Colorado Green Mar/Apr 2019

MAR/APRIL 2019 | VOL 35, NO 2 WWW.ALCC.COM

Sustainability is driving the green industry Repair or replace?

How pros manage their equipment

Promoting equipment tech careers

years 2019

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In this issue

March/April 2019 | Vol 35 | No 2

Features: Sustainability 40

Sustainability is the new normal Judy Guido tells why

BY LYN DEAN

42

The future of tree health is now

Davey Tree uses an ecosystem view to inform tree care

BY CHERIE COURTADE

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44

Bielins-Hock project helps mitigate future fl ood damage

Western States Reclamation restores stability with bio-engineering and plants

BY JOE SCHNEIDER

46

Sustainable Landscape Management launches in Colorado

Profile

28

Green Worx teenage business owner learns on the fl y Hard lessons built success

BY LYN DEAN

36

Business Sense

32

34

Equipment spending – repair or replace?

Pros explain how they handle aging equipment

Navigating the healthcare labyrinth

Can the effort pay off in recruitment and retention?

BY KEVIN WOOD

36

Hunter Industries sets new corporate social responsibility targets Update is a community effort

BY BRYCE CARNEHL

42 6

www.alcc.com

In this issue

March/April 2019 | Vol 35 | No 2

Departments

010 13 53

Perspective Green News & Notes Ad Index

Milestones

13

26

Colorado Green at 40

Still saving after all these years

Workforce

38

Good paying jobs still under the radar No one knows about equipment techs

BY BECKY GARBER-GODI

Top Plant Picks

38

48

CSU Research Update

52

Spotlight on Plant Select®

54

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GRANITA® Orange ice plant makes a bold statement

Parting Shot

54

CSU’s top five perennials are showy and tough

Next gen gardeners on the move

Cover photo: Columbine

publication ALCC servingindustry the green in industry in the Rocky Mountain region Official publication Official of ALCC servingofthe green the Rocky Mountain region

Perspective

C O L O R A D O

Official publication of ALCC serving the green industry in the Rocky Mountain region

Colorado Green Production Team

C O L O R A D O

John McMahon

Industry coalesces on sustainable landscape management

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John McMahon, CEO, ALCC

www.alcc.com

ALCC Executive Director John McMahon Editor Lyn Dean Official publication of ALCC serving the green industry in the Rocky Mountain region Communications Director Cherie Courtade Circulation and Adminstration Rachael Coleman DESIGN

ust a couple of months into the year, the Colorado green industry quickly established 2019 as a year of positive changes. ALCC’s announcement at ProGreen EXPO of the Sustainable Landscape Management (SLM) initiative (see page 46 for details) sets the scene for the rest of the year. SLM was designed to help raise the level of professionalism in our industry, improve our collective reputation and support sustainability in our communities.

SLM comes at a critical time, when Colorado is grappling with limited water resources as the growing population creates a greater demand. With the ever-present threat of drought and a concern that lower annual precipitation may be the new normal, the green industry must find new ways to influence water conservation.

When water is scarce, we know that outdoor water use is often the first, most visible target.

Learning to do more with less demands from us that we bring forth new and better means to reduce, or even cease, water use on our landscapes.

We are grateful to key stakeholders, including Denver Water and other water providers, who contributed to the development of SLM, offering expertise and feedback during development of the manual. They continue to support the initiative with their endorsements, and we continue to formalize additional endorsements from those around the state.

In fact, many professionals came together to make the SLM guidelines and initiative a reality.

• Our colleagues in Arizona, who pioneered the Sustainable Landscape Management program with standards tailored to the Southwest desert climate, helped us develop our program to serve the Rocky Mountain region.

• Horticulture and water conservation experts reviewed the guidelines to be sure it serves the needs of our unique environment.

• Professionals in Colorado landscape design, maintenance, and irrigation gave us their input based on experience in the field.

• Representatives from property management and homeowners’ associations gave valuable feedback for helping us create a program that will be well-received by consumers.

This is truly a community effort, with professionals and consumers coming together to help us present a strategy for improving the health and beauty of our built environment. I look forward to sharing with you, in the coming months, stories of the initiative’s implementation and successes.

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EDITORIAL

C O L O R A D O

Graphic Design Tracy Gulden ADVERTISING SALES

Sales Director Amy McCraken Official (303) 478-7895 publication of ALCC serving the green industry in the Rocky Mountain region AmyM@EvergreenCustomMedia.com Sales Director Martha Dickenson (303) 257-6499 Mimi_nwp@yahoo.com

Published by ALCC for the green industry in the Rocky Mountain region

ALCC

President Matt Hiner Hiner Landscapes, Colorado Springs Vice President Michael Moore Diggable Designs LLC, Lakewood Secretary/Treasurer Steve Steele Keesen Landscape Management, Inc. Englewood Past President Mike Ransom Lifescape Colorado, Denver

Colorado Green (ISSN0195-0045) is published bimonthly by the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, Inc., 1660 S. Albion St., Suite 831, Denver, Colorado 80222, phone: 303-757-5611, fax: 303-757-5636. Colorado Green is distributed to contributing members and professionals throughout Colorado and educational and governmental institutions across the state. Subscription rates: $27 per year; $6.75 per copy. Colorado residents only, please add 3.5% sales tax. Postage paid at Denver, Colorado. Publisher assumes no responsibility for safekeeping or return of unsolicited photos or manuscripts, and reserves all rights to edit material submitted for publication. Approval for publication of copyrighted material submitted to Colorado Green is the sole responsibility of the advertiser/contributing authors. ©2019 by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado. All rights reserved. Reproduction of materials contained herein allowed only with permission of the publisher. Post master: Please send Form 3579 to ALCC, 1660 So. Albion St., Suite 831, Denver, Colorado 80222.

For advertising inquiries, please call Amy McCraken at 303-478-7895, or email amym@evergreencustom media.com.

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Green News& Notes

Raised patio and shade structures at Old Town Oasis

L

Lindgren Landscape receives HNA award

indgren Landscape, Fort Collins, received the 2018 Hardscape North America (HNA) award in the category Concrete Paver Residential Less than 3,000 square feet, for the Old Town Oasis project, a residential site in Fort Collins.

HNA Awards recognize residential and commercial walkways, patios, outdoor kitchens, commercial plazas and other applications built using multiple hardscape materials, which can be in various combinations. The award ceremony was held at the 2018 Hardscape North America trade show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Concrete pavers for Old Town Oasis were used to lead the way to a large patio and elevated lounge covered by a custom-built shade structure.

March/April 2019 Colorado Green

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Green News & Notes

Students and teachers from Career Pathways schools participated in numerous activities and learned from industry pros at ProGreen EXPO.

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Photos courtesy Winger Photography, LLC

125 attend High School

Green News & Notes

Day at ProGreen

J

Photo courtesy Winger Photography, LLC

S

tudents and their teachers from eight schools along the Front Range and the plains area attended the 2nd Annual High School Day at ProGreen EXPO 2019 presented by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado in partnership with Colorado Community College System. This year’s event showcased six broad career areas: design, landscape installation, maintenance, irrigation, tree care and equipment operation/maintenance.

Students learned from industry pros about careers during the morning and at lunch roundtables. In the afternoon, industry ambassadors led tours of the exhibit hall and helped them participate in hands-on skills designed to be fun and educational.

The event was made possible by 2019 Landscape Career Pathway Sponsors: DBC Irrigation Supply, ACW Supply, Colorado Materials, Inc., and L.L. Johnson Distributing Company. The lunch was sponsored

by G&G Equipment Co., Honnen Equipment Company, Intermountain STIHL, L.L.

Students at roundtables with industry pros.

Johnson Distributing Co. and Wagner Equipment Co. Materials and/or volunteers for handson activities were provided by Arbor Valley Nursery, BrightView, DBC Irrigation Supply,

Intermountain STIHL, Repurposed Materials, Taddiken Tree Company and Welby Gardens.

High Country Landscape provided a treeclimbing demonstration.

Landscaping now part of Westy’s Got Skills event

Profile of Westminster student

Photo courtesy Westminister High School

asmin Rodriguez, freshman at Westminster High School, already knows she wants a career in the landscape industry. Though she has not yet had landscape-related classes, she worked on her own time to learn and practice for the Westy’s Got Skills competition. She says, “I’m more of a hands-on person. If a teacher shows me something and explains it, I can understand it.”

Rodriguez shared that when she was in eighth grade, a counselor told her about landscaping and the opportunity to have her own business. She says she loves to design, likes hands-on work and would like to own her own business someday.

Photo courtesy Westminister High School

Volunteers from BrightView, CoCal Landscape Services, Inc. and L.L. Johnson Distributing Co. participated in Westy’s Got Skills

At Rodriguez prepares for chainsaw safety skill test.

Westminster High School’s annual career skills event, landscape skills became a part of the program as of January 2019. Students in careers as wide-ranging as health care, IT and architecture participated in hands-on competitions to test their abilities. Professional volunteers from the community rated their performance.

Landscape-related skills such as chainsaw safety, irrigation and pavers were added to the competition. Volunteers from BrightView Landscape Services, CoCal Landscape Services and L.L. Johnson Distributing Co. judged the events.

March/April 2019 Colorado Green

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Green News & Notes

Photo courtesy ALCC

Passing of Joe DiBlasi

J

oseph DiBlasi, founder and owner of JKJ Lawn Sprinkler, Inc., Centennial passed away Jan. 23, 2019. A long-time member, DiBlasi was an advocate of water conservation who earned the Landscape Industry Certified Technician designation in Irrigation. He was a regular volunteer who served as a test judge, member of the Certification Committee and participated in Day of Service projects.

Prior to founding JKJ Lawn Sprinkler, DiBlasi served in the United States Navy. As a business owner, he was committed to helping veterans and regularly provided them with discounts, special services and other support.

During winter months, he and his team created United States and Colorado state flags from wood recycled from customer’s fences and demoed structures. He and his wife, Kelly, sold the flags at summer crafts fairs with a percentage of sales donated to veterans’ projects.

Many who knew DiBlasi have praised his “always positive” attitude even while coping with Cdebilitating Loyal O L O Rhealth A Dchallenges.

O customers in his primarily residential-based business have praised his “always friendly, customer-first approach to service and doing a good job.” Many have been customers since the early years of the business.

C O L O R A D O

For information and rates contact Martha at mimi_nwp@yahoo.com

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Cherie Courtade is ALCC’s new communications director

ssociated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) has named a new Communications Director, Cherie Courtade. She will lead the Colorado Green team, as longtime managing editor Becky Garber-Godi steps down.

Courtade has been an ALCC staff member for more than five years. She has managed ALCC’s social media, email communications and Colorado Green NOW, ALCC’s digital pub-

lication, for several years.

“I look forward to working with the Colorado Green editorial team and taking the magazine into its fifth decade of serving Colorado’s green industry,” Courtade says. “I’m excited for the opportunity to better get to know the people behind the businesses and sharing their experiences, milestones and challenges with our readers.”

CNGA 2019 Board of Directors President Dan Wise, Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery Secretary/Treasurer/President-Elect Kerri Dantino, Little Valley Wholesale Officer-at-Large: Mandy Gerace, 2019, Welby Gardens Ex-Officio: Jim Klett, Colorado State University

Directors: Mike Bone, 2018-2019, Denver Botanic Gardens; Kent Broome, 2019-2020, Rocky Mountain Horticulture Services; Michelle Cadena, 2019–2020, Sunshine Horticulture; Matt Edmundson, 20182019, Arbor Valley Nursery; Sharon Harding-Shaw, 2018-2019, Harding Nursery and Harriett McMillian, 2019 - 2020, Echter’s Garden Center & Nursery

Loyalty goes both ways!

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Advertiser Proof March/April & JULY/AUGUST

Green News & Notes

JAN/FEB 2019 | VOL 35, NO 1 WWW.ALCC.COM

Offi Official cial publication publication of of ALCC ALCC serving serving the green industry in the Rocky Mountain region region

years 2019

Gross Reservoir meets the water crisis Zak George Landscaping rolls with the unexpected

Fraud & theft

can happen in your business

Your ideas matter to Colorado Green

Industry rolls out first apprenticeship

Colorado Green is YOUR

magazine! How do we make it better for you? We want to cover topics that the Rocky

Mountain landscape industry cares about. Story ideas,

media releases and feedback are welcome.

Contact us at info@alcc.com

Have you recently had a business-related experience—a surprise audit, a great recruitment success story, an innovation that improved your workflow or mistakes that you’d advise others to avoid? Tell your peers and help elevate the field with your knowledge.

Topic areas include: • Green News |Submit your company milestones, anniversaries, awards, and other business news.

• Business Sense | Help company owners improve with the knowledge of your experience.

• Workforce | Tell us how you are recruiting new employees and retaining/promoting those on staff.

• Company profiles | Tell us about your landscape company, how you entered the business, and what keeps you going.

• Sustainability | What does sustainability mean in your company?

• Technology | How are you using new technology? Or are you using old technology in new or different ways to be more efficient?

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Landscape Photography March/April 2019 Colorado Green

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Being a member of ALCC has helped me get my foot in the door with other landscape professionals and has provided me a sense of community. It is such a relief to know people who understand my challenges and inspire me to be a better business owner.

In return, I’m ready to support them any way I’m able.

Mike Moore, CEO/Owner

Diggable Designs Landscape Construction, LLC ALCC member since 2010

ALCC is committed to helping landscape companies succeed Demonstrate your professionalism

Show the public that you strive to do business ethically and responsibly.

Build relationships that build your business

Success can depend as much on whom you know as what you know. ALCC can help you make the right connections to grow your business.

Get valuable education and training

Take advantage of educational opportunities that have been designed by landscape contractors for landscape contractors.

Shape the course of the industry Join ALCC and experience firsthand what makes our members better by nature

ALCC influences policy at the local, state and federal level.

The more members we have, the stronger our voice is— and the easier it is to protect and advance your business and the future of our industry.

Visit ALCC.com/membership or call 303.757.5611 to learn more

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Your ideas matter to Colorado Green Colorado Green is YOUR magazine!

How do we make it better for you?

We want to cover topics that the Rocky Mountain landscape industry cares about. Story ideas, media releases and feedback are welcome.

Contact us at info@alcc.com See page 17 for details

March/April 2019 Colorado Green

25

Milestones

Colorado Green

Still saving after all these

From the magazine’s beginning, saving water in the landscape has been of great interest to landscape professionals.

S

ince Colorado Green was established 40 years ago, one of the most compelling recurring themes has been the magazine’s—and the industry’s—attention to sustainability and water conservation.

In the Summer 1994 issue, industry veteran Larry Keesen, Keesen Water Management, Inc. looked to the future and predicted trends in irrigation and water use. That “future” was the year 2015, and his forecast was prescient

Spring 1979: “The Myth of Low Water Landscaping” addressed the misconception that low water, low maintenance and low cost are the same thing.

1970s

when he said that “watering will be allowed only between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. to reduce surface evaporation loss and to avoid peak demand times for indoor water use.” He spoke of wide use of flow sensors and soil sensors and automatic shut-offs in the event of leaks in order to prevent water waste. Much of that technology is in wide use today.

Keesen also made a statement that is as applicable today as it was in 1994: “Water short-

Spring 1990: “Saving now to grow later” showed how City of Aurora water utilities worked with residents and professionals to save water.

1980s Spring 1985: “Xeriscape: After three years, where is it?” Colorado Green looked at how the principles of Xeriscape had been initially received by developers, home owners, and garden centers.

Spring 1981: An article about “Three Ways to Deal with Drought...” was featured as proof that Colorado is always preparing for the next drought.

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Milestones

at 40 ages are a very real consequence of our pollution and chronic waste of water. Although all the 2015 high-tech gadgetry is not yet available, we currently have the means to control some of our waste and pollution. Efficient turf irrigation and design and implementation will help improve the environment in which we live and conserve our rapidly disappearing water supply for future generations.” |CG

Photo courtesy Colorado Springs Utilities

years

Pueblo Reservoir Dam

Summer 1994: “Designing and Irrigation-Smart Landscape” called on landscape designers to remember proper irrigation and water conservation in their plans.

1990s

Sept/Oct 2015: “Colorado’s water” issue featured articles about the state’s recent water project to help mitigate anticipated water shortages.

Jul/Aug 2016: “Saving water” reported innovative ways to conserve by how we water and what we plant.

2010s

2000s Nov/Dec 2009: Water in the West issue was full of stories about water management, responding to increased water demand in a drier world, rainwater harvesting, and other water conservation topics.

Winter 2006: Water conservation was the focus of this issue, with stores about where Colorado water originates, low-water plants, water-wise landscaping, and the effects of drought on the turf industry.

years 2019

years 2019

March/April 2019 Colorado Green

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Profile

Green Worx

teenage business owner learns on the fly Hard lessons built success

By Lyn Dean

At

age 18, RJ Duarte has been a green industry entrepreneur for just over 10 years. Duarte, founder and CEO at Green Worx, LLC, and former president, Owen Johnson, officially named the business and incorporated in 2015, making it a “real business.” Both were in high school. Duarte graduated high school May 2018, less than a year ago and is now at Green Worx full-time.

Photo courtesy Green Worx Landscaping

Back in the day

By middle school, Duarte had more landscape maintenance work than he could handle himself, which is when Owen Johnson started working with Duarte after school, on weekends and during the summer. Once in high school, Duarte understood more about the skills and education he needed to help develop the business.

“I knew what I wanted to learn for Green Worx,” he says. “I took engineering, shop and manufacturing classes in high school. Fortunately, I was able to communicate effectively with my teachers. They were supportive of my course selections that backed plans for the business I was already running.” Duarte notes that not all students can do what he did. It took a lot of work and ongoing communication to prove he was trustworthy and convince the teachers to believe in what he and Johnson were doing. Johnson, who attended a different high school, had a much harder time getting teacher support for the leniency he wanted to work on Green Worx.

In 2015, Green Worx’s digital presence began when Duarte and Johnson used their skills to create the company’s first website. Though Johnson has left his position as president, he continues to do all of Green Worx’s digital marketing/advertising including videos, photography and writing.

By 2017, with the help of some media coverage and a lot of hard work and sweat, the company was earning revenue in the six figures.

The killer experience

Green Worx’s customer base in the foothills of Golden was built by word-of-mouth.

Duarte says he’s “not here to get rich” from his clients, but he does want to give customers a “killer experience.”

“We don’t want to be ‘the same.’ We do extra little things that help people. We do even if we don’t do the work,” says Duarte. His mission is to help the customers, no matter who does the actual work. He picks up business cards from other contractors including plumbers, electricians and other landscape contractors. “I’ve referred customers to other landscape contractors if we can’t do the work.” Or he will help clients find a plumber if they need one. He says these little details have helped grow his business. He wants his customers to experience “100 percent satisfaction.”

Bumpy ride

During high school, Duarte didn’t get much sleep—not for the usual reasons parents

Mats Moreau, Robert (RJ) Duarte, Owen Johnson and Robert (Rob) Duarte March/April 2019 Colorado Green

29

Photos courtesy Green Worx Landscaping

Profile

Design/Build is now 80% of the business.

Without Anita’s help, we would have gone out of business before we were out of high school.

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may point to, but because he had mowing jobs before school at 4 a.m. Then, after a full day of school, he and others on his team worked until dark. And finally, there’s the inevitable homework.

Also, being young meant institutions like banks and insurance companies didn’t want to take the risk. And the young men knew little about managing money. Fortunately, Anita Johnson, Owen Johnson’s mother, stepped in as chief financial officer (CFO) and financial adviser. Anita owns her own company, HydroGeoLogica, Inc. In what little time she could spare outside of running her own company and being a parent, she helped manage the explosive growth and administrative challenges that came with it.

After winning some awards and gaining media attention, Green Worx tripled in size in 2016 over the previous year, and “the phones wouldn’t stop ringing.” Over the next two years, growth rates have been similarly high.

“Without Anita’s help, we would have gone out of business before we were out of high school,” says Duarte. “She taught us— not did it for us—financial tracking software, how to do payroll, manage bills and other behind-the-scenes activities.” Duarte says these were not things he could learn in high school and is grateful for Anita’s help growing and maintaining Green Worx.

“My original approach was to build slowly into full landscaping,” says Duarte. “But that didn’t happen! Faster than expected, over the past two years we’ve gone from 80 percent maintenance to 80 percent design/build.”

Recruiting and training

“Of course, when we grew quickly, I had to find people. I drew from my high school,” says Duarte. “I wanted people who were willing to work hard without complaining. In my school of about 1,200 students, I only found 8-12 who became a solid labor base.”

Profile

“

I listen to what customers want and give it to them.

It was a super big learning experience.

I learned fast to see the gaps and what I needed on the team.

”

“When expanding from landscape maintenance, we started with irrigation system installation to get our feet wet. Then we moved to excavation, grading and drainage,” says RJ. “I listen to what customers want and give it to them. It was a super big learning experience. I learned fast to see the gaps and what I needed on the team.”

He estimates more than three quarters of what the company does is easy to learn. As a crew leader on irrigation projects, Duarte says he could teach the crew—the handful of willing high school students—the skills and knowledge for proper installation.

From mowing lawns to design/build

Duarte says his experiences since age 4, when accompanying his father on construction projects, were his early introduction to understanding projects from start to finish.

He also learned from his father the value of finding people who can “do it,” meaning he

or his company doesn’t have to know how to do everything. His takeaway is to find the right people or contractors and let them use their skills.

Since summer 2016, after a media-prompted growth spurt, Duarte’s dad, Rob Duarte, has been employed full time as Green Worx foreman. Rob applied his years of experience in construction and landscaping, while RJ Duarte continued to pick up skills in school.

Having Rob on the team allowed the company to take on more complex landscape construction projects as the business transitioned to design/build. Keep in mind: at this milestone, RJ still had two more years of high school to complete.

Now with his father—and later his brother—and some high school students as employees, he has a small reliable workforce base. During the busy summer months, Green Worx has had four crews—one each for maintenance and irrigation and two for install. Yet

Duarte is challenged, like most landscape owners, with finding more workers.

Lessons continue

“All the lessons have been hard and I have learned them as I go,” says Duarte. “When something is broken, it needs to be fixed to make it right. That’s a big one.” He admits that hard lessons are the ones he learns from most.

The importance of managing money and investing is another big lesson.

Behind the scenes, Duarte feels glued to the desk. He loves “being in the field and driving trucks, and now I drive the desk!”

What’s in the future? He wants the company to “grow big” and wants quality work and great customer experience to be core values.

As the company continues to grow, he looks forward to connecting with others in the industry and taking advantage of programs offered through industry organizations like ALCC. |CG March/April 2019 Colorado Green

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Business Sense

Equipment spending – repair or replace?

Pros explain how they handle aging equipment

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olorado Green asked landscape professionals, “When equipment begins to break down, do you prefer to repair or replace?” The responses, and reasons behind them, were varied. In fact, the decision may be different over the life cycle of the company. Business owners make decisions and adjust processes based on the size and resources of their organization as well as current market conditions. Labor shortages, lower interest rates for large purchases... all of it can affect where funds are spent. As Phil Steinhauer, Designscapes Colorado, Centennial, points

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By Cherie Courtade out, “money is going to spent one way or another.... Businesses have to decide where they would rather spend it.”

“We have recently spent a great deal of time looking into the useful life of equipment and comparing repair costs to replacement costs,” explains Steinhauer. “We have found that most machines and vehicles reach a certain point in their life where the cost of repairing them outweighs the cost of replacing them.

This year we are using our data to make better decisions on repairing or replacing across our entire fleet.”

For companies that do not have the staff or resources to work on large equipment, repairs may only be an option for small equipment.

Large items can only be replaced if staff do not have the tools or the skills to repair them.

In order to save money on repairs, Ryan Spinharney, Ecoscape Environmental Design, Boulder, recommends checking with the manufacturer. “We will check to see if there are any recalls or warranty as well and send the equipment into a certified dealer or repair shop if need be.”

Those in favor of replacing equipment

Business Sense

Business owners make decisions and adjust processes based on the size and resources of their organization as well as current market conditions.

often cited having equipment out-of-use as a factor that increases the costs. “Sometimes the down time costs more than the repairs,” says Tim Emick, Timberline Landscaping, Inc., Colorado Springs.

For some, preventing the breakdown in the first place means not having to face the dilemma often. “Depends on the situation and the age of the equipment,” said Kent Kinsey, Misty Mountain Sprinkler Systems, Montrose.

“Constant breakdowns cost a lot of downtime, but the cost of new equipment replacement… may not be affordable. A good maintenance program curtails a lot of breakdowns. If you treat your equipment right, inspect on a regular basis, and use high quality replacement parts and fluids you can keep things running for a long time.”

Eric Schultz, Schultz Industries, Inc.,

Constant breakdowns cost a lot of downtime, but the cost of new equipment replacement…may not be affordable.

Golden, has mechanics on staff to maintain and repair equipment. “We have however moved to a model of revolving equipment every 4-5 years, and it has just about eliminated repairs and downtime.” They’ve also needed fewer mechanics on staff as a result, which can be important in light of the current labor shortage.

But for Marie Peacock, Gardenz, Lakewood it’s not easy to throw away a tool or

piece of equipment. It’s about more than just money. “In my mind, repairing is much more sustainable, both environmentally and financially. There’s no sense in throwing something away just because it doesn’t work right anymore. Once it gets too old and too beyond repair, then I replace tools. But as long as I can repair them, I do.” |CG

January/February 2019 Colorado Green

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Business Sense

Navigating the healthcare labyrinth Can the effort pay off in recruitment and retention?

By Kevin Wood

AS

almost everyone has experienced in recent years, the cost of healthcare and health insurance continues to rise. Whether buying coverage for yourself and your family or as an employer trying to offer your employees benefit options, you are probably feeling the pinch of expensive health insurance costs. It is helpful to understand some fundamentals around how healthcare works, why costs continue to rise, and why offering benefits can create a competitive advantage.

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How healthcare plans work

Let’s look at the two most common types of carrier networks and how insurance plans are constructed. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) provide care only at their facilities, while Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO) allow for any participating doctors to be included in the network of care, offering the consumer more options. Your plan is built with a deductible amount; that is the amount for which you are responsible before your insurance starts paying. Copays count toward

your out-of-pocket max, but not toward your deductible. After you hit your deductible, you will have a coinsurance split where you pay a percentage, and your insurance pays the remainder of the bill. A common coinsurance is 20% liability to the consumer and 80% to the insurance company. This coinsurance split continues until you meet your out-of-pocket max, at which point insurance pays 100% of the bill. For a useful list of healthcare terms, please visit www.healthcare.gov/glossary/.

Business Sense on preexisting conditions. With fewer ways to limit their liability, the cost of coverage goes up each year. Some other important drivers of cost increases can be related to rising administrative and drug costs.

Can health benefits be a tool for employee recruitment and retention?

Most landscape companies don’t offer employees any health benefits. Employers can gain a competitive edge simply by offering benefits to their employees. Employees are looking to their employers to help them secure affordable healthcare.

In 2018, Forbes published an article outlining the connections between employee benefits and employee health, engagement and loyalty. Employees often value the quality of their benefits as much or more than their salary. Similarly, employees are more likely to stay with an employer that offers benefits because they depend on their employer for quality coverage.

One of the most exciting developments in recent years has been the ability to use alternative funding strategies to help manage the costs of health insurance. Alternative or self-funding strategies have commonly only been available to very large companies but are now available to many small businesses.

Self-funding solutions may be available for your company with as few as four participating employees.

If you are an employer, investigate securing a health insurance plan for your company.

If you are an employee, talk to your employer about options; if they do offer a plan, then be sure to participate. Did you know that insurance premium rates tend to be cheaper for employer plans than for individual plans?

If you already offer a plan, then you are ahead of the curve. It may be well worth your time to review your plan design with a broker to make sure you are getting good value and have a plan that aligns to your company’s unique needs. If you do not have a company benefit plan, reach out to a trusted broker to learn more about how to get started. |CG

Why is it so expensive?

Many of us can remember a time when you went to the doctor for a service, asked what the service would cost, and were told that they wouldn’t know until they submitted your claim to your insurance. Essentially, we have a healthcare system where we consume the product or service before we know what the bill will be. Almost every insurance plan offers different levels of coverage and payment structures, so we don’t have much transparency on the actual costs of products and services.

This makes “cost controls” almost impossible to institute.

Because the baseline for costs is so obscure, it is difficult for an insurance company to assess their potential exposure to paying claims, so they must estimate high to make sure they can cover all incurred claims. Related to this “exposure,” is a requirement in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires insurance companies to pay claims to an unlimited dollar amount and cannot discriminate

—Kevin Wood is a Benefits Consultant with Quandary Insurance.

March/April 2019 Colorado Green

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Business Sense

Hunter Industries social responsibility Update is a

By Bryce Carnehl

AS

Photos courtesy Hunter Industries

a steward of the environment and communities in which we live, work and play, Hunter Industries feels a strong sense of responsibility for our operational decisions and the impacts of our actions. Our core value of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) creates a framework around these responsibilities to help us find a balance between the people we influence, the planet we impact and the profits we earn.

While CSR has always been a driving force of our business, in 2011 we published a roadmap to help us accomplish our vision. Our facilities in San Marcos, California, and Tijuana, Mexico, set targets around several key areas.

Since that time, we have reduced paper consumption, conserved significant amounts of water and increased employee training. We also boosted solar power generation, included more recycled materials in our products and gave more charitable contributions to local communities.

Carnehl leads a stakeholder discussion 36

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While realizing many of our CSR targets over the course of the past eight years, we have also undergone rapid growth and restructuring. Through acquisitions and strategic partnerships, we have added five facility locations. Our employee population has grown significantly and so have our environmental impacts. While our goal of achieving balance among people, planet and profit has remained the same, our roadmap needed a redesign.

Transparency is key

The crucial ingredient to a successful CSR program is transparency. Rather than setting targets internally, we decided to include external stakeholders as well, since their concerns help drive our business. Fourteen categories emerged: • biodiversity • climate resilience • community development • economic performance • employee training

• energy consumption • health and safety • human rights in our supply chain • minimum wage policies • procurement practices • product safety • use of recycled materials • waste to landfill • water With these topics in mind, we asked our Board of Directors and nearly 1,500 employees to rank the categories in order of importance. We also held group discussions to further dissect the survey responses.

Business Sense

sets new corporate targets community effort We used the same approach with external stakeholders. More than 40,000 customers, specifiers, educators, industry association representatives, product users, government workers, and others impacted by Hunter’s influence were given the opportunity to rank the selected topics. This effort returned more responses than any other survey we have ever published, which showed us that our external stakeholders care deeply about Hunter and want to ensure we make the best decisions for our future.

The critical information that we gathered throughout this process led us to create a materiality matrix that compares the values mentioned by both groups and plots them in

order of priority. The resulting list represents a transparent new roadmap for our company. We will use this plan to launch redefined targets in 2019 for our entire organization: Hunter Industries, FX Luminaire, Hunter Custom Manufacturing, Holm, Senninger, and Dispensing Dynamics. Our mission to find a balance between people, planet and profit has truly blossomed through our stakeholder engagement efforts. We feel more empowered than ever to accomplish this goal. |CG

—Bryce Carnehl is Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Hunter Industries

March/April 2019 Colorado Green

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Workforce

Good paying jobs

By Becky Garber-Godi

L

No one knows about

andscape companies would not mow acres upon acres of grass or complete all their installations each season without service technicians in their own shop or nearby dealership. Those techs keep the industry running. On the equipment side, workforce is as much of a challenge as it is for any other segment of the green industry.

The opportunity for equipment techs is among the best kept secrets around. Here’s a fast-track job that offers high school students lifelong careers. Consider the following:

•

•

•

• •

•

High school students with foundational skills can step into a lucrative career path as soon as they graduate and even work summer jobs while still in high school.

They won’t have student loans hanging over their heads because companies that hire them pay for their training and often their tools.

Everyone starts at the same level—but advancement can be quick. Determined techs with fewer than 10 years of experience are now pushing six-figure incomes.

It’s a recession-proof industry that won’t go away.

Techs can move on to careers in sales, marketing, management and training. There are many options once they build the foundation.

It’s not a job for dummies. Techs need to think through problems and use the right technology to solve them.

Photos courtesy Westminster Public Schools

Opportunities

Leo Degenstein, L.L. Johnson, works with Westminster High School student on equipment components.

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Companies as diverse as a one-location shop to distributors serving multistate regions tell the same story about jobs that are waiting. Will Giefer, owner of G&G Equipment in Frederick, estimates it takes 65 hours per year to maintain just one large commercial mower. His team keeps many local companies mowing. He offers incentives to his techs not only to help them become more efficient, but to put more dollars in their paychecks. Says Giefer, “the opportunities will never go away.”

Intermountain STIHL has 450 dealers in five states with about 175 of them in Colorado. “Any town of 1,000 or more on the Western Slope will likely have a STIHL tech,” says Seth Reed, STIHL’s marketing manager. From rural towns like Rangely and Craig to Front Range cities, there are jobs waiting now that high school grads could fill.

Mike Smith, trainer and recruiter, Honnen Equipment Company, says servicing large John Deere Equipment requires very specialized training and the company invests about $20,000 plus room and board to bring a tech through a two-year program. At the end, 100 percent job placement is guaranteed.

Workforce

still under the radar equipment techs Ousting the myth

Photos courtesy L.L. Johnson Company

Marty Cirbo, recruiter with Wagner Equipment Co., notes the challenge industrywide is to “dispel the myth that this is a low-level, low-tech job. We need to answer the question, ‘why would I want to be a mechanic for the rest of my life?’” Cirbo says all the pay, training and growth opportunities come down to “lifestyle” for today’s potential recruits. The perks, pay and career path relate more to parents— but what they mean for lifestyle is “key” for today’s young people. |CG

Building the pipeline ALCC is partnering with Colorado Community College System (CCCS) to build another Career Pathway to prepare students for technician jobs upon graduation. In the summer, ALCC and CCCS will offer training for Colorado’s Ag/Ed teachers in skills they in turn can teach their students. The Compact Equipment Certificate will launch in selected high schools fall 2019.

About 20 high school students and their teachers from Montrose made a detour on their way home from the National Western Stock Show in January to tour the shop at L.L. Johnson Distributing Co. John Bertsch, shop manager, showed them works-inprogress by technicians on equipment and talked about the variety of jobs along the equipment tech career path.

2019 Career Pathways Sponsors Strategic sponsor

Signature sponsors

March/April 2019 Colorado Green

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Sustainability

Sustainability Judy Guido tells why

Judy Guido is known and respected nationally within the green industry as a speaker, advisor and business coach. She recently spoke at ProGreen EXPO, and Colorado Green contacted her to gain her informed perspective on what sustainability can mean for landscape companies now and into the future.

By Lyn Dean

S

ustainability may be a buzzword today, but the principles on which it is based resonate with buyers and stakeholders.

If companies want to attract and maintain customers—and employees—experts say sustainability must be front and center.

Judy Guido, green industry growth expert at Guido & Associates, says, “Sustainability is a strategy, not a product or service. As a strategy, it needs to be incorporated into the company’s core business—its DNA—with no trade-off in quality, price and profits.”

What makes a company sustainable?

Let’s get on the same page with what this often-heard term “sustainability” means. The definition used by the U.N. World Commission is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

How does this apply to businesses? They need to build a business case for sustainability.

Sustainable companies “blend the economic, environmental and social, often referred to as the three P’s—people, planet and profit—to meet new market expectations and regulations in ways that strengthen strategy, competitive

Judy Guido

Sustainability is good for business

98.6 % of Americans want green solutions Company reputation is enhanced Recruiting costs decline Cost to deliver solutions can be

5-10% lower

Net profi t can increase 2-4%

6-11%

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advantage, brand and profitability,” says Guido. “Sustainable companies will lead in the market, attracting more customers and employees, and will profit more.”

Drivers of sustainability are here, right now

The drivers of sustainability can’t be ignored. They are a huge force, in front of us now as the new normal. Sustainability is not a fad. It is a megatrend. Fads are short-lived and market-specific, but trends have longevity and reach across all markets. “No industry is not touched or challenged by sustainability issues,” say Guido. She points to six key drivers.

1. Declining natural resources due to overuse of water, energy and food which causes an increase in compliance and regulation.

2. Radical transparency of company information on the internet. People are checking to see if you’re green.

3. Increased customer expectations for socially responsible products and services that have little negative impact on the earth and people’s health.

4. Consumer demographic shifts in key buyers especially boomers, millennials and women.

5. Population shifts to urban centers continue to increase. Overall population growth continues.

6. Climate change with a warming planet and rising seas is causing more severe weather.

The business case for sustainability is readily apparent, Guido says, when you consider the sustainability value matrix she presents to companies. Sustainability provides numerous opportunities that increase the value of a company including enhanced reputation, motivated employees, product differentiation, new business models, new markets and license to operate.

Shout it out

Companies must incorporate the needs and values of their targeted customers within the framework of their unique offerings.

Sustainability

is the new normal Sustainability Value Matrix STAKEHOLDER VALUE

UNSUSTAINABLE

SUSTAINABLE VALUE

Opportunities Enhanced reputation Product differentiation Motivated employees License to operate New business models New markets

STAKEHOLDER VALUE

UNSUSTAINABLE Opportunities OLDER VALUE UNSUSTAINABLE (Lose/Lose) Enhanced reputation Product differentiation Motivated employees License to operate New business models SUSTAINABLE New markets

Risks Loss of sales Product substitution Preemptive regulation Reputation damage Fines, penalties

“The market strategy should not focus earth. They use smart irrigation, flow sensors, VALUE on being the ‘best’ company, but on what is soil amendments, native plants, integrated unique about the company—what differenti- pest management, drip irrigation and erosion ates it in the market,” says Guido. “Sustaincontrol. They recycle and repurpose materials, STAKEHOLDER VALUE ability is a great way to differentiate. Make it and plan driving routes with the least waste of known in your marketing strategy.” resources.

Guido finds that many green industry pro“Train your people about the breadth of fessionals in her workshops report only envi- sustainability in the company and teach them UNSUSTAINABLE ronmental examples of sustainable practices to use the words to promote your company’s used in their companies. “They often focus sustainability commitment to customers and on only one of the three key components— the community,” says Guido. She reminds us environment—leaving out social (people) and that 98.6 percent of Americans want green the economics from their strategy,” she says. solutions.

She encourages owners and managers to look more closely and notice where else they are al- Sustainability attracts customers “Once you’ve made a case for sustainabilready doing sustainable things. “They’ve been sustainable for years but under the radar,” she ity, promote it,” recommends Guido. “Cussays. tomers want to know. They are looking for it.”

She notes that most green industry comWho are these customers? Guido says 97.8 panies are already actively engaged in the so- percent of household purchase decisions are cial component of sustainability but may not made by women. Currently, baby boomer market it. Businesses regularly give back to the women are the nation’s wealthiest demographcommunity in various ways such as installing ic group. As a demographic group, boomers gardens in parks and schools. They also invest still lead in buying power. Millennials, who will in their employees by providing training, certi- soon to be the largest consumer demographic, fication and advancement opportunities. choose, or will switch to, a company that is And of course, they care are about the more socially and environmentally responsi-

“Sustainability is a strategy, Risks not a product or service.

Loss of sales As Product a strategy, it needs substitution regulation to Preemptive be incorporated into Reputation damage theFines, company’s penalties core business—its DNA—with no trade-off in quality, price and profits.”

ble. Is your marketing strategy directed appropriately to targeted core customers who value sustainability?

“Doing good for the planet is good business,” says Guido. “Customer referrals increase, which will increase your company’s name and brand awareness and valuation, and decrease marketing and sales costs.” She adds that costs for sustainable solutions are 5-10 percent lower and can add 2-4 percent to net profit.

Sustainability attracts employees, reduces recruitment costs

“People want to work for sustainable companies,” says Guido. “They want to work for a company that resonates with their own values.” Employees who enjoy working for a company refer others. Guido says recruiting costs decline and reputations are enhanced due to word mouth efforts. As a result, operating costs can decline by 6-11 percent.

New opportunities

As urban populations and mixed development increase, and more people are “living on top of one another” in these high-density communities using more water and energy, there are potentially more opportunities for green industry companies to develop solutions for customers living in smaller spaces with limited availability for green space. |CG March/April 2019 Colorado Green

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Sustainability

The future of tree health IS NOW Davey Tree uses an ecosystem view to inform tree care

By Cherie Courtade

T

Photos courtesy The Davey Tree Company

he green industry often relies on, and works with, the scientific research community to make its work more efficient and effective, and subsequently, more sustainable. Fortunately, some large organizations are able to dedicate resources to this cause. One such company, The Davey Tree Expert Company, has a research and development department that works with research institutions to develop new ways to support tree health and maintain urban canopies.

By using data collected in recent years, Davey is creating plans for the next 20-25 years, based on climate and weather projections for regions where Davey operates. “[It helps us] anticipate how climate change, storm frequency, rising temperatures and changes in precipitation will affect our trees,” explains Dan Herms, Ph.D., Davey’s vice president of research and development.

These advance projections can inform the services that Davey offers. For example, in Colorado Davey offers tree irrigation services.

“It is a growing service in places like Fort

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Tree management is an ecological science.

Collins, where many trees planted are not native to that ecosystem,” Herms said. While not native, “they are valuable trees, so we need management in response to increasing drought.”

It requires an ecosystem-level view and approach. Education is a big part of that.

Weather continues to change

Climate scientists have noted a change in weather patterns has increased storm intensity.

Whether it’s a hurricane in the Southeast or floods in the West, weather events are becoming stronger and more damaging. With warming winters certain pest and insect populations, such as bark beetles, can grow. Colorado has seen this with mountain pine beetle. Professionals are anticipating greater effects and trying to get in front of increased threats to

the landscape.

Wildfires are also a great concern. As fires become more frequent and more sustained, it’s important to find better wildfire abatement. Davey is involved in finding ways to mitigate the damage from wildfires.

Using scientific models created by researchers, Davey can look ahead at the dangers trees will face in the future and work on programs and services to help them survive these new or intensified threats.

Continuous education

“Tree management is an ecological science.

It requires an ecosystem-level view and approach,” Herms said. “Education is a big part of that.”

To help increase understanding of the value of trees, Davey collaborated with the US Forest Service to create iTree, a suite of software that can be used to help manage tree inventory for a city. The forest service did the research to quantify the value and Davey developed the software. The scientific studies

detail the ecosystem services trees provide and the economic value of trees, which include: • Stormwater reduction • Carbon sequestration • Heating/cooling benefits of shade • Mitigating air pollution - filtering of particulates.

The suite includes software for homeowners and professionals alike and is available for free at www.itreetools.org.

It’s essential that the public understand the value of trees and the contribution trees make to the health of a community. More education helps people both understand potential tree problems to expect, and appreciate the purpose of services offered by professionals. |CG

—Cherie Courtade is communications director at ALCC March/April 2019 Colorado Green

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Sustainability

Bielins-Hock project helps mitigate future flood damage

WSRI restores stability with bio-engineering and plants

By Joe Schneider

Left Hand Creek before construction

T

he unusual multi-day heavy rain event of September 2013 in Colorado, caused widespread flooding and subsequent evacuations through Front Range communities. Some areas received the equivalent of one year’s annual rainfall within a few days.

When flooding subsided, the impact was seen throughout the river and stream systems. New channel alignments and profiles, disconnected floodplains, unprotected infrastructure and unstable conditions were just a few of the significant changes that had occurred. Experts would later call it call a 1,000-year rain and a 100-year flood.

Without intervention, some of the newly

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Coffer dam

created conditions would negatively impact the function and overall sustainability of the rivers and streams. Affected municipalities began to identify and prioritize sections of rivers and streams that required treatment to mitigate future issues. The Bielins-Hock site in Boulder County was one of the sites identified as requiring treatment.

Located southwest of Longmont, on public land along the Longmont-to-Boulder (LoBo) Regional Trail, Bielins-Hock restoration project is an 850 linear foot stretch of Left Hand Creek. In March 2017, Boulder County hired Western States Reclamation, Inc. (WSRI) to provide professional construction services for

Constructed soil lift

the restoration of the site. Project goals were to stabilize streambanks, create a floodplain, restore the natural riparian ecosystem and protect adjacent and downstream infrastructure.

Soil lift construction

WSRI used several bio-engineering practices, including the installation of 850 linear feet of constructed soil lifts. The soil lifts provided new shape and stability to the stream banks as well as helped seed mixes, containerized plant material and live willow cuttings become established. The fabric of the soil lifts will degrade over time, and the root systems of the plants will begin to hold the new bank in place.

Photos courtesy Boulder County Open Space

Without intervention, some newly created conditions would negatively impact the function and overall sustainability of rivers and streams.

Completed channel

Bielins-Hock soil lifts were constructed using approved on-site material for the base layer, imported topsoil as the top layer and planting medium, biodegradable coconut fabric and coir mat. Seed mixes, containerized plants and stakes were incorporated as the lifts were constructed.

and progressed in a linear manner down the channel.

A few of the challenges that crews overcame during this sequence of earthwork activities included using coffer dams and pumps for dewatering and working around nesting birds and established habitats.

Site prep for soil lifts

Communication as a success factor

Before installation of the soil lifts, crews placed buried rip rap protection set back from the channel, performed general site grading as well as channel re-alignment. There were times when channel re-alignment and the construction of soil lifts occurred simultaneously

To accomplish the task and goals of Bielins-Hock project, WSRI worked closely with the project engineer and plant ecologist throughout the construction process. As with any creek project, teaming and constant communication were an important component.

Many field decisions and adjustments had to be evaluated and executed on a daily basis.

Continuing maintenance

By fall 2017, seeding, planting and woody debris placement were completed. At that time, WSRI began a one-year maintenance period along the stream corridor, which included weed management and general plant care.

In fall 2018, WSRI turned it over to Boulder County Open Space who will continue the maintenance and monitoring of the site. |CG —Joe Schneider is an estimator and senior project manager at Western States Reclamation, Inc. March/April 2019 Colorado Green

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Sustainability

Sustainable Landscape Management launches A

ssociated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) is launching the Sustainable Landscape Management (SLM) initiative this year. It provides sustainable landscape management standards that protect and conserve water and reduce waste generation while maintaining the health of urban landscapes that consist of durable and mature plant material.

SLM is a certificate program in sustainable landscape management practices, but it is much more than that–its guidelines provide a blueprint that can be adopted by municipalities, water utility providers, property/ HOA management companies, landscape companies, landscape and garden education organizations and Green Industry associations to incorporate proven sustainable practices in the landscapes they maintain. SLM guidelines are user-friendly and relate to the day-to-day basic practices of sustainable landscape management.

Colorado’s SLM initiative was inspired by a similar program in Arizona. Their successful program has gained recognition from a wide variety of stakeholders including the Arizona Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), Arizona Landscape Architects Association, Arizona Nursery Association, the Arizona Association of Community Managers (AACM), the City of Phoenix and many other Arizona municipalities.

The foundation of ALCC’s program is a manual that defines sustainable landscape maintenance practices that can be implemented by Colorado landscape companies, property management companies, HOAs and others.

By earning the certificate in SLM, professional landscape technicians will use standardized guidelines that provide common ground in sustainable practices. The SLM certificate ensures that the same proven guidelines and principles are universally applied and demonstrates consistency in the field of sustainable landscape management practices.

To obtain the SLM certificate, registrants will participate in a four-hour course followed

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by an exam. Two SLM courses will be offered in 2019 to current ALCC members organizations and their employees. This certificate will raise the level of professionalism among landscape management practitioners and increase consumer confidence with companies/organizations whose employees are SLM Certified.

This certificate will raise the level of professionalism among landscape management practitioners and increase consumer confidence with companies/organizations whose employees are SLM Certified.

Sustainable Landscape Management Initiative

• With the aridification of Colorado and the Western US, uniform Sustainable Landscape Management practices are needed immediately to conserve and protect water while maintaining healthy and sustainable urban landscapes.

• The SLM initiative will create the standard for sustainable landscape management practices in Colorado that can be followed and adopted by all stakeholders concerned with or involved in landscape management.

• The SLM certificate will be made available to employees of ALCC member organizations and companies including cities/ municipalities, water utilities, parks and recreation districts and companies that maintain landscapes for HOAs, commercial properties and property management companies.

• The SLM certificate will raise the level of professionalism among landscape management practitioners and increase consumer confidence with companies/ organizations whose employees obtain the certificate.

• The SLM certificate is the pathway to sustainable landscape management practices.

• The SLM certificate creates the standard everyone can follow: the right maintenance practices at the right time.

• SLM is needed to educate professionals about water conservation measures that will result in increased drought protection and water system reliability. |CG

Sustainability

Photo courtesy ALCC and ELITE winner Designs By Sundown

in Colorado

Sustainable Landscape Management Certificate Overview: Two SLM courses will be available Fall 2019. The length of the course is approximately four hours followed by the exam.

The SLM Certificate is available to employees of cities/ municipalities, water utilities, parks and recreation districts, landscape companies, homeowners’ association/property management companies.

The SLM Certificate is only available to individuals whose company/organization are current ALCC members.

SLM

Sustainable Landscape Management COLORADO

March/April 2019 Colorado Green

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Top Plant Picks: CSU Research

CSU’s top five perennials are showy and tough

E

ach year at Colorado State University (CSU), herbaceous perennials are evaluated on their performance over three growing seasons and two winters in Rocky Mountain environmental conditions. A committee of researchers and horticulture pros select the best performers based on multiple criteria.

Geum x ‘TNGEURO PP28236 – Geum ‘RUSTICO™ Orange’ from Terra Nova® Nurseries

Phlox paniculata Flame® New Improved Purple Flame®, New Improved Purple Flame Phlox from Dummen Orange® Plants had a very uniform growth habit with abundant purple flowers and dark green foliage. A small splash of white at the base of each petal added a bit of ”sparkle“ to each flower as it matured.

Echinacea ‘TNECHKR PP28786KISMETTM Raspberry Coneflower from Terra Nova® Nurseries Prolific flowers formed a solid canopy of raspberry blooms over the plants and as they faded from peak bloom, they had an attractive rustic look. The plants had good branching and a uniform growth habit.

Photos courtesy Colorado State University

The dark green foliage of the plant kept a fresh look throughout the season, giving good contrast for the colorful orange blooms.

The bright orange flowers were prolific.

In 2018, the five top performing perennials showcased below were ranked by the committee as reliably tough and resilient. For more complete information, select perennial results at www.flowertrials. colostate.edu. |CG

Tips & Tricks: The foliage is impressive and the plant could be grown for foliage alone. Ideal for mass plantings.

Zone 4-5 48

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Tips & Tricks: Blooms maintained their attractive color even as they faded late season.

Plants had superior resistance to powdery mildew.

Zone 4-5

Tips & Tricks: Dark green foliage kept the plants attractive even at times when flowers were not present.

Zone 4-5

Top Plant Picks: CSU Research

Gaillardia aristata

Spin Top Yellow Touch

Gaillardia aristata ‘SpinTop Yellow Touch’ – Gaillardia ‘SpinTop Yellow Touch’ from Dummen Orange

Delosperma ‘Alan’s Apricot’PPAF – ‘Alan’s Apricot’ Delosperma from Plant Select®

Flowers were very showy—predominantly red with an edge of yellow around the tip of each blossom. The attractive green foliage complemented the bloom color. Plant habit was relatively small, compact and mounded, but packed with a lot of flower power.

At peak bloom, plants are a carpet of apricot colored flowers. Plants are uniform and have great vigor as well as better cold hardiness than many Delosperma. Flowers have a unique color and bloom continually throughout the season.

LEGEND Full sun Adapts to part shade Prefers shadier conditions Useful for containers Xeric Requires moisture Requires more moisture

Tips & Tricks: Survival rate was very good

for a Gaillardia, and its cold hardiness was impressive. Additional entries in this ‘Spin Top’ series had superior cold hardiness as well.

Zone 4-5

Tips & Tricks: Alan’s Apricot is great for low water plantings but will also tolerate some extra water that often kills other Delospermas.

It is a good low-maintenance plant.

Zone 4-5

Contributed by James E. Klett, professor, Colorado State University, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture March/April 2019 Colorado Green

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Photo courtesy John Stireman

Top Plant Picks: Plant Select®

GRANITA® Orange ice plant makes a bold statement

P

lant Select ® recently introduced some of the most cold-hardy and drought-tolerant ice plants grown in the U.S., and whose flowers boast eye-popping colors. GRANITA® Orange ice plant (Delosperma Granita® Orange) offers large, vibrant orange flowers over a mat of evergreen foliage.

GRANITA® Orange ice plant is an example of what happens when plants from around the world are grown together in gardens. Plants, originally separated by oceans and mountain ranges, will hybridize. Cross-pollination between these perennials created spring hybrid seedlings, which horticulturist John Stireman evaluated to determine likely parents. GRANITA® Orange gets its large orange color from Fire

Spinner® ice plant and large everblooming flowers from another ice plant.

The bold orange flowers are an attention-grabber. Use GRANITA® Orange in sunny areas that don’t receive supplemental water. Plant at the base of red flowering yuccas or near silverheels horehound, turquoise tails blue sedum, partridge feather and winecups for a show of color and texture.

The flowering buttons of GRANITA® Orange are known to bloom after the first frost and snow when temperatures warm up briefly in late November, as they often do along the Front Range. Enjoy this new Plant Select® plant in the landscape from spring through late fall. |CG

For more information, explore www.plantselect.org 52

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Size: 1-2” tall x 10-14” wide Flowers: deep orange, late spring through late fall Leaves: oblong succulent leaves Form: groundcover Light: full sun Culture: well-drained loam or sandy soil Hardiness: USDA Zones 5-8 Habitat value: food for bees Design/maintenance tips • Requires no maintenance and very little water.

• Use for crevice gardens, in steppe gardens or in containers.

• Pairs well with larger plants and even shrubs.

— Contributed by Ross Shrigley and Emily Goldman for Plant Select®

Ad Index 2M Company, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 www.2mco.com Alameda Wholesale Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . 16 www.alamedawholesale.com Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 www.alcc.com Bobcat of the Rockies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 www.bobcatoftherockies.com Colorado Materials, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 www.coloradomaterialsinc.com DWF Grower Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 www.dwfwholesale.com Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply . . 4-5 www.ewingirrigation.com Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery . . . . . . . . 18 www.ftcollinswholesalenursery.com Harding Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 www.hardingnursery.com Honnen Equipment Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 www.honnen.com Horizon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 www.horizononline.com Horizon Turf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 www.horizonturfnursery.com The L.L. Johnson Distributing Co. . . . . 7, 21, www.lljohnson.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Pioneer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3 www.pioneerco.com Potestio Brothers Equipment . . . . . . . . . . 22 www.PBEquip.com Proven Winners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC www.provenwinners-shrubs.com SavATree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 www.savatree.com/consults Siloam Stone, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 www.siloamstone.com SiteOne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 www.SiteOne.com Unilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 www.unilock.com Wagner Rents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 www.WagnerRents.com Wagner Equipment . . . . . . . . . . Wrap, OBC www.wagnerequipment.com Winger Photography, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 wingerphotography.photoshelter.com Woerner Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 rmota@woerner.com

2 BILLION...

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...the green industry’s annual contribution to Colorado’s economy

Get in front of landscape professionals with

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Contact Martha Dickenson | Senior Account Representative 303.257.6499 or email mimi_nwp@yahoo.com March/April 2019 Colorado Green

53

Parting Shot

Next gen gardeners on the move

By Cherie Courtade

If

you think young people don’t want to garden, think again. Recent findings conflict with the notion that young people are not as interested working with plants.

Garden Media Group published their 2019 Garden Trends Report, “Rooted Together— Reconnecting with the Natural World.” The company’s trendspotters found that young people are interested in the natural world and interact with it as an escape from always-on technology.

While previous trends showed an interest in gardening as self-care, the current trend

54

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shows that working with plants is a way to help the greater community—and save the earth. Millennials and Gen Z adults who seem stuck inside using technology are learning to unplug for the sake of their mental and physical health. But they are also learning to use technology to support their interactions with nature—from pollinator drones to robots that pull weeds.

The report drew many conclusions from the National Gardening Association’s annual survey, which says more people are gardening and spending more money on lawn and garden retail plants and products than ever

before. The average household set a spending record of $503 over the previous year, setting a record $47.8 billion in retail sales and 31 percent of houseplant purchases were made by millennials.

If young adults are looking for careers that improve the environment and make life better for everyone, perhaps landscape industry employers can find hope that, with some creative outreach, they can reach adults under 35. |CG

Dynamo INVINCIBELLE WEE WHITE® Hydrangea arborescens ‘NCHA5’ ppaf, cbraf

This tiny, tidy hydrangea is a game changer! Abundant flower heads that flush soft pink, aging to white, then green, on strong, supportive stems. Fast production and exceptional container presentation make this new dwarf variety of H. arborescens a sales dynamo.

Ask for it from these suppliers 10'

Alameda Wholesale Nursery Englewood CO • 303-761-6131

Fort Collins Wholesale Fort Collins CO • 970-484-1289

Sester Farms Gresham OR • 503-663-4844

Arbor Valley Nursery Brighton CO • 313-654-1682 Franktown CO • 303-688-2442 Fort Collins CO • 970-445-3090

Harmony Gardens Fort Collins CO • 970-226-8733

Silversage Littleton CO • 303-730-7243

Brady’s Evergreen Nursery Canon City CO • 719-275-8323

Little Valley Wholesale Nursery Brighton CO • 303-659-6708

Today’s Nursery Parker CO • 720-851-9447

Progressive Plants Copperton, UT • 801-565-7333

INVINCIBELLE WEE WHITE® Hydrangea arborescens ‘NCHA5’ PPAF; CBRAF FULL TO PART SUN USDA ZONE 3, AHS 8 1 - 2.5' tall & wide

www.provenwinners-shrubs.com

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