hardscape installation within a specified amount of time. A referee called out “3 … 2 … 1!” and sounded an air horn. The students sprinted to their plots and got busy. It felt like being at a track and field event, but instead of running with batons, the students ran with bow rakes and shovels. Even better than seeing these events was hearing how many of these soon-to-be-graduates had multiple job offers awaiting them upon graduation.
Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier I was in Washington, D.C., for the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ Renewal & Remembrance, an event that has landscape companies volunteer their time to improve the grounds at Arlington National Cemetery. While there, I saw the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I’m notoriously impatient when I’m at work events. I’m always worried that there’s a great story right around the corner, and I’m wasting valuable time not seeking out that story. Plus it was hot as Hades out, so I was ready to move, but LM publisher Bill Roddy told me to sit still for a minute to see the changing of the guard. Watching this ceremony in person — the precision, the dedication, the gravitas — made me proud to be an American. I hope to take my kids there to see it themselves someday. The 2020 Renewal & Remembrance takes place on July 20. If you haven’t ever been, it’s something you should consider.
There were a lot of other interesting things I saw in 2019, like the LM Growth Summit, the NALP Field Trip in San Diego, co-hosted by Marty Grunder and Frank Mariani, GIE+EXPO in Louisville and various factory tours along the way. And, there were a lot of things I didn’t have time to see based on scheduling conflicts (Jeffrey Scott’s Driven to Win event, which included racing BMWs at the BMW Performance Center, tops that list.)
What sights will my LASIK-enhanced eyes behold in 2020? I can’t wait to see.
