September 2014 VOL. 36, NO. 7
landscapetrades.com
Crafting your top-line defence: The Contract Best practices for snowfighters Hard numbers coming for off-road controls
SPECIAL ISSUE 2014:
Winter MANAGEMENT Strategies to promote safety, efficiency and profitability
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Contents
PUBLISHER Lee Ann Knudsen CLP | lak@landscapeontario.com Editorial Director Sarah Willis | sarahw@landscapeontario.com Art Director Kim Burton | kburton@landscapeontario.com Editor Allan Dennis | adennis@landscapeontario.com Web editor Robert Ellidge | rob@landscapeontario.com Graphic Designer Mike Wasilewski | mikew@landscapeontario.com Accountant Joe Sabatino | joesabatino@landscapeontario.com Sales Manager, PUBLICATIONS Steve Moyer | stevemoyer@landscapeontario.com INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS REPRESENTATIVE Greg Sumsion | gsumsion@landscapeontario.com COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Angela Lindsay | alindsay@landscapeontario.com Advisory Committee Gerald Boot CLP, Paul Brydges, Laura Catalano, Hank Gelderman CHT, Marty Lamers, Jan Laurin, Gregg Salivan, Bob Tubby CLP
Landscape Trades is published by Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association 7856 Fifth Line South, Milton, ON L9T 2X8 Phone: (905)875-1805 Email: comments@landscapetrades.com Fax: (905)875-0183 Web site: www.landscapetrades.com LANDSCAPE ONTARIO STAFF Shawna Barrett, Darryl Bond, Myscha Burton, Tony DiGiovanni CHT, Denis Flanagan CLD, Sally Harvey CLT CLP, Jane Leworthy, Heather MacRae, Allie McInnes, Kristen McIntyre CHT, Kathy McLean, Linda Nodello, Kathleen Pugliese, Paul Ronan, Ian Service, Tom Somerville, Martha Walsh
Landscape Trades is published nine times a year: January, March, April, May, June, July/August, September, October and November/December. Subscription rates: One year – $46.90, two years – $84.74; three years – $118.64, HST included. U.S. and international please add $20.00 per year for postage and handling. Subscribe at www.landscapetrades.com Copyright 2014. All rights are reserved. Material may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Landscape Trades assumes no responsibility for, and does not endorse the contents of, any advertisements herein. All representations or warranties made are those of the advertiser and not the publication. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the association or its members, but are those of the writer concerned.
SEPTEMBER 2014 VOL. 36, NO. 7
SPECIAL ISSUE:
Tools for snow and ice control FEATURES 6 Industry-driven research Safety engineers study off-road salting
BY KAMAL HOSSAIN
10 Pinch of salt Bad winter has depleted bulk reserves
BY SARAH WILLIS
12 Best practices for snowfighters Start planning parking lot plowing now
BY PHILL SEXTON
16 Greening highways Highway tree planting project delves beneath the surface
BY DARBY McGRATH AND JASON HENRY
COLUMNS 20 ROAD TO SUCCESS Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?
BY ROD McDONALD
24 SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPING Balconies provides a new dimension for vegetable gardens
BY SEAN JAMES
26 LEGAL MATTERS Take steps now to reduce winter risk exposure
BY ROBERT KENNALEY
28 MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS Set production goals that pay, Part II
BY MARK BRADLEY
DEPARTMENTS ISSN 0225-6398 PUBLICATIONS MAIL SALES AGREEMENT 40013519 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT LANDSCAPE TRADES MAGAZINE 7856 FIFTH LINE SOUTH, MILTON, ON L9T 2X8, CANADA
Green Pencil Industry News Letter to the Editor New Products CNLA News SASKATCHEWAN Provincial News ALBERTA Provincial News Coming Events Classifieds Where to Find it
4 32 37 38 43 44 46 48 49 50
SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |
3
greenpencil
Green industry pioneers an education strategy
New wave training I love words. Clever new words, or a nice turn of phrase jump out at me, and beg to be remembered (which is helpful in my profession). A cool new word I came across last month was nanodegree. It’s a new educational credential pioneered by a U.S. telecom giant and an online learning company, that offers efficient online training with a short duration. The true benefit of a nanodegree is the partnership with industry, giving students job-focused education with a clear pathway to a job at the end of the program. Nanodegrees can be completed even while a student works full-time. Champions of the nanodegree say its benefit is hands-on courses created by industry. By Sarah Willis Well, guess what? Your own industry has already created its own nanodegrees without even knowing the word existed. Every winter, from coast to coast, green industry associations offer industry-driven, hands-on courses to further the development of our skilled labour force. No matter which province you are in, an informal survey of hort company owners will inevitably reveal that a lack of skilled labour is the biggest business challenge they face. Your national and provincial trade associations have invested heavily in the development of programs that teach relevant, real-world knowledge and skills, as well as a training framework. The Canadian Nursery and Landscape Association has taken the lead on Landscape Industry Certified programs across the country, and repurposed a training program initially invented by the army, to
4 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
create the On the Job Training program, a highly effective way you can make sure your foremen and lead hands are passing along critical skills to their workforce in a way that will be remembered and replicated. Other training opportunities include professional development programs offered by your provincial trade association, and as this is our annual snow issue, i would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the learning opportunities offered through the Snow and Ice Management Association, both face-to-face and online. So, we have the nanodegree-type training opportunities in place. The other side of the coin is attracting people who want to make a career in this industry. This is going to require as much, or more, effort than the creation of the training programs that now need to be filled. If you are reading this, I know you already run a successful company. Do you have time now to pay it forward by contacting the guidance office at your local high school to let them know the green industry offers challenging full-time career paths? I would love to hear from owners who have successfully partnered with schools to bring our industry into the classroom. My own experience in our family garden centre and landscaping company, is that we have had some exceptional young people cross our paths over the years. A few have come through the High Skills Specialist Major program, some we have sponsored as apprentices, and given internships to hort college students. Over the years, some have moved on to new opportunities with other companies, but while they were with us they boosted our business with their skills, energy and creativity. Developing new workers is everyone’s responsibility and benefits us all. LT
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RESEARCH UNDERWAY:
Snow and ice control in parking lots
Academics and snow pros partner to benefit industry By S.M. KAMAL HOSSAIN
P
rof. Liping Fu and his research team at the
University of Waterloo (UW) are near the finish line for their large-scale research project aimed at developing advanced knowledge and practical guidelines on maintenance methods, materials and application rates for winter maintenance of transportation facilities; in particular, parking lots and sidewalks. This research project was initiated by a request from the Snow and Ice Sector Group of Landscape Ontario, recognizing the need for a systematic study to address the common questions facing every winter maintenance contractor: what is the right deicing or anti-icing material, and how much should be applied under a given condition? The project is the first of its kind in North America and has generated significant interest around the world. Every year, Canada spends over $1 billion to clear snow and ice on public and private roads, parking lots and sidewalks. This includes the use of over 5 million tonnes of salts for deicing and anti-icing operations. Because of these significant financial, environmental, and social implications, considerable research and development efforts have been devoted to the improvement of winter maintenance methods, products, and technologies over the past decades. However, most of the past efforts have focused on roadway maintenance, with little research on parking lots and sidewalks — which account for up to 30 per cent of all salt usage.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES The specific objectives of the project included: determining the condition parameters that affect the performance of rock salts, brines, and alternative chemicals for deicing and anti-icing treatments; determining optimum application forms and rates for deicing and anti-icing treatments of parking lots and sidewalks over a range of 6 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
In order to replicate real-world conditio researchers worked during all hours of
pavement and environmental conditions; development of models that can be used to forecast pavement surface conditions, such as residual salts, snow and ice cover, and friction, under specific weather events and treatment schedule; development of guidelines and decision support tools for snow and ice control of parking lots and sidewalks, including material selection, salt application rates and treatment strategies; to synthesise best practices related to parking lot maintenance service policy and standards, material selection and application rates, deicing and anti-icing operations; and finally, to evaluate techniques for collection and processing of large-scale maintenance data collection and performance monitoring.
REAL WORLD PRACTICES USED To better understand how most parking-lot maintenance contractors operate, small, medium, large maintenance contractors and over 200 municipalities in Canada and the U.S. were surveyed. The primary purpose of the survey was to collect information about the parking lot maintenance industry and current practice. This information was used to help determine the level of service expected for different facilities, the types of materials, the ranges of application rates, and the variety of snow and ice control strategies currently being used.
MULTIPLE DATA COLLECTION SITES The micro testing conducted at the UW parking lot is a semi-controlled experiment, and therefore limited in terms of the kinds of conditions it can cover. To address this limitation, we designed an off-site data collection program with the objective of collecting field data on what maintenance operations being done at some monitored parking lots and how the conditions evolve over time after maintenance operations.
ns snow fighters face on the job, the day and night.
An exhaustive amount of data has been collected for this study using a variety of tools. Here, a 2GO friction tester records the road surface friction after treatment.
Over the course of the research study, more than 5,000 field tests were carried out covering a large number of snow control chemical combinations.
Forward-thinking snow and ice contractors were recruited, who were responsible for providing maintenance data for a total of over 100 parking sites. The collected data have been used to validate against the micro tests conducted at the UW parking lot, to confirm if the applied rate is within a safe margin of what would be considered a reasonable range for a given set of conditions, and to develop rate adjustment factors for some conditions that are not covered by the micro test. An extensive set of field experiments were conducted over the last three winter seasons, including over 5,000 tests covering a large number of treatment combinations in terms of snow control chemicals (e.g., regular salt, magnesium products, Fusion, Snowmelter, etc.), and major maintenance strategies and techniques (e.g., preapplication vs. post-application, pre-wetting vs. dry salt, etc.). While formulating the research methodology, special efforts were made to maximize the realism of the tests as compared to real-world scenarios, including active involvement and inputs from the field professionals and a comprehensive survey of the maintenance industry and the end users. The field tests have resulted in a unique database covering the field performance of various winter maintenance materials and techniques. This performance data has then been rigorously analysed using statistical tools to develop a quantitative understanding of the conditions that influence the effectiveness of various maintenance treatment options, to facilitate the establishment of a set of recommended treatment options and application rates for a wide variety of winter events.
was put into the development of snow melting models that relate bare pavement status or amount of snow being melted to salt application rate, as well as environmental factors such as temperature, snow type and amount. The preliminary modeling results show the feasibility of developing such models. Several snow melting models have been developed and used as a basis for developing the optimum salt application rates for particular weather conditions. The research has so far revealed many interesting findings, some of which have been published in technical papers including three papers in peer-reviewed international journals, 10 papers in international conferences, and updates in past issues of Landscape Trades. The research team is currently working on compiling and summarizing the research results and developing easy-to-use guidelines that can be used by the maintenance industry. These guidelines will be made available at www.sicops.ca before the winter. A large number of researchers have contributed to the success of this project, including two post-doctoral fellows, four full-time graduate researchers, and over 20 co-op students. This project has been made possible with the financial and logistic support of many organizations from both the government and the private sectors, including Landscape Ontario, GO Transit, Toronto Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO), Snow and Ice Management Association (SIMA), and a LT number of private contractors from across Ontario.
DEVELOPMENT OF SALTING MODEL
S. M. Kamal Hossain is a Ph.D Candidate and Research Assistant in the Innovative Transportation System Solutions Lab at the University of Waterloo.
The data collected by the team of engineers has been processed in an event-by-event and rate-by-rate form. A significant amount of effort
SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |
7
Depleted stockpiles mean scarcity and higher prices
Expect salt supply
CHALLENGES
“We used an absolutely insane amount of salt,”said Mark Humphries of
Humphries Landscape Services, in Oshawa, Ont. He was talking about the long, extreme winter of 2013-2014. An intense series of weather conditions, ice storms, prolonged frigid temperatures and frequent snow falls meant that municipalities and contractors completely depleted stockpiles of salt that had been built up over several summers. Canada has massive underground salt deposits in Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia. A spokesperson from the Salt Institute of Alexandria, Va., is careful to say salt is in plentiful supply, in the ground. The problem is the time and manpower required to physically extract it from the earth and transport by ship and rail to storage depots for further distribution to the end users. Salt mines are running at capacity, but the reality is it will be tough to have enough salt shipped and stockpiled for the coming winter.
STILL PUSHING SNOW AND SPREADING SALT Snow and ice management hasn’t changed much in the last 40 years. “The tools are more shiny, and we have more choices in products to
8 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
BY SARAH WILLIS
apply, but in the end we are still pushing snow out of the way and putting salt down to melt the ice,” says Humphries. The number one use for salt in North America is for winter road safety. During times when road salt is in short supply, the Snow and Ice Management Association of Milwaukee, Wisc., works with media, including the Weather Network, to urge the public to drive more carefully and wear weather-appropriate footwear. However, people still expect pavement to be just as clear in January as it is in June.
CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS “RIGHT” Mark Humphries has been clearing snow for over 25 years, and has developed methods that mitigate risk for both his company and his customers. However, he can work his methods and make all the tentative plans he wants, but, “at the end of the day, when the customer calls us saying you’ve got to get in here and salt, you've got to go.” Snow professionals like Humphries know that throwing more salt around is not always the best practice, but most customers won’t trust the contractor’s knowledge, and demand that more salt be applied. Salt is so popular, says Ed Hewis of Ground Control Contracting, also in Oshawa, in part because it is the least expensive option. He notes an experienced contractor can use lots of different
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products to keep a property clear, which may cost $50,000. However a less-educated contractor will use rock salt only, and charge $30,000. “Most property managers will just tell me, I don’t care how you get rid of the snow — just get rid of it.” Hewis didn’t have a problem with salt shortages last winter, as there are lots of other products available in his tool bag. He matches his ice melting needs to products with a specific range of temperature effectiveness, and creates what’s known as a hot mix of rock salt and other chemicals. In some instances, liquids can be used to ease the removal of snow and ice. Hewis likes liquids, as they can be applied as an anti-icer up to a week before a snow event and stay where they are put, with no waste due to scatter and bounce. However, he notes that snow and ice control on roads and parking lots are two different animals. On roads, liquids are favoured, as they can be applied precisely with little waste. But in a parking lot you want salt, or another solid ice melter, scattered into corners, odd angles or beneath cars.
ADDRESS SALT AVAILABILITY IN CONTRACTS To help snow and ice fighters manage their exposure to risk, Landscape Ontario helped create a Standard Form Snow and Ice Maintenance Contract and made it available to any contractor. It is a general contact that can be downloaded at www.horttrades. com/standard-form-snow-and-ice-maintenance-contract, and either used as-is or customized. In the case of a salt shortage, the contract offers some defence against slipand-fall liability. It states: "The contractor will not be responsible to apply ice melting products unless the ice melting products are commercially and reasonably available to the contractor." Making sure the phrase "commercially and reasonably available" is understood, notes attorney Robert Kennaley, author of the contract. You don’t want your client to point to a skid of bagged salt outside the grocery store when you say your supplier is out of salt. Including a salt price escalation clause that says if the price exceeds X dollar amount per tonne, then our cost per appli10 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
cation or per tonne or per pass will be increased by a certain percentage, is a recommended best practice for contracts as well. While there is no absolutely guaranteed way to protect your company in the event of a salt shortage, a well-written contract will place the decision as to alternatives directly on the property owner. Property owners and managers need to understand that in a maintenance contract, the contractor is only hired to do what he is paid to do. The looming salt shortage and resulting price hikes have contractors investigating their options. While he can work with suppliers, increase salt storage capacity and begin stockpiling salt now, Humphries admits that managing salt is not really within his control, saying, “we can be as careful as we like, but when the property manager says jump, we go.” If there is a bottom line in the complex science that is snow and ice control, perhaps it is economics. Winter weather may be getting some gradual respect, along with the growing recognition that experienced snow fighters know best. Last year’s winter affected the bottom lines of large corporations; numbers are down and weather is noted in annual reports. Ice storm clean-ups continue through the summer, reminding us of Mother Nature's power. Make sure your customer understands all his options, and what he is paying for. Discuss the customer's requirements, and solutions you can offer — and put price tags on everything. Document what was agreed on, in addition to the options that were presented and turned down. Ed Hewis likens snow and ice to a vampire. “There is no one silver bullet to kill this vampire. Salt, liquids … they are all just LT tools in our toolbox.”
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Best practices for parking lots A snow and ice management environment with unique risks and variables BY PHILL SEXTON
T
o provide effective snow and ice control in parking lots, contractors need to work in a partnership with the facility owner or manager. Today, the sales pitch of professionals has an educational component, as you should work proactively with the facility before the snow season approaches. In order to help you reduce your risk and liability and improve your planning process for next year’s operation, the Snow and Ice Management Association (SIMA) has created Best Practices Guidelines. These guidelines are relevant to follow, whether you perform the service yourself, or outsource it through subcontractors. Beyond the necessary insurance to protect you against liability risk, in-house operations and vendors both benefit from a detailed snow site engineering plan and site inspection process. These plans help you to manage safety, risk and environmental health.
SNOW SITE ENGINEERING PLANS These plans assist you in identifying priority areas. In other words, it defines which areas of the parking lot should be cleared first, second, third, etc. This is particularly helpful when responding to heavier storms or blizzard conditions. Be sure to include fire hydrants, emergency exits, emergency egresses and access to utilities. Your snow site engineering plan also needs to identify where the snow is to be piled relevant to the line-of-sight issues, handicap areas and drainage locations. When seeking a storage area for snow on site, you want to avoid locating snow piles where they will create drifting or visibility issues. Instead, find designated areas where piles of snow won’t create melting and re-freeze issues. Identify areas for snow to be stored if hauling off-site is necessary. Be careful to avoid sensitive waterways or 12 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
water systems where increased salinity levels from salt might become an environmental concern. Avoid blocking catch basins and manhole covers. Be certain to pay particular attention to parking deck drains where flooding can create extreme ice and load conditions.
SITE INSPECTION PROCESS This process helps determine whether client expectations have been met and risk liability has been managed. To obtain an unbiased inspection, SIMA recommends the person inspecting the snow removal site not be the same person performing the operations process. Your inspection process should answer these key questions related to your plan: l Are first-priority areas clear of snow and ice by the expected time? If not, why? l Were emergency exits and fire hydrant areas cleared within four to six hours following the storm? l Are all drains and manhole covers clear of snow and ice so they won’t create flooding? l Was there any damage that needs to be fixed? Damages may include light poles, signage, damaged walkways, or curbs, safety bollards, etc.
PLANNING, COSTS AND EXPECTATIONS Planning necessary resources in a snow operation can be very tricky, due to the variability of conditions and expectations. First, you need to understand cycle time rate and the estimated capacity and costs necessary to minimize safety risks, while also meeting your client’s expectations. Cycle time rate is simply the amount of time it takes you to meet
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Identify a designated area for snow storage on site, where melting snow won't create additional hazards.
changes to de-icing materials depending on the weather conditions. l Holidays. Think through what you might need to do if you experience a heavy snow or blizzard during a holiday, when only skeleton crews are scheduled to work. l Emergency incidents. Determine a plan of action when it is snowing during a fire or medical emergency that requires immediate and uninterrupted access.
COMMUNICATION, DOCUMENTATION AND VERIFICATION your client’s expectations. A typical expectation is to have primary lots and walks clear by 7:00 a.m. If a snow storm or squall begins at 3:00 a.m., and produces 10 cm of snow over two hours, you must have the proper equipment and manpower capacity to cycle through all parking areas and walkways within 1.5 hours, and 15 minutes of de-icing operations, to meet a 7:00 a.m. all-clear expectation. This example illustrates the cost and response risks you share with clients, and other vendors and subcontractors.
ESTIMATING When developing estimates, we use systems and tools to calculate the required resources and costs for a particular site. Part of this evaluation is based on surface area and time calculations. For example, a snow contractor calculates an eight-/nine-ft. plow can clear five cm of snow at an average rate of one hour per acre, 7.5 cm at 1.5 hours per acre, and 10 cm at two hours per acre. Depending on specific expectations of the site related to tolerance levels for accumulation and time of day, a 10 cm event may need to be cleared one, two or three times. Therefore, expectations have a direct impact on the estimated cost of resource capacity demand and responsiveness.
CAPACITY PLANNING You can verify the capacity of planned equipment and manpower based on estimated resources using an average 5 cm cycle time requirement. For example, if you have an eight-acre lot using the same storm scenario of 3:00 a.m. start time, with five cm 14 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
of snow per hour for two hours, it requires three trucks with eight-/nine-ft. plows to complete ‘all clear’ conditions by 7:00 a.m. Enormous budget variations are often the case for snow removal. From a cost standpoint, you benefit when you budget and equip for above-average conditions, even when there is only a small chance of a heavy storm or years with little to no snow. Over the course of five-10 years, the cost of being improperly equipped far exceeds the cost for being always prepared, with the proper capacity of equipment and human resources. While average-sized storms might only require half the resources, clients expect you to be ready for the worst weather. This requires proper response planning; you must allocate appropriate funds to meet the worst-case preparedness scenario.
STORM RESPONSE PLANNING Your planning needs to include contingencies for a variety of weather events and natural disasters, and your plan needs your clients’ approval as well. In addition, your response plan needs to include snow storms or blizzards as well as other cause-and-effect conditions that may occur because of the initial snow. These events may include: l Road closures. Consider what may occur if heavy snow closes roads, and designated resources and snow removal vehicles are not able to get through. l Power outages. Think about your plan in the event power outages cut off communications, or if vehicles are unable to refuel. l Icy conditions or freezing rain. Consider
Simple yet thorough and consistent planning for communication, documentation and verification are important for managing client expectations, and critical for liability and risk management. New technologies including GPS, smart phones with cameras and other off-the-shelf systems provide improved, quicker and easier ways to communicate, document and verify service. However, the old-fashioned, but reliable, carbon copy service reports still remain a good resource. The simplest form of communication is a phone tree. SIMA suggests establishing a minimum of three forms of a communication for three people that represent the site, and three people that are responsible for the work performed. In total, there should be six people listed with their cell, office, and home phone numbers. Snow removal professionals must document and verify their snow removal process with a service report for each storm. These reports should include start- and end-time of the storm, site conditions, weather conditions, amounts of accumulation and snow removal services performed. Property managers and your operator or subcontractor must sign off on each service report, to verify timing and the actual services performed. LT
Phill Sexton is Director of Education and Outreach for the Snow and Ice Management Association (SIMA), the association for snow and ice management professionals in Canada and the United States. To obtain a copy of SIMA’s complete Best Practices Guidelines and other documents or tools, log on to www.sima.org/bestpractices
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RESEARCH UPDATE:
Healthy soil drives tree survival along highways
BY DARBY McGRATH Ph.D. AND JASON HENRY M.Sc.
T
he urban tree canopy has so many benefits it is not difficult to understand why in today’s society of high-rises, black-top pavement, and multilane highways, more attention than ever is being paid to canopy coverage in cities. Although urban canopy expansion is an ambitious goal for most cities, it is also a very important one that presents many obstacles, perhaps the most obvious being extreme weather and pests. The visceral evidence from the December 2013 ice storm in the Golden Horseshoe region in Ontario, for instance, is still visible on many tree-lined streets in the region. At the same time new pests always loom on the horizon; emerald ash borer is on the minds of many across Canada, as infestation continues to threaten. Replacing mature canopy trees as they age or decline is made more challenging by low survival rates in urban soils. Transplant failure is most common in the first few years after planting, but the inability of trees to become established in urban settings can manifest as tree mortality in later years as well. As we struggle to maintain the canopy we have now, ways of improving survival of existing trees and enhancing survival of their replacements has never been more
16 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
important. To address some of these constraints, the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre together with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Landscape Ontario, Landscape Alberta and the Canadian Nurs-
ery and Landscape Association, are working to develop solutions to improve transplant success and tree establishment. This project is focused on evaluating methods to improve survival of trees planted in soils that are characteristic of the built environment — alongside highways — which arguably present some of the harshest environmental conditions for new transplants.
COMPACTION IS THE ENEMY OF ROOTS
A bucket-mounted single-shank excavator subsoiler deep-ripped the soils nearly a meter.
Soils in the built environment are less than ideal for tree roots. Heavy equipment used to move soil during construction destroys the soil profile, and significantly alters its structure. In fact, work-to-date on Vineland’s Greening Canada’s Landscape program has discovered that soil compaction is the primary driver of tree mortality at the sites we have been monitoring. Bulk density (soils mass per unit volume) is an indicator of soil compaction. The bulk density samples that were collected on the highway sites were above root limiting ranges for the soil type, if not above root restricting values. In compacted soil, pore space is limited which reduces oxygen diffusion and water infiltration. Furthermore, root-to-soil contact, which is essential during the post-transplant phase
Compost being worked in to a ripped planting bed to a depth of 0.3 m, using a rear-mounted rotary spader.
Trees in a remediated bed four weeks after planting.
when root establishment is critical, is inadequate in compacted soils. Commonly, roots in compacted urban soils will grow to the edge of the planting hole and hit hardpan, failing to extend beyond the excavated pit to explore the soil volume outside of the planting hole. Additionally, topsoil that contains organic matter required for moisture retention and houses beneficial microorganisms characteristic of a healthy soil ecosystem is often removed from construction sites. The spring of 2014 marked the new phase of the project where we began testing different approaches to soil remediation, with a particular focus on reducing compaction. We have initiated testing on the effects of deep-ripping and addition of organic matter. By reducing compaction and increasing organic matter, we can begin to build soil profiles that resemble forest soils in structure and stratification, providing better moisture retention, and fostering beneficial microorganisms. Cultivating and adding organic matter created healthy soil layers; we hope the layers will promote a cycle the continues the soil-building process. Ultimately the goal is to build healthy resilient soil ecosystems that foster plant survival and growth.
for the trial. Six different treatment planting beds were constructed. A bucket-mounted single-shank excavator subsoiler deepripped the soils to 0.9 m. Compost was added to the first three planting beds: 10 per cent by volume, 25 per cent by volume and 50 per cent by volume for beds one, two and three respectively. The amendment was spread evenly across each bed and was cultivated in to the top 0.3 m using a rear-mounted rotary spader. We also ripped a bed that received no compost, and the final two treatments were not ripped; one had 50 per cent by volume compost added as backfill and the other is the control, with no preparation or amendments. Twelve trees were planted in each bed; six each of Acer x freemanii ‘Jeffersred’ Autumn Blaze and Celtis occidentalis. These two species were selections made out of previous trials in the project. Growth and stress parameters will be monitored during the growing seasons and will be compared to repeated “snap-shot” soil moisture readings to determine the significance of the relationship of tree growth and plant stress resulting from soil structure and water availability. We will continue to monitor the survival and growth of the trees as it relates to the soil treatments until 2019. We hope the findings from this project will be influential in changing perspectives on how we manage soil in urban plantings. We know that poor quality soil drives tree mortality in the built environment, therefore
SOIL TREATMENT STUDY Soil remediation trials were set up on three new sites along highways in the Niagara region in the spring and summer of 2014. Two cultivars, almost 300 trees, were outplanted
18 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
it is essential to improve the way we prepare soil for tree planting in order to replace the canopy we are losing, not mention expanding the urban canopy beyond its current size. Up until 2013 this project only included Ontario sites, but as of July 2014 the project was expanded to include roadside sites in Alberta. This has been possible through a partnership with Landscape Alberta, the City of Edmonton, the City of Calgary and the Alberta Ministry of Transportation. The findings from the trials in both provinces will be useful for guiding soil preparation, tree selection and planting across Canada.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Funding for this work was provided by Landscape Ontario, Landscape Alberta, the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and the Ontario Farm Innovation Program. The Ontario Farm Innovation Program is funded through Growing Forward 2 (GF2), a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists in LT the delivery of GF2 in Ontario.
Darby McGrath Ph.D., and Jason Henry M.Sc., work in nursery and landscape research at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Vineland,Ont. For more information on this research Dr. McGrath can be reched at: Darby.McGrath@vinelandresearch.com.
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roadtosuccess
Are you an entrepreneur?
BY ROD McDONALD
Not everyone gets to run his own company. Not everyone gets to play in the NHL or the national orchestra. Some of us are not ready for the responsibility, just yet, but we will be in a few years. Others, put simply, lack the talent to do so. They just don’t have it. It’s always difficult to tell someone that they are one of those who think they are an entrepreneur — but they are not. Very few people take it well or accept the speaker’s premise. They blame their company’s demise or underperformance on many things, from the economy to the banks to the lack of skilled labour. All of them have an excuse. Running your own company is not easy. To quote Garfield Marshall, who ran Advance Orchards in Grand Forks, B.C., for many years, “If this business were easy, then everyone would be doing it.” Twice in the last week, the door bell at my house has rung and it has been a young man whose pitch is that he is starting a landscaping business and do I want a free quote? I just ask one simple question, “Do you think my yard and garden would benefit from your services?” My garden is immaculate, by the way. They look around, smile sheepishly and walk away. The first rule of selling is to identify prospects and separate them from the herd. Don’t try to sell to everyone. I am not opposed to young men and women starting their own company, and I am perfectly okay with someone knocking doors. God knows I have knocked on a few doors myself. Knocking doors is a great way to start out, the first year. I also know that four out of five people who start their own company are kaput within the first year. Again, if this were an easy business, then all would be successful. I started out in the 1970s. I have seen many hopefuls come and go in those years. There have been people who were quite loud in their plans for success and were adamant 20 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
that they were on the right path. They were good at talking, which is not the same as being an entrepreneur. Those people have faded away. Most are gone quickly in the first year, others will last a few more. I had a young man, who showed up at my garden centre, with a set of blueprints and plans for his new greenhouse. He had the greatest of ideas. However, his financial plan was greatly flawed and Les Anderson, who was my Greenhouse Manager, was kind enough to point those flaws out. I write the word ‘kind,’ because allowing him to operate under false assumptions would have been cruel. He didn’t understand the intent, but we were trying to help. Rather than thank us, he was annoyed. Most people do not take it well when they are told that they need to re-examine their methodology. That event occurred in 1995 and ‘til this day, that greenhouse has never been built, nor have we ever seen that fellow again. Perhaps there is a snake oil plant close by that he is operating. This business requires enthusiasm, but it also requires much, much more. If I were to pick one word that is required by us operators, I would choose tenacity. Sometimes, we have to keep going when it is easier to quit. Sometimes, we have to stay open when others have closed their doors and gone for a beer. To quote my friend Willard Larson, “sometimes we have to play hurt.” These are some of the things that leaders, builders and entrepreneurs have to do in order to succeed. Before I write more, let me say this: There are people who should be in this business as builders of companies, and there are those who should not. That is as polite as I can be, recognizing that the diplomatic corps has never called, saying they needed my services. There is no set personality for people who run successful companies. There was one fellow, who was so strong at sales, that
people in the trade often remarked, "He can sell snow to Eskimos," which has now lost its political correctness certificate. This man lost his company because, while he was selling anything and everything, he was not a detail man. He did not pay attention to those things that would have accented his success and provided his company with many years of stability. The question he faced was: How do you sell from an empty shelf? He did not remember, nor did he hire someone, to refill his shelves. Every peddler, from the early 1900s, knew, "You can’t sell from an empty cart." Old school, but it makes an excellent point.
Stick with the winners My neighbour, who ran a greenhouse, was on CBC explaining he was closing his doors because of the cost of natural gas. I phoned CBC and asked the producer, “Why didn’t you talk to me? My natural gas prices went up as well, and I didn’t close my doors? And neither did the other operators. Just him.” Never base an opinion on one man who is failing. In fact, when seeking advice, my advice is to stick with those who are successful. Over the years, I have met a number of highly successful entrepreneurs, both men and women. They were an interesting collection. Some resembled used car salesman and others would not speak more than the required two or three words. Each had their own personality. I introduced a friend to a fellow who I went to school with. He is an extremely, successful business man, yet her reaction was, “He is too quiet to be successful.” I laughed. He is quiet. He was quiet when we were kids. He also thinks and observes and when the deal is right, he inks the contract. He speaks very few words but he is successful at what he does. He has the ‘killer instinct.’ He closes deals. One day, I was with Cary Rubenfeld, from Cary’s Wholesale in Winnipeg. We were at a
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roadtosuccess
Entrepreneurs are often “trade show animals.” We love connecting with customers and our peers at conventions.
trade show and we looked down the aisle. There was a gentleman wearing rubber boots, his shirt tails were hanging out and his glasses were held together with a band aid. He was carrying a shopping bag that was overflowing with material. Definitely not a model from GQ nor did he appear to rock with the big boys. Cary whispered to me, “Pick out the guy who can write a cheque for ten million.” We laughed. You learn not to judge a book by its cover. This fellow, the one we were observing, was an entrepreneur, pure and simple, and he paid no attention to what he wore. When it came to running a garden centre, he paid attention to all of the details. That was his focus and his forte.
Born for the business? If you were to take a group of successful men and women and study them for any length of time, you would find that all types are represented within the group. However, the one common characteristic that you would find is that they are list makers. They were organized and if they themselves did not do certain tasks, they ensured they had the staff to keep them organized. Okay, if you don’t get it yet, let me make it clear. Organization and attention to details makes you money. 22 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
There has always been the question, “How do I know if I am suited for the life of running my own company or entrepreneurship?” That is a good question and all young people, starting out, should ask themselves this question. Their answers should be honest, or the question and the results are invalid. When I lecture, I tell students, if you are not certain, if you don’t know for sure; then get a job selling cars at a dealership. Within months, or a year at most, you will find out if you can live with this life. Why? It’s simple. Selling cars or running a landscape company or a greenhouse, you only ‘eat what you kill’. That is a basic premise of entrepreneurship and if it bothers you, then you need to get out. There are some people who can never live with the idea that there are days when they will not get paid. They need that steady paycheque. That is their emotional make-up. They are not risk takers. Then, there are those who take risks. They need to, it makes them feel alive and in essence, that is who they are. Last summer, when offered my transplant kidney, my wife, who is a nurse, wanted to turn it down as there were concerns that it might have been damaged. I accepted the kidney, knowing the risk, saying, “All of my life, I have rolled the dice and taken chances.” Just for your information, the first eight months were a living hell. I paid the price for rolling the dice as my body adapted to massive amount of drugs. The last four months have been much better and I have returned to work. As with every decision that I make, I always hope for the best. That
is quite similar to my life as an entrepreneur. I have struggled and there were times when my death was predicted and each time, it was predicted prematurely. I am a risk taker and for no apparent reason, I am proud of being a risk taker. There is an excitement that comes from a plan succeeding, and being the author of that plan is rewarding. Being an entrepreneur is an exciting life, one that was suited to me and one that I do not regret. Each time that I tried to live conventionally and receive a paycheque, I chomped at the bit, and my readers do as well. We have that in common. We don’t belong in that alternative world because we have to build things. It is who we are. We are builders and risk takers. We can never steal second base if we keep our foot on first. I will end with something I find funny. My wife, who has never been an entrepreneur (you can’t have two of us living under one roof), was at a convention with me in Vancouver. We returned after three days. People asked her what the convention was like. Her response: “Imagine being in a room with 700 Rod McDonalds.” I laughed. I had a really good time at the show. There I was with all of these people who understood what I was saying and more importantly, they understood who I am and how I feel. No doubt, when you take in your convention, whether it is local or national, you don’t feel as if you stand out. You belong there. You are amongst friends, friends who understand how you feel. Staying connected to similar people, LT keeps us on The Road to Success.
Rod McDonald owned and operated Lakeview Gardens, a successful garden centre/ landscape firm in Regina, Sask., for 28 years. He now works full-time in the world of fine arts, writing, acting and producing in film, television and stage.
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Missed market in the sky? BY SEAN JAMES
Lately I have been getting a lot of questions about plants for balcony gardens. It got me to thinking about how, as an industry, we’re often bemoaning shrinking market share and seeking to create new markets. Still, I almost never see green industry displays or ads aimed at condo or apartment dwellers. I’ve also felt awkward answering questions for sky-folk since I see myself as a country mouse, having grown up in very rural Ontario. I always overlook the fact that I lived with a large rooftop garden for years. Starting last year, I also developed a huge bunny challenge. (Aside: Folks routinely ask me about how to control rabbits in an edible garden. Since they’re often environmentalists, they don’t seem to find it funny when I suggest that hasenpfeffer, German rabbit stew, is supposed to be delicious.) Here at Fern Ridge, the bunnies have made it so we can only grow edibles (other than tomatoes which have inedible leaves) in containers, if we’re going to have anything to harvest. Container growing = balcony gardening! There are many great plants that are suitable for balconies and rooftops. Edibles are some of the easiest to grow, and also the most satisfying. I just harvested a giant mitt-full of an amazingly fast-growing bean, by the politically incorrect name of ‘Lazy Housewife’; one of the first stringless varieties. Since it’s a climbing bean, it even has the benefit of forming a screen for privacy and it grows up fast! There is a new dwarf corn strain called ‘On-deck’, which is designed for patios. Other container-worthy edibles include eggplant and, of course, tomatoes. 24 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
The sky’s the limit when it comes to growing opportunities on balconies and rooftops.
Ornamental annuals and tropicals are perfect for balconies. If it is windy, you may wish to lean toward plants with leaves that aren’t too large in case they get shredded. Be aware, and educate your customer about issues such as whether the site is windward or leeward, sun or shade. These details will determine the success or failure of the planting and therefore whether folks continue to garden and deal with you. Remember, many condo dwellers know little about gardening and are afraid to begin with, so early success is important. It might even be a thought to have a chart for beginner, intermediate and expert gardeners so customers can choose accordingly. Finally, there are perennials and shrubs that will perform well in off-the-ground conditions. The trick is to choose species that can tolerate conditions two hardiness zones higher than where you are. So if you’re in zone 4, you want something for zone 2. There are plenty of perennials that fit the bill such as daylilies, peonies and coneflowers. Shrubs that are suited to planters include potentilla, ninebark and weeping peashrub, serviceberry, some willows and a whollllllle bunch of dogwoods. If you or your customers are trying to grow perennials or shrubs in containers, grow them in a very well-drained soil mix
to help them overwinter. Roots sitting in wet soil tend to die from rot before they die from cold. Granted, it means more watering, but yields better success. Incidentally, you would be surprised to know that many customers do not know that daily watering is standard for container gardening. Do not assume customers know what you believe is standard knowledge. Also, for shrubs and even small trees, the larger the planter the better, and insulating with rigid Styrofoam insulation helps a lot with overwintering. So what are the upsides of this concept? New markets can be opened. New profits can be made. New customers can be recruited. Remember, today’s condo owners will probably be tomorrow’s homeowners. Whether we’re thinking about new customers or new employees, the old phrase is ‘get ‘em while they’re young’ — then treat them right, even LT if they’re only buying bean seeds!
Sean James is owner of an Ontario-based environmentally-conscious landscape design/build/maintenance company, an eco-consultant and a popular speaker.
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can reduce risk of slip-and-fall claims More than 15 years ago, winter maintenance contractors faced a crisis in relation to insurance: The number of insurance companies who would insure contractors was decreasing and premiums were escalating rapidly, all in response to an increasing number of slip-and-fall claims and the resulting insurance settlements. In response, Landscape Ontario and CNLA took a number of steps, including a lead role in creating and marketing Hort-Protect insurance, and development of a standard-form contract for winter maintenance services in the commercial context. As well, a substantial push was directed towards educating member contractors about managing the risk of the slip-and-fall claim, and energy was put into affecting change through political and bureaucratic means. For years, our focus was on liability for slip-and-fall and other ice-related accidents. This was because, no matter how sophisticated and comprehensive the ice melting strategy, the contractor’s concern was that he or she would be accused of not putting enough salt down in the event of an icerelated injury. It was also because, when claims arose, we were unable to point to a standard or guideline to disprove the allegation — to show that the contractor had met universally accepted and reasonable requirements. As a result, owners pushed liability onto contractors, contractors put more and
26 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
more salt down to manage the risk, contract prices increased accordingly and insurance rates skyrocketed because defending a claim was uncertain. In the meantime, damage has been caused to our environment and infrastructure by excess salt applications.
Start with a clear contract Our efforts to encourage better contracts and practices should be a familiar refrain by now. The terms and conditions of the contract are extremely important because if it is not clear what the contractor agreed to do for his or her money, in the event of a claim, it will be difficult for a court or insurance company to determine whether or not the contractor was at fault. All contractual terms and conditions should preferably be specifically tailored to the snow and ice maintenance industry. The contract should also specify which of the parties is responsible to make the call as to if, when, where, and in what quantities ice melting products should be applied. Find the standard-form snow and ice maintenance contract at www.horttrades.com/standardform-snow-and-ice-maintenance-contract. We have encouraged contractors to insist that the scope of work under their contracts be as detailed as possible, so that it is clear what the contractor is being paid to do for his or her money. In this regard, we have suggested that a site map, which details the work, is virtually a ‘must.’ We have also suggested
BY ROBERT KENNALEY
that contractors should specifically exclude responsibility for circumstances beyond their control, for areas not included in the contract, and for areas in disrepair where the risk of a slip and fall increases. Other contractual terms and conditions we have recommended include provisions that address salt shortages and notice provisions which would require the contractor to be given timely notice of a slip-and-fall claim. We have also emphasized that “hold harmless” clauses should only apply if the contractor is either negligent or fails to perform his work in accordance with the contract.
Detailed record-keeping required Contractors must be able to show that he or she had a reasonable system in place to ensure that the contractual obligations were being met. Make sure you have, and keep, sufficient records to show that the contractual obligations were met — on any given day, at any given time and on any given premises. CNLA and its affiliated provincial associations have offered training on all of the above. CNLA and LO are working with the Smart About Salt Council, an independent not-forprofit organization which has established, among other things, that throwing more and more salt at a snow and ice problem is not a sustainable solution. In addition, LO and CNLA are working closely with University
of Waterloo researchers, who aim to create scientifically-proven best practices and salt application rates for use in the snow and ice maintenance industry. The ultimate goal is to create maintenance contract that might simply require the contractor to meet a scientifically established and universally recognized standard for rates and practice — standards which the contractor can meet with certainty and with documented evidence. Ultimately, a good contract is a pre-requisite to a good winter maintenance risk management strategy. That having been said, there are other welcome strategies being
undertaken by CNLA and its member associations that have an enormous potential up-side to all stakeholders in the industry. For this reason, we encourage anyone in the industry who has the opportunity to participate in the studies or programs being offered through Smart About Salt or the University of Waterloo to consider doing so. Simply put, the research can only proceed so far as the input and data provided by contractors LT themselves will allow.
Robert Kennaley, McLauchlin & Associates. Robert practices construction law in Toronto and Simcoe, Ontario and speaks and writes regularly on construction issues. He can be reached for comment at (416) 368-2522 or at kennaley@mclauchlin.ca. This material is for information purposes and is not intended to provide legal advice in relation to any particular fact situation. Readers who have concerns about any particular circumstance are encouraged to seek independent legal advice in that regard.
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Profitable goals using a
rewards-first approach, Part II BY MARK BRADLEY
Last month we looked at how to set goals for sales staff. Using their rewards as the foundation for their sales goals, the sales goal, and why we need it hit, is made crystal clear for both parties. You need your staff to hit a certain sales goal to be worth the wages you pay them. Good people want to work for a company that can afford them opportunities for success. With a clear sales goal, their success is your success, and vice versa. But selling the work is the easy part. It’s getting these jobs done on time, on budget, with as little warranty, fixes and re-work as possible — that’s the hard part. Right now, 95 per cent of your peers and your competitors pay staff by the hour, and that’s the end of the story. The more hours staff work, the more they get paid. But most staff have little, if any, idea, what they’re actually worth, and how much work they should be completing. Even worse, neither do most owners. Setting goals for production staff won’t take much more time or effort than it did for your sales staff. In fact, it might even be easier. It’s important to remember that different types of work have different goal levels. A maintenance foreman can’t drive the same annual revenue as a construction/install foreman. The install foreman installs materials worth $100,000 or more, while the maintenance foreman is limited, in most cases, to just labour hours. If your business performs different types of work, such as construction, maintenance or irrigation, each type of work should have its own benchmark for goals. Step 1: Establish targets by division If it’s your first time through this process, the easiest way to set realistic goals is by using last year’s numbers. Start with your sales, by division. It’s safe to leave snow revenue completely out of this process, as snow revenue is primarily dictated by weather. DIVISION
LAST YEAR’S SALES
who bounced back and forth between divisions, do your best to guesstimate how much time they spent in each division, and divide their wage accordingly. Don’t let the fact that you don’t have these numbers separated to the penny stop you from reaping the benefits of this process. Once you have the total field staff wages for each division, divide the costs of labour by the sales to arrive at the ratio of wages to sales for each division. DIVISION LAST YEAR’S SALES LAST YEAR’S FIELD WAGE RATIO FIELD PAYROLL
Design-build $1,000,000 $240,000 Maintenance $500,000 $175,000
Your numbers may differ than the ones above, but those are typical numbers for both those divisions. (Note: maintenance ratios can differ significantly depending on how much enhancement work is included in maintenance revenue figures.) Now, review your profitability last year. Were you happy with your profits? If so, those ratios from last year will likely serve your company well again. If you weren’t very profitable, you should either increase your sales goal, or reduce what you spend on wages to help improve your bottom line. The owner of our sample company didn’t make much profit last year, and he’s got some changes in mind as well. He has the opportunity to hire a more skilled (and more expensive) foreman to replace a foreman who is not coming back. He would also like to give another construction foreman a raise. He doesn’t think he can sell any more maintenance work, so he reduces his payroll costs by $15k with the intention of getting the same work done more efficiently, with one less summer student. His goals now appear below.
Design-build $1,000,000 Maintenance $500,000
DIVISION
Now add one more piece of data. Add up the total wages paid to field staff; don’t count office or overhead staff here — include only the wages of staff who actually work on jobs. If you had some guys
24% 32%
FORECAST SALES GOAL
FORECAST PAYROLL FIELD WAGE RATIO
Design-build $1,181,000 $260,000 Maintenance $500,000 $160,000
22% 32%
continued on page 30 28 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
managementsolutions Step 2: Make company goals about the individual
Step 3: Measure and track progress
With his labour ratios in place, our fictional owner calls that new, more expensive, construction foreman in for his hiring interview. He’s experienced, he’s worked for a few other good companies, but insists he needs to make $50k per year to take the job. Is $50k too much? Is it too little? Can we afford it? All these questions can be answered easily using those ratios you calculated. First, we’ll do our best to estimate the total annual wages for the new foreman’s crew. The foreman will be running a three-man crew for most of the year, but will probably have a fourth guy for some occasional larger jobs. We estimate his crew’s annual wages below.
Don’t make the mistake of setting this goal, then never mentioning it again until the end of the year. That’s not going to help him hit the goal, and if he doesn’t hit the goal, you won’t make your profit! You all need to stay on top of where you’re at and where you’re trending. You can track your progress with a simple spreadsheet. All you need to do is assign each invoice (or split it up by line item, if it’s a big job) to the foreman that completed the job.
POSITION
ESTIMATED HOURS HOURLY WAGE EXPECTED ANNUAL PAY
Foreman 2,000 $25 Lead hand 2,000 $17 Labourer 1,800 $15 Student/ casual labour 400 $14 Estimated annual payroll for crew
$50,000 $34,000 $27,000 $5,600 $116,600
Their production goal is now simple. Just divide their wages by your division’s target labour ratio. The foreman’s production goal is: $116,600 divided by .22 = $530,000. To be worth $50k a year, this foreman and his crew needs to complete $530,000 worth of landscape construction projects this year. In just a few minutes, we’ve created a clear, measurable production goal for the foreman, that relates directly to what he wants to earn. If he fails to hit his goal, or come reasonably close to it, the company can’t afford to pay him the wages he’s looking for.
INVOICE NUMBER
1159 1160 1160 1164 1168
LINE ITEM
AMOUNT
All $6,500 Patio $4,100 Planting $6,200 All $12,200 All $8,100
FOREMAN
Greg Pedro Kate Kate Pedro
It really can’t get much easier than that. Take an hour at the end of each month to allocate each invoice (or line item) to your foremen, then you can total how much invoiced revenue (production) each foreman has completed. It works for construction or maintenance and now you can monitor progress, and results at the end of the year, using real numbers instead of emotions and feelings. If your foremen want to make more money, all they need to do is help you make more money, and when you’re both making more LT money, you’re both happy. Mark Bradley is president of TBG Landscape and the Landscape Management Network (LMN), based in Ontario.
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Gather and grow at Garden & Floral Expo Design Matters is the theme for the 15th anniversary celebration of Garden & Floral Expo, Canada’s fall show for the garden and floral industries. Over 1,500 garden centre retailers and florists will gather at typically this popular
Expo is your opportunity to see what’s new and trending in the garden and floral retail industry.
event to learn, exchange ideas and see what’s new. The show is produced by Landscape Ontario, and will be held at the Toronto Congress
Centre on October 22 -23. With its Euro styling, on-the-floor seminars and demos, new products arena and engaged exhibitors, Garden & Floral Expo is a “must-see” for progressive garden and floral retailers. Retail gurus including Peter Cantley and Kate Seaver will present their thoughts and ideas on merchandising to enhance sales and how to stop stressing over seasonal staff. In other seminars you will learn how to capitalize on the holidayscaping trend, and further your understanding on the importance of branding. In keeping with this year’s theme, Landscape Ontario has partnered with Canadian Florist magazine to deliver Inspired Design Day, a program tailored to retail floral designers, on Wednesday, Oct. 22. Several floral designers will explore popular floral trends and techniques, and showcase the wealth of creative talent in the industry. Inspired Design Day will kick off with a demonstration of the most popular design trends and techniques for winter floral designs. The demo will run from 10:30 to 11 a.m. at the Inspiration Theatre.
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Garden writers are invited to the show for a trend-spotting mission. Make sure you come to Garden & Floral Expo to see what they will be promoting to home gardeners, your customers, in the coming year. Registration is now open at www.loexpo.ca
U of G's eco-friendly pots After two years of development and testing, a team at Ontario’s University of Guelph has developed an affordable, eco-friendly flower pot. The pots contain recycled plastics and up to 30 per cent bio-fibres. They were developed by a group led by Amar Mohanty, a professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture and School of Engineering, and director of U of G’s Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre (BDDC). The team included the U of G Catalyst Centre and industry collaborators Competitive Green Technologies and the Myers Industries Lawn and Garden Group. The resin in the bio-composite pots is made of bio-fibres from miscanthus grasses, but could also come from wood, oat hulls, soybean
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Alexandra Sawatzky/SPARK
industrynews
to traditional oil-based flower pots in quality and in price, but they also help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.” The product was in development for two years, undergoing dozens of trials and revisions to arrive at the ideal resin. Misra said researchers had to continually modify the composition to achieve consistent melt flow, smell and impact strength similar to that of traditional resins. The flower pots show that it is possible to achieve economic parity and competitive market prices in bio-composite products, while still maintaining the mechanical characteristics of plastic, Misra says. “BDDC hopes to continue the trend with the development of bio-composite car components.” Jill Selby (left) and Amy Thatcher, employees in the Department of Plant Agriculture, pictured with a bio-composite flower pot made with University of Guelph technology.
hulls or spent coffee grounds. The flower pots exemplify the goal of creating new bio-resin compositions that meet or exceed the physical characteristics and price of traditional plastics, says BDDC researcher and engineering professor Manju Misra. “Not only are the bio-composite flower pots comparable
Credit to trees for stormwater management Minnesota has just developed a first-of-its kind formula and credit system that is transforming the way communities think about trees and stormwater management — and can potentially help them save thousands by investing in trees rather than pipes. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency created the credit system
in its stormwater manual, which also provides recommendations on how to ensure that trees thrive and provide the maximum ecological benefits for planners, developers, landscape architects, and builders. Planning agencies impose requirements on stormwater discharges from specific municipal, construction and industrial activities. Minnesota is helping communities use trees and other green infrastructure to help address these requirements while mitigating the high cost of installing pipes. The new credit system is part of Minnesota’s Minimal Impact Design Standards (MIDS), which focuses on treating rain where it falls to minimize negative impacts from stormwater runoff and to preserve natural resources. The credit is based on a formula that establishes criteria and methods to measure the benefits of evapotranspiration, which is the combination of water evaporating from the soil and transpiration from the plants growing in the soil. To learn more about the new Minnesota stormwater credit, visit: http://stormwater.pca. state.mn.us/index.php/Calculating_credits_ for_tree_trenches_and_tree_boxes
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industrynews New study shows surprising spread of spring leaf-out times Despite conventional wisdom among gardeners, foresters and botanists that most woody plants leaf out at about the same time each spring, a new study co-authored by Morton Arboretum researcher Robert Fahey found a surprisingly wide span, as much as three months, in leaf-out times. Significantly, observations the past two springs of 1,597 woody plants in eight
botanical gardens in the U.S., Canada, Germany and China suggest that species differences in leaf-out times could impact the length of the growing season and the activities of birds, insects and other animals, and therefore must be factored into climate-change model predictions. “As species distribution and abundance shift due to climate change, interspecific differences in leaf-out timing may affect ecosystem processes such as carbon, water, and nutrient
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cycling,” reported the study in the journal New Phytologist. “Our open-access leaf-out data provide a critical framework for monitoring and modelling such changes going forward.” While previous researchers observed leafout for a limited numbers of species in a single location, this study uniquely obtained observations of the same species from gardens around the world. Notably, the order of leafing out of species was almost the same in different gardens and with different climates, suggesting that leafing out time is a fixed character of a species, like the shape of its leaves or flowers; some species tend to leaf out early others late. The study showed that shrubs leafed out on average 10 days before trees and deciduous plants leafed out on average 17 days before evergreens. And certain groups of plants, such as honeysuckles, willows, lilacs, and apples, tended to leaf out early, while other groups, such as oak, beeches, honey locusts, and grapes, tended to leaf out late. As a result, forests will have flushes of new leaves over an extended period, which adds to the beauty of spring growth, but it also has implications for insect survival and for carbon dioxide absorption by forests. As the climate warms, trees will tend to leaf out earlier in the spring, perhaps extending the growing season and affecting animal behavior. But this pattern will become complicated if the overall tree composition changes. For example, in eastern North America, maple and birch trees, which leaf out early, may be replaced gradually by more heat-tolerant oak trees, which tend to leaf out later in the spring. The data was obtained by walking around each of the botanical gardens once a week and recording the appearance of first leafing out for all of the species. Leaf-out time was considered when the young leaves had emerged from their buds and their adult shape could be seen even though the leaves were still small. Along with Primack and Fahey of The Morton Arboretum, the team included Zoe Panchen (Carlton University), Birgit Nordt and Albert Dieter-Stevens (Berlin Botanical Garden), Elizabeth Ellwood (Florida State U.), Susanne Renner (U. of Munich), Charles Willis and Charles Davis (Harvard U.), Alan Whittemore (U.S. National Arboretum), and Yanjun Du (Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing).
34 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
industrynews Darwin acquires location from Aris Horticulture Darwin Perennials, a division of Ball Horticultural Company, has purchased the perennial unrooted cutting production facility, Green Leaf Plants Colombia or Flores del Amanecer (FDA), from Aris Horticulture. FDA is located in Bogota, Colombia, and is a supplier of unrooted cutting and tissue-culture propagated perennials and cutflower varieties. In a recent decision, Aris Horticulture will cease its distribution activity, Aris Horticultural Services (AHS) in Barberton, Ohio, to focus on its Green Leaf Plants perennial young plant supply program out of Lancaster, Pa. Green Leaf Plants young plant sales will continue through multiple distributors, including the Blooms of Bressingham and Darwin Perennials programs and other leading perennial varieties on the market. In addition, Aris will continue to operate its Keepsake Plants premium finished program of azaleas, tropical hibiscus, and other premium potted plants.
• • • • • • •
Effects of EAB studied on blue ash
Stihl and Felco sign partnership deal
The emerald ash borer is killing urban ash trees in Ontario and Quebec at a rate close to 100 per cent. Scientists are investigating whether blue ash, Fraxinus quadrangulata, has a better survival rate than green ash, Fraxinus pennsylvanica. Blue ash produces seed irregularly and is notoriously difficult to propagate, so it is a rare tree in Canada, meaning it is difficult for scientists to study a meaningful sample size. However, there is a good stand in Point Pelee National Park, in Ontario, and the Guelph University Arboretum has been collecting seed and studying the blue ash since before the EAB became a known pest in the province. In a report in Tree Service Canada, Ric Jordan, manager of the arboretum, says, “Blue ash is a fantastic tree. For whatever reason, it could be the ash that goes on to represent the species as an urban tree. In the ice-storm (last winter) our blue ash lost only a few branches. It has a different structure than the other ash. It doesn’t like it super wet, but otherwise it does well in urban areas.”
Felco has teamed up with Stihl to produce cordless pruning shears. The two family-owned companies have decades of experience, is each a specialist in its own field with strict quality standards and a high level of in-house production. This prompted the idea of joining forces to fill a gap in the Stihl product portfolio to the benefit of both parties. The first co-developed tool, the ASA 85 cordless pruning shears, will be added to the Stihl product line this autumn.
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Agrium has signed an agreement with Koch Agronomic Services, an affiliate of Koch Fertilizer, to sell its Turf and Ornamental business for approximately $85-million including working capital. This transaction is part of a strategic review process completed in 2013 with regards to the discontinued operations of the former Agrium Advanced Technologies business unit. LT
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lettertotheeditor After reading Mark Bradley's article (July-August issue, page 20 or www.landscape trades.com/rewards-first) over a couple of times, I most certainly agree that aligning staff with the goals of the company in achieving profit is critical. However I wanted to provide an alternative viewpoint on increasing profit. While I understand the concept of the article is to help an owner of a landscape business look at costs and ensure profitability, in my mind it underestimates the role of a good landscape designer. The amount an employee is remunerated certainly must have some basis in profitability; however a good designer who is responsible for generating sales is a rather unique individual. A design/ build landscaping business is two distinct, but equally important parts. The ability to generate designs and create unique landscapes is a critical component; otherwise the business would only be left bidding on jobs created by others. I believe this distinction is very important. A good designer will generate projects that stand out. Over time this will provide a solid reputation and generate many requests for future work. In the music industry there are some individuals who perform material by others who stand out above the crowd, but there are many more bands that generate their own material who become successful. Having your own in-house designer will likewise provide more opportunity for you to stand out above the crowd. A good designer is a difficult person to replace. They are not simply a commodity like a labourer, for which you can place an ad and find a substitute with relative ease, and for this reason they deserve a premium. Ask yourself what would happen if a designer who had been with your firm for 10 years and generated over 50 per cent of sales suddenly left. I would say that you would see sales drop rather significantly and most
likely need to lay off several field staff. What would happen to profitability, it would most certainly disappear! So how does one afford to pay designers, who generates sales, a wage so they will not be enticed elsewhere, or worse yet, leaves the field of landscaping altogether? I think part of the answer is in having the client directly pay for all or part of the design process. In so doing, some of the designer’s salary is no longer part of overhead, but rather moves to direct expenses. I believe that one of the problems we have as an industry is not charging for the services we provide. Landscape Architects make their living from charging for design and project management. If they have convinced clients that their design services are worth paying for, we should do likewise. As well, firms that engage in design/build should be able to charge more for their work. This is because they are providing the client with a unique design which should add value to the project. The customer perceives the firm as offering something other than the construction of the landscaping, in that the design is meeting the needs of the client and that the designer is a critical component of this process. If the design/build process is properly executed, the client should have no reason to seek alternative lower prices. This extra margin helps to cover some of the designer's salary.
“ You should have a list of your most profitable types of work or extras.�
Finally, the article touched on the fact that sales need to fall within budget, but should have added that an important piece in profitability is understanding what type of work makes your firm money. For example, whenever I go to one of the big electronic retailers they always want me to buy an extended warranty. Why do you think this is? Because they make so much money on selling these extended warranties, and so
SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |
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management has trained sales staff to always ask if you would like to purchase one. The cost to the consumer seems very small but the profit added to the sale is significant. We should steal a page from the sales training book from these big boys, and ensure our design sales staff follows this same strategy. By analyzing cost data for your projects you should have a list of your most profitable types of work or extras. By having your designer include as many of these items in your design as a job requires, one can easily increase margins by two to three per cent. This list will be different for each firm as it will depend on many factors such as equipment type, skill level of field staff, profit margin on materials, etc. Again this extra margin helps to cover some of the salary of the designer. Marc Arnold Rockcliffe Landscaping, Ottawa LT
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Fall is Coming! Special discounts on wire baskets bought by the skid. We also have burlap liners, sisal rope and plastic twine. SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |
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newproducts Aluminum dump body The newly redesigned aluminum Eliminator LP body from Rugby Manufacturing weighs up to 50 per cent less than traditional carbon steel. This means increased payload, improved fuel efficiency, and corrosion resistance, in addition to lower maintenance costs and lower tire and brake costs. The hardened aluminum alloy construction provides contractors long-lasting durability and the strength of a work truck in an attractive dump body. The dump body is constructed of 3â „16-in. 5052 aluminum and features lightweight fold-down sides for easy access. Rugby Manufacturing www.rugbymfg.com
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Large box plow Boss Snowplow has added 14- and 16-ft. box plows to its lineup, both with a new adjustable hitch fork system that easily attaches to any size tractor loader bucket. The new larger-sized plows feature self-adjusting wings and a segmented trip-edge design for maximum plow efficiency, performance and ease of use. Heavy-duty wing shoes provide excellent wear resistance for long-term durability. A 49-in. moldboard offers maximum snow holding and pushing performance. The Boss Snowplow www.bossplow.com
Attachment adapter Worksaver introduces a new adapter for John Deere 600/700 series loaders, designed to allow the use of Global/Euro type attachments. This new adapter features an all-welded design, plated rods and easy release handle to secure the attachment in place. The adapter provides users of John Deere 600/700 series loaders with a greater versatility in attachment choices. Worksaver www.worksaver
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The new SP-1675 Precision Pro spreader from SnowEx can spread any bulk or bagged ice melting material from four to 12 feet wide. The unit is designed to accommodate varying sidewalk widths, which cannot be easily treated with drop spreaders. The unit has a six-cubic ft. capacity. A unique volumetric vane feed system provides consistent material flow to the spinner, while eliminating the need for a gate, since no material can leak out when the spreader is turned off. The spreader has a lightweight, corrosion-resistant polyethylene hopper and electric drive system. SnowEx www.snowexproducts.com
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newproducts Skidsteer snow tires SnowWolf’s WolfPaws skidsteer tires have an innovative design that increases traction and productivity by as much as 100 percent and turns a marginally effective skidsteer into a highly effective snow-clearing machine. WolfPaws tires provide mega traction, allowing end users to push larger blades and pushers, and further increase their productivity. The tires are engineered to transfer the skidsteer’s power to the ground much more efficiently. With their exclusive tread pattern, they effectively grip the ground and eject the snow that has a tendency to fill the tread on other tires. SnowWolf www.snowwolfplows.com
Dump body The new three- to four-yard Sidewinder Jr. dump body from DuraClass is designed for medium-duty truck applications. The compact Sidewinder Jr. increases maneuverability on narrow roads and in metropolitan areas, while minimizing clearance concerns. The versatile body is easily prepared for unexpected early or late snowfalls, and can be used for unexpected mid-winter construction events, without having to remove sanding equipment. The Sidewinder Jr. delivers salt or sand to the front of the truck’s tires through a conveyor system, providing added traction for traveling up and down hilly terrain. Duraclass www.duraclass.com
Dual function plow The C-Plow from Hiniker Company combines the functions of conventional plowing and backdrag plowing systems into a single design. The C-Plow is operated as a conventional plow in the forward plowing mode, with the normal hydraulic angling and spring-trip moldboard functions. For backdragging, the upper three-fourths of the high-density polyethylene moldboard is hydraulically folded over, creating a rear-facing backdrag blade. A second cutting edge fastened to the top of the moldboard becomes the contact point with the ground surface. The C-Plow is available in 8- and 9-ft. widths. Hiniker Company www.hiniker.com 40 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
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Heated patio stones Heatstone Connex is the world’s first heated patio stone system, perfect for melting snow and ice from walkways and stairs as well as adding warmth to patios and around gardens, pools and hot tubs. The stones are available in two formats for easy installation, with no need for special tools or permits. Interconnected pre-poured concrete patio stones come with integrated radiant heating cables, while lay stones connect and plug into a 120V outlet, to immediately extend the enjoyment of any backyard space. Heatstone Concepts www.heatstoneconcepts.com
Ice scraper This razor-thin, yet incredibly strong, flexible spring-steel blade conforms to the surface you are scraping. The distributor claims that within minutes, The Ultimate Scraper will chop through ice and packed snow and then scrape the area nearly clean, reducing salting requirements. The wide blade makes for fast work, while the longer handle relieves back strain. The Ultimate Scraper has steel construction with a long-lasting powder coat finish and is self-sharpening. Your Salt Connection, a division of TNT Property Maintenance www.yoursaltconnection.com
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newproducts Two-stage snow blower The dual-speed Avant 640 is the perfect combination of power and maneuverability with a lifting capacity of 2,400 lbs. The two-stage snow blower is an efficient machine for snow removal from sidewalks, foot paths and roads. The blower, paired with a rear-attaching salt spreader, provides a convenient one-pass approach for snow removal and safety. AvantTecno www.avanttecnousa.com
Snow pusher Proven over five years in the harshest conditions on Alaska’s North Slope, the Pinnacle Pusher is finally available in Canada. Built to the quality standards of Daniels, this plow pushes snow and pulls it from curbs, loading docks, garage doors, etc. The manufacture claims that operators who switched from traditional box plows have increased efficiency by up to 40 per cent. The Pinnacle uses rubber and steel cutting edges for any types of snow. Daniels Plows www.danielsplows.com
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cnlanews 2014 summer board meeting Staff and volunteers of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association have recently returned from the bi-annual board of directors meeting, which was held this August in Cape Breton, N.S. The summer meeting is key in setting the direction for fall objectives for both staff and committees. A few of the highlights from this meeting include the approval of some new member savings programs, further support for the national turf producers sub-committee and a mandate for the creation of a national public relations strategy for the association. To learn more about the activities of the association or how to get involved as a volunteer, get in touch with your provincial representative. Find your local rep by visiting www.cnla-acpp. ca/cnlaboard.
Celebrate National Tree Day National Tree Day is taking place on September 24, and we want to hear how you are celebrating Canada’s greatest natural resource. We are listing member events across the country on our Tree Day map, posted at www.cnla-acpp.ca/nationaltreeday. Also on the website is a toolkit to help members plan their own tree day events, that includes a press release template, teaching points, media tips and more! If you are on social media, be sure to use #NTD2014 to optimize the spread of your event.
HR Summit In July, industry stakeholders from across the country gathered in Toronto for a human resources strategy meeting. The purpose of the event was to provide direction to CNLA’s Human Resources Committee, which has recently gained two new staff members, Sally Harvey (Director of Human Resource Strategy) and Stacey Porter (Industry Human Resources Coordinator). The meeting was led by Landscape New Brunswick’s Jim Landry and covered a wide variety of topics. By the end of the two-day meeting, the following eight priorities were set: perception, professional development, secondary/post-secondary outreach, recruitment, retention, wage scale, seasonality and partnerships. Within each priority is a vision for improvement and strategies to achieve those goals.
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Winkelmolen a Grower of the Year finalist CNLA extends their congratulations to Winkelmolen Nurseries of Lynden, Ont., on the recent announcement the company has been selected as a finalist in the prestigious AIPH Grower of the Year program. This is the fourth consecutive year Canada will be represented in this elite group. An initiative of the International Ornamental Horticultural Producers Association (AIPH), the AIPH Grower of the Year program recognizes excellence in a variety of areas including innovation, marketing, adherence to high environmental standards, exemplary human resource management and sound financial management. Each year, the awards gala is held in conjunction with the AIPH annual general meeting, scheduled to be held in September of this year in Qingdoa, China. Winkelmolen was one of four nurseries shortlisted from a list of 10; the other finalists will represent the Netherlands, China and Demark. Applications were also received from Australia, Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei, Turkey and the U.K.
lumbia will have a test in Langley on October 17 and 18, as well as a test in Victoria on October 20. The University of Guelph’s Ridgetown College campus in Ontario will hold its first test on October 24 and 25. Contact Claudia or Colin for more information at certification@cnla-acpp.ca.
Jim Landry’s ride for Pink Days in Bloom
Fall certification
Chair of Landscape PEI Jim Landry pedaled across the island in July to raise funds for the Atlantic Breast Cancer Foundation’s Pink Days in Bloom campaign. Generous Landscape PEI members helped out along the way, providing food and care for the intrepid cyclist. Local hotels also offered free accommodations during the three-day journey. By the end of his trip, Jim had reached his fundraising Jim Landry goal of $2,000 for this worthy cause — way to go! To learn more about the Pink Days in Bloom campaign, visit its Facebook page. LT
Landscape Industry Certified test dates continue into the fall across the country. If you are looking to get certified, there are plenty of opportunities. Kemptville, Ont., will be host to the first fall test days on September 25 and 26. Next, British Co-
The Canadian Nursery Landscape Association is the federation of Canada's provincial horticultural trade associations. Visit www.cnla-acpp.ca for more information.
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saskatchewanupdate Landscape Trades devotes space in each issue to provincial association news. This issue features an update from the Saskatchewan Nursery Landscape Association.
Landscape Saskatchewan’s new branding
landscape saskatchewan.com The Saskatchewan Nursery Landscape Association has adopted the Landscape Saskatchewan Green for Life brand for all public and trade branding of the association. Membership has been very positive about the change to date and new marketing materials are stepping in to full production.
44 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES
Winning team, The Lawn Loggers, celebrates their victory at the Softball Tournament
Softball on the Prairies Members, employees, friends and family gathered on July 19 for the Fourth Annual Landscape Saskatchewan softball tournament. The weather provided for a great day outdoors
at the ever-gracious Canlan Jemini Sports Complex. The event is a great opportunity for members to network and take a break from the business and enjoy the environments they help create and maintain. The Lawn Loggers
pulled together throughout the tournament and were declared victorious as the 2014 Landscape Saskatchewan Softball Champions. Congratulations! Well done to all the teams that came out to play — Arbour Crest Tree Services, Cornell Design & Landscaping, Lakeshore Tree Farms and The Lawn Loggers. After the day on the field, teams went for a dinner and social at The Thirsty Penguin Grillhouse. Thank you to our event sponsors without whom we would not be able to host such fabulous events for industry. We appreciate our gold sponsors: Sherwood Industries and Westwood Turf Farm, and our silver sponsors: Earthworks Equipment and Saskatoon Landscape Store. As well, thank-you to Saskatoon Landscape Store for its contribution of great door prizes.
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2014 AGM and awards Landscape Saskatchewan held its Annual General Meeting this year on March 6 at The Heritage Inn in Saskatoon. Thank you to the members who took the time out of their day to attend this meeting; your attendance and participation was appreciated. It was a great opportunity for members to get together and compare notes about the industry. Two 2013 Landscape Awards were presented: Willow Creek Landscaping Willow Creek Landscaping received the Award received an Award of Merit of Merit . for its project McDonald Residence. Sandra and Lacey Jurke, along with Chandra Heath and Kim Young, were present to receive the award. An Award of Merit was also given to Vision Landscape & Design for its Bennion Terrace Project. Tom Levy was present to receive the award. This project was also nominated for submission into Vision Landscape also received the the 2015 Na- Award of Merit . tional Awards of Landscape Excellence, which will be held in Winnipeg. Congratulations to all entrants and winners! The submission deadline for the 2014 awards is October 17, 2014. LT SEPTEMBER 2014 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |
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albertaupdate Landscape Trades devotes space in each issue to provincial association news. This issue features an update from Landscape Alberta Nursery Trades Association (LANTA).
Nigel Bowles retires On June 19, association members and industry colleagues gathered at Olds College to bid farewell to their long-time Executive Director, Nigel Bowles. Over 80 guests gathered in the Landscape Pavilion for cocktails, a barbecue dinner and a number of speeches and goodbye messages. Nigel Bowles was our executive director for over 23 years. He Nigel Bowles, left, retired from was a well-respected Landscape Alberta after 23 years at the helm. leader, who loved the
intricacies of bylaws and governance, and was active on the Nursery Landscape Association Executives of North America group. Before taking the helm of LANTA, Bowles was a landscaper and a member of the association. He is an accomplished photographer and looks forward to spending more time on his craft. Following dinner, Jane Reksten of Olds College led guests through a walking tour of the Olds College botanic gardens. Many thanks go to Olds College for the use of their facility. Thank you also to our emcee for the evening, Vic Krahn, and thank you to our presenters, Dean Falkenberg, Henry Heuver, Jim Wotherspoon, Bonnie Fermanuik, Michiel Verheul, Jim Calpas, Bob Sproule and Anita Heuver.
Members help rebuild High River ball diamonds Working with the High River Parks Department, Landscape Alberta members helped to restore three baseball diamonds in the town on May 14 this year, just in time for minor ball season to be-
gin. After the flood waters receded last year, the town was left with only one functional baseball diamond. Landscape Alberta and its members committed to providing assistance in rebuilding three baseball diamonds on school grounds in High River: Senator Riley School, Spitzee Elementary School and Ecole Joe Clark School. A group of Landscape Alberta member businesses in Calgary and area volunteered their time, equipment and supplies to this restoration effort. Volunteers spread new shale, as well as aerated and seeded the grass areas. High River received $25,000 from the Toronto Blue Jays to help rejuvenate these ball diamonds and ensure kids have place to play. We would like to give a grateful thank you to the members who helped us on this project. Thank yous go to Cervus Equipment (Calgary), Wheatland Trees, 5 Star Trees and Bos Scapes for supplying equipment and manpower to this effort. Also, a thank you to Manderley Turf Products for supplying the seed.
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Edmonton tree planting demo On May 29, the City of Edmonton’s Forestry Department held a tree planting demonstration at Floden Park to demonstrate the standards that must be adhered to by landscape contractors and nurseries who provide trees and planting services to the city. Forestry Department personnel planted trees and answered questions, ensuring open communication about the planting standards. Approximately 60 participants were on site to learn what the Forestry department and its inspectors are looking for to ensure proper tree survival. Having this first-hand knowledge will reduce the number of tree rejections at the time of inspection and will ensure the viability of Edmonton’s tree canopy for years to come.
LANTA announces new ED The Landscape Alberta Board of Directors are pleased to announce the hiring of Joel Beatson, CAE, as the Association’s new Executive Director. Beatson began his duties in July 2014. He will be familiar to many Landscape Alberta members as the former Manager of Industry and Professional Development with the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA).
Landscape Alberta members volunteered time, equipment and supplies to rebuild school baseball diamonds after the flood.
Prior to joining the CNLA, he was the Marketing and Communication Coordinator for Flowers Canada. He and his wife moved from Ontario back to his home province of Alberta after a cross-country honeymoon. Beatson brings to the position an extensive understanding of the landscape and nursery sectors and he has a proven track record dealing with industry human resource issues. He has also been involved with numer- Joel Beatson
ous political issues at the federal level, which will be an advantage when dealing with municipal and provincial officials. “This is a very exciting opportunity and I look forward to helping build on the amazing foundation that is Landscape Alberta, and continue to grow both the industry and the association,” says Beatson, who holds a Certified Association Executive (CAE) certificate from the Canadian Society of Association Executives and is a Landscape Industry Certified Manager with a degree in Communication Studies from the University of Windsor. LT
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comingevents September 15-17, GLEE, Birmingham, U.K. www.gleebirmingham.com
October 1-3, GrootGroenPlus, Zundert, the Netherlands. www.grootgroenplus.nl
September 16, Snowpowsium, Landscape Ontario home office, Milton, Ont. www.snowposium.com
October 8-9, Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, Ont. www.canadiangreenhouseconference.com
September 17-20, IPPS Eastern Region Meeting, Niagara Falls, Ont. www.ippseastern.org
November 13-14, Green Industry Show and Conference, Edmonton EXPO Centre (Northlands), Edmonton, Alta. www.greenindustryshow.com November 17-19, Hort East 2014, Cunard Centre, Halifax, N.S. www.horteast.ns.ca
October 21-23, Green Industry and Equipment Expo + Hardscape Expo, Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Ky. www.gie-expo.com
November 19-21, International Irrigation Show & Conference, Phoenix, Ariz. www.irrigationshow.org
October 22-23, Expo 2014, Toronto Congress Centre, Toronto, Ont. www.loexpo.ca
December 3-5, PM Expo, Metro Toronto Convention Centre South Building, Toronto, Ont. www.pmexpo.com
September 30-October 2, 11th Annual Canadian Urban Forest Conference, Victoria, B.C. www.treecanada.ca
October 29-13, Expo-FIHOQ, Place Bonaventure, Montreal, Que. www.expofihoq.com
December 3-4, IIDEX Canada, Metro Toronto Convention Centre North Building, Toronto, Ont. www.iidexcanada.com
October 1-2, CanWest Hort Show, Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, Vancouver, B.C. www.canwesthortshow.com
November 12-15, 12th annual CitiesAlive Green Roof and Wall Conference, Omni Hotel and Resort, Nashville, Tenn. www.citiesalive.org
2015 January 6-8, Congress 2015, Toronto Congress Centre, Toronto, Ont. www.locongress.com
September 17-20, Communities in Blooms 2014 National Symposium on Parks and Grounds and Awards Ceremonies, Charlottetown, P.E.I. www.communitiesinbloom.ca
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404 Stone Ltd. 42 905-887-3404 sales@404stone.com All Ontario Hydroseeding & Erosion Control 49 844-240-2662 info@allontariohydroseeding.ca AMI Attachments Inc. 47 800-556-9452 sales@amiattachments.com Arctic Equipment Manufacturing Corp 29 905-844-6902 sales@arcticsnowplows.com Atlas Polar Company Ltd 33 888-799-4422 info@atlaspolar.com Avant Tecno USA Inc 48 847-380-9822 sales@avanttecnousa.com Beaver Valley Stone 30 416-222-2424 info@beavervalleystone.com Bobcat 11 infocenter@bobcat.com Coivic Contracting Ltd 50 905-878-9101 nursery@coivic.com Compass Creative Studio Inc 48 855-318-4101 info@compasscreative.ca CrewTracker Software 43 877-427-4047 info@crewtrackersoftware.com Cut Above Natural Stone 35 888-557-7625 info@cutabovenaturalstone.com Daniels Plows 44 844-258-7569 tom@danielsplows.com Dutchmaster Nurseries Limited 17 905-683-8211 sales@dutchmasternurseries.com Ebert’s Tree Farms Limited 47 226-377-6321 anna.ebert@bell.net Fieldworks Construction Equipment 25 519-572-9447 glen.keam@fieldworksequipment.com G & L Group 45 888-907-7258 seany@gandlgroup.com Gravely 51 800-472-8359 info@ariens.com Greenhorizons Group of Farms Ltd 41 519-653-7494 info@justsodit.com Horst Welding 36 519-291-4162 sales@horstwelding.com John Deere 19 Kubota Canada Ltd 15 905-294-7477 info@kubota.ca L&R Shelters 10 866-216-4113 info@lrshelters.ca Landscape Management Network 21 888-347-9864 info@landscapemanagementnetwork.com Mahindra Tractors 23 National Leasing 40 866-586-5501 sales@nationalleasing.com Navascape by Permacon 5 Oaks Concrete Products by Brampton Brick 2 800-709-OAKS info@oakspavers.com Pro Landscape by Drafix Software 27 800-231-8574 sales@prolandscape.com Pro-Power Canada Inc 46 800-361-0907 propower@on.aibn.com Stihl Ltd 9 519-681-3000 info.canada@stihl.ca Thames Valley Brick 46 905-637-6997 info@thamesvalleybrick.com The Salt Depot 32 905-479-1177 info@saltdepot.ca Tillson Brands Inc 52 855-284-8508 TIMM Enterprises Ltd 37 905-878-4244 sales@timmenterprises.com TNT Property Maintenance 49 519-895-0450 sales@tntpropertymaintenance.com Unilock Ltd 13 800-UNILOCK georgetown@unilock.com Zander Sod Co Ltd 34 877-727-2100 info@zandersod.com
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