Succeeding @ Aquascape Designs by Aquascape Inc.

succeeding

Aquascape Designs V O L U M E

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In Memory Gina Kotzenberg

Aquascape’s Greatest Asset by Kelly Clancy

In a perfect world, I could think of one word that would sum up the total essence of Gina Kotzenberg, but there is no way I could do that. After all, Gina was not a one-dimensional person and who am I to take such a wonderful soul and limit her with one word? Instead, I asked a sampling of employees to give me a word that they think best describes Gina. Here goes: Extraordinary, Inspirational, Fun, Genuine, Enduring, Brave, Constant, Unbroken, Kind, Passionate, Epitome, Soulful, Cool, Strong, Amazing, Indian Warrior, Unwavering, Bold, Joyful, and Sweet. Gina Kotzenberg came to Aquascape after answering an interesting classified ad that read, “Looking for Frogs,” and the rest is history. Gina became the most beloved employee to ever walk the halls of the many Aquascape buildings. Her role in Customer Service was a vital one – to teach, to share, to laugh, and to love. I know this personally because she trained me on the phones back in the day. I don’t think I’ll ever meet a grandma quite as cool as her. Gina was the perfect combination of nurturing and hip. Gina would ride her bike to many an Aquascape softball game, was present to root on the volleyball team, participated in walking and running events, and was the glue that held us together on the dragon boat team. When we all got tired and wanted to quit, Gina’s determination and grit always pushed us ahead. Come to think of it, even when Gina wasn’t around, I found strength in her being. Gina had faced many a battle in her life, including a battle with cancer and the loss of her husband. She was a strong, resilient person with an amazing spirit that couldn’t be broken. In late October 2005, the Aquascape Designs family lost Gina to an irreversible illness. We were all devastated and sad that she would not be coming back to work and we wouldn’t see her smiling face every day. But we’ll never really lose Gina because there’s a spot for her in all our hearts and her spirit lives on in the passion she had for her job and her co-workers. Gina was one in a million, and if all of us try to be a little more like Gina, the world will be a better place. We love and miss you Gina, but you are always with us!

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succeeding

Aquascape Designs V O L U M E

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Aquascape Designs, Inc. • The Pond Guy Publications™

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D E S I G N S

Managing Editor Tamara Hughes Senior Staff Writer Kelly Clancy Graphic Design Service Icon Digital Design & Illustration, Inc. Creative Director Michael P. Stout Senior Art Director Rick Byers

A Q U A S C A P E

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

Publisher & Editor In Chief Greg Wittstock

Art Director Colleen Haveman Illustrator Gordon Parker

S U C C E E D I N G

Contributors Conor Doyle Colleen Heitzler Lucas Henry Rick Osbourne Steve Stroupe Mark Williams Chris Wilson Jennifer Zuri S U C C E E D I N G @ Aquascape Designs is published by The Pond Guy Publications™, a division of Aquascape Designs, Inc. www.aquascapedesigns.com United States 901 Aqualand Way St. Charles, Illinois 60174

| TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Canada 100 Westcreek Brampton, ON L6T 5V7

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contents

C H A P T E R

the pond guy’s introduction.................................... 10 ™

table of contents

A Q U A S C A P E @ S U C C E E D I N G

C H A P T E R

outsider looking in.................................................. 14 C H A P T E R

history of Aquascape.............................................. 18 C H A P T E R

D E S I G N S

employee introduction............................................... 6

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

table of

employee success stories........................................ 26 C H A P T E R ™

C H A P T E R

the pond guy revealed............................................ 32 the top dogs............................................................. 38 C H A P T E R ™

C H A P T E R

pondemonium ........................................................... 56 team Aquascape...................................................... 60 C H A P T E R

fitness at Aquascape.............................................. 64 C H A P T E R

f.o.a.m...................................................................... 68 C H A P T E R

tools for success.................................................... 72 C H A P T E R

funny stories........................................................... 76 C H A P T E R

C H A P T E R

acronyms.................................................................. 88 C H A P T E R

final thoughts.......................................................... 90

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S |

top 10 (or so) lists..................................................... 84

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C H A P T E R

employee introduction

| CHAPTER 1

S U C C E E D I N G

A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

employee by Mark Williams

introduction

ell, you’ve made it this far, either with your looks, your resume, your personality, or some combination of the three (or maybe you just look like Maggie Kelly), and that’s all good. But don’t let it go to your head just yet. You’ve got the next 90 days to worry about before you can safely remove your life history from www.monster. com and begin arranging your photos of family, friends, or your wacky college moments in your workspace and comfortably share your innermost secrets with your cube mate. If you like what you see so far and you can already picture yourself retiring from this place, or at least making it to the coveted three-week vacation, then read on for tips on making it past the 90-day introductory period. I mean come on – you’ve got to walk before you can jump. Which brings us to Tip #1: When you do jump, please don’t forget to ask your manager how high

Greg, The Pond Guy™, Wittstock.

or you’ll just have to do it again. Oh, and document the completion of your jump in triplicate, or once again you will probably have to do it again.

It’s All About The Pond Guy™ So let’s get down to business. You’re reading the second paragraph of this booklet, which is really all the proof I need that you want to succeed here at Aquascape. Furthermore, it tells me that you’ve got what it takes to go straight to the top! Unfortunately it’s not me who signs your paycheck and I’m impressed by shiny objects at times. With that said, my first suggestion on how to proceed with this book is to go to the table of contents and highlight any chapter that contains The Pond Guy™ or Greg Wittstock in its title. These are the chapters you want to focus on! The rest is all just a bunch of fluff!

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S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E D E S I G N S

We even begin to take on similiar facial features.

CHAPTER 1 |

My personal suggestion on where to proceed would be Chapter 4, Aquascape’s history. You want to get a feel for this company’s roots and where we’re headed. ADI is one of the fastest moving companies out there and as they say, “If you can’t hang with the big dogs, get off the porch.” You’ve got to be ready to move and be one step ahead around here. The only constant here is change … and sometimes a recurring rash. Aquascape began as an entrepreneurial venture, and through change, has maintained a very fast-paced entrepreneurial feel to this day. Whether you Look, but Don’t Touch are starting as a customer service When you’ve completed the portions of this document regarding “If you can’t hang representative or an order picker Greg, you will without a doubt want with the big dogs, in the warehouse, don’t ever forget that a single idea of yours could to learn more about this fascinatget off the porch.” possibly change the course of your ing creature. You may even want to You’ve got to be department or this company. Tip touch him or poke at him with your finger to see if he is real. If so, please ready to move and #2: Express your ideas! Personal use the mannequin of Greg – it’s involvement in the further develbe one step ahead opment and growth of Aquascape practically him anyway and the odds around here. through suggestions and ideas is of a harassment claim will be rehighly encouraged and recommended duced significantly. You may wonder by our staff! There are several venhow he didn’t wind up as President of the United States. The answer to that question ues at Aquascape to do just that. Take a look at Chapter 12 for a few. can be summed up with the phrase, “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” or “Experimentation,” during his college years. We’re not sure exactly what, but we do know Get in Shape The healthy mind that landed you this job the presidency has never been an option. It could isn’t complete without a healthy body to go also have been due to a picture of Greg with a rock. with it! Here at Aquascape, health and fitness Again, we don’t go there with him. are taken very seriously. I’m sure you’ve been With the solid foundation received from Chapintroduced to our facility by now and are aware ters 1, 2, and 6, feel free to check out the rest of this of the amount of space and money Greg has manual for insights into our company, our culture, dedicated to this idea. and your new coworkers. Understand that this company starts and ends with The Pond Guy™. It always has and always will. Greg is the spine of this great book we call Aquascape and we as employees are the pages. He holds this whole thing together, but has not gotten so big that he has lost sight of the fact that he still needs every page to make it happen. Wait, on second thought, think of Greg more as a three-ring binder with pages that can be added, removed or moved around. Did I mention that we are the pages? Did I mention I like analogies?

employee INTRODUCTION |

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D E S I G N S

Fitness @ ADI

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

Nobody is ever going to twist your arm, at least not literally, but be warned that fitness is contagious and Indian arm burns are not out of the question. For more information on fitness opportunities at Aquascape, follow these simple steps: •T ake your Succeeding at ADI manual to the fitness room. lace it on one of the convenient book •P holders found on one of our treadmills. •H op on the treadmill and crank it up to about 3-5mph. •O pen your manual and check out Chapters 9 and 10! It’s that simple!

Let’s Party!

| CHAPTER 1

Pondemonium™ encompasses the North American Pond Tour, special boot camps, Build-A-Pond Days, pond building contests, Pond College and much, much more!

Congratulations! You’re almost through reading the introduction so I suspect you’ve been here at least a week. If so, then there is no doubt that you have heard the term “Pondemonium™” by now. Pondemonium™ is the largest of several annual events hosted by Aquascape each year. Several weeks during the heart of our season are dedicated to it. Not only is it Aquascape’s largest event, but it is also the largest event of its kind in the water garden industry. This is an event that you must know about so take a few minutes RIGHT NOW and flip over to Chapter 8. Kelly Clancy has taken time out of her busy day to write this chapter and she’s been known to quiz the new people from time to time. You don’t want to tick Kelly off. She’s feisty.

| EMPLOYEE INTRODUCTION

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Is Jeff (right) just a big cuddly Teddy Bear?

Cold, Hard Cash “Show me the money,” “It’s all about the Benjamins,” “Money talks, the offspring of a bulldog and a shi-tzu walks.” Mmmmm… Money (read with Homer Simpson Chill Out Tip #3: and doughnuts in mind). Have I Whew! That’s a lot to absorb, got your attention yet? Most likely right? Don’t worry; I saved the What happens at you’re doing better now than before for last. Now that you’ve gotAquascape’s extra best you got this job but that new Lexus ten a taste of the serious side of curricular events, Aquascape, you’re probably ready is still a bit out of reach. Well, wipe the foam from around your grill, for a bit of a cool down with the stays at these take a deep breath, release it slowly lighter side. events. and turn to Chapter 11. Get ready Wouldn’t it be fun to get into the for some FOAM. We move so fast mind of the management team? Is around here that we can’t waste any Jeff just a big, cuddly teddy bear? time spelling out words so we have an acronym for Is Roberto as intimidating in person as he apeverything. See Chapter 15 for more seemingly pears? Do Jim and Ben go to the same barber? meaningless groups of letter than you can shake a Does Michelle go from mild to wild on the weekstick at. You will see this material again. The inforends with her “weekend hair?” You may not find mation in Chapter 11 may not land you that Lexus, the answers to these questions, but you’ll find out but will explain how you can help yourself to a few something good for sure. Take a look at Chapextra frog skins in your wallet at the end of the year. ter 7 to find out more than you probably want to Open book management is the bomb baby! Yeah! know about our management team. Finally, wrap it all up with Chapters 5, 13, and 14. We’ve got some tear-jerking success stories, some of Aquascape’s funniest moments (at least the ones we could print) and Top 10 lists! Tip #3: What happens at Aquascape’s extra curricular events stays at these events. This slogan was adopted after one day and six full moons in Wisconsin. In the words of the most wannabe conservative I know, “Feng shui for now.”

A hot pepper eating contest had many employees feeling a little hot under the collar.

CHAPTER 1 | employee INTRODUCTION |

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™

the pond guy’s introduction

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S U C C E E D I N G

A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

C H A P T E R

the pond guy’s

™

by Greg Wittstock

introduction

want to de-mystify, in one fell swoop, how to succeed at Aquascape … Love It! Love Aquascape as close as you can to the way you love your wife, your kids, and God, then chances are pretty high you’re going to shine here. And speaking of love, it’s probably a good idea to love yourself too, because confidence is a key ingredient in succeeding, regardless of what you’re doing.

Love and How It Relates to Aquascape Can you do that? Love a company? Only you can answer that question for yourself, but I can speak first-hand on the subject of love and how it relates to Aquascape and my success. I Love Ponds! I love ponds so much that I believe everyone wants one and it’s my job – Aquascape’s job – to let them know that! Do you think my love for ponds, and the conviction I have for spreading the good word about them, has anything at all to do with Aquascape’s meteoric rise in becoming the largest water gardening supplier in North America? Not only is it part of it … it’s the reason Aquascape exists in the first place. If I didn’t love the backyard water garden I first built to house my pet turtles, I never would have considered creating them for other people. After all, it was only because I loved it that I spent seven summers in a row ripping out and rebuilding my pond. It was only when I finally got my pond to a point where friends, neighbors, and even the mailman, started noticing how beautiful it was that I thought there had to be a business here!

Working to Make It Better So it was my love of my backyard pond that motivated me to keep working on it to make it better. It was that love that resulted in me inventing the prototypes to our current filter design, which eventually revolutionized the pond industry. It was my love of ponds that got me inspired to build them for others after people saw my first one and heard me talk about it. My love of ponds got me motivated to take Aquascape in a whole new direction of selling products to others so they too could create water features for their customers. When I began as a hobbyist, 80 percent of everything I read about the water gardening hobby was false, incorrect, or misleading. That’s right.

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photo by Matt Stout

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

Greg’s passion for ponds helped drive the success and mold Aquascape into what it is now. This is Greg’s current backyard pond.

D E S I G N S

When I picked up a book or grabbed a magazine and read what some journalist wrote about ponds, I cringed with pain because they just didn’t “get it.” It’s hard to write about a pond unless you have a pond, and it’s even harder to love something you yourself don’t have.

How Not to Work a Day in Your Life

By that definition, Terrell Owens would be anything but a success. As I write this, Terrell Owens, one of the most gifted wide receivers in the NFL, if not the most gifted, was just released by the Philadelphia Eagles for conduct detrimental to the team. The key word in that last sentence is “team.” Terrell had more speed, more power, and more raw athletic ability than anyone else. In other words, he had the ingredients to succeed in the NFL, yet the Eagles still threw him off their team. And when I read about the reasons he’s not with the team anymore, I think about some of the talented players who were on my team before and the parallels are scary! One common theme I see written by numerous sports writers in trying to come up with a rationale for Terrell’s childish antics that got him bounced from the league is that Terrell is simply too much in love with Terrell. If you remember back to the opening paragraph of this article, I said you have to love yourself to succeed. So who’s right about the subject of loving yourself – the sport’s writers or The Pond Guy™? Well I guess the answer to that question depends on how you define loving yourself. I couldn’t disagree more with the sports writers that say Terrell Owens’ problems are the result of him loving himself too much because, as I see it, Terrell doesn’t love himself enough! His behavior and antics on the surface may appear that he’s full of himself, but anyone who understands Psychology 101 understands that his actions are a symptom of his emptiness inside. Do you disagree?

CHAPTER 2 |

As a pond guy, make that The Pond Guy™, I could write intelligently about ponds because I had one, and loving it made it only that much more motivating to do. I wanted the world to know what I knew, and in April of 1995 I mailed out 26,000 catalogs with my information and products, and the rest is history. Speaking of history, there is only one current employee who was here in April of 1995. Ed Beaulieu, our Vice President of Field Research, has worked here longer than anyone else. Ironically Ed’s favorite quote is, “If you find something you love to do, you’ll never have to work another day in your life!” Are you starting to see a theme here? If you want to truly excel at anything, you’ve got to love it to your core. Some might argue that it’s possible to succeed without loving what you do. After all, someone might have exceptional talents and gifts that allow them to “go through the motions” and still be better than others less blessed. I guess in some people’s book those results would qualify as success … but not in mine. You see, defining success is a subjective process, and in my eyes, being successful is not about being better than someone else, but rather being the best you can possibly be.

You Gotta Love Yourself!

THE POND GUY’S™ INTRODUCTION |

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D E S I G N S

The Point?

| CHAPTER 2

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

veteran, was our captain. Between the two of them, our rag-tag bunch of characters jelled as a team That was a long example to illustrate a simple and won the state title over perennial powerhouse point. It’s not succeeding against others that’s the Mount Carmel, the sixth-ranked team in the natrue measurement of success, but rather succeeding tion, by 20 points! against yourself. If you don’t love yourself, you can We finished with a record of 12-1 and felt be the most successful wide receiver (or whatever) like kings of the world! It was an amazing exand still be unfulfilled and ultimately unsuccessful. perience and a true testament to the power of I’d like to offer a definition of success that leadership, shared goals, and playing for each motivates me and is at the heart of what makes other. The next year, with 17 returning letterAquascape, Aquascape. The greatest satisfaction man and a future Division I quarterback whose in life comes from helping someone else reach his dad moved him into the school district to play or her fullest potential. Think about that for a for coach Rex, we were loaded for moment. You’re defining success my senior year and ranked first in not by what someone else does, but “I don’t believe the state. Everyone felt this team what you do in helping someone we can help our was even more talented then the else reach their fullest potential. That to me is a good way to decustomers succeed 12–1 team the year before! fine success. I am a firm believer unless we help It All Fell Apart that if you help enough people get each other succeed Then the wheels fell off the bus! what they want, you’ll get what In the off-season, two of our team’s you want. By focusing your efhere first.” three captains, including the muchforts on others and helping them, heralded transfer QB, were caught you ultimately help yourself. Since drinking in the park. Everyone signs an athletic Aquascape’s first goal as a business is to help our code of conduct, and drinking alcohol while playcustomers succeed, we succeed by default. And ing varsity sports means an automatic removal from that’s why I’m writing this piece for you. the team. Coach Rex was a stickler for the rules and I don’t believe we can help our customers sucall three players, including the two captains, were ceed unless we help each other succeed here first. kicked off the team. This ain’t rocket science, but it might as well be If the story stopped there, the team might since I don’t see many corporations, or even inhave had a chance. But alas, in litigation-happy dividuals, who embrace this spirit like we do. It America, it didn’t stop there. The parents of the all stems from helping one another. If that isn’t players who were kicked off the team hired a the definition of team, then I don’t know what is! lawyer and sued the school to have Coach Rex’s And if we’re going to talk team, I’d be amiss if I decision thrown out – I’m sure, sighting some didn’t talk about the first time I ever understood constitutional rights or the like. Coach didn’t the power of being part of a winning team. waiver, however, and held his ground despite the The Meaning of Team immense pressure by the local papers and others If you want to understand why Aquascape is who wanted to see another State Championship, the way it is, you have to go back to 1986 and the regardless of the moral price doing so would repWheaton North High School football team. I was resent. The unrelenting pressure eventually got given a gift my junior year of high school that evthe best of Coach, sending him to the hospital eryone should be lucky enough to experience in with a heart attack. their life. I was a proud member of the Class 5A Now in the hospital and the unrelenting pressure, Fighting Falcons football team. Not a star, but rathCoach gave in, not to protect himself, but mostly er a role player and, most importantly, a teammate for his wife who was home alone to handle the late on a winning team with a winning attitude. Little night phone calls of those opposed to keeping the did I know that what I’d experience that year, and star players benched. A compromise was reached learn the next year, would profoundly impact me, and all those players were declared eligible again my company, and maybe even you, later in life. after only a two-game suspension; but by then the Our coach was Jim Rexillus, Coach Rex for short. damage was done. Without Coach on the sideline He was a 50-something former Marine, and our for the first four games, the on-field leadership of Kent Graham, and a team torn by inner strife, we leader off the field. On the field, Kent Graham, an All-American quarterback and future 10-year NFL ended up finishing the season 5-4.

| THE POND GUY ’S™ INTRODUCTION

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S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

The Most Valuable Lesson

D E S I G N S

rocks from time to time. After all, when you find something you love to do, you never have to work From a 12-1 record State Champs to 5-4, and another day in your life! Ed’s living that dream and missing the playoffs with a more talented team. so is Brian, Jeff, and Ben, and so on. When your From the highlight of my life my junior year, to greatest satisfaction in life comes from helping oththe low point, a mere 12 months later! To this ers reach their fullest potential, no day I credit that terrific junior year, amount of money could replace the followed by that mind-numbing se“I’d be honored joy I feel in seeing that. nior year, of teaching me the most valuable lesson of my life. It’s not to welcome you the most talented team that brings My Question to You into this family My question to you then is this; home the championship; it’s the one as well, provided do you want to be part of this famithat plays together as a team! you love this com- ly? Are you willing to love it as those There’s no doubt in my mind, who have succeeded before you have that without my experience in pany fully. For it? If so, are you willing to get high school – the high and the that I can promise loved not only the best from yourself, but low – Aquascape would not be the you this – I will the others you work with as well? team it is today! Every time I see If your answer to those questions the attitudes and moral dilemmas work, this team is yes, yes, and yes again, then welcausing strife inside Aquascape, will work, and come aboard! the management team and I put this family will I’ll guarantee you this … you’ll on a full-court press to eliminate them before they derail this train! work, to help you only get back what you put in. You, and you alone, will now determine As long as my heart can take it, you reach your fullest how high you go or where you stay. can take it to the bank; that that’s potential.” And when the inevitable happens, one thing that isn’t going to change and the pressures of life and your job on my watch. weigh you down, know this … you So yes, Aquascape is a labor of are not alone! Aquascape is a team and a family, love for me and the other successful Aquascape and your success is our success. So seek out a hand, teammates. I’d be honored to welcome you into an ear, or a shoulder and get the help we all need this family as well, provided you love this comfrom time to time. If you truly love this team and pany fully. For that I can promise you this – I love yourself, this won’t be a challenge, but instead a will work, this team will work, and this family huge factor in your success or failure, and even that will work, to help you reach your fullest potential. of Aquascape in general. That also means you aren’t going to be able to So along those lines, my door is always open. coast here! Whether I can be the ear or the shoulder or the It Ain’t Always Easy hand, it doesn’t matter as long as you know I’m Nothing that’s worth having comes easy. If it here, we’re here, when you need us. My home phone did, it wouldn’t be worth having, would it? That’s number is 630-762-1642 and my door is always why I never play the lottery. If someone gave me a open when you sense a spirit creeping in like I dehundred million dollars free and clear to walk away scribed my senior year playing football. from this business, I’d hand it back with a smile and That’s what I ask, and I believe what I dea “no thanks!” serve, as the Coach of this team. Good luck, and Success isn’t about making more money. Success remember that success is a journey, not a destinais about helping others and, in turn, prospering. tion. Let’s keep encouraging each other to climb Family is about relationships. Aquascape is a that road. family, and that’s why I wouldn’t sell it for money either. How can I put a price tag on my relationCarpe Diem, ship with Ed Beaulieu … a man who started here making nine bucks an hour digging holes and slinging rocks? The Pond Guy™ Today, he makes six figures, is our VP of Field Research, is heralded as a guru to pond builders everywhere and, oh yeah, he still digs holes and slings

CHAPTER 2 |

THE POND GUY’S™ INTRODUCTION |

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C H A P T E R

outsider looking in

| CHAPTER 3

S U C C E E D I N G

A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

outsider by Steve Stroupe

looking in

The Totally Unique Aquascape Corporate Culture Or…What the Employment Agency Forgot to Tell You

he first inkling one gets that Aquascape is not a typical corporation is by driving up to the front entrance on Aqualand Way and seeing this huge green frog with a lascivious red tongue, perched high atop the building. After traversing a bridge across an enormous pond in front of the building, one parks their car under the covered roof, which is blanketed with prairie grass and native flowers. Upon entering the building, one then crosses over a glass-topped pond, complete with koi swimming underfoot. Not your typical corporate lobby!

Passion, Earnestness, and Perseverence I’ve been associated with Aquascape Designs and its colorful and charismatic CEO, Greg Wittstock, for the better part of a decade. We slowly became fast friends over The thing that time, after repeatedly arguing over immediately the telephone regarding his [then] unique approach to garden pond draws one’s atconstruction techniques. Ultimately, tention to Greg he prevailed because of his passion, Wittstock is the earnestness, and perseverance … and incredible passion in the final analysis, he turned out to hold a correct position as well. and energy that The thing that immediately draws emanates from one’s attention to Greg Wittstock, this unbelieveable is the incredible passion and energy that emanates from this unbelievably individual. dynamic individual. This palpable

energy is directly responsible for a young Ohio State graduate of modest means turning his pickup-truck-and-shovel landscaping business into a $60,000,000 corporation in just over a decade. First encounters with Mr. Wittstock can often be misleading. His intense energy and drive can be quite intimidating to those unfamiliar with the total person and, at times, he can be … well … even scary … like standing outside under a tall tree

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The employees at Aquascape showcase their creativity by dressing up for Halloween each year.

D E S I G N S

in a summer electrical storm, scary. His softer side is often overshadowed by his intensely focused passion and driven personality. He’s also one of the most gracious, kind-hearted (even sappy at times), and generous men I’ve ever met, who genuinely cares about people.

It’s the Culture, Baby!

Not a Place for Slackers As to be expected with a company which has traveled so far so fast, the pace here is quite demanding. It is not a place for slackers. This environment will inspire and drive individuals to previously undreamtof heights in the arenas of personal achievement and creative output.

One Big, Happy Family Most corporations that view and portray themselves as a “family” appear to have modeled themselves more after an organized crime unit of the same name, rather than the close-knit group of blood-related members we usually think of as “family.” Not so with Aquascape Designs … it’s probably as close as a business entity can get to a “real” family.

CHAPTER 3 |

It is impossible to fully comprehend the corporate culture at Aquascape Designs without understanding the man who built the company, whose ethos, energy, personality, and genuine love for people, are mirrored in the structure and operation of Aquascape Designs, Inc. A lot of what constitutes the unique corporate culture at Aquascape is intangible in nature and can be difficult to quantify at times … perhaps like the wind, it’s better measured by its effects. I never cease to be amazed at the quality of people Greg manages to acquire to run his company. I feel exceedingly fortunate to count a number of them as good friends too. At Aquascape Designs, there exists an amazing diversity of some of the brightest, most talented, motivated, and unusual people ever assembled under a single roof. This is one of the first things visitors usually comment on after they’ve had a chance to look around and visit randomly with some of the employees. The employees are what make Aquascape a truly great company, and not surprisingly, the results bear this out. Aquascape is the singularly most influential and successful company in the North American water gardening industry, and has positively impacted this industry more than any dozen of its competitors combined.

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While a company of this size is compelled by necessity to employ seasoned professionals to fill positions such as General Manager, Controller, CFO, and IT Manager, a surprisingly large number of employees in key positions are not professionally trained to fill the positions they now hold, but rather grew into their job descriptions as needed, or as the direction that their latent talents indicated along the way. Ed Beaulieu, VP of Field Research, and now considered one of the most talented pond builders in our entire industry, is a degreed zoologist. Greg Wittstock has a degree from Ohio State in Interpersonal Communications (I am not making this up).

Roberto Cosme is a former shoe salesman who now efficiently manages the warehousing and shipping operation for Aquascape. His incredible prowess as an utterly ruthless negotiator is legend, and the mere invocation of his name is good for an additional 15% discount…on anything at all. Tavia Tawney, who has a BA in Social Work, just shattered the glass ceiling in the previously male-dominated world of Technical Support. Real women apparently do use power tools.

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Jeff Payton has a BS in Horticulture, is the Executive Vice President of Business Development, and is effectively the No. 3 man in the company. There are many humorous anecdotes that could be recounted about Jeff, but unfortunately, none of them are printable.

One of the things that differentiates a family unit from a corporation is that a corporation is completely profit-driven, and any “altruism” is usually driven by the bottom line rather than any genuine concern for its customers, or those in its employ. While Aquascape is readily subject to the same fiscal realities as any other for-profit corporation, it genuinely cares about its people with little regard of where this care happens to fall in the corporate balance sheet, and has demonstrated this countless times for those employees in need. If a tragedy befalls an employee in an average company, the normal procedure is for a few sympathetic friends and co-workers to take up a collection on their own and try to help out the best they can. Rarely do the top management echelons involve themselves in the travails or troubles of hourly workers. Not so at Aquascape Designs. The usual procedure at Aquascape is for top management to simultaneously initiate a relief effort with the willing participation of a majority of the company’s employees, with the final result being a meaningful gesture that reflects the participation and concern of the entire corporate family. And this financial largesse isn’t just limited to Aquascape employees either. Aquascape has been instrumental in assisting their customers in need, and has contributed generously and unselfishly on a national level whenever their fellow citizens have been stricken with disasters.

All the Extras… One of the other things that’s evident about the way Aquascape feels about its employees is the genuine concern for the physical health and fitness of everyone that works there. To this end, a fully equipped weight room has been provided for everyone’s use, as well as an upstairs sport court. Extracurricular physical activities, fitness contests, and challenges galore are also encouraged and sponsored, and healthy lifestyle suggestions and commentary usually surface in some form or another in the weekly company newsletter, The Froggy Chronicles. The Froggy Chronicles are a weekly collection of opinion, news, humor, reports, challenges, and general slapstick silliness, which purports to be the official company newsletter, under the able helmsmanship of Brett Finnell. This newsletter is the envy of every other corporation that sees it, and is probably the most tangible representative icon of the Aquascape culture.

Work Hard, Play Harder But above all, Aquascape Designs is a “fun” company. This is a direct effect of Greg’s charm-

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Aquascape and Greg Wittstock were featured in this November 2002 issue of Inc. Magazine.

~Disclaimer: The information and opinion expressed herein are solely those of Mr. Stroupe, and do not reflect the position, core values, or philosophy of Aquascape Designs, Inc., its Officers, Principals, Pond Mom, or its Human Resources Department.

Aquascape’s friend and industry ally, as well as Greg’s confidant and advisor, all-knowing Steve Stroupe has been involved in various areas of the water gardening industry for more years than seem possible for someone with such a youthful sense of humor. He previously owned and operated Davis Creek Nursery, and is currently our sales rep for Americo Manufacturing (filter mat material). He is a frequent contributor to Aquascape Designs’ publications and has co-authored, along with Helen Nash, “Plants for Water Gardens.” Steve lives in rural Alabama with his three children and nine cats but enjoys any excuse to visit us, except when it’s cold.

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The fun quotient, coupled with everything else which makes this company completely unique, all comes together in an incredible annual industry phenomenon known as “Pondemonium.™” While technically Pondemonium™ is considered a weeklong block of instruction, classes, networking, and fun, it is, in reality, more along the lines of a refreshing spiritual experience – perhaps even a pilgrimage of sorts – with a heavy emphasis on camaraderie, learning, and partying … uh … I mean “after-hours networking.” In the summer of 2005, over 600 Aquascape customers composed primarily of business owners, and/or key personnel, paid $1000 each, plus travel and lodging, for an entire week just to participate in this event. To help put this in perspective for those unfamiliar with our industry, the only other comparable industry event has trouble getting its 125 national participants to pay $250 and stay for two days. The Aquascape culture is highly contagious, as any of the Pondemonium™ participants who’ve been coming for years will tell you. The energy, excitement, and dynamism which is the trademark of this singular event, stands unparalleled in the water gardening industry. And this cultural phenomenon hasn’t just been noticed within the Lawn and Garden Industry either – Aquascape Designs, and Greg Wittstock were featured on the cover, and in a nine-page article in the November 2002 issue of the prestigious Inc. Magazine,

D E S I G N S

What’s This Pondemonium™ Thing?

and Greg was just voted Best Boss by the FORTUNE Small Business Magazine in a national competition where he edged out hundreds of other contestants. From the illustrious and controversial leadership of Greg Wittstock, to the ranks of ADI employees in the U.S. and Canada, Aquascape is a company reverberating with passion, energy, and creativity. The culture is unique and dynamic. Compassion and concern for fellow man is self-evident. Drive and determination to get the job done are innate to each employee under the Aquascape umbrella. Outsiders looking in are mesmerized by the magic of this phenomenal entity. We enter the doors of Aqualand only to be transformed in some way, shape, or form … it’s simply not possible to leave the hallowed halls without feeling the effects of this entrepreneurial atmosphere.

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

ing reluctance to grow up and his persistent and laudable refusal to sacrifice a dream and personal business philosophy on the dour altar of Corporate America. The unpublished antics of some of the Management Team (and others) are legend, but the recounting of even the mildest episodes would cause immediate censure by the already exasperated HR Department, which prevents their inclusion here. This bunch works hard and plays even harder. Upon visiting Aquascape, it sometimes resembles a meeting set on the movie Wall Street, but more often than not, it’s more reminiscent of Animal House. The company’s penchant for creative and dynamic excellence is surpassed only by its renowned ability to rock and roll, and have an incredibly good time together. Like any other organization, Aquascape Designs has its “not so much fun” moments, and my perspective is that of an outsider, but having said this, it’s still the most extraordinary working environ in our entire industry, if not the State of Illinois.

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C H A P T E R

history of Aquascape

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S U C C E E D I N G

A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

history of by Greg Wittstock

Aquascape

hief Visionary Officer would sum up my role. My most important responsibility is to work on the business, not in the business. Too many owners get caught in the trap of doing everything themselves because they don’t trust anyone else to do it. I not only trust my fellow team members; I believe all of them are better suited for their jobs than I am. I love to delegate and watch others rise to the top and succeed. This is the exact opposite of the way most owners act. If you work here, you are not a pawn going through the motions that I dictate. You need to produce, overcome hurdles, and constantly grow and improve to succeed at Aquascape.

There are some people who are unable to handle this sort of work environment. For those who can’t, there is a cubicle in a large, faceless corporation waiting for them. There they can hide and get lost in the forest. Not here. Everyone has an impact and is expected to help the company make money. With our “pedal to the metal” attitude, there will be a lot of stress associated with people’s jobs around here. If you don’t have stress, you don’t grow. The satisfaction that comes from seeing the results of your efforts makes the ride and effort well worth it. As they say, if a good body came in a pill, everyone would have one. If you’re not lifting heavier and heavier weights, you are not

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In 1982, I was very upset about leaving my home in New Jersey to move to Wheaton. To ease my pain, my parents let me haul 11 of my favorite pet turtles. (Left: Here I am with my favorite turtle, Sampson.) The second day I was there, I started digging a hole in the backyard to build a pond to hold them. My mom, having never seen a pond, made me fill it in and move it to a different area of the yard. Eventually all the turtles escaped!

growing. Only when we all stretch ourselves, does our business grow the way it should.

Helping Our Customers Succeed

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Specifically, my role is to understand the water gardening industry better than anyone else. This will allow me to guide Aquascape’s direction and keep it ahead of the field. I think the success of Aquascape Their Success Is Our Success is reflected in our Keep it Simple Stupid (K.I.S.S.) approach. We don’t make things more complicated Most companies evaluate carrying an item based than they have to be. Everyone should base decion the demand that’s out there and the profit they sions on our company’s mission statement. Our first can make selling it. I’d rather create our own degoal as a business is helping our cusmand, and price our products in a tomers succeed at building, selling, way that allows our customers to Our first goal and retailing water features. With turn a profit. If we sell them an item this principle as our guiding light, for more money than we should, or as a business intelligent decisions can be made. one they don’t need, they will not be is helping our Most companies’ first goal is to as successful. Period. Their success is customers succeed our success, and the better job we do make money. If that were our first at building, goal, we would be like everyone at helping them succeed, the more else. The typical corporate policy we will succeed in the long run too! selling, and most companies operate by is to I truly want Aquascape to always retailing water supply customers with what they have the best interests of the cusfeatures. demand. Bull! Our customers do tomer in mind. If I can instill that not have the experience building value system in everyone, the direcponds that we do, and if we gave tion of the company will be set, and them what they asked for, we would be doing decisions will be easier to reach. Since the vision them a disservice. We need to steer them in of the company is directly related to our marketing the right direction to help them succeed. They and promotional efforts, I will always be involved in look to us for advice. If we don’t use a product this area of the business. By keeping our vision and ourselves, you don’t need it and we won’t sell focus simple and clear and making sure everyone is it. Period. executing by our principles, I will be doing my job.

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Company & Personal History 1970

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The Pond Guy™ is born in Somerset, New Jersey.

1975 Living in Ashtabula, Ohio. I am constantly exploring swamps, ponds, and creeks behind my house. One day, I noticed hundreds of goldfish gasping for air in a shallow puddle that was drying up in a manmade concrete reservoir. I organized a rescue party of parents, friends, and a cousin, and netted out all the fish. We loaded them into buckets and moved them a half-mile away to a lake. My connection with colorful pond fish was hence made.

1976-81 Moved to a kid’s wonderland – a remote resort community called Medford Lakes, New Jersey, with 26 beaches and 1,200 residences – water was everywhere! Besides sports (I hadn’t discovered the opposite sex), my entire life consisted of catching turtles, frogs, and fish – in that order! My backyard was filled with holding tanks for my critters.

1983 The concrete cracked in the winter. I filled cracks and experimented with filters.

1984 Concrete cracked, filled cracks, added concrete perimeter to make pond deeper. Experimented with filters. Got into a bike accident and received 150 stitches in the face – still decent looking though.

1985 Filled cracks again. Added bog garden. Experimented with filters.

1986 Added liner over concrete to prevent cracks. Experimented with filters. Defining moment in life came from winning the state championship in football.

1987-89 Minor additions and modifications. Continued experimenting with filters. Learned about garbage can skimmer and gravel on the bottom from an article in Home Handyman Magazine.

1982

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I was very upset about leaving my home in New Jersey to move to Wheaton, Illinois. I was shocked that there weren’t any log cabin homes in my new city! To ease my pain, my parents let me haul 11 of my favorite pet “My mom asked turtles (in the bottom drawer of the brilliant the freezer) with me. The second day I was there, I started digging question of why a hole in the backyard to build the waterfall a pond to hold them. My mom, was not facing having never seen a pond, made me fill it in and move it to a difthe house!” ferent area of the yard! My dad and I went to downtown Chicago and collected rebar rod from construction sites. Next, we picked up concrete at the local home center and began to pour it into the excavated pond and over the rebar rod. The gravel that was in the mix settled, and we had 12 inches of concrete in the middle, and one inch on all the sides! It was now mid-May, and with a wall of flagstones around the pond’s edge, I let my pet turtles go free! They instantly escaped! Oh well, at least the pond was cool. I rounded up the turtles and set up a kiddie pool in my bedroom. A month later, our cat knocked over the filter and the pool drained into the living room downstairs! Out went the turtles to the local ponds.

The idea for the name and strategy for Aquascape Designs came during a 40-minute car ride home from work.

1990 My mom said she couldn’t see the waterfalls when she was doing the dishes. She asked the brilliant question of why the waterfall was not facing the house! A huge retaining wall was built to compensate for the slope, and the waterfall was directed toward the house (all this so she could do dishes in peace). The old concrete base was jackhammered off around the edges and a new liner was added. The final rebuild turned out awesome, and is the predecessor for today’s designs. During my 40-minute commute home from Linde Gases (my only summer job not at a pool), I was at a stoplight contemplating why I was not happy working 8 to 4:30 with a 30-minute lunch. I thought a lot about what I could do – and do well

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1991 I came back from school and started building ponds through classified ads and dropping off business cards at rock yards. I built five ponds my first year.

1992

The first Saturday after the article, I sold $48,000 in ponds! I quickly became booked up for the season. I had to spend my days building ponds, and my nights making garbage can skimmers and assembling products for projects. My dad sold lots of ponds, just for less money than I would (I was a born salesman). With so many jobs and so little time, I had to find ways to be more efficient. Thus, having everything on site before I began construction and putting the pipe down prior to excavation was born. I had built 17 ponds before the article appeared. From that article, 82 ponds were sold, half of which I built that year.

1993 I came back in March and got my crew going, building a backlog of ponds sold the previous year. Having only received a $100 deposit, many of the jobs sold the previous year never materialized. Still, there were many jobs to do. I worked for two months with my now fairly well-trained crew and my foreman, a former high school classmate who had been building ponds with me since the article in August. I returned to Ohio State and set up an internship program with the Landscape Architecture school. I had four interns working for me in Columbus, building ponds and receiving five credit hours from the school, while only costing me $500 each for three months of labor. It was a great gig! Joe Karlich was my roommate and chief pizza delivery boy. I think I paid him a couple of bucks an hour, and he paid bills and occasionally dug a pond or two with his scrawny arms. That fall, after having built a dozen ponds in Columbus, I returned home after finishing my degree. It took me six years to get through college, but even

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Again, I came home early from school in March and began building ponds. I had sold 17 ponds when I received a call from a freelance writer from the Chicago Tribune. Back in 1991, I had mailed a letter, a business card, and some photographs of my pond to the gardening editor of the Chicago Tribune. One year later, the writer found my business card and thought it was intriguing. She wrote a story for the Tempo section, and the rest is history. The phone rang, and rang, and rang. Hundreds of calls for ponds.

D E S I G N S

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; while having fun. In about 30 seconds I was determined to start a pond business. Now, all I needed was a name. Another 30 seconds went by and Aquascape Designs popped into my head. In one minute, my destiny was decided upon, and even had a name! My lunchtime was now spent researching pricing for ponds, and how landscapers would approach selling them. They all wanted to build them out of concrete (I silently chuckled), and charge around $5000 to build them. By pretending I was a shopper, I gained the confidence I needed to start my own business. I made the presentation to my mom first, knowing that she would support my decision. I was sweating bullets when I described my plan to my dad, but he was intrigued and thought I should do it. (If I only knew then what I know now.)

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with all the reasons in the world not to finish school, I never seriously thought of not graduating. My mom was beaming as I received my degree in Interpersonal Communication. To this day, I believe I picked the perfect college major while I was still a senior in high school. It did take me about two minutes, however, to decide what I should major in. In college, I was in a fraternity and I think I was the only guy who never drank a beer, and loved hell week as a pledge! For some reason, people thought getting buried in a coffin wasn’t fun. College taught me more about life than studying did, and I realized No one told us a bunch of kids couldn’t run a business! for the first time how unmotivated and lazy people could be. Knowing that once summer ended, I had to return to Chicago to handle the booming business, I began exploring my options with what I had ing this message for about two months, I finally started in Columbus. called. The voice on the other line said, “Ed is I met with a friend of my mother’s, who was a on vacation in the Bahamas, but he said that if partner at Andersen Consulting, and we went over you called, he would call you back immediately.” Aquascape’s strengths. Knowledge, knowledge, What the @#$%?? This guy is serious, I thought. knowledge kept coming up. The knowledge I had “Don’t disturb his vacation, I promise I’ll see him gained building ponds was our strength. What I when he gets home,” I said. learned hadn’t come from a book. I wrote the book! One hour later, Ed called from the Bahamas. The products Aquascape had were developed in the He had a college degree in biology, had attended field, not in the laboratory. The system I had created school to get his masters in Marine Biology, and was designed not only to filter water like everyone lived an hour away from work. He came out, interelse’s, but more importantly, it was designed to help viewed, and was hired for the most money anyone me build beautiful and natural water had ever been paid at Aquascape features quickly and efficiently. – $9 an hour! I was sure he’d last “The knowledge Since I had all this proprietary inno more than a few weeks. formation and a successful working Today, Ed Beaulieu and Brian I had gained model of systems and procedures in Helfrich, who started soon after building ponds running a water feature construction Ed, are Aquascape’s two longestwas our strength. standing employees, and the business, it seemed like a natural fit to What I learned franchise Aquascape to others! backbone of our construction diviA franchise lawyer was hired, I hadn’t come from sion. I taught them all I knew in an sent out a press release, and ended up area that was near and dear to my a book. I wrote with three strong candidates to purheart. Today they teach me, having the book!” chase the first franchise in Columbus. surpassed the number of ponds I I decided on a landscaper who had a installed in the early years. Somesuccessful business generating $1.3 day when I succeed in my dream of million in sales. The price of $20,000 seemed high to changing the way the world builds ponds, I will him, and we negotiated to $15,000. We spent the next rejoin them in the trenches, digging and learning six months ironing out details of the legal wording of and having a blast doing it! the franchise. We argued, disagreed, and fought over sentences (and even words) in a binder an inch thick 1994 with pages. The deal fell through. Spring of this year hit, leaving me frustrated I was also being bothered by a persistent guy and mad that all of my efforts in franchising from Orland Park who wanted a job. Every week, proved futile. My three months of hard work getI’d come home late at night from a day spent ting our Columbus branch operational were lost. building ponds, and see on my dartboard going I let the business in Columbus dry up, as now I into my bedroom (my living room was where had no energy or time to sell it as a franchise to the secretary worked) another message to please anyone else. I was upset, but we were swamped call Ed Beaulieu about a foreman job. After seewith work in Chicago. I made the correct deci-

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I dealt with vendors, worked on marketing, and sion to concentrate my efforts in Chicago, and continued selling ponds for construction. We not try to run the show in two cities. However, mailed 36,000 two-color, 24-page catalogs. Our I realized early on that I could only do so much, sales rocketed to $1,600,000 from catalogs, and working with my own two hands. $2 million overall! I remembered that when the deal fell through, Josie Caldwell was working in customer the guy who I met from Andersen repeatedly told service, and Dave Kelly, a guy I remembered me something good will come from this. I could because of his Coke-bottle glasses from junior not imagine what that could be, but his deduction high, started shipping boxes in the back. I recouldn’t prove to be more true. If I couldn’t keep all member the day we sold three skimmers and the information to myself with a franchise because BIOFALLS ® filters to a single customer! That of all the problems, then why not do the exact opposite? I’ll give away all of my knowledge! I’ll teach was awesome, I thought. people what I know, and then use newsletters to Chris Wilson worked in shipping with Dave, educate and sell product to landscapers. and spent more time flirting with the secretary Landscapers had subcontracted me to do work than working. He caused me so many problems for them and were fascinated by that Brian said he would never what I did. I’ll just teach them all recommend anyone to work for We don’t give up us again. Brian himself continuthrough a newsletter, then sell the product I taught them how to use. ously tested my patience, too. If when the odds The two remaining parts of the it weren’t for my strong manaseem impossible. business were formed. The newsgerial skills and even-tempered We fight, we do letter idea became a catalog and demeanor, these kids wouldn’t videos, while literature and semihave made it! Okay, that might be what it takes to nars evolved into the training and a joke, but I take much pride in succeed, and we education division. The construcseeing the 180-degree improvepersevere! tion division was now the Research ment that both of these kids have and Development Department, made at Aquascape, and in their fueling the other two divisions of lives as well. Jim Moreno, a high wholesale supply, and training and education! school senior entering college, worked shipping boxes that summer. The growth was fast 1995 and furious. 26,000 catalogs mailed in mid-April. The cata1997 log business was born. We acquired $186,000 in catalog sales that year (just over four years later We moved into an absolutely huge 6,500 square foot building. We were big-time now. I did my we topped that year-long amount in one day!) At the time, this was icing on the cake since the second seminar tour of 43 cities this year, after doing 19 the year before. We mailed only 12,000 catalogs, construction division easily surpassed this. However, all we had to do was rent 26,000 names from a 36-page, 2-color version. I brilliantly decided we Dunn & Bradstreet (they had a list of 65,000 should only send catalogs to buyers and requesters, which, at the time, I believed were all that was since it cost too much to mail more! out there), hire a redheaded kid named Brian to The huge strain this year was the worsening situship packages, and have a secretary answer the ation of buying out my father and partner, Gary. I had split my shares in half with my father in 1993 as phone. We simply ordered more product from our same vendors, took the order, packaged it up, my business grew, and his one-year old engineering and shipped it out a week later! business was struggling. If I had only known then what I know now! Since this is not the National Enquirer or the 1996 The defining year for me. I left construction Jerry Springer show, I’m going to take a pass on and moved into the entranceway of our 1800 writing many pages of details and dirty laundry. In square foot building. I had worked my way out the end though, I bought Gary out and I do want to of a construction job and into an office, albeit say that the hard times we experienced, and the nua tight one. Helping customers on the phone, I merous hurdles we jumped (and kept on jumping), became the first technical assistance person (I especially in 1997, has helped to define the heart was so patient with all of their dumb questions). and soul of this business.

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We don’t give up when the odds seem impossible. We fight, we do what it takes to succeed, and we persevere! Ben Cruz and Mark Williams joined our team this year. Ben, hired as an accountant, proved his merit and has become Aquascape’s pastor and guidance counselor, and now Director of Human Resources. Mark was hired to clean ponds, but never cleaned one as his UPS background fit perfectly into shipping boxes. He later filled Joe’s position as warehouse supervisor. With $4.1 million in sales, the growth continued and we handled it, despite all of the soap opera events of the previous year.

1998

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Winter was a struggle with Ben unable to generate cash in our expansion-strapped business. Our bank gave us only a $250,000 line of credit after promising $500,000. Having defined our character the year before, our vendors let us ride to 120 days for payables. Ben’s prayers did get answered, and Aquascape’s company grit got us to spring. Jeff Payton, who was working in technical service, saw a need in customer service and stepped up to the plate. I discovered and hired O’Keefe Henry Direct as our marketing company. They convinced me to mail a smaller 16-page catalog and increase our circulation to 800,000. I trusted them. We rented lots of names, mailed lots of catalogs, and entered our current level of catalog distribution. Sometimes you have to let others who know more than you tell you what you should do. I’ve never claimed to know it all, and to this day, we are the only pond catalog company devoted to the wholesale trade that mails out more than

one catalog. By not being headstrong, we allowed outside help to dramatically revolutionize the way we marketed our products. Years later, no one else in the industry is following our example and mailing multiple catalogs. Even after proving we’ve got the best way of doing things, others refuse to understand, take the risks, or even copy our example. Some people will always believe in re-inventing the wheel. If 1997 was a soap opera for the ownership, 1998 was a soap opera for the employees. The saying, “A few bad apples can ruin the whole bunch,” was certainly true around here. Selfishness, backstabbing, complaining, and animosity towards my leadership created a negative atmosphere dampening the fun of our growth. One manager was bold enough to tell me that Aquascape did not have a good coach, making a joke out of my many references to the success of my state championship football team. Slowly, the bad apples left for greener pastures (the grass is always greener on the other side) or were fired. This experience taught me a valuable lesson – you can never please all the people all of the time, and you should get rid of bad apples before they spoil the bunch. Their negativity caused me to do much soul searching, and I believe I’m a stronger owner today because of these trials and tribulations. One manager’s exit report nonetheless stated that I’d be better at managing animals than people, and because of my personality, I would never be successful. As a coach that year, I once again watched my team double our sales to $8.1 million, and our first truly profitable year in business. The Great Seminar Tour began. I wanted a challenge, and a 57-city tour in three months seemed challenging enough. I promised my fiancée, Carla, that this would be my last great seminar tour. I wonder who will replace me and up my record to 60 cities? (I wouldn’t have guessed who.) I cursed out loud, and inside I loved every minute. I knew what these seminars would do for our customers and our business. So far, so good.

1999 Inc. Magazine honors us by recognizing Aquascape Designs as the 116th fastest growing, privately held company in America! Our modest goal of $13 million will be blown away as we are on pace to double our sales again to $16 million. I’ll be an even prouder coach if this happens. I’m not managing any animals here, and I’d say we are doing a pretty good job of overcoming all the hurdles and making our own success. As they say, you can’t please all the people all of the time.

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Ahhh, the little things we use to motivate ourselves to improve in the constant struggle to be the best. The triathlon is one more barometer and a hurdle that lurks ahead.

2000 With a five-year growth rate of 2,221%, we crack the top 100, landing at 91 on the Inc. 500 list. Our goal was to be in the top 100, and through our blood and our customers’ sweat, we made it.

2001 Number 230 on the Inc. list. Hey, it’s still good! We move into a 103,000 square foot palace we designed and had built for one purpose – to ship water garden kits fast, efficiently, and with great customer service. Our company has grown to 80 unique individuals with an average age of 30. We’re humming, and most importantly of all, having fun.

2002 Dealers (now referred to as distributors). Just like in 1995, when we debuted the mail order business, our company is changing again. Our focus has been to provide the best products, at the best value, with the best service. One problem–we are in Chicago and most of our customers are not. Local distributors will change that. They become the Aquascape Designs in our customers’ areas, providing them with knowledgeable local support. Distributors are our future. They’ll have the same products, same prices, and faster delivery.

2003

My dream of a work place utopia has come true!

2004 We made the commitment to Aqualand, and began the process of building my dream of a workplace utopia. Absolutely unbelievable!

2005 We finally figured out how to change the way the world retails ponds with a program called Water Garden Excellence, which we introduced to the world in July at Pondemonium™. The response was so immediate that we held our first training seminars in September at the Q Center in St. Charles, and again the reaction was so positive that I know down deep in my heart of hearts that this program will double the size of Aquascape within the next couple years. Oh and one other small matter. My dream of a workplace utopia came true when we moved into AQUALAND in late December. Yahooo!

2006 …and beyond…The Aquascape revolution will reach everyone. Instead of a chicken in every pot, it will be a pond in every yard. I can see it, can you?

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In January, we worked our way into the retail segment of the pond market by acquiring a troubled company called Water Creations (which was immediately transformed into NurseryPro), and began trying to figure out how to change the way the world retails ponds, which took nearly 18 months of falling down and getting back up to figure it out.

In November, Inc. Magazine ran an 11-page feature story on our company, along with a picture of yours truly in my pond with my fish swimming all around. As it turned out, I was the first person ever to appear topless on the cover of Inc. Magazine.

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C H A P T E R

employee success stories

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D E S I G N S

employee by Rick Osbourne

success stories Craig “Buddy” Fugman

Craig “Buddy” Fugman has seen Aquascape Designs from a variety of different viewpoints from the warehouse, working for Ramiro and Martin, where he learned to drive a forklift, moving pallets full of boxes full of who knows what, from one place to another. He learned all about the inventorying, sorting, assembling, packing, and shipping duties that go hand-in-hand with working for a large and growing manufacturing/distribution operation. “Those things I learned in the warehouse several years ago are things that give me a more thorough understanding of our company,” Buddy said. “And they are things that still help me in the job I’m now responsible for here in Customer Service. I personally think that starting out in the warehouse has worked out to be an advantage for me,” Buddy said.

Befriending the Boss As the Aquascape world turned, The Pond Guy™ discovered one day that Buddy had some mechanical skills when it came to working on All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). With that discovery, Greg asked Buddy to become his personal ATV mechanic and, of course, Buddy was flattered and obliged the PG. Along with Buddy’s newly appointed responsibility came the opportunity to make friends with the boss, of which he took full advantage. “I found out that we talked the same language when it came to ATVs and other things too. I also discovered that The Pond Guy™ was completely human instead of

some kind of corporate monster sitting up in the front office, and we kind of hit it off.” So after spending several months in the warehouse and personally overseeing the health of Greg’s ATVs, Buddy approached the boss guy and said that he was interested in moving up in the company. “I told him that I thought the Tech Department sounded interesting, and that if he had any openings that I’d like to be considered for the job.” With that, Greg talked to Dave Kelly, learned that there was indeed an opening on the horizon

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Greg loves his All Terrain Vehicles!

D E S I G N S

in the Tech Department, and recommended Buddy, the ATV specialist. Almost instantaneously the deed was done.

His Move Into the Office

JR (Mike) Zibrun began Aquascaping in February of 2002 in an experimental job delivering product directly to the job sites of local contractors, with an eye on up-selling them additional products once he was on the premises. So in a sense, JR was originally a sales guy disguised as a truck driver, and he played the role very successfully. In other words, he delivered and sold a sufficient amount of product to cover the cost of the experiment, which pleased The Pond Guy™. JR handled this position until June of 2004 when he was lured away by a landscaping company from Wauconda who made him their Operations Manager, and promised him a bright, bright future. But promises are only promises, and the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. In other words, within about eight months JR was realizing that the fit between he and the new company was not what he’d hoped it would be, so he called Greg and asked him out for breakfast.

The Comeback Kid Short of getting down on one knee and admitting his mistake, JR explained to Greg why, in retrospect, the wide, wide world of Aquascape Designs was so much more appealing than the narrow world of the

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Buddy started in the Tech Department in the spring of 2004 and worked there for the next year and a half when he noticed that there was a supervisory opening coming up in the Customer Service Department, and he applied for the position. Karyl Braun, the Director of Customer Service, interviewed several different people for the job before deciding that Buddy, with all his technical knowledge of water gardening, his phone experience in the Tech Department, and of course, his profound knowledge of ATVs, was the man for the job. “I was ecstatic,” Buddy said. “I always love a new challenge and I thought that I could add value to the Customer Service Department. I’ve been in this new seat since July (2005) and it’s definitely been a challenge. This department is so important because it’s where customers get their first human impression of Aquascape. And that first impression is so incredibly important.” When asked what advice he would give a new employee who wants to succeed at Aquascape Designs Buddy said, “Don’t be afraid to speak up and tell someone that you’re interested in doing something new and different. It’s worked for me.”

JR (Mike) Zibrun

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local contractor and that, if given the chance, he’d love a chance to rejoin Team Aquascape. Knowing the intensity and motivation that JR brings to the table, Greg consented and hired JR back for a second tour of duty as an Outside Sales Rep. Different than a Territory Sales Manager (TSM), JR would cover only one state (Illinois) instead of multiple states.

Promotions Happen But with his usual enthusiasm and drive, JR did his job so well that he was soon promoted to TSM and he’s not only covering Illinois, but also Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan. “I spend lots of time in the car these days,” JR said, “because in my view, anything that’s within a five hour drive is not worth going to the airport for.” JR now has four salesmen working under him in these states, and confesses that he likes the car better than the delivery truck.

Succeeding Advice From JR Now having succeeded not only once, but twice at Aquascape Designs, JR is a relative expert on the subject who counsels, “Treat the company like it was your own and you’ll win at Aquascape. Look around and see what kinds of problems are in your workplace, find solutions and write up Project Initiatives on them. Greg loves employees who operate this way, and those are the things that lead to promotions.” Other sound pieces of advice from JR include, “Never miss a deadline with Greg. You’ve gotta be flexible and willing to try new things … move your cheese. A rigid person will never survive at Aquascape. Don’t be afraid to recognize a problem, but always have a solution in your back pocket. And don’t ever use the term ‘chain of command’ in Greg’s presence unless you really want to tick him off. There are no walls, and there is no chain of command at Aquascape and The Pond Guy™ wants you to know it.”

Tavia Tawney

Tavia Tawney is a Technical Agent in the Technical Department at Aquascape. She spends her days on the phone, talking with contractors and retailers who have technical questions about particular pond projects that they’re involved with. That means she advises contractors and retailers on a variety

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Tavia examines the competition!

of things, including the 20/20 pond installation system, pumps, skimmers, and BIOFALLS® filter applications, particular job bids complete with blueprints, rocks, plant and fish questions, and anything else that customers need to know when it comes to making their business bigger and better.

Look Where She Started She wasn’t always a Tech Agent. Tavia actually started out as one of Greg’s Administrative Assistants. After more than a year of being run through the mill in that position, Tavia was asked to transfer into the Customer Service Department to see how she’d do on the telephone with customers, which she handled very well for another year or so. Then the tech guys were looking for an in-house person to fill a vacancy in their department, and they thought that Tavia was the person that they’d most like to have as their new member. “It was a department that I always thought looked interesting, but never seriously considered since it was made up of guys only.” Tavia said, “I had heard that there weren’t any plans to change that in the near future, so thought my odds of ever getting a chance to work there were pretty slim.”

Becoming One of the Tech “Guys” But being the outside-the-box kinds of guys that they are, they looked outside the department and decided to approach Tavia about breaking the gender barrier in the Tech Department. A girl had never been a part of the department

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No Male Chauvinists Yet

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

before, so Tavia was going to be a novelty and an experiment - at least when she started. After several weeks of negotiations she decided to accept the offer and see what she could do in the previously all-male Tech Department.

from her new friend, drove into the parking lot at Aquascape, saw a new building with a big green frog over the top of the entrance, walked in only to be greeted by a plethora of koi swimming around in this indoor pond. She caught her first glimpse of a culture that struck her as truly unique.

D E S I G N S

The transition hasn’t been nearly as difficult as Different – in a Good Way some people might have predicted. “I have yet to “It felt different the minute I walked in the door,” run into the proverbial male chauvinist who gives Missy said. “It was in the air; people were friendly me a hard time just because I’m a woman,” Tavia and having fun, just like Annie had described it said. “And interestingly enough, now that we’re to me. I knew immediately that this was where I moving heavily into retail, I discovered that during wanted to work.” the busy season, about 30 percent of our inbound She interviewed with Ben in HR and learned phone calls are from women, either wives of conthat there was an opening in Customer Service. Aftractors who help their husbands ter interviewing with several others, with the business, or retailers.” Now she became part of the Customer “You never know Service team. Training was not a there’s something that even Greg when you’ll be in piece of cake, as she discovered himself did not know until Tavia told him. while spending hours learning about an airport or the product, as well as the lifestyle. “It grocery store and Succeeding at ADI? was unbelievable how much I had someone will ask So, what are the characteristics to learn in order to function in the that Tavia thinks lead to success at you about a pond.” Customer Service Department,” Aquascape? “Flexibility has to be Missy said. “But I liked the people number one,” she said. “If you’re unand the company so much that I was willing to try new things you’re doomed. You also inspired to do whatever it took to do this job right. I have to be genuinely interested in who we are and guess you could say I was excited.” what we do; try to learn everything you can learn Meet the New Receptionist about the business. You never know when you’ll be But Missy, like most of Aquascape’s employin an airport or the grocery store and someone will ees, had a unique ability, which in her case was ask you about a pond. The other thing is you have to be willing to parthe ability to greet new folks with a warm smile. ticipate in company activities, whether it’s a local She also knew the current company receptionist was planning to leave Aquascape. So when Annie 5K for a cause that’s near and dear to a coworker’s heart, or a social event, like dressing up for Halgave notice, Missy enthusiastically told HR that she was interested in filling that void. Missy’s loween. Just like when you were in high school and your parents told you to join the Spanish Club, smile and warm greeting abilities were just what you’ll get more out of your Aquascape experience if the doctor ordered, and she was offered a new you participate in some fun stuff. Get to know some position as the company receptionist. “There was one occasion where they had a temp of those people who work in other departments. As cliché as it sounds, be a team player if you want to that they wanted to try at the front desk, which dissucceed here at Aquascape.” appointed me. So I went back to CS for a couple months before they decided that I was the right person for that job after all, and I’ve been here ever since,” Missy said. The number of visitors who have commented on Missy Freyling was a single our receptionist and the genuinely warm greeting mom with three young kids when they get when they visit, is way past counting. In fact, she was working as a dispatcher at the first-ever Water Garden Excellence Program at the St. Charles Police Department. A new employee she met training in September of 2005, Greg Winston, the was going on and on about her other job and Missy keynote speaker, made a point of saying that Missy was the best receptionist he had ever seen in his two was intrigued. A second job that was actually fun decades in the business world. sounded interesting to Missy, so she got directions

Missy Freyling

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The Director of First Impressions

Greg Tried to Kill Him

As a response to Winston and all the others who had made similar comments about Missy, Greg closed the meeting by bringing her up front, giving her an all-new title, Director of First Impressions. With that came a huge bouquet of flowers and an invitation to Cabo San Lucas for the next Water Garden Excellence meeting. Through tears, Missy graciously accepted. According to Missy, the three qualities you must have to be successful at Aquascape are, “the ability to have fun, to be flexible, and loyalty is a big one too.” Hats off to Missy.

“In those days, we were buying small quantities of materials from wherever we could get it, and assembling everything by hand. We didn’t have any forklifts or any automated anything. We could only handle about three rolls of liner a week, and the whole thing was driving me nuts, so one day I begged Greg to go out on a job. He said okay and to this day that was the hardest job I’ve ever been on. I swear that Greg was trying to make a point or kill me. When I actually showed up for work the next day Greg was convinced that I belonged on the crew and I was never stuck inside again.”

Brian Helfrich

These days Brian Helfrich is occasionally referred to as the Michelangelo of pond building, but he wasn’t always so highly revered in this company.

Brian Meets Greg Brian had met Greg a year before in an effort to straighten out a pond that he and some of his buddies had built at his parents’ home in Downers Grove. Problems with it drove him to seek help from this guy named Greg Wittstock, who was quickly developing a reputation for successful pond building here in the western ‘burbs. Brian took Greg’s advice, it worked, and a year later in April of 1995, he applied for a job with Greg’s fledgling company, Aquascape Designs, Inc.

Yelling From the Bedroom Window

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At the time, Greg was working out of his house and Brian was habitually a smidgeon late. But to The PG it didn’t matter if Brian was 30 minutes late or 30 seconds late. Late was late. “I’d be running toward the house with my boots in one hand and my lunch in the other and Greg would be yelling at me from his bedroom window. He wasn’t even dressed yet.” There were seven employees at Aquascape when Brian started. Ed Beaulieu started only the year before. Brian’s most important recollection from back then was that he’d applied for the job because he hated to work inside. But several days after he started, Greg fired his warehouse guy and sent Brian inside to work in the warehouse.

The Downers Grove Connection Brian’s success led to what is occasionally referred to as the Downers Grove connection around here. “Chris Wilson and I had gone to high school together, and when Greg asked if I knew anyone who’d take the warehouse job, I recommended Chris. Like everyone else around here, Chris proceeded to have his ups and downs with Greg, but eventually he found a solid place to land here at ADI and is doing a great job for us. Chris led to Tony Alcala, Tony led to Josh Duffy, Josh led to Nick Kowalik,” Brian said. “The moral of the story here is that if you’re from Downers Grove, your odds of being hired and succeeding are better than if you’re from another suburb.”

Qualities for Succeeding Now as far as the qualities it takes to succeed at Aquascape, Brian listed three, including … patience, the ability to let the small things roll off your back, and the ability to do what you’re told to do. “If you cover those three bases, you can build a future at Aquascape Designs. Do good work and sooner or later you’ll get noticed. And when you get noticed, you will have opportunities to grow in this company. That’s how things work here,” Brian said.

Martin Alonzo

Martin was born in Guanajuato, Mexico on a small ranch called La Cuadrilla de Andaracua. He was delivered by a midwife at home and his milk came from a goat named “Venada.” The first eight years of his life were dedicated to taking care of the goats, cows, and horses on the farm. Martin had to take the animals out in the morning and stay with them all day until about 3:30 or 4:00, when he could come home

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to eat lunch. The family was extremely poor, and all of Martin’s clothes were passed down from other family members. Once a year, he would get one new shirt and one new pair of pants to celebrate a holy festival that the town had every August. He wore shoes that were made of rubber, and when he went to take care of the animals, the thorns went right through his shoes and got stuck in his feet.

The Wheels On the Bus

D E S I G N S

What about school, you ask? Well, Martin would go off and on because he was needed at home. It could barely breathe. He was in the trunk of the car took him 14 years to finish school instead of the from San Diego all the way to Los Angeles. The normal 12 years. He got into a lot of fights as a kid, trip was about three hours long. mainly because the boys that surrounded him were older and Martin had no choice. Finally, at 15 years of age, he started working at a job that actually paid The Beginnings of a Career money. Martin had to haul 105 lb. bags of fertilizer After that, his life changed a little for the betto fertilize the fields. He also had to spray the tomater. Martin began working in the fields and made toes and the cornfields with pesticides. He carried his own money. He bought his own clothes more the bottle of pesticides on his back with each one often than once a year. In 1995, his friends concontaining about 15 gallons of liqvinced him to move to Chicago uid. So when his uncle, who lived in and work in a restaurant. Martin “The ability California, asked him if he wanted to started working there and met his to translate join him in the United States, Marwife. He didn’t speak a word of tin thought, what could be better? English, and she was the only one languages is one Martin’s father gathered all the who would translate for the Spanof my biggest money he could to buy him a ticket ish workers when they needed to advantages” to Tijuana. There were some other communicate. guys from where Martin lived that Finally, Martin got out of the reswere on their way to the U.S. as taurant business and ended up at well. He didn’t really know these guys who were Aquascape in 1999. He started out in assembly and going from the same town, but he figured it was moved to UPS shipping, UPS and CF shipping, Bills of better than going alone. So when the day finally Lading, Returns, Pickups and now he’s doing Pickups arrived, Martin’s mother cried as he left home. At and Returns. In less than three years, Martin moved the age of 17, it would be the first time he went around a lot, but he’s very happy at Aquascape! away from home. When the bus arrived, there were no more seats The Advantages of Being Bilingual left. The bus driver said that he had a bucket that At this juncture in his career at Aquascape, Martin Martin could sit on if he wanted to, and when feels that one of his most significant achievements Martin got sleepy he could lay on the floor of the is learning English. When he came from Mexico bus. Martin didn’t realize how long the trip was goin the trunk of an old car, covered with a heavy ing to be, so he agreed. Well, it turned out that the blanket, Martin spoke no English. Now almost two trip was actually three long days, and three long decades later Martin speaks fluent English as well nights. The whole time of which he sat on a very as fluent Spanish. uncomfortable bucket. “I worked real hard at picking up the new lanWhen the crew on the bus met up with the guy guage,” Martin confessed. “I felt like I’d been who was going to take them into the U.S., Marthrown into the water and I had to swim, or else. So tin was relieved. As it turned out, the relief was I learned to swim. Although there are many bilinshort-lived. Since Martin was the smallest one of gual people in the area today, at ADI I’m still one of the group, he had to hide out in the trunk of the a handful. The ability to translate from one single guy’s car with a heavy blanket draped over him. It language speaker to another is one of my biggest was horribly hot in the trunk of that car and Martin advantages here at ADI.”

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the pond guy revealed ™

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the pond guy by Rick Osbourne

™

revealed

tarting out in 1991, Greg began his business with four assets – a shovel, a wheelbarrow, a strong back, and the foresight (some would say audacity) to think he could actually build a profitable business around backyard ponds and water gardens. 20/20 hindsight now reveals how insightful Greg was over a decade ago. So the question becomes, what does it take to turn four decidedly, un-bankable assets like these into a $55,000,000 run-away business that currently controls 80 percent of an exploding market? To say it takes an entrepreneurial spirit is, at best, an understatement that only begs the question further. So we asked Greg to get specific, and here are the results of that request.

So Greg, how did you start your business without start-up bank loans, capital investment, and all the things that most people normally think they need in order to go into business for themselves? Blood, sweat, and tears baby! Read more about the history of how Aquascape Designs, Inc. got started in Chapter 4.

Okay Greg, now tell us a little bit about how you’ve continued to grow the company, and what kinds of qualities came into play as you expanded your horizons? Confidence plays a large role in any entrepreneur’s success. If you know the odds of a business succeeding in this country and you lack confi-

dence in yourself, you’ll never step out on that limb and take the risk. But if you opt for the salary, the financial shelter, and the so-called predictability of working for somebody else, it may be less risky, but a lot harder to get ahead. And I really like being ahead! Herb Elliott, the great Australian track and field star, and former world record holder in the mile said, “In order to go for a world record in the mile, you have to be arrogant enough to think you can do it, yet humble enough to subject yourself to the discipline required to achieve it.” I think the startup mentality in business has to be very similar to this. You have to be confident enough to think

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you can beat the odds, yet willing to pay the price. And believe me, starting a business on a shoestring is truly a humbling experience that requires you to be able to choke down a little crow, and risk everything in the process.

When it comes to building a business, I say the three most important factors are motivation, motivation, and motivation. There are some people who claim that it’s all a matter of hard work, and I did my share of this. There are others who claim that it’s all a matter of smart work, and I’ve always strived to do this. But I say that if you’re a beast and a glutton for punishment, then hard work alone may do the trick. And if you’re a genius, smart work may suffice. But I’m certainly no genius, so I needed to work hard and work smart in order to win. And that not only goes for myself, but for every member of Team Aquascape. My primary job in this company is to lead the way, to motivate, to light the fire in our team, and see to it that it stays lit.

“In order to go for a world record in the mile, you have to be arrogant enough to think you can do it, and yet humble enough to subject yourself to the discipline required to achieve it.”

How do you go about finding entrepreneurial-minded people to fill the ranks? I’d suppose that entrepreneurs aren’t exactly a dime a dozen, right?

Greg proves he’s no “genius” by putting his head in an alligator’s mouth.

So there really is more than just the environment. An individual can find themselves in an entrepreneurial environment and still fail to respond creatively, fail to meet the challenge. And if that happens, that responsibility falls on that individual’s shoulders, right? Absolutely. It’s the individual’s response to the opportunities in combination with the environment that dictates success or failure. We do occasionally run into people who, for lack of confidence or some other reason, just fail to live up to their full potential. So yes, we look for individuals who are optimistic, who have a strong self-esteem, and enough confidence in themselves to step up to the plate and take a good swing. Sometimes those qualities take a little time to develop. Sometimes we have to pump up

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In my view, there’s really no such thing as an entrepreneurial person. There’s only an entrepreneurial environment, or system that encourages and inspires each individual team member to meet the challenges, to respond creatively, to confidently step up to the plate and to take advantage of their skills and talents in order to benefit both the company and themselves. Given the right environment and the right system I’ve really met very few people who fail. But you’ve got to find the personalities who can handle your unique culture. The difference between a conventional gossip-laden, idea-suppressing, glass-

ceiling, back-stabbing corporate culture and a true, keep it simple, get the job done, entrepreneurial culture is huge. My job is to make sure that the people who work for us are working in an environment that encourages them to think for themselves, act creatively, and take full responsibility and ownership for a job well done. And when that job is well done, I make every effort to make sure the rest of Team Aquascape knows about it.

THE POND GUY™ REVEALED |

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Confidence is a necessary prerequisite that allows you to push your boat away from dry dock, so to speak. But that only starts the process moving. What other qualities are necessary in order to propel the entrepreneur’s boat forward through the water?

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D E S I G N S

would say that all work and no play would make Greg a pretty dull Pond Guy™. How would you respond?

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

It’s in the culture. We don’t have any benchwarmers, no spectators in this company. And we don’t want any. Spectators are dead weight and counterproductive. You have to know your end goal. In the NFL, it’s winning the Superbowl. In Major League Baseball, it’s the World Series. In track and field, it’s the Olympic Gold. For Aquascape Designs, our big picture goal is to participate in the market so all members of Team Aquascape, not just upper management, are compensated so they can live balanced and meaningful lives with their families, relatives, and friends. With that balance, we’ll reach our company goal of changing the way the world builds, sells, and retails ponds. someone’s confidence level so they can fulfill the potential that we see hiding inside them. But if we see potential, we’re not afraid to prime the pump, and help our people to grow, believe in themselves, and win. In the

I mean, I feel sorry for those people who think that more money is water the real end goal, that more money gardening market, can buy more happiness. What is Now that Aquascape we preach money anyway, other than a means to Designs is lean and mean – an end, and a measurement of freeyou have a little over 150 the virtues of dom? I expect to work for a living, employees, right? So all this naturally balanced but work is only part of a balanced is fine for a relatively small ecosystems. In the recipe in life. Work, and the income company, but what hapit produces, should give you enough pens if Aquascape grows workplace we time to spend on all those to 800 or 1000 employees? preach the virtues leisure other things that make life meaningThe principals are exactly the of naturally ful, fulfilling, and worth living. same – the bigger the organization Using myself as an example, if I gets, the more the responsibilities balanced lives. can’t do it in a 50-hour work-week, have to be spread out, the more the then I’m not gonna do it. Tomorrow decision-making process has to be is guaranteed to no one. Figure out what you value pushed down through the ranks, to the people. most in your life, and don’t let work, or anything Everybody has to “buy in” and take ownership of else prevent you from doing that! the company, its mission, and their own job in orFor some people it’s reading and growder for us to be running on all cylinders. ing intellectually, for others it’s participating In the global economy of the 21st century, I in church-related activities, and for those with wouldn’t want to be part of a company that fails to families and kids, there can be no higher priorpull every member of its team on board, and makes ity. When work detracts from a person’s ability to every employee a critical member of the team, all participate in those kinds of liberating activities, pulling in the same direction … together. Without there’s something wrong with the job and someit, your ship is destined to sink in the waters of thing out of balance in the lives of the employees. worldwide competition. If we’re unhappy, or if my family is unhappy as the result of the things I do for a living, what’s the So far, so good, but these comments purpose of work? could lead some people to believe that Although we challenge our people to challenge you’re endorsing a workaholic mentalthemselves and to grow, we also need team members ity. Is it all about working, producing, to recognize if they’re operating on overload. We making money, increasing company discourage workaholics, and we encourage everyone stock? There are some people who

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I confess, you lost me, Greg. What do you mean, in more specific terms?

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How do you know if people are overloaded? And what kinds of things can you or your managers do to counter burnout in the workplace?

employees who have, or are about to have, young kids in the nest. We go out of our way to make sure we’re a family-friendly company. I genuinely care about all our employees, and it’s essential that I not only tell them, but I show them. I figure that if I go out of my way to treat my team members right, they’ll go out of their way to treat our customers right. And as long as our customers are treated right, their inclination to go over to the competition is minimal. So we just continue to deal all our cards right off the top the deck. Nothing is under the table for our employees or our customers.

Let’s bend this conversation in a little different direction. So far, we’ve talked primarily about the internal workings of the company. Let’s go outside now and talk about your customer relationships. Tell us a little about that.

D E S I G N S

I’d say that overload and burnout are symptoms of lives that are out of balance. In the water gardening market, we preach the virtues of naturally balanced ecosystems. In the workplace, we preach the virtues of naturally balanced lives. As far as countering the problem of overload and burnout, we do lots of things. For starters I’m really big on physical fitness myself, so in Aqualand we have a first class, in-house workout facility including all the aerobic and resistance equipment anyone will ever want to use, along with handball/racquetball courts, and a sport-court that can be transformed from a basketball court into a soccer field, or a tennis court, or a volleyball court, etc., and we encourage all our employees to take advantage of these facilities on a regular basis. I try to set the right example myself. We have fitness contests and fitness seminars, complete with healthy meals. I’m completely and totally convinced that a physically fit Greg Wittstock is a more productive and happier Greg Wittstock. And the same goes for all our team members. So a significant percentage of our employees participate in our fitness program, and that helps them to keep work in proper perspective, and it counteracts burnout, big-time! We’re also a young company with an average employee age in the 30’s or 40’s, so we have lots of

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to lead a balanced life. Burning out employees is not only dumb, it’s costly, and does nobody any good in the long run.

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Our competition credits our success to good marketing or good advertising. But my definition of marketing is broader than our competition’s. You see, when it comes to the customer, we’re in business for one reason, and one reason only; it’s to make sure that our customer succeeds and prospers in the water gardening business, and we attack that goal in a number of ways. For example, we work hard at giving our customers the most bang for their buck when it comes to the pond products we sell. Our innovative research and development team is second to none in the industry, which means that we’re on the cutting edge at all times and we make sure that our competition has to bust their tails to keep up with us … which we know they don’t. We also go to great lengths to educate customers about water gardens so they understand Mother Nature’s aquatic circle of life, and that she can pitch in and help minimize maintenance and maximize relaxation, if you only work with her instead of against her. We turn orders around faster than anyone else in the industry, and with our Distributor program, we have local access all across the country, so customers can drive up and get what they need any time. Service is critical, so we support our distributors, retailers, and contractors with an incredibly knowledgeable customer service and technical staff who can help customers whenever they have problems.

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At Aquascape we go to great lengths to communicate clearly and regularly on two levels. First, we communicate internally with our fellow teammates. And secondly, we communicate externally with our customers.

What if somebody were to ask, “What’s your single greatest strength in the business setting? What one

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Another way we support our customers is through our nationwide educational tours. For starters, each year we work with our distributors putting on Build-A-Pond Day seminars in cities around the country where we teach contractors and retailers about our systematic, 20/20 pond building system. Every winter we also host educational seminars in cities around the country. Actually, in “Aquaspeak,” the terms marketing and education are almost interchangeable. We market our company by educating our customers. And educating a customer creates mutual appreciation and loyalty across the board, which always works in our favor. It’s our job to make sure that our customers succeed. We take this job seriously and our customers all know it. I’m proud of saying that we not only talk the talk, but we walk the walk, and that wins customers every day of the year. And since all these things are involved in good marketing, then our competition is right about us. We do all these things well, and so I agree that we’re good at marketing.

thing separates you from most business people?” How would you answer that question? Strange as it may sound, I was a communications major at Ohio State, and although I’ve always felt that I learned more outside class than in class, my appreciation of the importance of communications is my strongest suit. That appreciation probably comes from both the major I chose to pursue in college, and the fact that my mother was an English teacher. She was a big influence on my thinking in this regard. In any case, ever since day one I’ve been a stickler for good communications, and at Aquascape we go to great lengths to communicate clearly and regularly on two levels. First, we communicate internally with our fellow teammates. And secondly, we communicate externally with our customers, whether they’re contractors who use our kits to install ponds, or consumers who are the end users of our products. Take a look at any failing company and I’ll show you a company who does not communicate effectively with its employees and customers. And as long as I’m at the helm of Aquascape Designs, we

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will be strong proponents of clear and regular communication. More than any one thing, that’s what I bring to the table.

With all this success under your belt, how are you positioning your company for the challenges on the horizon? How will you keep Aquascape’s entrepreneurial fires burning brightly as you move your company into the future?

Greg with his wife, Carla, and their two boys, Blake and Ryan.

D E S I G N S

One of the most exciting events in the entire hisfeatures, including the unique green roof, specificaltory of this company was when we acquired Water ly designed to increase energy efficiency while being Creations and transformed the retail-oriented environmentally friendly. The lavish lounge areas company into what we now call our NurseryPro are furnished with relaxing bean line of products. We spent a lot of bag chairs where productive brainmoney and made a bunch of misWe market our storming sessions can take place takes in the process of pursuing our without interruption. The state of new goal of changing the way the company by the art electronics running throughworld retails ponds. educating our out the entire building supports the After a couple years of persistent customers. And sophisticated infrastructure that will learning from our mistakes, we came be required for continued growth. up with a program that we now call educating a cusour Water Garden Excellence Protomer creates mu- When visitors first walk in, they feel like they’ve just walked into gram, which is an effort to combine tual appreciation a George Lucas film set in Hollythe strengths of the garden center reand loyalty across wood. Like our company culture, it’s tailers and the strengths of landscape futuristic. contractors around the country and the board, which revolutionize the industry in a way that always works in it has needed for a long time now. Greg, readers have heard our favor. We introduced the new program you say “team” about a at Pondemonium™ 2005 and we thousand times now in this had an overwhelmingly positive reinterview. By any chance, sponse from attendees who signed up in droves. We do you have a sporting background followed that up by holding our initial Water Garthat has influenced the way you see den Excellence event in September (2005), which the world and your business? turned out to be a slam-dunk winner for everyone Funny you should ask. I happen to have been who attended. a member of the 1986 Illinois state high school I honestly believe down deep in my heart of football championship team my junior year at hearts, that this new program is not only destined Wheaton North High School. And to this day, to change the way the world retails ponds, but it will I can’t remember an experience that was more also have a profound effect on the entire green inexhilarating. dustry at the same time. So more than anything, our We had a coach, Jim Rexilius who is still the positioning strategy for the future is to develop the greatest single influence in my life, who preached awesome potential that we see in the Water Garden teamwork, teamwork, teamwork, and motivated, Excellence Program. To the degree that we accommotivated, and motivated his team. To a cerplish that the future will take care of itself. tain degree, I suppose I’m still just chasing down The other incredibly exciting positioning facanother championship ring, but in the water gartor that we have yet to dig into here is our new dening industry this time around. I love sports, headquarters … “Aqualand.” It was designed to be and I thrive on competition and good times, and a workplace utopia that will accommodate all our yes, Aquascape Designs is a reflection of that oriAquascapees in all sorts of ways. entation. I’m not going to rest until I see my dream For starters, it has tripled our warehouse capacity of changing the way the world builds and retails and our shipping efficiency. There are many other ponds become a reality!

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C H A P T E R

the top dogs

getting to know

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A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

Aquascape’s top dogs M by Rick Osbourne

anagers play a crucial role in the success or failure of any business, and Aquascape Designs is no exception to that rule. In this instance, our management team works hand in hand with Chief Visionary Officer and President of Aquascape, Greg “The Pond Guy™” Wittstock to make sure that all the bases are covered in their respective departments, and that the business decisions that move our company forward are both sound and viable. They are a unique group of individuals who are all accessible in this unique company without walls, and they all have different insights on what it takes to succeed at Aquascape Designs. To introduce our Management team, let’s kick things off with our own television star, Ed Beaulieu.

Ed Beaulieu

VP of Field Research Ed is Aquascape Designs’ original, and longest-lasting employee. He’s grown from seasonal help to pond builder second class (right hand of The Pond Guy™), pond builder first class (superintendent of the crew), to head of the construction department, to VP of Research and Development, and to VP of Field Research (which he still maintains). He holds a high profile position as ADI celebrity at large, appearing on numerous TV shows with other famous people. He also eats grubs and generally lives up to his unofficial title of “Rock Star” (he handles lots of rocks while building ponds), or the Frank Lloyd Wright of

ponds, whichever tickles your fancy. Needless to say, if anyone knows how to succeed at Aquascape it’s Ed Beaulieu.

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan? Our first mission is to be a model construction division so that we can show other pond builders around the country the best and most profitable way to build ponds. Our second mission is to test out all of our new products under real-life, in-thefield conditions to make absolutely sure that what we sell lives up to our claims. In this sense we’re the part of the company that allows Aquascape to talk the talk and walk the walk, every week and every month of the year.

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at handling English, and that helps. I just wish that my Spanish was as good as their English.

Time in the day is our biggest challenge. I honestly believe that if there were 48 hours in each one of our days, we’d be able to pack ‘em to the hilt. There’s just so much to do and so little time in which to accomplish it.

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it?

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know?

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be? I predict that within the next 12 months we will create the most awesome water feature in all of North America at Aqualand. It’s in the cards. I will be focusing in on the unique projects that are going on around the country, helping some of our customers produce water features that will demand media attention and drive more business our way.

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department? The most important characteristics are Attitude TIMES THREE! We can teach you almost anything else, but a good attitude has to come with any individual that we hire. Also I have to confess that physical fitness and strength plays a role as well in the things we do out in the field, but we’ve never lost an employee because of a lack of fitness or strength. We’ve lost people with poor attitudes though. That’s number one.

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department?

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department? Water Garden Excellence is going to help our department learn more about what goes on in the retail sector, so that we can credibly teach it in the seminars that we’re a part of every winter. It’s going to have a huge impact on everything ADI does.

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department? Aqualand will give us storage space that we lacked in our last building. This means that we’ll be able to inventory some things that we can’t inventory now, and increase our profit margins on those items in the process. The other thing is that the awesome new water feature that we’re going to build in front of the new building will attract a lot of media attention and will help drive big commercial jobs our way.

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be? I’ll handle him on the rock-climbing wall, and in abalone every day of the week.

Karyl Braun

Director of Customer Service Karyl Braun came to ADI through www.monster.com, and the minute she walked in the door, she was blown away by the energy and the family atmosphere that pervaded the company. She had overseen some large and sophisticated Customer Service departments in her previous travels, but she’d been out of the loop for a while working for a private investigator in the western suburbs. She longed to get back in the corporate loop working

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Being that we’re on the road all the time, we use lots of two-way radio and cell phone communications. We don’t really need to have the department meetings and the e-mails that everyone else uses, because of the nature of what we do every day. One other thing, our guys are getting better and better

The most common mistake happens at the end of a long day when we forget to tend to some detail. We constantly remind ourselves to avoid that mistake, but when you’re tired, things happen. That’s why we have Josh and Gerardo go out a couple of days after each job is finished to catch anything that we might have missed.

D E S I G N S

What I’d like them to know is that they don’t know much about us for a good reason. We start out at 6:30 every morning, and we get more done before nine o’clock than most people get done in a day. When you see us in the office, that means we’re not in the field doing what we really need to be doing, so the fact that we’re kind of a mystery around the office is really a good thing.

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

What are the main challenges facing your department?

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with people on projects that make a difference, and that pretty much describes the opportunity that she saw awaiting her at Aquascape. “My third interview was with Greg, and about halfway into it he challenged me and I challenged him back and I think it was at that point that he decided to hire me,” Karyl said. “I have an absolutely awesome support staff, and we are an incredibly proactive team that gets things done.” She has a handle on how to succeed at ADI and here’s what she has to say.

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan? Through continuous education and anticipation of customers’ needs, we strive to provide accurate, courteous service every time. CS is the point of entry for all of ADI’s customers. Therefore, CS must be informed on every product, procedure, and program the company provides its customers, as well as an overall understanding of every other department.

The main challenge facing the service organization at the moment is placing excellent candidates in the proper open positions.

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know? We are a very close-knit unit and know in our hearts that we ARE the MOST important department in the company! Plus, we host the best department parties.

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be? Besides growth opportunity, I would predict that the diversity in job function will require that the CS employees interact with more employees from other ADI departments than ever before. There will also be a more cohesive/consistent response for our customers based upon the fact that all 3telephone queues will be together. The telephone groups will be “together” not only in physical proximity in the new building, but also under one management team.

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Open and upbeat personality, intelligence or street savvy (sassy, only on certain occasions – can the person “hold their own”?), and of course, has had some Customer Service experience in their past work history.

“My third interview was with Greg, and about halfway into it he challenged me and I challenged him back and I think it was at that point that he decided to hire me.”

What are the main challenges facing your department?

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department?

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department? Standing up and yelling to the whole group – and through the Friday Dance! Of course, there is occasionally an inter-office email or mini-meeting or two.

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it?

It has to be a systems issue that is not necessarily the CS Rep’s fault based on the amount of information that they have to know by “osmosis.” We pride ourselves on the fact that in the recent Ecometry upgrade, it was through ADI’s CS complaints about problems that several major “bugs” were fixed or corrected. It’s our job to find a more productive and efficient way to make our jobs easier. This in turn provides better service to our customers.

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department? Again, this product/method of selling makes the CS job easier because we LOVE to sell the Lifestyle! CS puts the FUN in Pond!

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department? The service units will be “together” at Aqualand, which means that the information highway just got a shortcut!

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be? Anticipating how a change/enhancement/program will affect the employees in the service departments!

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Supply Chain Director

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan? To provide the highest level of quality product, at the best possible value, creating the maximum profit opportunity for our customers. We may not be the main entertainment, although some would say we’re quite entertaining, but we bring all the stuff to make a great party, and let the other team members do what they do best.

What are the main challenges facing your department? Growth. I’m talking about growth in product lines, growth in customer expectations, growth in volume. And all of them are great challenges to have.

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know?

First off, we will be in an awesome new facility – Aqualand. Really the only constant is change. We are a completely different department from when I started a couple years ago, and I think a year from now it will still be evolving. We have been evolving some specializations over the last couple years that have led to better overall performance. As the company continues to grow, it is critical that we put people in the best place for optimal personal growth, and also for maximum return for the company.

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department? I’m looking for a strong, independent performer, with collaborative spirit. They must possess a strong moral center to stand the storm of challenges. They must be truthful in all things – good or bad news, be strong enough to be accountable for what the situation is. And they must also have a “get-r-done” attitude, as the bottom line is results, results, and more results.

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department? We do a lot of “huddles” – informal meetings to keep on top of challenges. E-mail is usually a close second. We constantly strive for ways to not limit our effectiveness due to manager availability.

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it? Failure to take risks is the most common mistake I see. Not that it is a mistake, nor does that mean we bet the farm on long shots, but sometimes the easy answer is not the right answer. For purchasing, that might mean over-buying inventory or air shipping “just in case.” We have come a long way toward balancing the need for instant response, with best results. Better knowledge and planning help qualify which risks are worth taking, and which ones are truly long shots.

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department? We’ll be purchasing a lot more stuff because Water Garden Excellence is destined to take the water gardening world by storm.

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We make it look “easy” because we take care of a lot of potential issues before anyone knows they even exist. We also like to balance work with fun, although not necessarily in equal ratios.

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be?

D E S I G N S

Tony Bryant was hired in the Purchasing Department in 2003 and like a human tornado, he proceeded to out-purchase anyone else on staff. In record time, he transformed himself from supervisor status into management status, and he did it in less time than anyone else had ever done before him … at least since records had been kept on this sort of thing. One thing about Tony is that he loves a challenge. And one of the biggest challenges he’s ever encountered during his three-year stint at Aquascape was when the PG challenged him to a weight-loss contest. “And it was a loser takes all kind of deal,” Bryant said. Tony played the game straight up and lost 30 lbs. over a period of six weeks, while the PG dawdled and ended up dehydrating himself in the eleventh hour to win the bet. In any case, the event was staged for the purpose of raising money for autism, a disease Tony’s son, Dakota, suffers from. As a result, they raised over $5,000. For that reason, both combatants decided to put a check in their respective win columns. To say Tony knows something about succeeding at ADI is an understatement, so without further ado, let’s check out his wise counsel.

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Tony Bryant

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How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department?

What are the main challenges facing your department?

Aqualand will give us a whole lot more room to inventory the things that we buy, and more inventory means better pricing and better margins. And Aqualand is going to be fun.

Our biggest challenge is to stay in tune with the new ideas in warehousing and shipping. I’m talking about staying ahead of the technology curve while “keeping it simple stupid at the same time.” It’s a delicate balance that sets Aquascape’s warehouse operation apart from those who focus on buying time-saving robots, to minimize the labor, increasing efficiency and profitability. But the more high tech stuff you use, the harder it is to train new people, and for people who aren’t part of our department to get around and to get what they need. Simplicity is part of our game plan here in the Aquascape warehouse.

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be? Patience is my only answer. Everything physical has been exhaustively attempted.

Roberto Cosme

Director of Warehouse Operations Roberto Cosme is a Chicagoan who came from the shoe industry where he used to handle the warehouse and shipping for Chernin’s Shoes. Roberto is also of Puerto Rican descent which means he is bilingual and can speak fluent Spanish, as well as fluent English. With his Michael Jordan bald-head, Mr. Cosme and his warehouse gang play an extremely important role in the success of Aquascape Designs. “I know that the Customer Service Department always reminds us that they’re the face of the company – the people our customers talk to first, the people who create that critical first impression. But I’m here to say that in the warehouse, we create the last impression, good or bad, that the customer is going to have from order to order. If that last impression is poor, it’ll kill off a good customer just as fast as if they have a poor first impression. So yes, I think we play a critical role in the success of Aquascape Designs,” Cosme said.

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan?

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Our mission is to ship our orders damagefree, complete, and on a timely basis. If we get that job done 98 percent of the time, then we’re operating on the winning side of the tracks, and back here in the warehouse, we like winning. We’re a necessary ingredient for success; by the same token we’re just one of the parts of the team, all of which are absolutely essential to our success, and if they weren’t they wouldn’t be here, I guarantee you.

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know? Everyone in the company should always recognize that what we do is the last thing the customer sees and remembers. If we fail to do our job right, we mess things up for the rest of the team and lose customers, and we’re certainly motivated to avoid anything of that kind. I learned this lesson from being in the shoe business and I will never forget it.

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be? I predict that the percentage of deliveries that arrive damaged will be reduced significantly next year. It’s one of the things that we always measure and next year it is going to receive lots of attention, so I’m certain we’ll improve. Our big point of concentration for next year is to get our supervisors to become more hands on. These guys really know what they’re doing and we want to have them actively involved and participating with their shirtsleeves rolled up, right from the get-go. This will improve our communication and will help everything go smoother around this place.

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department? The three things I look for in a person when I interview someone is spunk, honesty, and the willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done right. Our favorite phrase in the Warehouse Department is, “Get it done baby. Just get it done.” And the more people we have who can just get the job done, the easier everyone’s job becomes.

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At the risk of sounding obvious, we use both Spanish and English. Everything we do back here has an English dimension and a Spanish dimension and the more bilingual speakers we have around here the better things will get; it’s about that simple.

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it?

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department? The Water Garden Excellence Program is going to force us to concentrate on the retail aspects of warehousing and shipping, which is considerably different than the landscape contractor aspect. That will be a big change for our guys.

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department? For starters it will triple our space, which will allow us to do the things we need to do more efficiently because things are currently so tight that we’re stepping on each other’s toes. I expect our speed and efficiency to improve significantly because of the new warehouse space and I can hardly wait to get over there.

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be? It would be boxing. I used to be a Golden Gloves boxer and I’ll bet that the PG would not want to climb into the ring with my left and my right. Black and blue doesn’t look too good on a CEO, you know.

Ben Cruz

Director of Human Resources

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan? It’s our mission to support the goals and initiatives of Aquascape Designs with the people who can help us get there. In other words, it’s our job to get the right people on the bus. Then once we have the right people, it’s also our job to support them in every way we can with good benefits, good inter-company communications, and even personal counseling when necessary. This company can be no better than its people, and people is what HR is all about.

What are the main challenges facing your department? Our biggest challenge is to find all the time and the resources to do the best job that we can do. We need to focus more on developing leaders within the company, because leaders are the people who set the pace and motivate and challenge others to meet all the challenges of a rapidly growing enterprise like Aquascape.

“The success of HR is 100 percent dependent on the success of our teammates. When they win, we win, and when they lose, we lose…”

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know? The success of HR is 100 percent dependent on the success of our teammates. When they win, we win, and when they lose, we lose as well. So we work hard to make sure that everyone comes out on the winning side.

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be? My prediction is that HR will be the most improved department in the company by this time next year. We have the bar set high and we expect to jump it. I expect that over the next 12 months everyone in the department, including myself, will be competent in all HR matters.

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Ben Cruz began his life at Aquascape Designs as head of the Accounting Department, until someone discovered that he was mathematically challenged. At this point, he was offered a position as head of Human Resources, a post that he’s held for mucho años now. Ben loves running almost as much

as he loves golf. He is an avid family man who is most proud of his wife, Kathy and his daughter, Lauren. He is also the guy at Aquascape Designs who most likes to talk, so when he gets started, please don’t interrupt him. Just keep on listening until he’s finished. And he will finish … eventually. Here’s what Ben has to say about the HR Department.

D E S I G N S

Picking by memory is a common mistake that we make around here, and we try to minimize it by double and triple checking our work all the time.

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What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department?

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D E S I G N S

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department?

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The three most important characteristics of success at Aquascape are attitude, attitude, and attitude … in that order.

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department? Actually communication is one of our greatest challenges right now and we’re in the process of figuring out how to do that much better than we’ve done it in the past. With all the projected growth, we are going to have to become much better communicators. And once we figure that giant puzzle out, I expect to see everything else fall in place naturally.

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it? Poor communication is our greatest challenge throughout the company, and the HR Department is focused on figuring out ways to improve on that critical issue. But we’re up for the challenge and we will get the questions answered over the next 12 months.

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department? I expect that the new Water Garden Excellence Program will put us back on the Inc. 500 list for another four years. And if that happens, it’s going to be a gigantic challenge for HR to keep up with it. So we have to be buckled in tight if we want to stay in the saddle. Look out world, here we come.

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department? I think Aqualand is going to make coming to work more fun, more interesting, and it is going to help us streamline lots of things that currently are in need of streamlining around here. I can hardly wait.

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be?

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I am the only human alive who can out-talk him. On the other hand, now that I think about it, I can’t think of one game or contest that he can beat me at. So maybe the question should be what contest or game can the PG whoop Ben at? What do you think?

Rudy De Paoli General Manager – Canada

Rudy De Paoli is the General Manager for Aquascape Designs of Canada, operating out of the Brampton, Ontario office. Prior to joining Aquascape Designs, Inc. in May 2003, Rudy worked for a leading Canadian buying group, and some of the largest independent contract stationers in the Canadian office products industry. Having lived through the commoditization concerns and profit erosion battles from BOTH the reseller/distributor/buying group perspective and the manufacturer/vendor perspective, Rudy is keen to apply some of these learnings to the water gardening industry. Rudy has an excellent handle on how to succeed at ADI, so pay close attention to what the head honcho from Canada has to say on the subject.

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan? My “department” is ADI in Canada. So running the ADI business in Canada involves aspects of all functions including HR, Finance/Accounting, Sales and Marketing, Logistics, and Distribution. Our mission as Aquascape Designs Canada is to grow our operating company (bottom line) contribution to ADI Corporate. We do so by profitably exploiting water gardening opportunities across retail, contractor, and other selected channels in Canada. Part of the game plan for Aquascape is to be the leading vendor and marketer of water gardening products in North America. Aquascape Canada makes this happen in Canada.

What are the main challenges facing your department? Finding the right balance between short and long term investments in exploiting the market. As a 23-employee division, we need to invest wisely so as to ensure a short-term bottom line profit that is acceptable while not compromising longer term growth and profit opportunities.

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know? We are completely, strategically aligned with the whole Aquascape team and that includes creating tactical programs and marketing initiatives that work in Canada, even if they don’t match corresponding efforts in the U.S.

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We will be more profitable, bigger, stronger, and more established in Canada than ever. We will make a tremendous shift of attention from infrastructure and internal issues to OUTWARD FOCUS on strategic and tactical winning initiatives happening out there in the market.

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department? It will provide a template and checklist, which can be used as a filtering, diagnostic tool. Then we can apply resources and programs to raise the bar and have the participating entity get closer to achieving “excellence.” The better they are at selling, the more they will buy from us, and the more profits we will have to re-invest into our future.

“You earn that respect; it is not given to you. We have let go our share of employees who did not feel that attitude and respect are important. We categorically refuse to manage by fear, anxiety and panic.”

Attitude: A winning attitude and track record of having made things happen where they did not exist before. New programs, procedures, and ideas put into action. Work Ethic: ADI is the hardest working company in the water feature industry and we need people who are great time managers and autonomous workers who deliver the results on time. Functional skills and knowledge are essential, and it is critical that the applicant be a “life long learner” with a pattern of learning that shows us he/she can pick up any missing knowledge and skills.

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department? We foster a culture of management by respect. You earn that respect; it is not given to you. We have let go our share of employees who did not feel that attitude and respect are important. We categorically refuse to manage by fear and anxiety and panic.

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it?

We feel that this move may open doors to new possibilities in the company culture and that it may evolve into a wonderful setting that makes economic sense. It may become the sharing and learning center for the industry, which would be significant.

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be? High altitude mountaineering.

Colleen Heitzler

Chief Financial Officer Colleen Heitzler began her career at Aquascape Designs after sitting next to Greg and Carla in church trying to keep her youngin’s from interrupting the minister’s Sunday sermon. You see, Colleen and her husband Bob have kids who are the same age as Greg and Carla’s kids, and when Colleen discovered that Aquascape had just eliminated the head of their accounting department, and Greg discovered that Colleen was looking to change employers, the stage was set for a truly productive conversation. One interview led to two interviews, and before she knew it, Colleen was named Aquascape’s queen of numbers. When she first arrived, the books were, shall we say, not quite ready for an audit. Also the term “budget” had only occasionally been used out loud and in public. So her challenges at the front end were somewhere between monumental and monstrous. But under her watchful eye, the books have been shaped up to the point that she can actually

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Exhausting themselves valiantly battling inefficient processes that still exist at ADI. It is not a mistake they are making, rather it is a mistake we allow because we haven’t focused on root causes due to never ending urgencies. I am working with those that can change and improve these processes so that these “inefficiency black holes” claim fewer victims.

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department?

D E S I G N S

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department?

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If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be?

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explain them in our monthly FOAM meetings, and as a team we’ve become so acutely tuned into the budgetary process that our bottom line numbers are getting stronger and stronger in a market that is getting flatter and flatter for most of our competitors. In any case, Colleen has fought many a good battle in her tenure at Aquascape, and she has some excellent insight to offer anyone who’s looking to succeed in our company.

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan? Our basic mission is to provide accurate financial information that our management team can use to make sound business decisions. We do things like collect receivables, we pay bills, we oversee budgets and forecasts, and present financial statements to our management team, and that leads to FOAM meetings.

What are the main challenges facing your department? Ensuring adequate funding for growth of the business balanced with the needs and wants for our new home, Aqualand.

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know? Everyone should know that accountants are really fun people, not a bunch of number geeks like we’re often made out to be.

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be? I predict that the accounting department will be bigger, stronger, faster, and almost able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. I predict that we’ll have a position in place to support the increasing volume of returns and special accounting projects. Also, our internal control position will continue to mature and develop, bringing increased integrity and compliance to the organization.

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department? | CHAPTER 7

I always look for attitude, aptitude, and experience, in that order.

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department? We mostly yell over the top of the cubes, we have one-on-one meetings and bi-monthly department meetings, we use e-mail, telephone, and of course we exchange casual information while standing by the water fountain.

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it? We often find ourselves allowing Jack too much face time with key accounting department personnel. This leads to increased confusion for all parties. Best chance for a cure – limit Jack’s time in the department and when he is showing clear signs of giddiness, to call HR immediately. Seriously, accountants tend to be perfectionists, and finding the right balance between perfection and acceptable is a never-ending assessment process that we work hard to balance.

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department? Well, if we double our customer base, we’ll double our transaction volume. And if we double our transaction volume we’ll have lots more money, which, in turn, will make everyone who works here happier.

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department? We will be able to lay the department out more thoughtfully and make ourselves logistically more efficient and effective.

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Golf. I can whoop the PG’s back end on the golf course, as long as Ben is coaching me every single time.

Jim Huguelet

Chief Information Officer

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan?

What are the main challenges facing your department? Our biggest challenge is in getting all the work we want to accomplish done in a timely manner with the resources that we have to work with. In that context, another one of our main challenges is to prioritize the various tasks that we have to do in order to make certain that the most critical things are tended to first, and believe me, prioritization is no piece of cake when we’re surrounded by dozens of important issues every day.

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know? They should know that we’re operating under the constant pressure of being overwhelmed by the tasks at hand, and that we always try to do the best we can do with the limited amount of resources that ADI can legitimately afford. Sometimes it may almost feel like we’re ignoring a particular request that is made of us, but it does not mean in any way that it’s unimportant. It only means that the particular item has yet to reach the top of our to-do list.

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be? I predict that – at The Pond Guy’s™ request – we’ll have twice the number of computers in our company and three times the number of people in our department. Seriously, I hope that with some additional staffing in 2006, we’ll be able to improve our ability to fulfill the requests that are made of us more quickly than we can today. Because of the new people that we expect to be hiring, our response time will significantly improve. The new building will also allow us to stretch our legs and do some things we simply can’t do in this Batavia office because of our cramped quarters. I expect to see some really big changes over the next 12 months.

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Our mission is to efficiently provide and secure the information that our internal customers – the other parts of our business – use to help our customers succeed in building and retailing water gardening. Well, for starters, ADI is like the rest

of the world today in that we are totally and completely dependent on computers to function. So I like to think of our department as the heart, veins, arteries, bones, tendons, and ligaments of the ADI body. Without the bases that we cover in IT, the entire company is immediately DOA. That kind of constant, time-critical responsibility every business day can be stressful – but it also always keeps things interesting.

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Jim Huguelet admits that he has a thing for buttons, random access memory, and virtual reality. He originally found his way to Aquascape through his long-time friend, Tony Bryant, and his relationship with the company began when he was engaged as a consultant in August of 2003. Then, just before Christmas of the same year, he was hired on full-time to oversee the IT Department. Like many others, when he walked in the door for the first time, the atmosphere of the company hit him right between the eyes. “Everyone looked like they were having fun at work, and it seemed like the employees really liked each other,” Huguelet said. “I guess you could call it a real team culture, or team atmosphere. I felt it right away, and I immediately thought it would be a great place to work. Plus, it was clear that the people were all very smart and knew their jobs inside and out. That’s the kind of organization I like to be involved with.” Before joining ADI, Huguelet spent several years running his own IT consulting business with clients, including McDonald’s Corporation. Prior to that, he had worked for a venture capital-backed software company and had interned at the former Arthur Andersen, who he claims, in their heyday, had even more acronyms than we currently have here at ADI. “Although with all our growth, we’re catching up fast,” he said. Jim heads up a team of five, including himself, and oversees the IT infrastructure and applications – the heart, arteries, and veins of Aquascape Designs – and he has a few things to say about succeeding in this wild and crazy atmosphere.

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If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be?

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D E S I G N S

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department?

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I look for three things – attitude, integrity, and aptitude, in that order. I mean, you can be a computer genius, but without the proper “can-do” attitude, and without honesty and integrity (you gotta trust me here folks), any employee would be dragging us down.

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department? We have weekly department meetings and we also have lunch meetings a couple times a month. But the big thing in this department is that I have an hour-long one-on-one meeting with every person who reports to me almost every single week. It is my main opportunity to keep a finger on the pulse of everything that goes on in this department and without it I could not do my job effectively.

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it? I think our most common mistake is that we tend to overcommit. We have a bunch of really enthusiastic team members who always want to do everything they can for their fellow ADIers and we sometimes find ourselves overly optimistic about how quickly we can finish a task or project for our department’s customers … the other employees of ADI.

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department? As it gathers steam it will challenge everyone in the company to cover all the bases that need covering, and IT will be no exception. Since our job is to support the other areas of ADI, WGE will affect us most by what we need to do to support them in work related to WGE.

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department? You would not believe how much we are currently restricted by our spatial limitations. Aqualand is going to change all that, and the entire IT department is anxiously looking forward to that move. The amenities will be pretty sweet, too. | CHAPTER 7

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be?

I can beat The Pond Guy™ on any sport or skill that’s played or performed on ice, whether it’s hockey or a hundred yard sprint. He wouldn’t stand a chance.

Dave Kelly

Vice President of Product Management Dave Kelly is the one member of Greg’s original team and is nicknamed Luke Skywalker, because the PG, fellow employees, customers and even kids, thought he looked like the original Star Wars hero. Dave came to Aquascape in 1996, fresh out of college with a degree in Environmental Science and an imposing knowledge of plants. Like almost everyone back in the old days, Dave started out on the bottom rung, doing whatever kind of grunt work had to be done back in those years. With hard work and a genuine love for ponds, Dave rose up through the ranks and now he oversees Product Development and Product Management. Dave is a dedicated fitness fanatic who spends a lot of time in the weight room trying to hang on to body weight instead of losing it. He’s also a proud family man with his wonderful better half, Maggie and his kids, Liam and Moira, and he knows what it takes to succeed at Aquascape Designs.

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan? To design, develop, and bring to market the best possible products for our customers and our company. It’s Product Development’s responsibility to provide the reliable products that our customers need in order to succeed in the water gardening marketplace. If we do that, we all win. And if we don’t do that … well, we will do it. Let’s just leave it at that. Product Management’s responsibility is to be the “quarterback” of everything related to our product lines. This department facilitates everything from evaluating a new product idea, coordinating all aspects of bringing a product to market, ensuring proper education and training related to the product, and monitoring the product’s success, or lack there of, once it is in the market.

What are the main challenges facing your department? Because of the newness of both departments, our biggest challenge right now is to define systems and procedures so our department can function efficiently.

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The PD/PM department focuses on team intimacy. We’ve recently rented a large studio apartment and have all moved in together. So far, things are working out great! The shower gets a little cramped in the a.m. and Diana refuses to do the dishes or take out the garbage. One big surprise is Gared’s skills at providing the team with well needed foot rubs at the end of a long day of work.

Having a fluid, defined process for bringing a product from conception to a boxed, ready-to-sell unit.

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department? I look for interpersonal skill sets, confidence, and flexibility. Those are the three things that stand out to me in an interview.

What kinds of changes do you expect to see in your department over the next 12 months? We realize that there is a lot of product opportunity that is not being captured due to inadequate processes and properly skilled human resources. Expect to see this department grow to tackle both of these!

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department? We will be doing lots of one-on-one work with the employees in our department; e-mail is a resource that, when used properly, can be invaluable. Telephone and, of course, casual conversation around the office covers lots of bases too.

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it?

The WGE program is going to create lots more opportunity for us to interface with our customers, which means we’ll be getting more functional feedback from the field. It’s this feedback that’s so incredibly valuable to us. I mean, how can we address a problem when nobody tells us that it’s happening?

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department? I’d say that the main benefit for us should be an improvement in logistics and being able to interface with one another.

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be? I’d kill him in hockey. He wouldn’t have a prayer.

Michelle Kurschner Director of Marketing

Michelle Kurschner came to Aquascape Designs in July of 2001 with an Associates Degree focusing on business, and a marketing background developed through several other companies, which she applies now on behalf of Aquascape and the marketing juggernaut known as The Pond Guy™. She’s head of the Marketing Department and a detail fanatic, by virtue of which she’s able to keep track of all the marketing initiatives that Greg conjures up, and then figures out how to get them all done with the members of her Marketing staff. Meanwhile, she also maintains contact with Aquascape’s big picture, without which there would be no context and no meaning for all the details. She also speaks fluent marketing, and one way or the other, Michelle has succeeded at ADI and has the following thoughts to offer on that subject.

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan? To coordinate all our various marketing activities in such a way that they work together synergistically to achieve the goals and strategies of Aquascape Designs. So we’re kind of the stage setters who introduce the company to the market; we do the things that are designed to encourage new customers to consider using our products, and we do

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Due to communication and lack of documentation, the mistake that we most often run into is employees reworking things that have already been done. One of the things that we’ll be working hard on over the next several months is developing processes that will eliminate the double and triple work that happens around here.

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department?

D E S I G N S

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be?

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What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know?

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everything we can to keep our current customers happy and coming back. And apparently we’re doing some things right because we continue to grow rapidly. Because our company is all about marketing, we are an integral part of the ADI team. It is our responsibility to make sure we are in front of our customers all of the time and sending them the message that we want to help them be successful with their water gardening businesses. We are the communicators to the outside world and it is our responsibility to keep people excited about, “Changing the way the world builds, sells, and retails ponds.”

What are the main challenges facing your department? If you know Greg, you’ll understand when I say that our greatest challenge is keeping up with The Pond Guy™. We operate in a constant state of frenzy and we have to be willing to flex and change with very little notice.

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know? They should know that we really and truly care about the goals of the company and the well being of our fellow teammates. But when we’re constantly operating at warp speed, sometimes it doesn’t show.

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be? I predict that the Water Garden Excellence Program is going to be huge to the water gardening market. It will finally be the thing that allows us to reach the goal of changing the way the world retails ponds. The potential is humongous and our department will play a big part of promoting it and helping make it successful.

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department? I would say that I look for people who are fun, flexible, and hard working.

What kinds of changes do you expect to see in your department over the next 12 months? | CHAPTER 7

Growth. Because of all of the new programs and changes, we’re just going to continue to grow and to get better and better. We learn new things every day.

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department? I have lots of one-on-one meetings with my team members, and we have our share of department meetings as well. But, I think having an “open-door” policy is the most important method of communication.

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it? The most common mistake I see is people who are failing to use their full potential. The antidote to this problem is providing constant support and encouragement. And if people will take the time to learn from their own experiences as well as others’, they’ll grow past it and become very valuable to our company.

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department? I think this program is going to be a huge learning experience for all of us as it deals with the retail side of business. It will definitely streamline things for us and our message because we are dealing with all of our customers, not just one group or another.

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department? Aqualand is a great representation of the company’s crazy personality and will hopefully inspire us on a daily basis.

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be? Definitely volleyball.

Jack Luedtke

Executive Vice President of Operations Jack is the white haired gent who has served as The Pond Guy’s™ Executive Vice President of Operations since 1999. Jack really doesn’t have one department but, in a sense, he oversees all the departments – kind of like the PG himself. For the past couple years Luedtke’s primary focus has been getting everything set in stone for Aqualand, and he has done a splendid job of it according to anyone who has been aware of his

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What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan?

What are the main challenges facing your department? The main challenges that I face are personnel challenges. After all, it’s people who make the company what it is, and if the people that you have on board are all producing in the way that they all can, I have no challenges at all. But when challenges arise, it has to do with people and internal politics.

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know? I haven’t forgotten about my promise to do pull ups, but if you say anything about it in this article I will personally kill you.

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be? I predict that we’ll have a new vision and mission statement. As you know, we’re changing all the time and those changes will be reflected in our mission statements, so don’t let it surprise you. I expect to see a coming together of new people around Aquascape and our goals.

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department?

I personally dislike email. It’s too impersonal, so I do lots of one-on-one talking with our management team, and with Greg, and of course I like to take full advantage of The Froggy Chronicles too. If you don’t communicate with people around here, it’s too bad because we work hard on giving everyone ample opportunity to do so.

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it? I would just personally like to encourage all our teammates to have confidence in themselves, to step up to the plate when their opportunity presents itself, and to take a full, healthy swing.

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department? It’s the most exciting idea that I’ve seen since I arrived a bunch of years ago now. I think it’s going to change the way the world builds and retails ponds forever!

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department? We’ve been lacking space for a long time now and I’m looking forward to being able to work without having one another under foot. I’m excited and I sense that everyone else around here is excited too.

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be? Checkers. I think I could whip him at checkers.

Beth Montgomery Controller

Seeking a company that focused on work while balancing the family was one of the primary reasons Beth joined Aquascape Designs in January 2005. Her past experience included working in public accounting, merger and acquisitions, and a privately-held company that went public. These past experiences provided her with the ability to adapt to constant change and the ability to function in fastpaced environments. So joining Aquascape Designs seemed like the right fit, and she wanted to see what it would be like to work in an entrepreneurial envi-

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I like to see integrity, honesty, and passion for life. If you have those three things, you will be a good fit for our company.

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department?

D E S I G N S

I don’t have a department as such, but my responsibility is to focus the strengths of our management team on our corporate goals and strategic initiatives and believe me, getting this group of yahoos focused on anything is a real challenge most of the time. I try hard to keep my eye on the big picture, which allows our managers to concentrate on their own specific areas of expertise. So I guess you could say that Greg and I try to provide the overall context in which everyone else operates. I am also often times pulled in when legal issues come up and I work with Ira, our attorney, quite a bit. In a real sense, we define the game.

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

adventures over this period of time. Let’s find out what Jack has to say about succeeding at Aquascape Designs.

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ronment. This past year she’s been mentoring under Colleen and learning the financial ins and outs of the water gardening industry.

Doing the same process month after month and not trying to find a better, more efficient way of doing it.

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan?

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department?

Our basic mission is to provide accurate financial information and to be a service provider to all other departments within Aquascape. If it requires the exchange of money to take place, we are involved some way, somehow. We are interacting with all departments within ADI daily.

What are the main challenges facing your department? Our main challenge is to ensure proper internal controls and accurate financial reporting as the company continues to grow towards $100,000,000 in sales.

“I had my degree in horticultureand I thought a place that built ponds sounded like a place where I could put my education to work. And believe me, Greg put it to work.”

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know? We are more than just a bunch of number crunchers; we actually laugh and tell jokes!

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be? That at the end of the day we will report the numbers with the expectation of exceeding budget in 2006! We will continue to cross-train job responsibilities and focus on improved internal control policy and procedures.

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department? Attitude, aptitude, and experience – in that order.

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department? Uh? No seriously, we have a very open, free-flowing communication within the department. Like Colleen said, we yell over the cubes mostly! | CHAPTER 7

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it?

As WGE increases, the accounting department will increase its processing of invoices, payables, and cash generated on a monthly basis.

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department? We will be more cohesive as a department, which will allow us to be more efficient and effective.

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be?

Volleyball … without a doubt!

Jeff Payton

Executive Vice President of Business Development Jeff Payton is the tallest of all ADI employees, standing 6’6” in his dress cowboy boots, and his nickname for many moons has been Big Rig, after a truck driving game with the same name. He’s been with ADI since 1998 when he started out in the Tech Department. “I had my degree in horticulture,” he explained, “and I thought a place that built ponds sounded like a place where I could put my education to work. And believe me, Greg put it to work.” But, as things turned out, Big Rig has not only succeeded, he thrived under all the new challenges as he moved successfully from the Tech Department, to head of Customer Service, to head of Customer Relations. So when it came time to choose a General Manager for NurseryPro in 2003, Greg didn’t have to look very far. Jeff stood out for more reasons than just his height. At this point in time Jeff oversees the entire sales team directly and is also in charge of Customer Service, Channels and Programs, Marketing, Product Management and Field Research departments. Jeff ’s wonderful family includes his wife Susan, two

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room in this group for egos – and a person who is in it for the customer and the company more than they are in it for themselves.

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan?

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department?

What are the main challenges facing your department? The main challenge facing the department is time. My sales guys are beginning to be stretched thin with the addition of the responsibilities in Water Garden Excellence and the management of all activities in their territory. Our goal is to better use all of the resources available to us to make sure that they have a good balance of work and family.

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know? The Territory Sales Managers’ primary responsibilities are not selling. They are managing all sales activities in the territory, including handling all Independent Manufacturer Reps (IMR’s), MPPD’s and TSR’s (Territory Sales Reps).

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be? We will most likely have an additional two or three sales people (either TSM or TSR) to help us better take care of our customers.

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department?

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it? No mistakes are allowed.

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department? WGE is my department. Everyone is involved in it. All of the sales guys are in the field taking care of the visits and signing up more people everyday. The more people that sign up, the more the guys will need to pay attention to the 20 percent of our customers that bring in 80 percent of our business and business will grow!

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department? When the sales team comes to town, they will be staying on site, providing them with a home away from home – kind of like the Elburn house did!

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be? Where to start? I could beat The Pond Guy™ in plenty of them. Basketball, softball, bowling, wrestling – anything that does not require speed!

Ross Pyne

Director of Operations – Canada Ross Pyne’s role is Director of Operations for the Canadian operation. This entails many functions including warehousing, inventory management and logistics. He primarily focuses on serving our customers, but his duties extend to ensuring that

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Someone who is self-motivated and self-managed, a person that can fit into the culture quickly and can leave their ego at the door – there is no

Since much of my department (the sales team) is based outside of this office, the way we communicate is by e-mail and by weekly conference calls. As a group, this is the main way we communicate. Individually, it is by phone calls and when we get together in groups a few times a year.

D E S I G N S

The mission of my department (Business Development) is to identify, analyze, and find ways to exploit all opportunities in the water garden marketplace for ADI thru all channels and product lines. The mission of the sales team is to ensure that all of our customers are taken care of and that their needs in business are being met as much as their needs in the water gardening marketplace are. The members of the sales team are the eyes on the street with all of the customers. They see not just what is going on with our customers out there, but what the competition is doing so that we know what is going to happen before it actually happens.

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young boys, Adam and Tyler, and one big dog. Do you suppose that he knows a little bit about succeeding at ADI? Here’s what he has to say.

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processes and procedures are in place that enable the business, and the truly outstanding employees in Brampton, to be the best at what they do.

Assuming too much. We encourage people to ask questions. So inquire, but never assume anything. Check and double check until you know.

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan?

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department?

To service the customers’ needs, fulfill their orders in a timely and accurate manner, and operate costeffectively in order to complement the profitability goals of the business. The Canadian operation is an extension in many respects of the Batavia philosophy of selling a lifestyle to our customers.

Hopefully increase sales, which means more work … this is a great thing.

What are the main challenges facing your department? Staying ahead of the growth curve and making sure processes, procedures, and employee training are leading the way.

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know? Although the passion is occasionally not shown on our sleeves, the drive, commitment, and belief in the company and its product line is definitely present.

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be? We will be very tired but satisfied employees because it will have been the busiest sales year in the Canadian operation’s history, and operating costs per unit will be lower than 2005. Increased sales, as well as continued passion for excellence and improvement.

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department? Integrity, passion, curiosity towards learning and betterment.

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department? At the beginning of each day, a brief meeting is held with the operations employees about the day’s activities and news. Our size permits daily interaction and intimacy so there is a constant sharing of what is, what’s in the works, and future plans. | CHAPTER 7

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it?

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department? From Canada, there will be marginal immediate impact, as interaction will remain the same.

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be? There’s no such beast.

Sue Soderberg

Director of Channel and Program Management Sue Soderberg is a natural born athlete (golf, soccer, baseball, track and field, canasta, Trivial Pursuit … you name it and Sue’s played it … well) whose psyche was tailor-made for a challenge. Is it any wonder that she’s making her mark her in Aquascape? Sue started her ADI career in March of 2001 at the behest of her friend, Colleen Heitzler, who had already found a home at the head of the Accounting Department. Her original job title was Distributor Development Specialist, where she was charged with developing our distributor relationships. Within a year, Sue was named Manager of Customer Relations. Her present title is Director of Channel and Program Management and she basically oversees all of our distributor relationships, including both the PPDs and UPDs, among other things. And since our business model is moving away from our original mail order model, and it’s becoming more and more distributor based, you could say that Sue’s job is to oversee ADI’s golden goose. She knows how to succeed on the athletic field, and how to succeed at ADI. Check out Sue’s insightful words of wisdom.

What’s the mission of your department in relation to the Aquascape game plan? The mission of our department is to coordinate our distributor network in such a way that every one

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What are the main challenges facing your department? In this department, we are overflowing with talented people, and the biggest challenge we have right now is getting all the players in the right place so they can maximize their own potential.

How does your department fit into the overall Aquascape Game Plan?

What one thing should the rest of team Aquascape know about your department that they don’t already know?

What methods are used to facilitate communications within your department? Internally we do a lot of one-on-one meetings, department meetings, and of course plenty of emailing and weekly reports. Externally we have the PPD and UPD list serves, we do conference calls, and our quarterly Distributor Advisory Board. We’re also working on a monthly newsletter for the Water Garden Excellence Program.

“I happen to think we have the most self-motivated, self-managing group of people in the entire company and that’s the reason why we are able to get so much done so quickly and efficiently.”

Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I happen to think we have the most self-motivated, self-managing group of people in the entire company and that’s the reason why we are able to get so much done so quickly and efficiently.

If you were to make one prediction about your department for next year at this time, what would it be? Next year at this time we will be more focused and we’ll have stopped trying to be all things to all people. We will be dramatically more streamlined and efficient than we already are, and that will take some blood, sweat, and tears.

What are the three most important characteristics you look for in an applicant when you interview them for a position in your department?

I like pro-activeness, so if you want to bring an issue to the table, make sure that you bring a solution along with you. No solution? Don’t bring it. It’s that simple.

How will the Water Garden Excellence Program affect your department?

Well let me say it this way. Instead of juggling just a half dozen balls at one time, it’ll be a dozen or more. The coordination of this new program is going to be the biggest challenge our company has ever seen. By the same token, it is the tent under which everything else can exist and make sense. And, by the way, it’s long overdue.

How will Aqualand alter the way you do things in your department? I think the modern character of the building is symbolic of where we’re headed as a company. But the big change will be the organizational changes that are scheduled to occur in it. We’re going to build a championship team in Aqualand that will be the envy of many industries.

If there were one contest or game in which you think you could whoop the PG, what would it be? I can beat him at almost anything but weight lifting and pull-ups. But I’ll take him to the golf course any day, or the soccer field, or the baseball field. There are very few games or contests where the PG could keep up with me. CHAPTER 7 |

The first thing I look for is cultural fit. Not everyone fits into a wacky culture like we have here. Next, I look for how they react to problems presented them in an interview. I want to have people who are mentally quick on their feet. Last but not least, there are some skill sets that they have to have in order to get considered for a position in this department in the first place.

What’s the most common mistake you see people making in your department, and what are you doing to minimize it?

D E S I G N S

I would tell you there’s not a spoke in the ADI wheel that does not travel directly through us in one way or the other, so we end up playing a role in everything from purchasing to marketing. You could say we’re in tune with the company.

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of our players succeeds and prospers (fulfills their potential) in the wonderful water gardening market. Does that sound vaguely familiar to anyone?

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C H A P T E R

pondemonium

™

pondemonium

S U C C E E D I N G

A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

by Kelly Clancy

The Reason We Do the Things We Do

f you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times … don’t plan anything in your life during mid July because that’s reserved for Pondemonium™. Pondemonium™ is by far the biggest pond event of the year, and every year it gets even bigger. Why? Every year, the Pondemonium™ committee finds a way to outdo the festivities of the year before. In fact, they start planning for the following year a week after the event – now that’s just plain dedication! If you’ve never attended Pondemonium™, then you certainly are in for a treat. The weeks leading up to Pondemonium™ are filled with stress, deadlines, anxiety, anticipation, and excitement. Basically, you run the gamut of emotion right before this outrageous event. Event Coordinator Kelly Brown is the woman with the plan when it comes to getting Pondemonium™ to go off without a hitch. “Pondemonium™ can be a nightmare of sorts when it comes down to the final weeks of planning,” Kelly Brown said, “but when that week comes, you’re running on pure adrenaline and there’s no other feeling like it. I couldn’t imagine another pond event having this much electricity.”

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What is Pondemonium™? So you know that Pondemonium™ is an event that makes people crazy at first, but pays off in the end with the satisfaction you receive from helping customers, but you don’t know exactly what it is. Well, Pondemonium™ usually kicks off with a big pond tour, now sponsored by the North American

Water Garden Society. Pond Tour North America, held in cities across North America throughout the year, is a complete pond tour for homeowners and some early-bird customers to go on and get ideas and inspiration. The next two days are usually reserved for Boot Camps and Build-A-Pond Day seminars. You’ll basically make the choice between the indoor classroom and the outdoor classroom, or split it up and do a little of both – one day indoors, one day outdoors. Boot camps are usually daylong training sessions based on a certain subject like Finances or Marketing. There are even Wet Labs available, where you and the customer can learn more about treating and working with fish.

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D E S I G N S

A. Fish Retailing System. B.Ed explains the new, Signature Series™ skimmer. C. Pond College attendees.

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employees alike to enjoy. This is the time when you can really kick back, let loose, and get to know customers in a non-business setting. On Saturday night, you’re cordially invited to the Appreciation Dinner! This is where employees get a chance to sit down and eat with the customers as awards are passed out for a job well done that week. Dinner is when we usually get the chance to see the video department’s newest production, much to the enjoyment of our customers, as they see some of their favorite employees in action on the big screen. A good band sparks conversation, and a whole lot of dancing rounds out the night’s activities. Sunday is usually slated for the Pro Bus Tour, where customers are taken on a guided bus tour of Right smack in the middle of the week you can test your skill at golf and Pondless® Waterfall buildour favorite ponds. Half-day and full-day tours are available, and customers can even choose to drive ing. Checking out the annual golf outing in the themselves by following the directions in the pond morning and competing against North America’s tour booklet. After that, customers top pond builders in the Waterfall usually pack their bags to go home Building Contest in the afternoon …get ready for sure can work up your appetite. for the week, full of great ideas they the stress, get plan to implement in their own That’s why a barbecue at night is a fan favorite! ready for the fun, business. And then we all breathe™ a sigh of relief as Pondemonium , and get ready to Getting Educated once again, exceeds the expectations have the time Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of our customers. are reserved for the classroom, where of your life you can rest your limbs and work We Want You! every year at on your brain with Pond College. There are committees for everyPondemonium™. There are classes for everyone – from thing related to Pondemonium™, merchandising a store to building a You can’t miss it! and if you’re planning to get a real feel for the event and the comconstructed wetland. It can be very beneficial for an employee to attend pany in general, you’ll jump on one of those committees and get to work. Evsome of these great classes. On Thursday and Friday nights, the Pondemonium™ Committee always ery year, there are over 100 volunteer spots to be comes up with something fun for customers and filled – everything from registration to hosting C

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Ask Around But don’t just listen to what we say. If you’d like to get the real dirt on Pondemonium™, ask someone who’s been there, done that. We guarantee that they’ll answer you with great stories and recollections of their fun at Pondemonium™ in year’s past. This is the event that separates us from the competition and no one, not even our customers, understands Pondemonium™ until they experience it first-hand. So get ready for the stress, get ready for the fun, and get ready to have the time of your life every year at Pondemonium™. You can’t miss it! B

D E S I G N S

Build-A-Pond Days to riding the bus with our customers during the pond tour – and everyone is highly-encouraged to volunteer. Your life will be booked that week, so imagine if you had a birthday plop right in the middle of all that? Donna Coleman’s birthday is July 18th, but she’s always around during Pondemonium™. Since she’s been with the company for so many years, she’s learned to take it in stride. “Pondemonium™ is the biggest and best party I could have with friends and family,” Donna said. Now some of you may think that Donna’s exaggerating, but she really isn’t. Once you get to put a face with the name of a customer, a big-time bond is formed. These people are like family. You keep track of when their planes are coming in and when they’ll get to the hotel, you’re sure to speak with them in between Pond College classes, and you can’t wait to find out the name of their newest arrivals, whether it’s a ball cart or a new baby girl! A

A. Pond College attendees. B. Greg and a Build-A-Pond Day participant. C. Appreciation Dinner and Dance.

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C H A P T E R

team Aquascape

S U C C E E D I N G

A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

team Aquascape by Kelly Clancy

From Sports Teams to Committees, We Keep the Love Alive

here’s an overwhelming team feeling the minute you walk in the front doors at Aquascape Designs – whether you hear a customer service rep asking a member of purchasing about a product, or when Missy is hard at work helping Customer Relations get a big mailing out. Everyone is willing to help you in any way possible, even if it means coming in a little earlier, working through lunch, or staying a little later. Team is what we’re all about. We feel it, our customers feel it, our vendors feel it, and even random visitors to the building can feel the love we all have for each other. In many ways, Aquascape Designs is like a team. Actually, it is a team – a group of people working together toward a common goal … success. When you start working here, you become a part of the team and you have no choice but to root on your other team members. Everyone wants to see each other succeed here, because the better we do, the more we reap the rewards.

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The Team Concept So, what is this team concept all about? Well, it would probably best be categorized as more of a league. There are a whole bunch of different teams

in this organization and we all compete against each other everyday to come up with new ideas and implement them. But when it comes to other leagues, we’re like a group of all-stars, putting our best on the field with plenty of support from the bench. And when we need to be called up to play, we’re always ready. Ah, so that’s what Greg means by “stepping up to the plate and hitting a homerun?” Exactly. Team Aquascape is all about not being afraid to take a chance and being proactive in your job. Leaning over the plate and staring the pitcher straight in the eyes is what being in a competition is all about. And when you do end up hitting that double to drive your supervisor home, or hitting a homerun yourself, you’re earning points for your team – Aquascape Designs.

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Aquascape’s Core Values A team just wouldn’t be a team without its own set of rules. We like to use our five core values to make sure our team is running smoothly. Imagination: We make dreams come true by bringing creativity to everything we do. We set no limits and recognize no barriers when envisioning possibilities for future realities, in ourselves, for our clients, or our industry.

D E S I G N S

nthusiasm: We express our excitement E every day through the enjoyment and belief in our products, our clients, and our fellow associates. I ntegrity: We are enthusiastically committed to uncompromising responsibility and sound judgment in all we do. We are consistently ethical and honorable in our decision-making. espect: We open-mindedly recognize R and appreciate others. We honor everyone’s uniqueness and their right to be treated with human dignity. armony: We excel in balancing diversity H and creating environments of peace and tranquility, whether it be in our interactions with each other, through our service to our client, or by integrating technologies with art for efficient and ecologically sound beauty in water gardens. But helping each other out on projects is not the only way the team feeling keeps going. We actually have teams – a dragon boat team, volleyball teams, soccer teams, softball teams – where we compete together, thus getting to know each other better. We sign up for races to support good causes, and even if you aren’t on the sports team, you may be the 6th man on the marathon course, cheering them to victory, or making as much noise as you can in the stands. But the team feeling even extends beyond actual teams to the many committees we have here at Aquascape – the KOI, AquaLogic, Fit Crew, Sales Generators, Pondemonium™, and all kinds of other committees all make an impact on the team feel at Aquascape.

not play sports. Every year, Aquascape sponsors a dragon boat team, consisting of 18 rowers, a drummer, and a flag catcher. We also have a softball team, which draws new people every year, eager to play and have a great time. In the U.S. and Canada, we have volleyball teams that rack up the wins every year, although there has never been a U.S. vs. Canada match-up. We have several people who have caught the running bug and really succeeded as well. In October of 2005, we had four competitors in the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon – what an amazing feat! Do you have to be awesome to get yourselves on the sports teams? No! You don’t have to be an allstar. Stop by a practice or game, give it your best, and you decide whether you want to continue playing. There are no cuts and certainly no bad attitudes.

Being Committed

Sports at Aquascape have been great because we draw two very different types of people – those who are sports crazy, and those who otherwise may

The participation of committees at Aquascape is huge when it comes to our success. There are committees for every event we have, from seminars to

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The Sporting Group

Top: The volleyball team from Aquascape Canada. Above: The softball team from Aquascape U.S.A.

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our own Christmas party. Nothing would ever get done if a group of people here and there weren’t committed to bring answers and events to our company. Here is a sampling of just a few of the many, many committees we have here at Aquascape. KOI (Kontinuous Operational Improvements) Committee - KOI is an employee-based committee dedicated to improving processes, procedures, and communications throughout the company. Employees fill out forms concerning changes they’d like to see in a procedure or a process that needs to be implemented. The KOI committee gets hold of it, determines whether it is a valid request, and assigns it to a manager who would be involved in the implementation of the procedure. Each committee member serves for one year. AquaLogic Committee – This team analyzes the Aquascape culture, looking for the healthiest aspects and expanding on them. They seek ways to improve the com“Happy, healthy, munication cascade. They look balanced for ways to inspire each other to greatness. And they provide relationships opportunities to build relationbetween ships with one another through families and events designed to help us connect. work are very Fit Crew – This group is important here at dedicated to the health and Aquascape, and fitness of the members of the company. They are responsible that’s something for developing programs and that we all need bringing in experts who will to recognize, all help aid in exercise and nutrition awareness throughout the the time.” company. The Fit Crew works to keep everyone in shape with continual information on health and fitness. Sales Generators – Like their name indicates, this is a group designed to find ways to generate sales. The group uses suggestions from employees to implement processes and procedures to help boost sales. So if you have a great idea, now you have a place to showcase it! Pondemonium™ Committee – This is the committee responsible for everything Pondemonium™ – from planning each and every aspect of the event to helping fill the many, many volunteer spots available. We couldn’t get it done without these hard-workers! So, you don’t like sports and you aren’t interested in all the committees? No matter who you are, we still have some team building activities for you. How about that company Build-A-Pond Day? It’s always

a great time when everyone gets together and does what we do best – building ponds. It’s a great learning experience, and a chance for people from other departments to meet the rest of the team and learn to work with them in a different environment.

Family First We have numerous company gatherings over the course of the year, and when you attend any one of them, you’ll see kids everywhere, spouses, significant others, and friends of friends – English speaking and Spanish speaking – who all seem to fit and find places to feel comfortable within Team Aquascape. And it happens quickly too.

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Aquascape Family Fun

D E S I G N S

Here’s a little test for you. Ask around and find out how many family members look forward to reading The Froggy Chronicles (our weekly newsletter) each and every week to find out what’s happening at Aquascape? You may be amazed to discover that there are plenty of better/other halves that are highly disappointed if the Froggies are forgotten and left at work on Friday afternoon. What does that tell you about their feelings of inclusion on Team Aquascape?

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A High Regard for Family

gard for relationships between people and we know that the family relationship is top priority to you, and that problematic family relations bleed over and are too often translated into problematic work relationships. For all those reasons, happy, healthy, balanced relationships between families and work are very important here at Aquascape, and that’s something that we all need to recognize, all the time. That’s what being a team is all about – looking out for each other and keeping our priorities in check. Go team!

So, as you know, we do lots of talking about teamwork here at ADI. We have a very high re-

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C H A P T E R

fitness at Aquascape

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S U C C E E D I N G

A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

fitness at by Jennifer Zuri

Aquascape

Get Bit by the Fit Bug!

ou’re lucky! You work for a company that is dedicated to health and fitness. I’ve never heard anyone at Aquascape get scolded for working out in the middle of the afternoon. On the contrary, if The Pond Guy™ catches you in the fitness area, he’s more apt to say, “How much can you bench?” rather than, “Why aren’t you at your desk working?”

Aquascape has dedicated a good chunk of change to its annual budget in order to accommodate various fitness programs. The Fit Crew is an employee committee that devotes time from their workweek to create and implement fun, fitness-based programs. Employees are encouraged to participate, and they receive prizes at the end of each program. In addition, the Fit Crew produces a quarterly newsletter

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The Pond Guys’™ soccer team faces the competition on Tuesday nights on an indoor league.

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called The Fit Crew Review. Articles include the latest information on nutrition and exercise, as well as upcoming fitness programs at Aquascape. Some examples of fitness programs held at Aquascape are described below.

The Fit Crew is an employee committee that devotes time from their workweek to create and implement fun, fitness-based programs.

Miles Across America

A very large map of North America was hung in the fitness room, with six routes across America identified with a marker and mileage points. Each participant chose a course to follow and were given stickers to mark their progress along their chosen route. For every mile that participants completed via cycling, walking, running, etc., they earned miles and translated these to the big map. At the end of the 12-week program, miles were turned into points. Employees could then purchase logo wear with the points they earned. There was no fee to join this program.

Weight Watchers at Work

Jack’s no spring chicken, but you wouldn’t know it because he stays in such great shape.

Fitness Challenge 2004 Participants paid for a body composition analysis fee for this 16-week program. The body composition consisted of hydrostatic testing in Delnor’s Health & Wellness Center pool. Each participant was fully immersed below water to get a body fat

CHAPTER 10 |

At the time of the printing of this book, we were still offering the Weight Watchers program. Employees pay partial dues to join the 10-week sessions, while Aquascape picks up the rest of the

tab. As the employee loses weight, Aquascape pays a larger portion of the dues if the employee continues with the program. The Weight Watchers group meets every week to weigh in and hear an informative lecture on fitness and/or nutrition. Over 300 pounds have been lost.

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Aquascape’s Dragon Boat team gives their opponents a challenge each year, using their teamwork to compete in the race.

reading, and then the participant set goals to reach during the 16 weeks. Employees could work with one of our resident, retired personal trainers (we currently have two former trainers on staff ) to develop a program designed specifically for them. At the end of the program, participants were tested again for their body composition. Results were given at a meeting led by Kelley Altom, Certified Personal Trainer, who administered the test. If participants reached their goal, they were given their money back.

| CHAPTER 10

Scarecrow Scamper and Other Running Events

In October 2003, over 40 Aquascape employees entered the Scarecrow Scamper 5K held in St.

Charles, Illinois. The Pond Guy™ was on a mission to get as many employees entered in this event as possible. Each Aquascape runner was given a black, long sleeve tee shirt, with a very cool design that said, “The Pond Guys Running Club.” After the event was over, a few employees kept running and called their group, “Kickin’ Asphalt.” Employees continue to enter races, but we’ve never topped the number of participants for the Scarecrow Scamper in 2003. However, four employees recently completed the 2005 Chicago Marathon, and Aquascape is hosting its first ever 5K race on June 4, 2006 (obviously Aquascape’s 5K will be over and done with if you’re reading this on June 5, 2006 or later). More and more employees have started running, and many more are walking or cycling. There

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are even a few triathletes on board. And since Aquascape employees are a friendly bunch, you’re certain to find someone with the same fitness interests as you, so you can buddy up with people … or go solo if you prefer.

Aqualand Fitness Center

Fitness on AquaNet Make sure to visit the fitness pages of AquaNet. You’ll find information on nutrition, exercise, and current fitness programs at Aquascape. Menus from local restaurants, complete with calorie counts, are available for you to scour before heading out to lunch with a co-worker. Information on heart rate monitoring can be found on the exercise page. Check these pages often as up-to-date information is continually added.

D E S I G N S

This chapter can’t come to a close without mentioning the 5,000 square foot fitness facility in Aqualand. From the plush spa area to the variety of exercise equipment, no one has excuses not to better their health. Employees can bring their spouse to the center and enjoy some sweat time together. After a hard workout, take a dip in the whirlpool, or test your nerves in the cold plunge pool. There is something for everyone at the Aqualand Fitness Center. Whatever your cup of tea, you can find camaraderie and bonding through fitness at Aquascape. Whether you need to blow off some stress, or you simply want to beat Greg in a bench press competition, you’re sure to find support from all your co-workers when it comes to exercise and health. And if you have any ideas for future fitness activities and events, simply talk to a member of The Fit Crew. You don’t have to be a runner to join co-workers in a 5K. Here, Aquascape runners and walkers display their medals and ribbons after the Dewey Dash 5K in Elburn.

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C H A P T E R

Open Book Management and the

f.o.a.m.

Program

by Rick Osbourne and Colleen Heitzler

foam

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S U C C E E D I N G

A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

o, what exactly is Open Book Management? Well, for starters, in an OBM company you take the conventional blindfolds off the worker bees and give them complete and total access to the numbers and the books – the virtual spinal column and nervous system of the business. Yes, we’re talking about the proverbial glass house that’s the polar opposite of the conventional “closed-book, behindclosed-doors” orientation to this jealously-guarded, shrouded-in-secrecy, Wizard of Oz (behind the curtain) info around which most businesses in the world revolve and evolve.

Teach the Rules, Stand Back, and Watch ‘Em Win The nay-sayers in the crowd are sure to jump up and claim, “It does no good to share that kind of information with employees because they won’t understand it anyway.” And the proponents of this radical new strategy agree whole-heartedly … unless, of course, you take the time to teach employees how to understand and interpret those magical and mysterious numbers and then show them how they all fit together and relate to one another in a way that they can wrap their arms around. With that little, additional piece of information, all the nay-sayers are flushed down the toilet and proven dead wrong. In sporting language, we basically ask, “How are people going to play the game if nobody teaches them the rules?” The short answer is … they can’t. So, if you not only want them to play, but win, you gotta teach them the rules of the game and how to positively influence those numbers. Once you do that, just stand back and watch them churn

out first down after first down, until they finally reach pay dirt.

Employees at All Levels Change Eyeballs In the process of doing all this, the OBM orientation asks employees to change the way they look at the company and the various jobs they perform, in other words, to change and strengthen their vision. More specifically, it will ask everyone under this roof to step back from their specific job and readjust their focus so it’s “on the business” instead of “in the business.”

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Leveling the Playing Field

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Yes, you’ll hear Greg mention this phrase numerous times as “his focus,” but now it will be everyone’s focus and responsibility to see and understand how their particular job relates to the whole pie. In doing so, it will ask you to look for ways to make that relationship more efficient, more effective, and to make the company stronger. In short, it’ll be asking you to “manage yourself instead of allowing someone else to manage you.”

2. I ncreased growth opportunity for everyone. Based on company growth and market diversification, which is part and parcel of the OBM’s winning recipe, you will be completely and totally amazed at the growth opportunities that will occur as the natural result of implementing an ownership culture here at Aquascape Designs. 3. Emotionalism and subjectivism are taken out of the decision-making process because the market, the numbers, and the constant adjustment of one to the other (kind of like a pilot landing an airplane at O’Hare) dictates who does what, and when … not emotions and not opinions! This will, in turn, minimize frustrations for all team members.

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What else is it, you ask? Well, it’s a leveling of the playing field that shows everybody in the company a clear picture of the whole pie, it asks all of them to digest it and to help shoulder the risks and the rewards involved in growing that pie and making it bigger and better for everyone – not just for a select few at the top of the conventional corporate pyramid. It minimizes 4. I ncreased levels of harmony …now it will be the power, along with the risks and and teamwork within the comeveryone’s focus responsibilities that are conventionpany due to all team members ally concentrated in the hands of a being focused on the same “big and responsibilfew (think Enron/Arthur Anderpicture” goals. Furthermore, inity to see and sen/WorldCom), and spreads it out centives and rewards are based understand how among all the team members in an on “team performance,” avoideffort to harvest the creative potening the highly conventional, their particular tial of the entire team (150-plus folks yet divisive strategy of pitting job relates to the in our case), for the benefit of the individual against individual, whole pie. whole team. and then expecting them to coIn Greg Wittstock’s vernacular, operate and work together (talk “I want to recreate that state chamabout short-sighted). pionship football team feeling all over again, but this time without any bench warmers.” In Os5. Improved levels of communications (relations) between employees, managers, and bourne’s vernacular, “Gee whiz, that sounds like owner(s) through regular big picture meetings a democracy to me. And I really like the taste of the whole. The purpose of the meeting is to and smell of democracy.” But you’re getting the “check our progress, and to call the next play.” picture here, right? This results in the constant refining and polishing of all activities, and being certain that Now What’s in It for Me? the company is taking full advantage of curOkay, okay we hear you saying, “that’s plenty on rent knowledge of current conditions … and the ‘what is it?’ part of the question, but you still continues to win the game. haven’t answered the ‘what’s in it for me?’ part of the question. Will you expound on that? And if you 6. I ncreased incentives/rewards are built into the cover that base effectively, maybe I’ll even sign up.” Following is a list of 10 answers to the question, process through mini-games, which are designed “What’s in it for me?” to attack and eliminate weakness in departments and the company. 1. Job security and company stability. These two things go hand in hand, and when the company 7. E veryone in the company is provided with all the is stable and growing, and the cause is employees tools (knowledge) necessary to positively affect who are actively engaged in making it happen … their team’s situation. This translates into more guess what? You have job security. In an OBM autonomy and control over your situation (self company, that and regular growth are at the top management, right?). of the priority ladder!

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D E S I G N S

active and you take this radically new orientation to business management seriously.

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

Keeping It Simple

Aquascape’s own queen of numbers, Colleen Heitzler.

8. Everyone has regular opportunities to contribute to budget decisions, which are in constant flux, adjusting to the most current info in the market. 9. For any of you who may be starting your own enterprise one of these days, this hands-on practical business training will be worth its weight in gold. When he looks back over the Aquascape landscape, the PG wishes that he had this knowledge in hand when he started in business back in the mid-90’s.

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10. You’ll have an opportunity to participate in a history-making experiment (sharing in the risks and rewards) in participative, democratic capitalism – a concept which is destined to change the way the world does business, just as we’re changing the way the world builds ponds.

Now, to sum it all up, there’s a lot in it for every member of the company, provided that you’re pro-

Knowing something about Open Book Management theory will give you an historical context for understanding the program that we now call F.O.A.M. (Financials Once a Month), where we share and discuss all the numbers with all our employees once a month for precisely the same reasons. But like everything else around here, we’ve simplified it to fit our own particular culture and our own specific needs. K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple Stupid) F.O.A.M. has been one of represents our the PG’s mantras company’s attempt since age three to encourage each and nothing has changed in this and every team regard. Learning member to become about the ADI actively involved F.O.A.M. Program will give in driving those you a numerical numbers in the handle on our business that will right direction. help you to navigate the hairpin curves that we all experience on occasion here at Aquascape Designs. Check out what queen of numbers Colleen Heitzler, has to say here about F.O.A.M.

F.O.A.M.

F.O.A.M. (one of our many acronyms, this one standing for Financials Once a Month) is the program that activists here at Aquascape developed to complement our experiment in Open Book Management. Like everything else we do here in Entrepreneurland, IL, we started out by testing a variety of approaches from weekly meetings and huddles, to what has now evolved to monthly meetings where our numbers-oriented entourage leads a lively discussion regarding the overall health, direction, and the future of this company … in numerical terms. F.O.A.M. represents our company’s attempt to encourage each and every team member to become actively involved in driving those numbers in the right direction for the sake of everyone who works here at ADI.

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D E S I G N S

You Trust Them

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We like to refer to two different types of FOAM. This one comes in a can!

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labor, how much the company was charging a Now let’s dig into this aspect of our company a customer to install a pond, and then wondering little further. Conventionally speaking, company if he shouldn’t just start his own pond installation business instead of putting all books are things that most business this money into the boss’s pocket owners keep under lock and key for It allows each fear their employees will interpret week after week. At least he was employee to thinking that until Greg explained them in such a way that puts them the numbers to him, at which in a poor, if not greedy light. And connect his own if the owners are greedy and failing individual dots to point the thought of starting up his own business went into the to share the fruits of the companies’ the overall context, archives and he concentrated on resources in a fair and equitable the mission of the way, that’s definitely information being the best pond builder in the Midwest, if not the nation, which that they’d want to guard. But if the company, and in he has now become. owner has nothing to hide, there so doing, it gives are some wonderful benefits that go tangible purpose along with opening the books and Context, Meaning, teaching employees to understand and Purpose Bigger and meaning to them … starting with the fact that Than Yourself the things they do it shows employees that you trust Another factor that comes into every day. play when an employee understands them with this delicate and closely held information. the numbers is that they can relate what they do every day to how the numbers add up on the big board at the end of the It’s More Equitable Than We Thought week, the month, the quarter, and the end of the The next thing is, if your employees truly unyear. It allows each employee to connect their own derstand the numbers, they will also understand individual dots to the overall mission of the company, and in so doing, it gives tangible purpose and how challenging it is to get dollars to fall clear to meaning to the things they do every day. It conthe bottom line after paying all the overhead exnects employees to meanings and purposes that are penses that are required to run a business. In our case for example, our own red-headed Michelbigger than just themselves, and in this increasingly angelo of pond building, Brian Helfrich, knew robotic, modern world, we all need to discover that kind of purpose. what the company was paying for materials and

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C H A P T E R

tools for success

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A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

tools for by Jennifer Zuri

success

Project Initiatives, KOI, and AquaNet

ll this talk of success leaves no room to wonder whether this company is concerned about your future. Aquascape wants 100 percent of its employees to succeed while walking the paths of Aqualand. A few handy tools can make your journey easier to navigate while you strive for success on the job.

Launching a Project Project Initiatives are used to launch a project, which is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. A project has a definite beginning and a definite end. Unique means the project is different in some distinguishing way from all other products or services. An example of a project at Aquascape is a new book, seminar, or pond product. At most companies, the people at the top of the corporate ladder instigate projects. Rarely does the hourly worker have a chance to voice an opinion on an idea that would generate new revenue for the company. Not so at Aquascape! Anyone can submit an idea for a new project simply by filling out a Project Initiative form and submitting it to the resident Project Manager. The PM (Project Manager, see Chapter 15 for more Aquascape acronyms), makes sure your PI (Project Initiative) gets into the right hands for approval. If approved, a timeline is set to begin work on your idea. If not approved, the Project Manager will make sure to communicate to you that your PI was not accepted.

Changes for the Better KOI is yet another Aquascape acronym that stands for Kontinuous Operational Improvements. Yes, we know that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kontinuousâ&#x20AC;? is spelled wrong, but KOI made a better acronym for our water gardening company than COI. KOI began in January 2003 and has been going strong ever since. Six non-managerial employees reside on the KOI committee. Our KOI mission statement is as follows:

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KOI is an employee-based committee dedicated to improving processes, procedures, and communications.

is working efficiently. And if you’re so inclined, toss your hat into the ring to serve on the KOI committee. Simply notify any of the existing members of your interest, as new members are rotated into the committee annually.

D E S I G N S

KOI can be used to make changes to the way work is currently being executed. Perhaps you Aquascape Wide Web find a task to be inefficient in the way it’s performed. If the task is a procedure that has been AquaNet is Aquascape’s Intranet. The Intranet is implemented by the company, you have the abildifferent from the Internet in that it’s available only to ity to possibly change the process. employees and is not part of the World By filling out a KOI submittal form Web. You can visit AquaNet at …weekly updates Wide (found on the KOI pages of Aquahttp://adi.aquascapedesigns.com. are posted to the Net … the company’s Intranet), you Each department at Aquascape can identify the cumbersome task, has a web page, or series of web pages. home page of and provide a solution to make its In addition, there are links to variAquaNet, so you execution more efficient. ous resources such as KOI, Project can be sure to After filling out the KOI submittal, Management, fitness information, you simply turn it in to a member of and more. If you need to complete stay aware of the KOI committee. The committee a Marketing Request form, you can important dates reviews your resolution and turns it find the form on the Marketing like vendor over to the appropriate manager for Department’s pages. If you need to approval and implementation. The submit a Check Request, you’ll need lunches and committee will keep you up-to-date to visit Accounting’s “Forms” page. holiday parties. on the status of your submittal. If Perhaps you need information on your idea is approved, the commitmedical benefits. Simply check out tee will evaluate the new process a few months after the Human Resources pages, which are chock full its implementation, to assure that the new solution of important information. AquaNet, Aquascape’s Intranet, is a helpful resource that is continually updated with events and pertinent information.

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r 16, 2005

Septembe

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

In case HR didn’t tell you during orientation, reading The Froggy Chronicles cover-to-cover each week is mandatory! In fact, The Pond Guy™ says that if you come to work Monday morning without having read the latest issue of the newsletter, you are in violation of being insubordinate! The Pond Guy™ will NEVER yell at you for reading The Froggy on company time, so don’t feel as though you need to spend precious weekend time reading the illustrious newsletter.

Precious to The Pond Guy™

| CHAPTER 12

The content of the newsletter ranges from funny articles, to business updates, to information on health and wellness. And of course, “doctored” photos are always thrown into the mix for a good laugh. You can make some money off The Froggy Chronicles too. Each month, three winners are chosen to receive $50 for articles written. The categories for the $50 prizes include, Most Humorous article, Best article, and Most Inspirational article. And since everyone knows Greg reads The Froggy religiously each week, it’s a good vehicle to use to communicate with him. On more than one occasion, The Pond Guy ™ Conor dazzles the cover has stated, “If Aquascape ever caught on fire, of the September 16, 2005 issue of the infamous the first thing I’d grab out of the building are Froggy Chronicles. The Froggy Chronicle binders. They’re a reflection of Aquascape’s history In addition, weekly updates are and culture!” Past issues of The posted to the home page of AquaNet, Froggy Chronicles are archived so you can be sure to stay aware of “If Aquascape in leather binders. Be sure to important dates like vendor lunches ever caught on check them out. They will help and holiday parties. Make sure you fire, the first thing you gain further insight into take time to familiarize yourself with AquaNet and visit it often. I’d grab out of the Aquascape culture. Greg reads every word of The building are The Froggy Chronicle each week, and The Froggy Chronicles Froggy Chronicle if he’s not in the office on Friday, The Froggy Chronicles is the name binders. They’re he’ll have his assistant hand-deof Aquascape’s weekly newsletter. liver a copy of the newsletter to Yes, you read that right … weekly! a reflection of his home. If that doesn’t convey The company newsletter is printAquascape’s hishow important this communicaed and distributed every Friday tory and culture!” tion tool is to Aquascape, then morning, 52 weeks out of the year. I don’t know what will. Bottom The Froggy is a highly effective line … read your Froggy cover-tocommunication tool if you read cover every week! It can’t hurt, and it may even it cover-to-cover each week, and if you submit help you succeed. information to be published on a regular basis.

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Our Outlook on E-mail

CHAPTER 12 |

Be careful not to let your e-mails pile up though. Delete old e-mail messages that are no Microsoft Outlook is the current e-mail tool used by Aquascape. If you’re not very computer longer relevant. If you do decide to create folders savvy, be sure to at least attempt to store e-mail, you’ll need to clean out the folders from time to time. to master the use of e-mail. ADI You have tools Also, be quick in responding to eprovides in-house Outlook trainavailable at mails. You’ll be sure to annoy your ing from time-to-time, so be sure ADI to make to take advantage of it when the co-worker if you wait a few days opportunity arises. In addition, before opening the e-mail they your ideas numerous employees like to show sent you. At the same time, rebecome reality. spond in a timely manner. Waiting how smart they are and will be The sky is longer than 24 hours to respond is honored if you ask them for help an office etiquette faux pas. in utilizing Outlook. the limit! E-mail is an efficient communication tool that can help you You Have the Tools succeed. When you communicate via e-mail, you Be sure to use the tools listed above to your create a paper trail of conversations. It’s similar to advantage while doing your job. There’s never taking notes in a meeting … important informaany need to say, “I had this great idea, but no tion is documented. You can store and sort e-mail one listened to me.” You have tools available at messages in handy folders that are provided in ADI to make your ideas become reality. The Outlook. Storing e-mails that contain important sky is the limit! information eliminates the need to ask the same question over and over.

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C H A P T E R

funny stories

| CHAPTER 13

S U C C E E D I N G

A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

funnystories

The following is a compilation of funny stories written by various Aquascape employees. They are all true and each has its own bit of wisdom to glean.

The Plight of the Worms by Lucas Henry

You may be wondering what worms have to do with working or succeeding here at Aquascape. Well, they obviously do, since they show up in this manual. So listen up. My name is Lucas Henry and one day I had an opportunity to shine … It all began one afternoon when Greg came over to my desk and, without saying a word, handed me a torn-out page from a Field and Stream magazine. I looked down and saw that it was an article detailing a step-by-step process for constructing your own worm farm and it read, “Lucas, make me one. PG” in Pond Guy™ print. Later he let me know that he didn’t need it right away and I could make it next month if need be. Mistake 1: Not dropping what I was doing and getting this done right away, since it was a direct order from the top. What can I say, I’m kind of a procrastinator. Since I had a lot of work to do, I put off the project and continued to work on what I was doing. A month passed, I still hadn’t started the worm farm, and was now involved in another large project. I would like to say that I innocently forgot about the worm farm, but I didn’t. I was playing a dangerous game of “maybe he won’t ask about it for a little while longer and I can still get it done,” and I was about to lose. Mistake 2: Not going to Greg and letting him know that I was having trouble getting to the worm farm because of my workload.

I remember it was raining that day – the day I was finally called to the principal’s office we call HR. I was standing at the copy machine and spotted Greg hovering around my desk. It could have been about anything, but deep down I knew, my time had come. Later that day I got to sit down with Greg and Ben, our HR Director. It went a little something like this: In addition to not getting the project done in a timely fashion, Greg brought to my attention that I had missed a rare opportunity to make a good impression, and I could not argue. When the owner of the company comes to you with a special and personal project just for him, you have a rare opportunity to “shine” and make a good impression. Well, I didn’t shine. In fact, I didn’t even glow a little, so the moral of the story is, if Greg comes to you with a project, don’t hesitate or procrastinate or you may end up explaining yourself in Ben’s office and writing a story for the employee manual.

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Anyway, we noticed a very high rock formation further down the beach. It reached about 30 feet past the shoreline over the water. Greg bet me I wouldn’t dive off the cliff into the shallow water. I said I’d do it if he went first. So he slammed his Shirley Temple and made his way to the top of the cliff. He made a few unkind hand gestures aimed in my direction and jumped headfirst into the water. Well, he landed in the shallow water, which was even shallower due to the tide receding just as he jumped. At first I couldn’t believe my eyes but he had actually harpooned himself into the wet sand and his body was stiff as a board for a moment! To make matters worse for Greg, but more hilarious to any bystander, Greg managed to land directly onto a pickle jar that was buried just below the surface of the sand. Because of the force of his body weight, the angle of descent, and the wet surface of the glass, his head squeezed into the pickle jar! He jumped up and began running around in circles with the pickle jar on his head! He looked sort of like one of those plastic monkeys from the barrel of monkeys toy, if you’re old enough to remember. If not, then just picture a big ape hopping around waving its arms with a pickle jar on its head.

Is Lucas eating bugs? hmmm…

besides the fact that I killed the entire first colony of worms and had to start over, the worms have brought me both fame and fortune (I won $25 for funniest article in the Froggy Chronicles) and we all lived happily ever after. Oh yeah, you may also be asking yourself why Greg wanted a worm farm in the first place. Well, this is a good opportunity for you to go and meet some other employees and see if they know the answer to that question. Welcome.

D E S I G N S

All Bets Were Off

As a new employee you may be saying to yourself, “This seems like a lot of fuss over something as trivial as a worm farm.” You have a lot to learn. All said and done, the worm farm is healthy and happy at the time I am writing this story, and

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

A Lot to Learn

In a Pickle by Mark Williams

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I remember this one time in band camp when I … oh right, these are Aquascape funny stories. So this one time Greg and I were on the beach in Jamaica, and we had been drinking all day, shooting the breeze about whatever. Throughout the day we had made several bets on various things … like who could stay under water longest, swim the fastest out to the buoy and back to shore, yell the loudest, etc. By midday I had won every bet, and Greg was having a hard time trying to come up with something he could win. Oh, he did win the bet of who had the most G’s in their first name. I gave him that one to calm him down.

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100 Percent True?

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Once I regained my composure after a hearty belly laugh, I realized he was probably suffocating. So I grabbed a nearby rock and beamed him in the head, exploding the pickle jar sending shards of pickle scented glass everywhere. Greg thanked me profusely for throwing the rock at his head. I told him that he won the bet because I wasn’t going to jump at all. He laughed and spent the rest of the night telling everyone how I had been too scared to jump off the cliff. It was pretty funny, man, and 100 percent true as I remember it.

The Raiders of the Sleeping Campground by Conor Doyle

In 1999, the company took a 4th of July trip to the Wolf River in Wisconsin, where we were to go white-water rafting. About half the company camped out, and half stayed in a couple of cabins that were rented.

Water Balloon Raid Around midnight on the first night that we were there, Jeff Payton rounded up a bunch of other hooligans (Brian Helfrich, Dave Kelly, and others) and decided it would be funny to run a raid on those of us sleeping peacefully in our tents. All we heard was a truck engine, water balloons whipping through the air, and the sickening sound of balloons striking the fragile tents.

They were standing in the back of a pick-up truck with a water-balloon launcher and were firing them at us. I was lucky, as they didn’t hit my tent, but some other people weren’t so lucky. I know a couple of people that got a direct hit in their open windows. Fortunately, nobody (that I recall) was too upset about the whole thing.

Things That Make You Say, Hmmmm… I know Jeff got his the next day on the river, as his raft flipped in the first (very little) rapids, and he and Susan’s lunch went floating down the river. Somehow Jeff still made it to the esteemed position of VP in this company. Makes you wonder.

Role Reversal: Getting Respect the Hard Way by Brett Finnell

WARNING: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME (OR WORK)! ALL STUNTS WERE PERFORMED BY TRAINED PROFESSIONALS. Little did Tony, Cody, Chris and a little band of rebels, including myself and Lucas, know when we all took part in creating the short Indiana Jones spoof “Aquascaper Jones” that we would set a precedent for all Pondemoniums in the future. The success of this little short video in 2003 prompted discussions amongst people in the industry, all the way up to the CEO of one of our vendors. He first coined the term “Queer Eye for the Pond Guy,” a reference to the popular Bravo TV show “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” I don’t think he knew at that point what he had started.

The Start of It All

| CHAPTER 13

His idea came back to us via Steve Stroupe, one of our vendor reps. Steve is quite the irreverent fellow and loved the idea so much, he had to propose it to The Pond Guy™ himself as the title and subject of a new spoof movie for the 2004 Pondemonium™. Oddly enough, (or maybe not so odd, you make the call) Greg was a big fan of that show and loved the idea. He and Steve came up with a team of four people to flesh out the idea: Jennifer Zuri, Cody Osbourne, Kelly Clancy (then Tunney) and me.

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Before long, we had fleshed out an outline and a treatment and I set to work writing the screenplay. How many employees get to write a story about a bunch of homosexuals trying to pick apart and improve the president of the company? The script came together after a few revisions and we had to cast the “queers” from a pool of presumably straight, busy young men, none of whom had any prior acting experience whatsoever, AKAAquascape Employees. I agreed to do the directing on this little endeavor so it was my job to train them in the little time I had. That’s when a strange reality set in – I’m going to have to be continually telling Greg what to do for the two months of rehearsal and filming on this project.

Not Greg’s Way This Time

rehearsal schedule and my nitpicking direction, either. His condition was exacerbated by his strange diet and exercise schedule. You see, rehearsals just happened to coincide with the last few weeks of a weight loss competition between Tony Bryant and Greg. This meant Greg was eating 400 or so calories a day and that was all juice. Then he would work out in a sweatsuit for a few hours. I can’t imagine why he was irritable. Despite his mood, we all managed to put aside how we really felt and get through it all, even if it meant excusing him from rehearsal early. He was only playing himself; after all, how hard could that be?

Scheduling Conflicts When it finally came time for shooting, everyone was glad that we had spent the time rehearsing. Except for PG. If a shot would require too many takes to get it right, we would be rushed, so Greg wouldn’t get antsy (i.e. we had to accommodate the A.D.D.). And those were on the days he was actually able to shoot. Greg is a busy man running a successful company, so it was unavoidable that there would be scheduled shoots that he would not be able to attend for one

CHAPTER 13 |

I’m sure you can imagine my strange mix of feelings – mostly a blend of sadistic pleasure and fearful trepidation. Greg is a man who likes to do things his way, and isn’t known for his patience (both things he has improved upon greatly since then, might I add; though he still likes to get his way). I knew from the onset that this was going to be a challenge. I wanted to make the final product as awesome as possible, but I had to constantly remind myself that I couldn’t just treat Greg like the cattle that actors truly are (just kidding, Somer, or any other thespians out there; had to give Hitchcock his props). The challenge really started to show its face as rehearsals progressed. It was a grumpy, red, impatient Pond Guy face. He wasn’t just grumpy at the long

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D E S I G N S

Left: Filming of the “Queer Eye for the Pond Guy” movie. Below: The official movie poster.

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D E S I G N S

PG: Yeah. Me: Greg, it’s Brett.

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

PG: Are you ready to go when I get there? Me: Yeah, we’ve been ready. PG: Good. How long is this gonna take? Me: Probably about two hours. Assuming that… PG: Two hours! Me: Yeah, roughly. To get it right. PG: That’s unacceptable! Me: What do you mean that’s unacceptable? reason or another. When that happened, we made due with what we had and shot around his absence as much as possible. This may have lowered the morale of some of the other actors – not only was he the president, owner, and CEO of the company, but also the “star” of the show. It wasn’t like we could re-cast him or anything. Then came the fateful day at the Doral Eaglewood (where Pondemonium™ was being held). I was there with Cody and Tony on cameras and at least 10 other Aquascapees who were playing contractor extras for a simulated Pondemonium™ speech and bar scene. We were ready to shoot at the allotted time. But where was Greg? Nowhere to be seen. I knew he was flying in from Canada specifically to make this shoot (which surprised me), so I knew he would be there. A call back to the office to speak with his assistant revealed that, through a slight error on her part, Greg had shown up not at the Doral Eaglewood, but at the Eaglebrook Country Club in Geneva, which was an easy 45 minutes away. She warned me he was upset and gave me his cell phone number. Great, just what I wanted. I’m frustrated, in a room full of impatient people, and I have to confront the Pond Nazi in his triggered state.

The Conversation

| CHAPTER 13

I resolved to try to be as flexible to his demands as the success of the project would allow, and dialed the numbers. I paced the floor like a hungry tiger. Several people were watching me. The conversation went something like this (it’s been 2 years, so this is solely as I remember it):

PG: T hat’s unacceptable. I’ve got a half an hour! Why would it take two hours? Me: We have to shoot the beginning of the speech, the end of the speech, the … PG: No. We’re gonna do it in a half an hour! reg, we can’t do all of that in a half an Me: G hour, I can pick up the pace, but it will never be done in a half an hour. PG: I cannot believe this! If I can build a pond in a day, you can do this in a half an hour! No, I couldn’t. I knew what I was doing. Me: Look, I don’t tell you how to build ponds; don’t tell me how to make movies. PG: WHAT!? Me: I want to do this right and to do that it’s going to take longer than a half an hour. PG: DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU’RE TALKING TO!? Me: Yes I do, but that doesn’t … PG: (SOME YELLING I CAN’T REMEMBER) That’s what you get when you deal with diva actors! He hung up on me.

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The Aftermath

The ™Day The Pond Guy Hit the Floor by Chris Wilson

It was a hot and muggy day back in the summer of ‘95 and I was still in my very first week at Aquascape Designs, Inc. I was in charge of shipping out pond kits to the contractors out of state. I had never met this crazy Greg Wittstock guy before, and I was a little nervous about our first encounter. The only thing I knew about this young man was that he was very short tempered and built like a monster truck. So right from the get-go I learned to steer clear of this ticking time bomb.

The Horror Stories

horror stories of Greg, “He would get so mad that he would almost hit me,” or stories like, “He came banging on my door looking for his money.” So, to say the least, I had a good reason to steer clear of this lunatic. I didn’t believe any of these stories 100%, because I just thought that you couldn’t run a business and be this way … but I was wrong. Back to the hot and muggy day. I was in my daily routine of cleaning the warehouse when I heard screeching tires. I looked out at the parking lot and said, “Oh *@$*, the boss.” The guys had returned early from building a pond and G.W. jumped up and walked through the shipping garage, walked over to me and said, “SO, YOU’RE A WRESTLER HUH? COME WITH ME; I’VE HAD A BAD DAY.”

Wrestling the Boss So I swallowed hard, and followed him and the pond guys through the warehouse, out through the office doors to a grassy knoll in front of the building. Greg ripped off his shirt, smacked his face and then his HUGE biceps, and screamed with a beet red face, “LET’S GET IT ON!” I thought to myself, does this guy want to fight me? Why? I’m one-third his size. He yelled again, “C’MON, WRESTLE ME!” I looked over at the rest of the employees (which was only about 10 people total) with an expression on my face like, is this guy serious? So I moved in because I needed to make my first impression with the boss a good one. I can’t back down, no way, not

CHAPTER 13 |

Brian Helfrich was my good buddy, and he asked me to do him a favor and come work with him to keep him company. However, he didn’t tell me that I would only be working with him for one week before he would be moving to the great outdoors building ponds. Anyway, Brian told me only the

D E S I G N S

Everyone in the room was silent and staring at me. Someone (I think, Conor) said, “You are SO fired.” I paced some more. I made sure everyone was ready, as Greg (presumably now fuming) was arriving shortly. Before long, I got a call from Ben. Greg had called (fuming, as predicted) and told him my version of what had happened. Ben said Greg was in a bad place today, and that we should try to be as accommodating as possible. That was fine, I said, but we couldn’t shoot all we needed in 30 minutes. Ben understood I was just trying to do the best job I could and had tried to convey that to Greg. With the knowledge that I was still facing an angry Pond Guy™, and the assurance that I was not, in fact, fired, I went to wait for Greg in the lobby. Eventually, he showed up, and definitely seemed in a hurry, but wasn’t fuming. I told him I had talked with Ben. I apologized for snapping at him. In what was possibly my first glimpse of a changing Pond Guy, he accepted and admitted his own fault in the matter. We went on and shot what we needed to shoot and it took about one and a quarter hours (it wasn’t perfect, but it was done). I think we both gained some respect for each other that day. The only effects I suffered were some ribbings about being Martin Scorsachi (I think he meant Scorcese) and a temporary hero status back at the office for actually being able to stand up to the PG.

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an option. So I kinda shifted from left to right, eyeing my target just like a boxer waiting for his opponent to make that one wrong move. I thought to myself … get him low, get the legs, and sweep the legs. I tied up with the ogre, and I felt right away that this giant hunk of meat broke the one cardinal rule for a seasoned wrestler–NEVER, EVER push into your opponent.

A Ride on the Wilson Express

– Side note from The Pond Guy™: The PG pinned Wilson two seconds later. – Another side note from the publishing department: Yeah, right!

It was the smoothest ride that G.W. has ever taken … a ride on the Wilson Express. If you don’t believe me … ask 2 of the 10 people that witnessed it who still work for the company – Ed Beaulieu and Brian Helfrich.

Well, with G.W. being the footballer that he is, pushing is all he knew how to do. So my strategy changed without even thinking twice. I hooked over G.W.’s right arm with my left arm, wrapped my right arm around his back, and pushed with all of my strength. Now, I knew not to push him too far–all I wanted to do was to get him to drive right back into me with his weight. And he did. BAM! He fell into my trap like a mouse going for the cheese. In a split second, I threw G.W. over my left side by using his weight, ripped G.W.’s feet from underneath him, and flung his feet over his head and onto his back like a chump. It was the smoothest ride that G.W. has ever taken … a ride on the Wilson Express. If you don’t believe me … ask two of

| CHAPTER 13

the 10 people who witnessed it – Ed Beaulieu and Brian Helfrich.

The Day That Brian Didn’t Drown by Chris Wilson

The humidity was so thick you could’ve cut it with a knife. Tempers were starting to escalate and patience was wearing thin. One of the guys (I believe it was Juan) happened to stick his shovel into a wasps’ nest that was lying on the forest floor, in turn aggravating every little wasp in there. Well, this quickly cleared us all out of the pond, and we joined him in vacating the premises momentarily.

Brian’s Retaliation

By the time we got back just a couple of minutes later, Greg’s patience was wearing thin on Brian, as usual. His constant pushing and name calling finally got under Brian’s skin. This led to Brian’s retalia-

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tion as he picked up the wasp nest with a shovel and winged it over at Greg. Once again, Brian was playing with a ticking time bomb that doesn’t usually lose in a dual. Greg flipped out and started chasing Brian. Thankfully he couldn’t catch the speedy little redhead. However, in the pursuit, Brian’s hat flew off his head, and it was the only part of him that he left for Greg to get a hold of. So Greg picked up the hat and walked over to the culvert that was in the backyard, lifted the heavy lid to throw it down into the culvert, and it fell in about 6’.

Greg’s Retaliation When G.W. left the vicinity. Brian made his move over to the culvert to reclaim his property, but had difficulty removing the lid to the drain. After using his last drop of energy, Brian started down the hole to get his hat. Much to everybody’s surprise, Greg came flying around the pond and closed the lid, trapping Brian in the sewer. The Pond Guy™ had been waiting patiently for the right time to come and start his assault. The worst is still to come. While Brian tried with all

of his might to lift the lid, all of us stood above the sewer looking down at Brian, who we thought looked like a P.O.W. in a concentration camp. This guy with a skinny little body was trying to escape the wrath of the big man. Well Greg walked over to the pond where we were pumping out the dirty pond-water that came from rinsing the rocks, grabbed the end of the hose that was pushing about 4,000 gph and pointed it down into the sewer where Brian was trapped.

The three amigos – Brian Helfrich, Greg Wittstock, and Chris Wilson.

Who’s Your King? “NOWHERE TO RUN, NOWHERE TO HIDE. WHO IS YOUR KING?” G.W. kept asking, and wouldn’t let him up until he told him who the king was. Brian refused to tell him, so G.W. didn’t help him up, and forbid anyone to come to Brian’s aid until he yelled out who the king was. In the end, Greg decided we needed another body to finish up the job, so he finally let Brian out of the sewer. But I’ve often wondered what would’ve happened to my red-headed pal if we hadn’t needed that helping hand. He could’ve been in there for a week!

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Brian was playing with a ticking time bomb that doesn’t usually lose in a dual.

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C H A P T E R

(or so)

by Jennifer Zuri

top 10 lists

@ S U C C E E D I N G

A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

top 10 lists

What Really Frosts The Pond Guy’s™ Behind

o, you want to know how to stay out of the line of fire when it comes to The Pond Guy™? Well, what started out as a Top 10 list created by ADI employees, has continued to grow to a list of 20. Check it out!

| CHAPTER 14

1. Assuming you know what he wants.

5. A nything he deems illogical, inactivity, not doing what you say you’re going to do, not communicating enough with him, weakness, fear, pretense. 6. Telling him “I don’t know.” 7. Excuses of any kind.

2. Using the excuse, “I don’t have time.”

8. W hen you don’t follow through with what you agreed to do.

3. Not giving him enough information.

9. Non-team players.

4. Tardiness, procrastination, and excuses.

10. Ohio State losing a football game!

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6. When The Pond Guy™ gets frosted.

12. When his needs are not met – urgently!

7. People who eat other people’s food in the fridge.

13. W hen given a challenge that he is having trouble finding a solution for.

8. When people pass the buck.

14. Things that are illogical. Or, people that can’t answer his questions right away … which he finds illogical.

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

11. Smokers.

9. People on power trips.

D E S I G N S

15. Don’t let him “discover” anything! If something is going wrong, or has a probability of going wrong, give him a “heads up.” He can handle that! 16. Telling Greg you understand what he wants, and handing in something that is totally wrong! If you don’t understand, let him know; he won’t maul you. 17. Not getting his way. 18. Not being logical and not doing what he asks. 19. People stealing from him. 20. Mentioning a “chain of command.”

What Really Frosts the Employees’ Behinds I t’s only fair to include things that really frost the behinds of our employees, since we already know what gets The Pond Guy’s™ panties in a bunch, so here is a list of things that can really get on our nerves. 1. W hen Greg asks you a question, and then walks away in the middle of your reply. 2. The expulsion of built up gases from various orifices during business hours in the presence of other individuals (my mother taught me manners). 3. Redundancy. 4. Doing things at the last minute. Plan ahead!

11. W hen employees are not considerate of other employee’s timetables. Remember that everyone’s agenda is different and we should be respectful of others. 12. The constant use of the word “illogical.” People that lack the social skills to talk in one-on-one situations. And anything that classifies under Murphy’s Law. 13. I ncompetence – such as setting your own deadlines and failing to meet them. 14. W hen others make judgments of anyone else! No matter how “perfect” you think you are … you’re not, so don’t act like it! CHAPTER 14 |

5. Negative people, gossip, people that talk about you behind your back, passive-aggressive BS, lack of follow-through on commitments.

10. W hen a project only has two days for completion – we do not “build-in” enough time to complete all aspects of a project. Then it gets out with major mistakes or without thought to the operational procedures.

15. Lack of communication.

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16. Tech agents who stand up and talk really loudly on the phone like the whole office is interested in what they are saying.

S U C C E E D I N G @ A Q U A S C A P E

17. Decisions and processes being put in place without checking how the decision will affect other departments or functions. 18. Hearing people say, “I can’t” without even trying. 19. People who walk around with the world on their shoulders, feeling sorry for themselves instead of doing something about it. 20. People knocking on your cubicles and walking through the office talking on their cell phones.

Ways That People Have Shot Themselves in the Foot at Aquascape, and Lost in the Process There are a number of ways that ADI employees have succeeded in becoming former Aquascape employees, and it may be just as important to know what to avoid, as it is to know what to do, in order to succeed at Aquascape Designs.

2. Sexual Harassment – Make sure you understand that this issue, like the one before it (drugs), is a legal thing and we have no intention of getting caught up in legal battles that consume time and money, and jeopardize the future of the company and the livelihoods of the people who work here. 3. Attendance – It’s very important at any company and yes, people have lost their jobs over their inability to show up on time, to report an absence, or to report in correctly if and when they’re sick. The rule of thumb here is, use common sense and you’ll be fine. Failure to use common sense has landed others on the outside looking in.

4. Performance – Lack of performance has been an occasional problem for some folks. Think of it this way, we hire and pay our employees with the expectation that they will be able to perform a particular job. When you Teammates accept a position here at Aquascape, depend on one you’re telling us that you will be able to perform that job for a given comanother to be And as long as we both there, to tell them pensation. hold up our ends of the bargain, there what’s going on, are no problems. If one of us drops and to be straight the ball though, there are bound to up so that the best be problems. You could also choose to perform over and above expecdecisions can be tations and get yourself labeled “a arrived at in any leader.” It’s pretty much up to you.

1. Passing the Drug Test – We’ve had people stumble over failing the given situation. 5. Adapting to Change – The random drug tests we give. Know that inability to adapt to change has ocwe aim to be a drug-free company, casionally proven costly for some Aquascape emand that any U.S. employee, anytime, can be asked ployees. It’s better known as “moving your cheese.” (here at work) to participate in drug testing. Failing Remember, this is a team where the members are one of these is a sure-fire way to shoot yourself in the foot and to lose your job. multi-talented, playing a variety of roles that are often overlapping and synergistic. In short, we operate in a dynamic, highly flexible, ever-changing, evergrowing atmosphere, and we need team members who are unafraid of trying new things and thinking new thoughts, who basically don’t know that they can’t unless proven otherwise. And if you’re willing to try, what you’ll find is that a very high percentage of the time YOU CAN! So stay loose, be flexible, and look for opportunity to float by you on a regular basis. Then take advantage of it … on the spot!

| CHAPTER 14

6. Getting Along – You don’t have to be in love with everyone you work with, but it’s very important on any team that you can get along with all the members. On occasion, you may find yourself working with someone you don’t like very much, but the

| TOP 10 LISTS

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to most folks here at Aquascape, that when he has something he needs to convey to you, it’s pretty important, and it should take priority over almost anything else that you’re doing at the moment. The exception to that rule is, of course, personal family issues or problems, which we all know are your top priority any time Greg has made it of day or night. Next in line though abundantly clear is the PG! And people have defifelt the hot water on occasion to most folks here nitely for participating in this particular at Aquascape, transgression. So just recognize this fact, and adjust your priorities acthat when he has something he cordingly.

ability to function productively, despite those distractions, is a real asset for any team. People have been dismissed here because of their inability to get along with others, but if you really give it an honest shot, you’ll find that there are very few people in this world who can actually ruin your day. 7. Communication – Good, candid, clean, clear, and honest communication is necessary for any team to function most efficiently. Teammates depend on one another to be there, to tell them what’s going on, and to be straight up so that the best decisions can be arrived at in any given situation. The best policy here is to just to deal your cards off the top of the deck, and let them fall where they naturally fall. Then you’ll have no really embarrassing moments, and no real apologies to make to anyone.

needs to convey to you, it’s pretty important, and it should take priority over almost anything else that you’re doing at the moment.

8. Gossip – So what exactly is gossip? It could be defined as sticking your nose into personal matters of other people … where it just doesn’t belong. For what it’s worth, people have occasionally lost jobs over this issue. So, if it feels like gossip to you, it’s probably a real good idea to walk away and avoid participation.

CHAPTER 14 |

9. Captain Pond Guy™ – Know who the captain of the ship is. Greg has made it abundantly clear

10. Attitude – Like most businesses, we do plenty of talking about attitude around here, and to date, nobody has been dismissed specifically for having a bad one. However, the proverbial bad attitude can easily be the source of other much more quantifiable, identifiable, and measurable problems over which people have been dismissed. So, in this regard, when we hire someone, we presume that you actually want to come to work with us and learn the things that it takes to become a winner at Aquascape. If that’s the case, you have the attitude, which will lead you to bigger and better things … in the long haul. So, make sure your glass is half full, not half empty, and we’ll all be lots more successful!

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C H A P T E R

Aquascape Designs

acronyms

by Jennifer Zuri

| CHAPTER 15

S U C C E E D I N G

A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

acronyms (ada) A

quascape has a plethora of acronyms … almost as many as Microsoft or other nerdy engineering type companies. Your head will be swimming with these acronyms by the end of your first week as a bonafide employee. To aid you in deciphering our “code” language, here’s a list of most often used acronyms in the hallowed halls of Aquascape Designs.

MPPD AARP Aquascape’s Acronym Referral Program

ADI Aquascape Designs, Incorporated

AU Aquascape University

BAP Build-A-Pond Day

BAPW Build-A-Pondless® Waterfall Day

FOAM Financials Once A Month

GGOB Great Game of Business

BE Break Even

BOM Bill of Materials

GPH Gallons Per Hour

GW Greg Wittstock HR Human Resources

CAC Certified Aquascape Contractor

CR Customer Relations

CS Customer Service

EB Early Buy

ECS Ecometry Commerce Suite

IMR Independent Manufacturer’s Representative IT Information Technology

ITSC I.T. Steering Committee

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Parade of Ponds (POP) is an important part of Pondemonium™ every year.

D E S I G N S

) KISS Keep It Simple Stupid

PTNA Pond Tour North America

SOW Statement of Work

KOI Kontinuous Operational Improvements

MAA Miles Across America

MPPD Master ProPond Distributor

TFC The Froggy Chronicles

MSRP Marketing Service Rewards Program

TPG The Pond Guy™

NAWGS North American Water Garden Society

TSM Territory Sales Manager

TSR Territory Sales Representative

UPD UltraPond Dealer

NP NurseryPro

OBM Open Book Management

PBB Pond Builders Bible

SS Signature Series

WGE Water Garden Excellence

PG Pond Guy PI Project Initiative PM Project Management

POG Plan-O-Gram

POP Parade of Ponds

POPP Point of Purchase Product PPD ProPond Distributor

PRB Pond Retailers Bible

CHAPTER 15 |

The Pond Builders Bible (PBB) and the Pond Retailers Bible (PRB) are both published by Aquascape Designs.

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C H A P T E R

final thoughts

| CHAPTER 16

S U C C E E D I N G

A Q U A S C A P E

D E S I G N S

final

by Mark Williams

thoughts

here you have it. Everything you ever really Hard Working and Fun needed to know about Aquascape in 100 You’d be amazed at how much you can cram pages or less. By now you’re probably woninto four hours after dedicating 36 hours to refindering when we actually work around here. ing your foosball skills or mastering the ability Between the sports teams, workto throw a miniature sponge ball out facilities, hot tubs, and the genup to 30 feet with less than a two eral social nature of our workplace, foot arc, and nailing a coworker in Everything you it would seem like nothing substanor her skull. Actual headshots ever really needed his tial could ever get done around here. are rare, but the glory that results to know about Relax; we took care of that for you a is incredible. Basking in this type while ago with what we call “Focus Aquascape in 100 of glory is unmatched and can last Time.” This is the four hours every for minutes. pages or less. week when everything gets done Seriously though, Aquascape around here. Designs is one of the best com-

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Greg and Mark take a moment to reflect.

D E S I G N S

panies out there. If the testimonials in this book haven’t convinced you, then take a look at the award-filled walls around you. From our work ethic to our play ethic, we are in a constant quest to be the best. This sort of dedication requires knowledgeable, loyal, hard-working people. Our hope is that you, as an employee, share our vision, enthusiasm, and desire to continue to grow and succeed both individually and as a company. If we, as a group of individuals, can continue to move forward as one overwhelming force, the future of Aquascape is boundless. I have tissues at my desk if you need one.

religious, or political origins of each individual you may want to include in your generosity. Ideally, what you choose to eat from Aquascape vending machines should be kept between you and your maker. Take this advice to heart and you will be well on your way to a successful career at Aquascape! Semper Fi

Words of Wisdom

isdo Mr. W

CHAPTER 16 |

With that said, I’ll take this last chance to share a little wisdom I’ve picked up over the years. If you get anything from this book, please read the next few sentences several times. If you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to ask. The most important thing I’ve learned in nine years at Aquascape is this: Vending machines are a luxury to be enjoyed in privacy. Do not flaunt your consumption or attempt to share the goodness with others without seriously considering the cultural,

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succeeding

Aquascape Designs V O L U M E

Succeeding back cover.indd 94

I I

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