The Scoop Online - June 2016 by Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association

Too Close for Comfort

Also Inside

Career Paths Help Retain Employees

Member Profile Out & About Word on the Street

SUCCESS IN RETAIL

Trends change, but goals are the same

Vol: 39 No: 6 June 2016 T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E M I N N E S O TA N U R S E R Y & L A N D S C A P E A S S O C I AT I O N

FREE DISPOSAL! Logs Branches Brush Wood Chips

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Volume 39 No. 6 June 2016

CONTENTS 15

10 37

IN THIS ISSUE 8

Events

10 From the Executive Director Ode to a Member Service 12 Inspection Authority From where does the MDA derive the authority to inspect growing operations?

15 Retaining Employees Through Career Paths Give your employees a well-defined road map for career progression and they’ll be more likely to stay and grow with you. 

21 Installing and Trouble-Shooting Two-Wire Systems, Part II Andrew Lindquist decodes how to troubleshoot irrigation “Decoder Systems.” 

26 Pesticide Drift Even if pesticides are applied carefully, drift can still occur and pose health risks and potential damage.   

37 Keys to Success in Today’s Changing Market Jim Calkins on understanding our customer base, and improving our business management and retailing strategies.  

43 Too Close for Comfort Faith Appelquist explains that with proper spacing from the outset, trees can be healthy, long-lived, and enhance property values.   

54 Retail Shopping Trends The very nature of shopping is changing, but not every trend will survive into the retail store of the future.    Landscape & Hardscape Install & Design  Garden Services & Landscape Management  Garden Centers  Growers: Nursery & Greenhouse  Irrigation & Water Management  Arborists & Tree Services  All

18 Member Profile Bloomers Garden Center & Landscaping 34 Out & About Photos of MNLA members at several recent events. 49 Member News Sue Borgert is recognized by the St. Cloud business community and Susan Bachman West becomes Bachman’s President. 51 Power Offers Advice Upon Retirement After 40 years in the industry, Tim Power reflects on important issues for MNLA in the years to come. 60 Word on the Street What new technology are you using this year to help you work more efficiently? 62 Horticulture Curriculum for High School Educators Announced The MNLA Foundation’s program helps teach students and prepares them to succeed in our industry. The Scoop, June 2016, Issue 6, is issued monthly, 12 times per year. All original works, articles or formats published in The Scoop are © Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association, 2016, and may not be used without written permission of MNLA, 1813 Lexington Ave N., Roseville, MN 55113. Subscription price is $99 for one year, which is included with member dues. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Scoop, MNLA, 1813 Lexington Ave N., Roseville, MN 55113. Editorial Contributions. You are invited to share your expertise and perspective. Article ideas and manuscripts should, whenever possible, reflect real and specific experiences. When submitting an article, please contact the publisher at jon@mnla.biz or 651-633-4987. MNLA reserves the right to edit all Scoop content.

june 16

MNLA .biz

AD LIST MINNESOTA NURSERY & LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION Successful Businesses Grow Here!

1813 Lexington Ave. N. Roseville, MN 55113 651-633-4987 • Fax: 651-633-4986 Outside the metro area, toll free: 888-886-MNLA, Fax: 888-266-4986 www.MNLA.biz • www.NorthernGreen.org

MISSION: The mission of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association is to help members grow successful businesses.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

herman roerick, president

Volume 39 No. 6 June 2016

➾ G OS C

Alliance Designer Products .............................................................................. 50 Arborjet, Inc. ..................................................................................................... 47 BFG Supply ...................................................................................................... 42 Borgert Products, Inc. ....................................................................................... 53 Carlin Horticultural Supplies/ProGreen Plus ..................................................... 20 Central Landscape Supply .................................................................................16 County Materials Corporation .......................................................................... 55 Cushman Motor Co. Inc ................................................................................... 55

Central Landscape Supply 320-252-1601 • hermanr@centrallandscape.com

Edney Distributing Co., Inc. ............................................................................. 45

scott frampton, vice-president

Erosion Products LLC ....................................................................................... 57

Landscape Renovations 651-769-0010 • sframpton@landscaperenovations.com

tim malooly, cid, clia, cic, secretary-treasurer Water in Motion 763-559-7771 • timm@watermotion.com

randy berg, mnla-cp

Frontier Ag & Turf ............................................................................................. 20 Fury Motors ...................................................................................................... 48 Gertens Wholesale & Professional Turf Supply .................................................. 2

Berg’s Nursery, Landscape/Garden Center 507-433-2823 • randy@bergsnursery.com

GM Fleet and Commercial ................................................................................. 3

matt mallas

Gopher State One-Call ..................................................................................... 46

Hedberg Supply 763-512-2849 • mmallas@hedbergaggregates.com

mike mcnamara

Hoffman & McNamara Nursery & Landscaping 651-437-9463 • mike.mcnamara@hoffmanandmcnamara.com

john o'reilly

Haag Companies, Inc. ...................................................................................... 30 Hedberg Landscape & Masonry Supplies ........................................................ 56 Jeff Belzer Chevrolet .................................................................................. 32–33

Otten Bros. Garden Center and Landscaping 952-473-5425 • j.oreilly@ottenbros.com

KTI Fencing, Inc. ............................................................................................... 11

jeff pilla, mnla-cp

Landscape Alternatives Inc. .............................................................................. 57

Bachman’s, Inc. 612-861-7600 • jpilla@bachmans.com

nick sargent

Sargent’s Landscape Nursery, Inc. 507-289-0022 • njsargent@sargentsgardens.com

cassie larson, cae

MNLA Executive Director 651-633-4987 • cassie@mnla.biz

Lano Equipment, Inc. ....................................................................................... 16 Out Back Nursery ............................................................................................. 20 Plaisted Companies ............................................................................................ 7 Prairie Restorations, Inc. ................................................................................... 47 RDO Equipment Co.......................................................................................... 46

STAFF DIRECTORY

executive director:

Cassie Larson, CAE • cassie@mnla.biz

membership director & trade show manager:

Mary Dunn, CEM • mary@mnla.biz communications dir.: Jon Horsman, CAE • jon@mnla.biz education/cert manager: Susan Flynn • susan@mnla.biz

regulatory affairs manager: Jim Calkins • jim@mnla.biz administrative asst: Gayle Anderson • gayle@mnla.biz accountant: Kris Peterson • kris@mnla.biz foundation program coordinator: Paulette Sorenson • paulette@mnla.biz

advertising sales: 952-934-2891 / 763-295-5420

Faith Jensen, Advertising Rep • faith@pierreproductions.com Betsy Pierre, Advertising Mgr • betsy@pierreproductions.com legislative affairs consultant: Doug Carnival

MNLA .biz

june 16

Resultants for Business, Inc. (RFB) .................................................................... 45 Rock Hard Landscape Supply division of Brian’s Lawn & Landscaping, Inc. .... 47 S & S Tree and Horticultural Specialists .............................................................. 4 The Tessman Company .................................................................................... 35 Tri-State Bobcat, Inc. .............................................................................14, 40, 59 Truck Utilities, Inc. ............................................................................................. 52 Versa-Lok Midwest ........................................................................................... 13 Wheeler Landscape Supply .............................................................................. 25 Xcel Energy ...................................................................................................... 58 Ziegler CAT ......................................................................................... Back Cover

➾ C ALE N DAR

MNLA Event

➾

JUL9–12 CULTIVATE 16

AUG5 GARDEN CENTER TOUR: In Partnership with the Perennial Plant Association 614-771-8431 perennialplant.org This year we are partnering with the PPA for the summer retail tour. Join us as we visit several local garden center locations. Take away great ideas to implement at your own garden center!

MNLA .biz

june 16

➾

MNLA NIGHT AT THE SAINTS GAME

MNLA Event

JUL26

CHS Field, St. Paul

Columbus, OH

MNLA.biz

614-487-1117 Cultivate16.org

Take a break and enjoy a ball game at CHS Field. We have reserved the craft beer corner for our group. Ticket price includes a meal and reserved seat.

Cultivate is the largest horticulture industry event in North America, serving every industry segment from production and retail to installation and suppliers.

MNLA Event

JUL14 WIDMER GOLF TOURNAMENT Keller Golf Course, Maplewood MNLA.biz Join your fellow Hackers for Horticulture at the 26th Annual Widmer Golf Tournament. An awards reception immediately follows the tournament with a chance to win great prizes. Proceeds benefit the MNLA Foundation Research Fund.

MNLA Event

AUG10 MEMBER APPRECIATION SOCIAL

AUG11

MNLA Office, Roseville 651-633-4987 MNLA.biz Let’s celebrate your awesomeness! All members are invited to a Member Appreciation Social. The event will take place from 5–8 p.m. Food and adult beverages will be provided! Please RSVP at MNLA.biz.

➾

U of M/MTGF FIELD DAY TROE Center, University of Minnesota, St. Paul MTGF.org The face-to-face field day is back! See research projects conducted by University faculty and staff first hand. Focus areas will include both turfgrass research and landscape research.

2016 MNLA seminars generously supported by:

SALES • SERVICE • RENTALS • PARTS

MNLA Event

JUL28

AUG1–5

AUG5

HORTICULTURE NIGHT at the West Central Research and Outreach Center

34TH PERENNIAL PLANT SYMPOSIUM DoubleTree by Hilton, Minneapolis

LANDSCAPE DESIGN TOUR: In Partnership with the Perennial Plant Association

Morris, MN

614-771-8431 perennialplant.org

wcroc.cfans.umn.edu

➾

Horticulture Night offers a wide variety of demonstrations, presentations, tours and much more. Admission is free and open to the public.

➾

The Perennial Plant Symposium is in the Twin Cities this summer! Take part in some or all of the events planned, including landscape, retail and grower tours; lectures, a tradeshow; and an evening farm to table dinner.

MNLA Event

AUG24 ➾

Mem ber

h Mont

MEMBER APPRECIATION SOCIAL

➾

Event Education

SEPT21 MNLA SHOOTOUT Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club, Prior Lake

Location: Miller Creek Lawn & Landscape / Garden Center, Hermantown

651-633-4987 MNLA.biz

KEY:

This year we are partnering with the PPA. Join us for a tour of several Capitol City landscapes, including historic St. Paul landmarks and some amazing private gardens.

Don’t miss this annual sporting clays charity event that raises money for scholarships! The course runs at a beginner’s level — the focus is on fun. Proceeds benefit the MNLA Foundation Scholarship Fund.

Let’s celebrate your awesomeness! All members are invited to a Member Appreciation Social. The event will take place from 5–8 p.m. Food and adult beverages will be provided! Please RSVP at MNLA.biz. ➾

All information on these and other industry events are online at MNLA.biz. june 16

MNLA .biz

➾ F R OM THE EXECUTIVE DI R EC TO R

Ode to an Incredible Member Service As most of you are aware, the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association has been in the business of creating, printing and selling plant catalogs for the past 45 years. It has been our longest-running and most successful member service. In December 1970, a cooperative effort by Larry Bachman, Bachman’s, Inc. and Ray Sackter, Dundee Nursery Cassie Larson & Landscape Company evolved into what became the MNLA Executive Director catalog program when the MNLA Board of Directors approved the printing of 100,000 catalogs and a bank account to facilitate the project. This program helped members sell more plants, provide more value to their customers, assist in branding their own name, and drive more visits to their business.

I’m writing today to let you know that our catalog program has come to an end (sniff, sniff). The last ten years have seen a dramatic decline in catalog sales, and five years ago we began planning for the end of this program. The economies of scale in printing mean that the fewer sales you generate, the smaller the press runs become, resulting in tighter and tighter margins. We began to print fewer and fewer catalogs and just this spring sold our final inventory. We are so grateful for the MNLA leadership and the partnerships this program has had over the years and as someone who believes in the power of print, I can tell you we are sad to see this program go away. Now for some good news! The committee members that worked on the plant catalogs have long dreamed about a way to utilize our catalog assets and their passion for plants to make a product similar to the catalogs available in a digital format. For a year and a half, a small team has been envisioning a product that would sit in the same space in the sales cycle as our catalogs once did. We are not yet ready to go into details, but we are getting close to launching this new digital product. You’ll have to wait for the official announcement to learn more! The full program will include a way to drive plant sales, repeated visits, augment your business branding, and provide more value to your customers — just like the catalog program. We hope you’ll take the leap with us… we can’t wait to show it to you!

CASSIE LARSON

welcomes your feedback at cassie@mnla.biz.

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BROOKLYN PARK (763) 488-1310

OAKDALE (651) 773-7444

Office: 612-594-7722 Toll-Free Office: 855-861-6365 Fax: 612-888-9282 www.KTIFencing.com

BURNSVILLE (952) 894-4401

KIMBALL (320) 398-5415

Winona Office 1258 Sugar Loaf Road Winona, MN 55987 Ron May: 608-865-0401 Ron@KTIFencing.com

FARIBAULT (507) 331-3198

ONALASKA, WI (800) 770-4525

➾ MDA

INSPECTION AUTHORITY OVERVI EW, AN D FUTUR E TO PI C S Corinne du Preez

Agricultural Advisor/ACI

JUNE 2016 (BULLETIN 2 OF 8) — This is a new outreach effort from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Pesticide and Fertilizer Management Division (PFMD), working with the MNLA to provide a series of bulletins published through the MNLA Scoop. This is the second bulletin in 2016 and it provides an introduction to the MDA’s authority for inspection, an inspection overview, and future topics.

Inspection Overview: During an inspection, an Agricultural Chemical Investigator (ACI) observes business practices to document compliance with Statutes and Rules. The following are primary items an ACI will check:

AUTHORITY FOR INSPECTION: Inspections and investigations are conducted by the MDA to document compliance under the authority of:

Pesticide Applicator License & Category

Pesticide Container Disposal

Minnesota Statutes 18B; Pesticide Control

Application Records

Pesticide & Fertilizer Mixing and Loading Area(s)

Minnesota Statutes 18C; Minnesota Fertilizer, Soil Amendment, and Plant Amendment

Pesticide Labels

Backflow Prevention Device(s) on Water Supply

Incident Response Plan

Pesticide Reinstate Use

Minnesota Statutes 18D; Agricultural Chemical Liability

Well Location(s) Future Topics: There are rules and regulations specific to the green industry. The MDA will highlight one topic in each of the next six bulletins. The following topics were chosen based on compliance concerns documented by the MDA during inspections with the green industry. 1. WPS part 2 2. Applicators’ License and Use Categories 3. Backflow Prevention 4. Pesticide and Fertilizer Storage 5. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 6. Incident Response Plan To read about the MDA Pesticide and Fertilizer Management Division’s events, programs, policies, and regulations, follow this link to the current issue

MNLA .biz

june 16

Authority for entry, inspection, and sampling is found in: Minnesota Statutes Section 18D.201 Minnesota Statutes and Rules can be found on the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes website: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/pubs/ of the PFMD Update: http://www.mda.state.mn.us/ chemicals/~/media/Files/chemicals/mdaupdate/201603-pfmdupdate.pdf I am interested to hear your opinions, ideas, and questions about your green industry business as it relates to requirements in Minnesota Statutes and/or Rules. Please contact me anytime at the number or email address below. is an Agricultural Advisor/ACI for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture in the Pesticide and Fertilizer Management Division. She can be reached at 507-206-2883 or Corinne.dupreez@state.mn.us. CORINNE DU PREEZ

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RETAINING EMPLOYEES THROUGH

CAREER PATHS In order for any company to be successful, it must have highly trained and dedicated staff in senior level positions. One of the best ways to ensure that is to have a well-documented, well-utilized career path planning process.

Shannon McHenry | Engledow Group

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St. Cloud, MN 56301

am the first to admit that the landscaping industry is new to me after spending the last 13 years of my career at a consumer electronics company. The learning curve for the last four months has been steep; trying to make sense of industry organizations, certifications, terminology ... and the list goes on. Switching from primarily corporate recruiting to labor recruiting has also been challenging at times, but there are certain core principles that remain the same. Companies are on a constant search for highly skilled and/or highly trainable employees who are also high performers. Prospective employees are looking for organizations that offer them good pay/ benefits and job security with potential career advancement. They want to know what a company has to offer not just for the immediate future, but also one, three, five, or more years down the road. The current federal unemployment rate as reported by the BLS is 5.0%, the lowest it’s been in over seven years. This makes attracting top talent even more difficult and makes the process of creating and communicating career paths an absolute necessity for any organization, landscaping or not. What are career path plans and how do I create one?

In order for any company to be successful, it must have highly trained and dedicated staff in senior level positions. One of the best ways to ensure that is to have a well-documented, well-utilized career path planning process. So what exactly are career path plans and how do you develop them? In its simplest terms, a career path plan is a road map for career growth, which outlines what jobs are available within a company at each level of the organization, illustrating a logical career progression and providing direction on how to get to each level. The first step in creating a career path plan simply involves documenting each position within your company and grading each, from entry-level to mid-level to senior-level positions. Plotting this on a simple position matrix makes it easier for managers and employees to visualize, understand, and implement the plan. Once the positions are mapped out, HR and management need to establish the steps employees must take to move from one position to another. It’s not enough to simply list the hierarchy; employees need to know what’s expected to make the move from one level to another. This includes providing internal and external training, developing and using mentoring programs, utilizing on-the-job training, and providing regular performance management. In order for any of this to be successful, management must make it a priority to follow the plan and promote from within whenever possible. Implementing a career path plan, but failing to make these internal promotions, will defeat the purpose of the plan and jeopardize its future success. 16

MNLA .biz

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Who should be involved in the development of a career path plan?

Employees must be completely engaged in the career path process for it to be successful. Employees must assess and understand interests as well as strengths and weaknesses, and allow management to provide constructive feedback. The employee should then research and discover what opportunities are available to build the skills necessary for the chosen career. Career path planning is a personal journey that is primarily driven by the employee. Of course, managers have a significant role in the process as well. Managers should ask employees questions when assisting with the development and communication of a career path plan. Some questions that would be important to ask are: What are your short-term and long-term career goals? What support is necessary to achieve these goals? What are some development areas? What is your timeline for reaching these goals?

managers regarding the performance of employees and their potential readiness for upward movement within the company. Does this really help retain good employees?

Yes! While it’s safe to say there is a small group of employees who will have little to no interest in career advancement, a successful company takes time to identify those who do want to learn and grow, and invests time and effort in nurturing them. Thorough and proper career path planning creates a system to efficiently promote trained talent into higher-level positions within the company. It also provides employees with information on education, experience requirements and career development opportunities of certain job classifications. Another added benefit of a well-defined career path is the assistance it provides HR professionals and managers in developing succession plans for key positions within a department. The ROI makes all the planning, developing, communicating, and facilitating more than worth it.

How is the plan communicated to the employees?

Career path discussions should be regular and ongoing between employees and managers. In particular, annual performance appraisal meetings are a logical time to conduct more thorough, complete discussions regarding the employee’s desired career path. This allows the manager to have an open discussion about the employee’s interests, the company’s potential opportunities, and what additional skills must be acquired to be eligible for those opportunities. Managers should provide as much support and guidance as possible. HR is responsible for ensuring that managers have regular discussions with their staff and for providing regular coaching and training for new managers on their role in the career path process. Additionally, HR should conduct discussions with department

Article originally published in the Indiana Nursery & Landscape News and is reprinted here with permission of the author.

SHANNON MCHENRY

is the Human Resource Director at Engledow

Group.

june 16

MNLA .biz

➾ ME MBER PROFILE

MEMBER PROFILE BLOOM ER S G AR D EN C EN TER & L AND S CA P I N G

Katie Mills Giorgio

Photos courtesy of Bloomers Garden Center & Landscaping

C O M PAN Y SN APSH O T

Company Name: Bloomers Garden Center & Landscaping Owner: David and Debbie Clark Location: Grand Rapids, MN Number of Employees in Peak Season: 40 Member Category: Greenhouse/Herbaceous Grower, Irrigation Contractor, Landscape Contractor, Landscape Designer, Retail Nursery/Garden Center. Website: http://bloomersmn.com/

Back in 1995, the Clarks had no experience running a retail operation; let alone how to sell annuals and perennials. But, on the off chance that they’d figure it out, Debbie and David Clark decided to open their garden center and landscaping business — Bloomers — in Grand Rapids, MN. TODAY, BLOOMERS IS A THRIVING NORTHERN MINNESOTA GARDEN CENTER

— with some 16,000 square feet of greenhouse space — and a landscaping company that cultivates hand-selected plants and also designs imaginative landscapes. David, a career landscape architect, heads up the landscaping end of the business, while Debbie runs the garden center, which now rivals the amount of landscaping business Bloomers does annually. The Clarks’ son, John, is also now co-owner and has spent the last six years learning about the family business. Over the years, Bloomers has gained a reputation for many of their products, but especially their hanging baskets. “All our hanging baskets are planted the first week of March,” Debbie said. “We clip them back so they are nice and full and really established before our customers take them home.”

MNLA .biz

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We have hired amazing people from day one. They are the backbone of the business and we treat them as equal partners.

Bloomers also offer a large variety of perennials. “We carry over 50 varieties of hostas every year,” she said. At Bloomers, they pride themselves for offering plant and tree options for their customers that will survive the cold northern Minnesota winters and make their customers’ projects and outdoor spaces naturally beautiful. Customers turn to them to landscape their yards; cultivate annual, perennial or vegetable gardens; purchase beautiful hanging flower baskets; and even to seek the perfect garden gift, accent, or accessory. Q. Debbie, thank you for making time to talk with The Scoop. So tell us how Bloomers got its start. A. We actually moved (to Grand Rapids) from California 22 years ago. My husband was a landscaper in California. When we moved to northern Minnesota, there was no place to buy plants. We bought some property — about eight acres — with a house on it and we thought we’d use about six acres to store our plants. But over the winter, in our planning, we thought, “Why don’t we try retail?” We’d never done retail but we thought we might as well sell a few plants to other people if we were going to be storing them. We have just grown from there. It just kind of evolved. We grew with the need. Now we have six greenhouses. We simply kept adding and expanding our store, and then we added a big building for storage. Q. Sounds like trying something new worked for you. What does Bloomers offer customers now? A. We have perennials, annuals, and everything in the garden center. We open the garden center each year the first week of March, but we don’t usually start seeing customers until May. The months of March and April are strictly focused on growing in our greenhouses. The garden center stays open through the end of October. We also offer landscaping throughout the year, until the ground freezes. Being from California, we’ve also always offered sprinkler system installation, which few

companies offer around here. We do an equal amount of homeowners and businesses for our landscaping business. We have a landscape designer on staff and people love her designs. They can take the plan she comes up with and either buy the necessary plants and supplies from us to plant it themselves or get a bid from us to install it. Q. What goes into preparing for the busy season? A. In the garden center, I can tell you that I spend a lot of time working with my greenhouse manager researching how plants grow. That way, if I’m going to make a combination hanging basket, I make sure this begonia will grow with that begonia. We carefully select the flower combinations in our baskets and planters to ensure that they are compatible in their growth and care requirements. We even trial plants for a year before we sell them to see how they grow. We are really, really picky, but our careful consideration regarding plant combinations make it easy for our customers to have a successful growing experience.

was an act of God, but we replaced those apple trees anyway to keep our customers happy. We guarantee everything for a full year to be winter hardy. It’s all about making our customers successful. Q. What do you enjoy most about what you do? A. Seeing the excitement my employees get when they help a customer solve a problem. Just helping people to be successful is a big thing for us. Q. What is the most important lesson you’ve learned since starting your business? A. Everything! We had no clue what we were getting into when we started. I knew nothing about plants and I’ve had to learn it all. We went to all the MNLA classes and I took the master gardener course to learn that end of it. My husband had to learn all new plants, since coming from California. We are all about selection here at Bloomers. If there’s any chance it will survive Zone 3, we will carry it. We even have some perennials from Zone 4 that we know will grow here.

Q. What has been the key to success so far for Bloomers?

Q. What else do you do to keep customers coming back year after year?

A. Our employees. We have hired amazing people from day one. They are the backbone of the business and we treat them as equal partners. I value their opinions because they are on the front lines. When they come to us with ideas and suggestions, we listen. I really don’t know how to say it enough, my employees are everything. They are the face of Bloomers, and some of our best customers don’t even know who I am, but they know who everyone else is.

A. We like to keep things fresh. We radically change our store displays and our courtyard design every couple years; those ideas all come from employees. I hire really creative people.

Q. What other business values have you found to be important in running Bloomers? A. Customer service is really it. A couple of years ago, all the apple trees were dying in this area because of our terrible winter. We were the only garden center we knew of that was replacing trees. Technically it

We have people that come all the way from Duluth or from the cities to shop. Many of them have lake homes up here. Of course they are shopping for their lake home, but they also fill up their car and take their stuff back home to the cities. They have all the choices down there but they still like our quality here at Bloomers enough to bring it home and that means a lot.

INTERESTED IN BEING PROFILED IN THE SCOOP?

Our writer is always looking for a good story. Email jon@mnla.biz and we’ll discuss the next steps.

june 16

MNLA .biz

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PART II OF II: INSTALLING AND TROUBLESHOOTING

TWO-WIRE SYSTEMS Two-wire systems also referred to as “Decoder Systems,” have been in the United States irrigation marketplace for over 35 years and in Europe even longer. Andrew Lindquist | Links Systems, Inc.

june 16

MNLA .biz

➾ T WO-WIRE SYSTEMS

he two-wire system technology is a time proven, successful irrigation control system and has many advantages over traditional control systems. Overall, a two-wire system affords the opportunity to greatly increase the communication/sensor technology capabilities of the control system, thereby providing the user and service technician much greater performance and diagnostics information. This is the second part of a two-part series, providing information on troubleshooting two-wire irrigation systems. Part one on two-wire troubleshooting was published in The Scoop, April 2016 issue. This article focused on troubleshooting issues related to twowire controllers, decoders, and surge protectors. Troubleshooting failing valve solenoids and other irrigation related components were presented in earlier troubleshooting articles published in The Scoop in 2015. Two-wire controllers, decoders, and surge protection equipment are typically only compatible within a manufacturer’s brand. That is, once a manufacturer’s two-wire brand is selected, the installer is confined to that manufacturer’s decoders and surge protection devices. Additionally, the manufacturer may recommend a particular type of field control wire (cable), such as twisted vs. not-twisted cable, along with specifying wire gauge size and approved types of waterproof wire connects. Always use manufacturer recommended/approved components. By and large, any manufacturer’s AC valves are capable of being used with other manufacturer’s brands of two-wire systems.

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june 16

However, there are some exceptions in compatibility between different manufactured brands valves and two-wire systems. Therefore, it is prudent to verify product compatibility with your distributor. Overall, the safest practice is to stay within the same manufacturer’s brand for control components and valves. DC activated valves tend to be more restricted to each specific two-wire system manufacturer’s brand and the mixing of DC activated valve brands is not recommended. Maintaining the waterproof integrity of the two-wire system’s wire connects and the system’s control/power field wire housing is paramount. Any unnecessary probing into wire housings, disconnecting quality waterproof wire connects, or splicing in additional wire connects, should be avoided whenever possible. In order to minimize reducing field wiring and connection integrity, take advantage of the controller-provided diagnostics to provide troubleshooting information. Depending upon the capability of the controller, its built-in diagnostics may identify specific field wire and component issues, including: shorts, wire-cuts, overloads, non-functioning valves, nonfunctioning decoders, time of day, and number of issue occurrences. After reviewing any diagnostics information, verify controller’s operational integrity, including: appropriate power in and out; system programming and decoder addressing is correct; remote sensors are functioning properly and not causing malfunctions; etc. Remember that programming error and addressing are frequent causes of system “malfunctions”. To minimize disrupting the system’s field wiring unnecessarily, the use of a digital (not analog) style milliamp clamp-style multimeter with a Min/Max function, including the capability to measure true RMS(1) is required. This type of milliamp multimeter measures very low amp levels (in the thousands to amps) at various low hertz (cycles per second) levels. This style of milliamp meter clamps around the outside of a single wire to measure current (amps) being consumed, thus avoiding the need to probe into field wire or the disassembly of wire connects. Why is such a sophisticated clamp meter needed? Two-wire systems operate at very low hertz levels, some even down to about one hertz — which is significantly less than the standard 60 cycles per second hertz level provided by our electrical utilities. Additionally, the traditional shape of the AC voltage is distorted in two-wire systems, which cause incorrect readings when using non-RMS digital milliamp. Two-wire capable digital clamp style milliamp multimeters are available through your local two-wire product supplier. The field wire used in two-wire systems carries both the decoder activation/deactivation signals and the power to operate the valve’s solenoids. These field wires are always energized (24/7). Therefore, whenever directly accessing the wiring, use caution. In order to avoid damaging the system controller and components, always deenergize the field wires when disconnecting or reconnecting wires, decoders, and surge protectors. Various manufacturer’s two-wire controllers, controller programming, decoder characteristics, installation parameters and functionality have some similarities and many differences. Therefore, each manufacturer has a specific recommended method for troubleshooting its two-wire system. Presenting each manufacturer’s unique

method is beyond the scope of this article. However, there are some troubleshooting techniques shared by many manufacturers and are presented below. Overall, the reader should familiarize themselves with the specific troubleshooting processes recommended by each manufacturer. Overall two-wire troubleshooting reminders:

• Valve locator tools cannot be used to locate the valves used in two-wire systems. The reason is that the valve locator tools are designed to interact with the valve’s solenoid. However, due to the ‘blocking’ characteristic of the locator signal by the decoder, the required solenoid’s interaction does not occur. Valve location is usually done by use of an as-built and perhaps some soil probing. • Wire locators can be used to track wire paths — but with caution. Due to the potential damage to decoders and surge protectors by the high voltage output of wire trackers, never connect the red and black leads of the wire tracker simultaneously to the two-wire circuit. That is, disconnect the two-wire cable(s) from the controller. Then, ground the twowire cable’s inbound wire (usually black). Next, connect the two-wire cable’s outbound wire (usually red or blue) to the red output lead from the tracker transmitter. Last, connect the tracker’s remaining black wire to the tracker’s provided grounding stake. Double check connections, power-up the tracker and start locating wire. Be sure to power-off the

locator before accessing any exposed wire. This will save you a ‘shocking’ experience. • Ground fault locators can be used — but with caution. As with wire locators, ground fault locator tools put out very high voltage that can damage system components. Best practice is to find your surge protection devices and disconnect them prior to using a ground fault locator. Follow manufacturer’s recommendation as to attachment and use. Particular caution should be practiced when using ground fault locators, both to protect the system and you. Be sure to power-off the locator before accessing any exposed wire. Ground fault locators produce very high voltage signals and will provide you with a very unpleasant experience if you touch any exposed wire when the ground fault locating device is active. • When replacing system components, power-off the field wires and temporarily reattach components with wire nuts and retest the systems operation. If the repair works, then complete the temporary wire nut connections with manufacturer recommended waterproof wire connects. Avoid needlessly wasting waterproof wire connects without first testing your ‘repair’ with a temporary wire nut connection. The process is to repair a section, then test. If it tests OK, repair the next section, and then test. If it tests OK, continue on as needed, testing short sections at a time. Leave the final waterproofing of wire connects until the system tests are OK. june 16

MNLA .biz

➾ T WO-WIRE SYSTEMS

WHAT TECHNIQUES DO YOU USE TO TROUBLESHOOT TWO-WIRE SYSTEMS THAT WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS ARTICLE? Send a message to MNLA at mnla@mnla.biz and let us know so we can share additional techniques with members in a future article.

• The highest incident of problems related to faulty two-wire operation is due to bad wire splices. Too many times, the original installation used poor installation practices or lowquality waterproof wire connects. Only use the wire connects recommended by the two-wire manufacturer and judiciously follow the stated installation methods. Overall, two-wire system malfunctions generally fall within these categories: 1. Controller programming and/or environmental related sensors are inhibiting operation

• Check for programming errors, along with correct matching of decoder addresses with a decoder. Reprogram/readdress as needed. • Disconnect all environmental sensors that may be inhibiting controller operation. If the controller operates properly, replace each environmental sensor one at a time until problem sensor is found. Repair/replace as needed. 2. Water supply and manual valve operation:

• Verify water supply pressure. Operate manual bleed on the malfunctioning valve. If water supply pressure is adequate and manual bleed does not operate valve, isolate pressure to valve; clean/replace valve components as needed. Reassemble, re-pressurize and check for operation with manual bleed and also at the controller. 3. Controller output voltage:

• Disconnect field wires and check voltage output of the controller. If the controller’s voltage output is correct, the issue is within the field wiring. If the controller output is incorrect, check power input into the controller. If powerin is correct, check for internal malfunctioning controller components (transformer, internal fuses, internal components are operating properly, etc.). If power-in is incorrect, check other power supply circuits at the site to see if the issue is only with the power supply to the controller or if the problem is due to the utility providing too little power or excessive power. 24

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• If, after reconnecting the control wires and repowering the field wires, the output voltage drops below manufacturer’s specifications, this would indicate a short in the field wiring. 4. Field wire integrity, decoder and surge protection:

• As with any system, check for any recent digging activity (human or animal). If this may be the cause, determine if field wires are located in that area. Use an accurate as-built or carefully use wire tracker to locate potentially damaged wires. • If damage due to digging is ruled out, system wire integrity needs to be determined. The system may have more than one two-wire path leading out of the controller. Unless the controller diagnostics points to a specific faulted two-wire, each two-wire path will need to be measured to determine the level of amps being used (consumed) by the decoders on that two-wire path. • Measure each two-wire path’s amp consumption. Each two-wire path will have an outbound wire (usually red in color) and an inbound wire (usually black, or blue in color). With the power on, use the milliamp clamp by clamping around each of the two wires. Record the milliamp reading on the outbound wire and the inbound wire. Likewise, continue to any remaining two-wire paths that may be present and check their milliamp consumption levels, taking into account the number of decoders present on each two-wire path.(2) Compare readings within each wire pair, using those observations to determine the issue as follows: • If the current levels are equal in both wires in a particular two-wire path and the total amps being consumed is equal to the expected amp consumption for the number of decoders attached, that path is good to go and no issues are found. • If the current being consumed is excessive (above the anticipated milliamps) in only one of the two wires, check for cable damage, a splice that is not waterproof, or a faulty surge protector.

• If there is an equally excessive current being consumed in both wires, check for a bad decoder(s) or a short(s) between the field wires being tested. • To check for a bad decoder, follow the outbound wire from the controller, looking for the milliamp drop as you follow the wire from the controller to the furthest decoder. Typically, the measuring with your milliamp clamp meter is done at each decoder, being sure to always go in order from controller to first decoder, to second decoder, to third decoder, etc. In the example decoder used in this article, each properly operating decoder should use about 0.6 milliamp (mA) of power consumption (or whatever the draw is for each manufacturer’s decoder), which would be read on the milliamp clamp meter as a 0.6 mA lower reading between the inward bound power wire leading into the decoder vs. the outward bound decoder wire. For example, if there was 6 mA of inbound power going into the decoder, a properly functioning decoder would consume 0.6 mA, thereby reducing the milliamp reading of the outbound wire to 5.4 mA. Likewise, the next ‘downstream’ decoder on that two-wire circuit would have 5.4 mA inbound and 4.8 mA on the outward bound wire. Continue this process until the consumption measures something outside of the manufacturer’s specifications. • If the current being consumed in both wires is too low, check for a break or open/corroded splice within the wire path using the same technique previously mentioned of measuring the amp consumption drop between decoders. Expertise in effective troubleshooting of two-wire systems is a result of understanding the unique characteristics of a manufacturer’s two-wire controller and associated components, along with proper installation and servicing techniques. Using manufacturer’s suggested troubleshooting techniques and controller-provided diagnostics, a thoughtful and systematic approach will enhance resolving two-wire operational issues. Since valve locators cannot be effectively used on two-wire systems, the availability of an accurate as-built is indispensable and always boosted by installing all decoders and surge protectors into easy-to-locate valve boxes.

Wheeler is now a proud supplier of Belgard Products

Endnotes (1) True RMS (root-mean-square) meter: The actual ‘waveform’ used in two-wire systems varies in shape, thereby causing non-RMS meters to up to 10% too high or up to 40% too low when compared to actual readings. True RMS adjust for the variations. RMS meters cost about 25% more than non-RMS meters. (2) A properly operating decoder should consume about 0.6 milliamp (mA) of power. Therefore, if there are 10 decoders on the two-wire circuit being measured, the total amps consumption should measure 6.0 mA for outbound and inbound wires. ANDREW LINDQUIST,

owner of Links Systems, Inc. can be reached at alindquist@linkssystemsinc.com.

june 16

MNLA .biz

➾ P E S T I CIDE DRIFT

PESTICIDE DRIFT

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Each year, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) receives dozens of pesticide drift complaints. Even if pesticides are carefully applied, drift can happen and it poses possible health risks along with potential damage to crops, fields, livestock, wildlife, and the environment. The MDA handles drift complaints and enforces state and federal pesticide laws. If you see, experience, or may be the cause of pesticide drift, report it to the Minnesota Duty Officer at 800-422-0798.

june 16

MNLA .biz

➾ P E S T I CIDE DRIFT

TO REPORT PESTICIDE DRIFT, CALL: Minnesota Duty Officer 800-422-0798, day or night, 7 days per week. MDA Complaint Line 651-201-6333, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. OR file a complaint online http://bit.ly/1ytti9b

The Rift over Drift

Facts about Enforcement

Exposure to pesticide drift can adversely affect people, wildlife, crops, and the environment. During or after pesticide application, spray can vaporize and move off target. Drift has the potential to damage crops and fields, making them inedible or unusable. Pesticide drift can contaminate ecosystems and cause economic harm by damaging crops and livestock. When drift or adverse pesticide exposure occurs, handle medical emergencies first, then call 911. Complaints about lost crops or damaged vegetation need to be filed within 45 days of the occurrence. The MDA will answer questions, investigate formal complaints, visit sites, review evidence, gather samples for lab analysis, and enforce regulations. Please be aware that the MDA does not seek compensation on behalf of a party or entity, nor does the agency provide consultant services. Substantiating your claim of alleged pesticide drift requires cooperation and proper evidence. Without it, the MDA may not be able to substantiate allegations. MDA strives to help urban, agricultural, and industrial pesticide users gain regulatory compliance.

If inspectors document deficiencies, an Order/Notice of Violation will be issued specifying required corrections. Financial penalties may be issued, even if corrections have been made and especially if violations are repeated. When inspections are complete, enforcement staff will review all documentation to determine if violations have occurred and determine financial penalties. Drifted On?

After filing your complaint, an investigator will contact you. If the MDA believes that drift may have occurred, the agency will: • Obtain vegetation, soil, water, pollinator, or other material samples from your property for lab analysis. • Obtain application records, maps, photos, weather records, statements, labels of products. • Contact you if additional information is needed. • Notify you in writing when an investigation is closed. DO NOT wait to file a complaint. The longer you wait, the less likely

Accused of Drift?

If you, your company or employees have been suspected of pesticide drift and a complaint is filed with the MDA, the agency will require your cooperation during our inspection and investigation. The MDA Agricultural Chemical inspector assigned to your case will ask questions, obtain information, and check records for proper licensing and certification. Depending on complexity and severity, a case may take four to six months to determine if a drift violation has occurred. In the event it is determined a violation has occurred, the case will be referred to the MDA Pesticide & Fertilizer Management Division Enforcement Unit. Under state law, the MDA is authorized to issue financial penalties. You will be notified by letter, and payment is required within 30 days of notification. The MDA makes every effort to be fair and impartial, and to work with firms who have circumstances of financial hardship. You can dispute a violation determination. Enforcement actions may be published. You may obtain a copy of the MDA complaint on file after a case is closed.

it will be for the MDA to obtain necessary evidence to prove drift. DO NOT harvest, eat or destroy crops or fruits/vegetables that may have been subject to drift. The MDA will need samples and, depending on the circumstance, crops, fruits or vegetables may need to be destroyed. Due to concerns over sampling technique and chain of custody, the MDA does not analyze samples from anyone other than its own investigators. Facts about Inspections

Agricultural Chemical Inspectors conduct numerous inspections statewide; some site visits are unannounced. Under state law, inspectors are authorized to visit farms, operations and facilities that use, store, handle, distribute, and dispose of agricultural chemicals. Staff investigate and specify corrections that need to be made during a site visit. They do not provide consultant services to either party involved in a pesticide drift incident.

june 16

MNLA .biz

➾ MNLA FOUN DATION

SPONSOR AN MNLA SCHOLARSHIP DEMONSTR ATE C O M M I TM EN T TO T H E F U T U RE

THE MNLA FOUNDATION is happy to announce the 2016–2017 Academic Awards program to benefit college and high school students. The MNLA Foundation is pleased to partner with members to provide the industry’s future leaders with monetary support for their education. Since the program began in 1996, over $300,000 has been awarded to deserving students.

The goal of the MNLA Foundation Academic Awards program is to honor the academic achievements of students who have chosen the nursery and landscape industry as their profession. Furthermore, the program aims to encourage students to stay in this career path and to help them make connections with nursery and landscape employers who are MNLA members. By partnering with interested member companies, over 20 scholarships are awarded every year to deserving students. Have you considered sponsoring a student scholarship? Giving to a student will not only provide you the satisfaction of knowing you made a lasting difference in a young person’s life and the future of the green industry, but there are additional charitable tax deduction benefits to you, as well. Consult your tax advisor with regard to your own situation. Sponsoring companies are asked to make a $500 commitment for a college scholarship or $250 for a high school scholarship, and the MNLA Foundation will match up to $500 or $250 respectively. Companies can sponsor more than one scholarship per year if they choose. MNLA will provide the following to sponsors: Press releases to various media, including the company’s local paper, and the student’s hometown and college publications Company recognition in the Scoop and on the MNLA website Recognition at Northern Green Opportunities to be introduced to your sponsored student

ACT NOW! Demonstrate your commitment to the future of the region’s green industry by co-sponsoring a student scholarship. The deadline for 2016–2017 participation is September 10, 2016. Complete the application at http://www.mnla.biz/?page=201516Scholarships and return it to MNLA today. Your generosity will be cherished by the student winners — the future of our industry. Contact MNLA Foundation Program Coordinator Paulette Sorenson at paulette@ mnla.biz or 651-633-4987 with questions or for additional details.

june 16

MNLA .biz

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â&#x17E;ž OUT & ABOUT

MNLA STAFF APPRECIATES the annual opportunity to visit with members and prospective members at our industry's supplier shows.

Mike and Jean Heger, Ambergate Horticultural Consulting.

Dave Klein, Amcon Block and Precast and Leif Classon, Bachman's Wholesale Nursery & Hardscapes.

Bryan Schantz, Ryan Castle and Jon Schroetke of County Materials Corp.

Karl and Jason Pokorny of Karls Landscaping, Inc.

MNLA .biz

june 16

Mark Laberee and Chuck Klinefelter, Lan-De-Con, Inc.

ING L EL ENT P M T COCON

SE N O O W CHUR OTUR E YO VEN AD

JANUARY 10-12

2017

FIRST TWO SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED FOR NORTHERN GREEN 2017! Jim Paluch loves to speak. But, more than speaking he loves to listen and it has been his outstanding listening skills used in working with hundreds of organizations over the past 20 years that have helped him become an unforgettable and inspirational public speaker. As president Jim Paluch of JP Horizons, Inc, Paluch and his team are sought out nationally for their business coaching expertise and implementation of their People Solutions Programs in more than 50 companies each year. Jim has had a successful career as a Landscape Architect, in sales, and in developing residential communities in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Jim will be presenting two sessions and will be the special guest of the MNLA Contractor Networking Group on Wednesday, January 11. Plus, don’t miss Jim’s sessions on Working Smarter and Creating Organizational Excitement. 1) Working Smarter When was the last time you or your team STOPPED, looked around at the day-to-day activities of the staff and realized this could be completed more efficiently, with even better service, and more value to the customer? In every industry it is imperative to Work Smarter with the time that we have available and use the resources of all of our people to do so. Working Smarter simply means doing more with what you already have in order to create the best culture possible based on great communication and teamwork, all driven by a focus on continual improvement of the product you deliver to your customers. Paluch and his team have helped over 450 companies around North America save hundreds of thousands of dollars through their weekly Working Smarter Training Challenge. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn about the effective use of lean tools and will leave prepared to Work Smarter in their personal and professional lives. 2) Creating Organizational Excitement Energizing Your Team! Jim Paluch has passion and 16 years of experience in coaching companies to reach their potential. In this high-impact seminar, he shares insights that are propelling companies around the country toward a higher level of success. By focusing on the fundamental business and utilizing the most valuable resource available to your company, YOUR PEOPLE, you can develop a long-term strategy to solve problems and create an atmosphere of energized individuals working together toward a common vision.

MINNEAPOLIS CONVENTION CENTER

INNOVATIVE INSPIRING INCLUSIVE INTERACTIVE

Ian Baldwin was born and raised in northern England, gaining a love of the outdoors from his parents who were avid gardeners. Working for nurseries and landscapers before and during college, Ian has degrees in Horticulture and Business Management.

Ian Baldwin

Now a US citizen, he and his wife, Lisa, have operated a consulting firm together for 25 years from their home and garden in Elk Grove, CA. They have assisted hundreds of independent garden centers and retail nurseries on topics ranging from developing a profitability model to sales team building, from product marketing feasibility to retail design and merchandising. Ian has helped start-ups survive those first challenging years and re-tuned older established businesses for an improved bottom line. He has been through family-transition challenges, strategic planning retreats, designed retail sites from the ground up, developed their budgets, and trained salespeople, managers and buyers. All this in-the-trenches experience working with some of the best independent retailers in the business has made him a sought-after speaker throughout North America and Europe. Baldwin’s insights are also valuable to numerous suppliers and marketers trying to penetrate the garden category or improve their position, and he has been retained by some of the most wellknown brand names in the industry. We are pleased to have Ian as a special guest of the MNLA Garden Center Networking Group on Thursday January 12, and to have him presenting the following sessions: 1) Not Your Father’s Gardening Industry – Challenges for Some, Huge Opportunities for Many In the biggest change in 40 years, Americans are gardening again, but different demographics and expectations are requiring different strategies to win their business against fierce competition for time and money. Using his five-year analysis of the National Gardening Survey and years of experience in the trenches, Baldwin lays out how leading companies are changing their ‘Value Proposition’ from image and marketing to buying and selling. This impacts growers, landscapers and retailers too - in fact the whole supply chain 2) Money Matters – The Numbers to Track and Stay Ahead of The Pack Too many numbers, too little time! Winning retail owners and managers don’t have time to study acres of spreadsheets, but they know which “numbers” matter. In this fast moving presentation, Baldwin shows you the few numbers and ratios that successful operators live by – and WHY! Bring your accounts to see how you compare with Ian’s case studies, and Baldwin will bring the Advil.

WWW.NORTHERNGREEN.ORG

KEYS TO SUCCESS IN TODAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

CHANGING MARKET Understanding our Customer Base, Improving Business Management & Retailing Strategies. Dr. James Calkins | Research Information Director, MNLA Foundation

june 16

MNLA .biz

➾ K E YS TO SUCCESS

researchers, business experts, and others with the goal of increasing plant sales by 10% to the benefit of individual firms and ultimately the industry as a whole. A significant, laudable, logical, and worthy goal. Some of the key findings include: • Consumers of all ages are important to retailers; according to Leah Swartz, marketers should consider the “Millennial Mindset” wherein: • Millennials are technology testers and early adaptors while Baby Boomers tend to use technologies that have been validated and justified; • Short messages (e.g., 140 characters or fewer using the social media platform Twitter) are the most efficient way to share information (this is true even for Boomers who have a preference for photos); • Both Millennials and Boomers are more likely to have a favorable impression of brands that make their lives better; • Value doesn’t always mean dollars — consumers expect brands to align their marketing messages with their values and stand for more than their bottom line;

Figure 1. None of us should be surprised that understanding the interests and needs of our customers and how to reach them is a constant and dynamic challenge, but it is critical to business success. For example, members of the Baby Boomer Generation tend to be interested in pictures like this image of Ribes odoratum (clove currant), and short messages are typically the best method for efficiently sharing information with potential customers of all ages. It takes fewer than 140 characters to craft a message to sell this plant: Beautiful, incredibly fragrant, a Minnesota native, reliable, adaptable, easy to grow; everyone should have at least one in their yard. (Photo Credit: Jim Calkins).

ounger consumers are spending more time indoors and aren’t spending as much time in their yards as they once did. While the great outdoors is appealing, it is more often experienced away from home rather than in the home landscape. A growing segment of the population views many gardening activities as chores rather than an enjoyable leisure activity, and an even bigger group know little about plants and lack confidence when it comes to growing plants and gardening. Are you aware of these trends and how they might affect your business? Nursery and landscape professionals need to be aware of these trends, but most importantly, must understand their potential customer base — who they are and what their interests and needs are — if they are to be successful in attracting new customers and maintaining existing ones. If you haven’t already seen them, you may be interested in a variety of interesting articles published in Greenhouse Grower related to The 10% Project, an initiative of Greenhouse Grower’s sister publication Today’s Garden Center magazine. The initiative tasked 38

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june 16

• Consumers demand more from their favorite brands and clever marketing messages are no longer enough — today, the most inspired brands aren’t just telling their story, they are living it. • Based on research involving three focus groups of consumers under the age of 50 (18–29 year olds/Gen Y, 30–49 year olds/Gen X, and parents with children aged 2–12), most younger consumers: • Believe it is important for children to learn how to grow plants even though they view gardening as a time-consuming and expensive endeavor. Although they tend to view gardening as a chore, they also believe gardening is healthy and a good way to connect with nature and relieve stress. • Consider themselves to be novices and are insecure regarding plant knowledge, do not believe they are typical gardeners, and lack confidence about their gardening abilities. They believe gardening is mysterious and intimidating and only understood by older gardeners. They fear that their gardening activities will fail (again, a lack of confidence), resulting in a perception of wasted time and financial risk, which influences their perceptions of price. • Research everything online, but the internet isn’t their only source of trusted information. Advice from immediate family members is an important source, but further online research is usually pursued.

• See beauty and food production as the primary motivators for gardening. A sense of accomplishment and health concerns are the principal drivers related to food gardening. • Cite a lack of time, the appeal of modern technology (cell phones, video games, etc.), unpredictability/fear of failure, and view gardening as being hard work and dirty. • Additional findings based on these surveys of younger consumers (consumers under 50 years old) indicated: • Interest in gardening was lower for the 18–29/Gen Y age group. A majority of consumers (more than 54%) cite home improvement or hardware stores as the place where they buy most of their plants and garden-related purchases, and convenience as the primary reason for shopping there. A perception that their prices were lower was also a consideration, but the customers surveyed didn’t know that much about prices and there was no indication that comparison shopping was common. More 30-49 year olds listed traditional garden centers as a place where they made garden related purchases. Plant quality and knowledgeable people were most often cited as the reasons for shopping at traditional garden centers; very few of the consumers surveyed had made purchases online or from catalogs. • Fifty-six percent (56%) of the consumers surveyed had purchased a flowering plant or seed, and 33% had purchased a food producing plant or seed, making flowering plants the more popular choice. • Mothers, and females in general, appear to be the primary influences when it comes to gardening, and gardening is often associated with strong family memories. • For a variety of reasons, garden retail is undergoing a sea change and will be very different than it is now in a short timeframe; owners of firms that got their start during the 1970s and 1980s are, or soon will be, retiring resulting in new ownership, closures, and more diverse perspectives about what garden retail should be. Paying close attention to the purchases made by these new owners will be important to suppliers. As interest in gardening is declining and new customers will be needed, customer’s needs are changing, and retailers will need to expand their customer base by understanding what kinds of plants, information, and services these potential customers desire. • Garden retail technology is changing (including an increasing interest in e-commerce marketing options), and a lack of technological sophistication is a potential barrier to increasing sales. Three areas where change should be anticipated and is already taking place include:

For a variety of reasons, garden retail is undergoing a sea change and will be very different than it is now in a short timeframe; owners of firms that got their start during the 1970s and 1980s are, or soon will be, retiring resulting in new ownership, closures, and more diverse perspectives about what garden retail should be. • Integrated point of sale (POS) systems that include an affordable inventory management system, are capable of interfacing with marketing partners, and have the ability to educate customers about the products they are interested in and expedite sales (requires staff with the right skills and every product must have its own barcode). Note: Top 10 Best Point of Sales Systems (http:// www.top10bestpossystems.com) may be of interest. • The ability to use mobile devices combined with secure, PCI (payment card industry) and DSS (data security standards) compliant (administered by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council and designed to reduce credit card fraud; https:// www.pcisecuritystandards.org) in-store Wi-Fi to serve customers. • An increasing interest by suppliers in online ordering as a substitute for sales representatives. This change carries both potential concerns and benefits that will need to be addressed by suppliers and retail partners. • Retailers should be considering the costs and benefits of these technologies relative to their operations and business goals to better serve their customers and maximize efficiency, sales, and profits. • The 10% Project has identified a variety of means for expanding the green industry’s customer base including: • Not assuming consumers understand how to garden and providing guilt-free help from knowledgeable staff. • Hosting customer events with new customers in mind. • Having a clean store. • Hosting events that highlight new plants and products. • Hosting inter-generational activities. • Encouraging more frequent visits with frequency-based loyalty programs (if you can simply get customers in the store they will likely buy something; e.g., get a free gift based on a set number of visits/purchases regardless of size). june 16

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will likely be an increasing and growing factor in the future of our industry. It will always be important to understand and respond to the changing needs of our customer base, and green industry professionals are in a unique position to offer their expertise to today’s less-confident consumers when it comes to gardening and landscaping. For additional information and detail about these business and marketing trends, consult the following selected references and resources: Sparks, B. 2016. How to Market to Both Millennials and Boomers. Greenhouse Grower; March 16, 2016. http://www.greenhousegreower. com/business-management/how-to-market-to-both-millennials-andboomers/; based on: Swartz. L. 2016. Targeting a Multigenerational Audience? Embrace the Millennial Mindset. FutureCast/Millennial Marketing; February, 2016. http://www.millennialmarketing.com/2016/02/ targeting-a-multigerational-audience-embrace-the-millennial-mindset/

Just as it always has, keeping abreast of market trends and the needs of your customers, analyzing your supplier relationships and potential synergies, understanding your customer base, and the many constantly changing opportunities available for connecting with new customers, and then deciding which marketing tools are best for your business, will be critical factors in the success of nursery and landscape industry firms in the years to come. It wasn’t that long ago that company websites were the cutting edge technology for reaching customers, and many green industry firms have mastered this technology with great success while others have not. And while websites certainly remain an important marketing tool, the industry’s customer base, the product and service mix offered, and the way these products and services are marketed to customers are constantly in flux and can be a significant challenge for many nursery and landscape firms. Changing markets and the need to keep up with them certainly aren’t new, but in many cases the changes are bigger and are happening faster. Just as it always has, keeping abreast of market trends and the needs of your customers, analyzing your supplier relationships and potential synergies, understanding your customer base, and the many constantly changing opportunities available for connecting with new customers, and then deciding which marketing tools are best for your business, will be critical factors in the success of nursery and landscape industry firms in the years to come. These truths apply to every sector of the green industry — wholesale and retail, hard goods and soft goods, big companies and small companies. Regardless if your customers are retail outlets, landscape design and installation firms, landscape maintenance companies, or the gardening public, working together with the goal of achieving mutual success

Behe, B.K. and C. Miller. 2016. 5 Things You Need to Know About Young Consumers [10% Project]. Greenhouse Grower; March 6, 2016. http://www.greenhousegrower.com/retailing/5-things-you-need-toknow-about-young-plant-consumers-10-project/ Behe, B.K. and C. Miller. 2016. What Consumers Under 50 Have to Say About Plants, Gardening and Garden Stores [Study Results]. Greenhouse Grower; March 6, 2016. http://www.greenhousegrower.com/retailing/what-consumers-under-50-have-to-say-about-plants-gardeningand-garden-stores-study-results/ Miller, C. 2016. Why America Needs Plant Evangelists. Greenhouse Grower; February 16, 2016. http://www.greenhousegrower.com/business-management/why-america-needs-plant-evangelists/ Miller, C. 2015. Garden Retail is Changing, So Make Sure You’re Ready. Greenhouse Grower; December 25, 2015. http://www.greenhousegrower.com/retailing/graden-reatil-is-changing-so-make-sure-youreready/ Miller, C. 2015. 3 Ways Technology is about to Change Garden Retail. Greenhouse Grower; September 14, 2015. http://www.greenhousegrower.com/retailing/3-ways-technology-is-about-to-change-gardenretail/ Anonymous. 2015. What Consumers Say It Takes to Get Them In the Store [10% Project]. Greenhouse grower; February 14, 2015. http:// www.greenhousegrower.com/retailing/what-consumers-say-it-takes-toget-them-in-the-door-10-project/ Miller, C. 2014. GROW Perspective: We Need More People to Buy Plants. Greenhouse Grower; December 30, 2014. http://www.greenhousegrower.com/business-management/grow-perspective-we-needmore-people-to-buy-plants/ Miller, C. 2014. What Consumers Think of Local Garden Centers [10% Project]. Greenhouse Grower; February 3, 2014. http://www.greenhousegrower.com/retailing/what-consumers-think-of-local-gardencenters-10-project/ Miller, C. 2012. Sell More Plants: The 10% Project. Greenhouse Grower; September 25, 2012. http://www.greenhousegrower.com/businessmanagement/finance-operations/sell-more-plants-the-10-percentproject/ JIM CALKINS is

the MNLA Foundation Research Information Director. To comment on this research update, suggest research topics of interest, or pass along a piece of researchbased information that might be of interest to your industry colleagues, please email us at research@MNLA.biz.

june 16

MNLA .biz

2016

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TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT Homeowners are often faced with a tough reality regarding the mature size of their evergreen trees. Faith Appelquist | Tree Quality LLC

With proper spacing from the outset, trees are healthy, long-lived and enhance property values.

june 16

MNLA .biz

➾ T OO CLOSE FOR CO M FO RT

Don’t place conifers in an established deciduous landscape.

Brown needles in the center indicate disease progression from overcrowding.

It is best to locate conifers in the landscape so they will not have to be pruned, because many look odd and are severely injured when their lower branches are removed.

Don’t place conifers too close together. The result is a bunch of Christmas trees on “telephone poles.” This is often done to make a green screen, but years later the exact opposite is the result.

An overgrown conifer was removed leaving an ugly, malformed mess in the wake.

MNLA .biz

june 16

Most conifers require full sun on all sides for proper growth and development and don’t tolerate shade, even from each other.

he once petite darling now overhangs the sidewalk, blocks the door, trespasses on the neighbor’s lawn, shades the garden, and hits the fence. Pruning conifers only makes matters worse, as the tree becomes disfigured and a maintenance headache. I find this problem to be especially troublesome to homeowners who have planted trees in small yards. Colorado blue spruce saplings may appear dwarfed by a 40' × 30' yard, but in 10 years they will have grown approximately 15 feet; in 20 years they will have grown over 30 feet, and in 30 years they can reach nearly 50 feet tall. And once that spruce reaches maturity, its canopy will be approximately 20–25 feet in diameter. White pine can grow 100 feet tall and have a 40 foot diameter. So, why do we let it happen? Why we let overcrowding happen is that we purchase most trees when they’re relatively small and our new yard has plenty of space available. Why be content to plant just a few, when there is space for a dozen or more? We want to fill the yard and create a special, private space and a buffer to the neighbor. And for many, the sooner the better. Most conifers require full sun on all sides for proper growth and development and don’t tolerate shade, even from each other. Once crowding sets in, the health of those trees is also in jeopardy. Space conifers apart at their mature canopy spread, which is listed on the nursery tag. And if you want to have a privacy buffer fast, there are many narrow, columnar choices available that can be planted very close together.

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is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, an ISA Municipal Specialist MN, and an ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist®. Faith can be reached at faith@treequality.com. FAITH APPELQUIST

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MNLA .biz

➾ M E M BE R N E W S

TIME TO RENEW!

RENEW TODAY!

It’s that time of year — keep an eye out for your 2016–2017 membership dues renewal notice. In order to save the association printing and mailing costs, please return your renewal promptly.

NEW THIS YEAR!

MNLA now offers a “Delayed Payment Option.” Provide your credit card information today and you won't be charged before August 15th (you must select option on renewal form). With summer approaching, we encourage you to take a minute to reassess your business needs. Don’t pay more than you have to! Please take a moment to review the MNLA Member-Only Exclusive Benefits at www.mnla.biz. Sign in, and take a look under the “MEMBERS ONLY” menu. Let us help you save on your bottom line! Feel free to contact the MNLA office if we can be of any assistance to you during the renewal process or for any of our products and services offered. We are available at 651-6334987 or mnla@mnla.biz. Your continued support and involvement as a member of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association is greatly appreciated. Providing you with education, legislative representation, networking, and other member services is why MNLA exists.

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MEMBER NEWS BORGERT PRODUCTS RECEIVES CENTRAL MINN. BUSINESS RECOGNITION SUE BORGERT, BORGERT PRODUCTS,

is the 2016 St. Cloud Area Small Business Owner of the Year. The award is presented annually by the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce.

Borgert Concrete Products was established in 1923 by Lawrence A. Borgert in east St. Cloud. In 1953, Lawrence’s son, Kenneth J. Borgert, took over the business, moving it to its current location in St. Joseph. In 1976 the company expanded its product offerings by manufacturing pavers, in addition to concrete block and septic tanks. Sue Borgert joined the company in 1982 to sell pavers and by 1992 she had assumed a leadership role in the company, acquiring sole ownership in 2006. During that time the company sold the concrete block business and doubled in size from 25 employees and $5 million in sales to 54 employees and $11 million in sales. Today the company manufactures concrete paving stones, retaining walls, and slabs. Borgert Products stands out from its competition by manufacturing pavers from granite. Though it is more expensive to use granite, Borgert said, the pavers are of higher quality. A planned expansion into Colorado included securing a source for granite aggregate. The Colorado expansion has been a major undertaking for the company, which has had a distribution center there for ten years. With the recent approval of their permit, they will begin construction of a manufacturing plant that will employ about 10 people. Strategic planning and product development have been a focus for the company for the last several years. They now offer pavers in a wider variety of shapes and sizes, have patented a permeable paver, and expanded into outdoor fireplaces and ovens.

BACHMAN’S NAMES SUSAN BACHMAN WEST NEW COMPANY PRESIDENT First from fifth generation of the family to be President EFFECTIVE JUNE 17, 2016,

a new generation of the Bachman family will join the top leadership ranks of the 131-year-old floral, home and garden company. Upon the upcoming retirement of company President Paul Bachman, Susan Bachman West, 42, will take on the role of President. She will be the fifth generation of the Bachman family to serve as President, and will continue to sit on the senior leadership team led by her cousin, Dale Bachman, who serves as Bachman’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. “This will be the fourth time the Bachman family has passed the leadership baton to a new generation, and I can’t tell you how honored I am to be a part of that legacy,” Bachman West explains. “The Bachman’s company has so many deeply-rooted traditions, including our commitments to quality, to our community, and to customer service. But perhaps our most important family traditions are our dedication to maintaining Bachman’s leadership in our industry and our commitment to connecting with new generations of customers. I am so proud to be a part of Bachman’s history and its future.” Susan Bachman West, a 26-year company veteran and the first female family member to serve as Bachman’s President, worked part-time in various positions of the company throughout her education years. She joined Bachman’s full-time in 1997 as a Manager Trainee at Bachman’s Eden Prairie Floral, Home and Garden Center. She has served in numerous management positions since that time, most recently as Vice President — Perishable Merchandising and Floral Design, learning the family business from the ground up. Susan is the great, great grand-daughter of Bachman’s founders, Henry and Hattie Bachman. Additional fifth generation Bachman family members actively engaged in the company are Karen Bachman Thull, Director — Marketing and Corporate Communications and Adam Bachman, Department Manager / Inventory Control — Lyndale.

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➾GOV E RN MEN T AFFAIR S

MNLA Staffer Tim Power Offers Advice as He Retires MNLA’s Tim Power retired on June 1st, after forty years in the industry.

Tim Power

MNLA Legislative Affairs Manager

Tim has a biology degree from Grinnell College and received his horticulture training at the now-defunct University of Minnesota-Waseca after his active duty in the Navy. Tim joined Law’s Valley View Nurseries in Hastings in 1977; he and his partner, Paul Morlock bought out the business and renamed it Law’s Nursery, Inc. in 1984. Law’s grew shade trees and sold them B&B at wholesale to nurseries and landscapers throughout the upper Midwest. Tim left Law’s in the capable hands of his business partner in 2010 and began working for MNLA. Tim was active on MNLA committees throughout his thirty-five years at Law’s, ultimately chairing the MN Nursery Research Corporation and the Plant Materials and Plant and Pest Issues committees and serving on the Government Affairs Committee. He was elected to the MNLA Board of Directors in 1996 and served in various capacities until 2010, including two years as President in 2006– 2007. He became heavily involved with MNLA’s government affairs program while serving on the board. When he left the board and his company in 2010, he was hired by then, MNLA Executive Director Bob Fitch as a Regulatory Consultant. He served as MNLA’s first full-time Government Affairs Director from 2012 until 2015 then cut back to half-time for the past year as Legislative Affairs Manager. Tim offered the following words of advice as he prepared to retire: • MNLA’s Government Affairs program is alive and well. Under the able guidance of committee chair Tim Malooly, Regulatory Affairs Manager Jim Calkins, Lobbyist Doug Carnival, and Executive Director Cassie Larson, we have become a sought-after resource by our partners and highly respected by our regulators and legislators. Our voice matters and is being heard in venues across the state.

• MNLA members face ongoing challenges in running their businesses efficiently and profitably in the face of increasing regulation. Rather than viewing these challenges as barriers, I believe our members can and should view them as opportunities. As an example, the federal Clean Water Act requires our own Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to study the state’s waters and declare impaired waters as such, based on a variety of pollutants like total suspended solids, phosphorus or others. Municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) communities must then create plans to reduce these pollutants flowing from their jurisdictions and allocate those reductions back to individual parcels. These mandated reductions can often be accomplished using green infrastructure, including raingardens, tree trenches, permeable pavement systems and improved turf. I believe that our member companies are uniquely positioned to benefit from these mandates, by gaining expertise and becoming certified where possible to design, install and maintain these green infrastructure practices.

• Water will continue to be an issue that affects many of our members. A current SNAFU with the Minnesota State Plumbing Board (MSPB) with their adoption of a new state plumbing code based on a highly-restrictive national code, is a great example. MNLA has filed a “friend of the court” brief in support of members and others who are suing the MSPB. MNLA believes that the new plumbing code is but one front in a turf war over who gets to work in the water arena, in this case in the design and installation june 16

MNLA .biz

➾ G O V E RN M E N T A F FA I RS

of stormwater harvest and reuse systems and also in the testing and rebuilding of the backflow prevention assemblies associated with landscape irrigations systems. I predict that this will not be the last time we face groups whose advocacy would likely restrict our ability to work in certain fields. • Minnesota has had a noxious weed program since the 1800’s, and MNLA has been involved in this program for many years, but the connection between invasive plants and noxious weeds has not yet been fully addressed. A number of non-regulated horticultural plants are considered invasive by the Minnesota DNR and others, and I believe members would be wise to consider moving away from some of these plants and shifting to non-invasive alternatives. A number of horticultural plants have recently been regulated or recommended for regulation, including Japanese barberry, the Asiatic bush honeysuckles, and Amur maple. Sorry if those are fighting words, but I think that companies that move to non-invasive alternatives will do their customers a service. Believe me, I am not suggesting we go natives-only. • Speaking of native plants, I think there will be a lot of money to be made in producing and selling high-quality horticultural grade natives, particularly those of known and local provenance. I love the concept of regionally-produced nativars, or cultivars of native plants that exhibit good horticultural characteristics. Examples of nativars for Minnesota would be plants like Fall Fiesta® sugar maple and Technito® arborvitae. However, that does not mean that our industry should ignore the natural resources restoration market. The genotypic diversity of seed-produced natives has become a requirement on many restoration projects. This points to an ongoing clash between the genetic diversity needed for restorations and the good horticultural characteristics of cultivars needed for the landscape market. Companies that can bridge that gap and serve both markets well will be successful.

MNLA Office: Exterior Improvement Project — Call for Interested Landscape Designers: The MNLA Board of Directors has commissioned an Exterior Improvements Task Team and committed resources to explore the possibilities that exist to more effectively utilize the Association’s outdoor footprint. The team would like to solicit a Landscape Designer who may be interested in bidding on putting together a design for site. The details of the project are currently in discussion, but the team would like to compile a list of designers to which the specs can be sent upon completion. Is this something that sounds interesting to you or your firm? Please send an e-mail, no later than July 1, 2016, to MNLA Executive Director Cassie Larson at cassie@mnla.biz and your name will be added to a list of interested parties.

MNLA .biz

june 16

• The issue of pollinators and the potential impact of our industry on pollinator habitat is not going to go away, and that is both good and bad for our industry. MNLA has developed a public policy statement on the pollinators and pesticides issue that is worth reading. While we fought back and helped modify the 2014 Nursery Pollinator Labeling Law into more reasonable form in 2015, this issue will be front and center in future legislative sessions. There is a small but very vocal minority that would like to ban all pesticides, and neonicotinoid insecticides in particular, in the state of Minnesota. The state of Maryland just passed legislation that will remove neonics as consumer products starting in 2018, effectively making them Restricted Use Pesticides in that state. While the nursery/landscape industry has great synergies with state agencies and advocacy organizations in protecting and improving pollinator habitat, we also need reason (and the EPA) to prevail rather than emotion in establishing regulations.

ASSION

is what drives us to bring you premium pavers, slabs and walls. Borgert Products was the first to produce concrete pavers in the Midwest and today is the ONLY to use local granite aggregate to create higher quality products.

Enjoy Life Outdoors

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Visit our showroom at: IMS, Suite 12C

For more information or for a free Borgert catalog call 800.622.4952

Visit our showroom at IMS, Suite 12C | For a dealer near you call 800.622.4952 | Owww.borgertproducts.com W W W. B R G E R T P R O D U C T S . CO M

HOW THE RETAIL STORE OF THE FUTURE HOLDS KEYS FOR

RETAIL SHOPPING TRENDS Everyone is busy trying to understand and predict the future of shopping and of retail in particular. But too many retailers have their heads down ignoring any new development as pie-in-the-sky or not relevant to them. They just want to get through each day.

Bob Phipps | The Retail Doctor

ut that’s a problem when the very nature of shopping is changing.

This past week after keynoting at the Retail Congress in Antwerp, Belgium I was fortunate to be able to visit The Loop, Retail Detail’s knowledge lab, where the future of retail is studied. There among the cobblestone streets, ancient mansions, and a thriving metropolis, I found a focus on understanding shoppers and retail startups like I’ve never seen before. Jorg Snoeck, founder and CEO of Retail Detail, explained why The Loop was created. He said, “As a retailer, you have to concentrate on three critical issues today: the smart use of omnichannel, the experience for the customer, and your relationship with that customer’s movements in the market. However, things are moving so rapidly that the retailer is almost hopeless to even see his own forest for the trees.” It’s called The Loop because Retail Detail has identified the ten repeating stages of a buyer’s journey, beginning with their original inspiration to purchase, through that item making its way into their home, and then onto their next inspiration. They have mapped out each stage to see how technology plays a part. While some still call it omnichannel, most retailers are simply referring to it as the complete or seamless sales journey, the idea being there is no separate buying channel — online, offline, mobile, or kiosk path — they all work in tandem. Rather than trying to identify and measure each one, the smart retailer must look at the entire customer journey loop.

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➾ RE TA I L TREN DS

Click-and-Collect option or what we in the States call the BuyOnline, Pickup-In-Store option. Stage 4 — Home to store. They travel from their home to the store at a reserved time. Stage 5 — Entering the store. They go to a dedicated pickup area or a personal assistant in the store. Stage 6 — Staff and Product Encounter. The employee builds trust and rapport and engaged. Stage 7 — Outfitting. While the shopper is examining the item they ordered, the employee offers additional items which may be either online or in-store. Stage 8 — Checkout and point of sale. Customer pays for both in-store and online items which will be delivered.

d v c w y c i o h y t

Stage 9 — Delivery of online items at home. Stage 10 — Re-trigger. Shopper seeks new inspirations and the

Loop begins again. Understanding all these touch points has helped Retail Detail spotlight some of the best technology in their learning lab and it is constantly changing as a result. Here are four technologies I think are pretty smart: 1. Virtual mannequin. Using their smartphone or touching the

film on a retailer’s window allows shoppers to customize an item on a mannequin and shop — even when the store is closed. It can also be used in-store.

2. Mobile mirrors. These cameras feature a time-delay display

which allows a customer to turn around and see a 360degree view of themselves while trying on clothing.

– i t p i o i W a p o

3. Hologram customization. While a lot of websites now offer

customization, a 3D hologram makes the process easy and interesting on your sales floor. 4. Magnetic RFID enabled POS systems. By using magnets

instead of pins for theft protection, holes in the garment are no longer a worry, but more than that, radio frequency ID tags keeps cashiers from entering lower prices for friends and makes inventory a breeze. The challenges in retailing do not go away with technology tools, they just change.

Whoever had the must-have product used to own the market. Now it will become about access to that product, not just stocking the product. For example, while it will be easy to embed a QR code into a magazine or TV, that code will only go to one retailer. Who gets the ownership of the code wins the purchase as customers can purchase from anywhere. Supermarkets are already fearing the Amazon dash buttons that allow customers to easily add to their online shopping lists. Going one step further, the upcoming Internet of Things (IoT) Appliance will be connected to online retailers and be able to reorder supplies automatically. Just think of an intelligent washer that knows you are about to run out of detergent and orders it for you. That means your ability to attract a customer to a new detergent in-store becomes much more difficult for two reasons — shoppers won’t go 38

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down your detergent aisle any more, and they won’t want to reprogram their IoT appliance. In addition, stores are getting much smaller. With the advent of just-in-time production, stores will no longer need the 10,000 square feet to house all the clothing sizes, so stores will shrink. This explains one of the fastest growing trends in retail, shipping containers being turned into boutiques of just 400 square feet. Yes, we’re looking at a future of much smaller, more entrepreneurial stores that don’t have to become the next H&M or Starbucks, but can be happy just serving their local trading area. Look no further than the craft beer craze for the popularity of buying local. With the waves of retail bankruptcies far from over, expect real estate to come down in price, which will make it much more affordable for smaller operators to open compelling and interesting stores, consider a produce store that has a live feed to the chickens laying the eggs or a clothing store where merchandise is created on 3D printers based on the styles shoppers voted for on their smartphones and then displayed in-store the next day. I’ve seen the future and it’s smaller.

As stores get smaller, curating a collection will be easier. You will need to develop a very clear point of view that enables shoppers to understand what you sell. Instead of aiming for the mass market, you will have to find new ways to tell your story to a growing tribe of established and future followers. On top of that, the Minimalism movement is growing. People are surrounding themselves with less and less stuff and in smaller and smaller places. The adherers

of Minimalism, when reviewing what they will bring into their homes, simply ask themselves, “Does this bring me joy?” If it doesn’t, they don’t buy it. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

What won’t change is the major leak in most retailers’ customer experience, the employee working on the floor who is disengaged, disempowered, and dislikes working retail. When your customer walks in your doors, they’ll pour cold water on their flames of inspiration. That’s nothing new... What is new is how smart retailers are embracing the future and looking at new tools to add to their arsenal against the Amazon and Alibaba’s of the world. Coupled with an enthusiastic salesperson who can get the consumer to trust them, and by extension the brand, smart retailers are coming up with something greater than the sum of their technologic parts. They may be adding holographic customization to their customer experience, without assuming the holographs on their own are engaging. Others are using actual on-the-product augmented reality video — yes, it’s a cookie box that talks — that speaks to customers one-on-one to showcase product ingredients, fashion tips, or geewhiz ideas. That’s because the future of retail has to go further than just passing out iPads to save a clerk from checking the stockroom. It has to start with the customer. They left their home because they were bored with their tablet; they were craving a human-to-human experience, not a virtual reality experience. No, you can’t turn your store into just a warehouse of virtual life to hide the real fact you have a boring store. Retail sales training will be more important than ever by giving your employees the steps to build rapport and trust! It will allow you to sell what you have in the store and to gently challenge customers who think they know what they want by showing them something even better. It will keep your customers loyal to you, and you will stay in their Loop.

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In Sum

A variety of readers follow this blog — from global brands and think tanks to one-off retailers and their crews. No matter what size you are, you need to look at how you are showing up in your potential customers’ lives and where you are in each of the ten stages of the Loop. Once you see where you could do better, look at the options, consider your resources, and sketch out a plan It isn’t the big that will beat the small, it is the creative that will devour the uninspired. Think about that for a while… BOB PHIBBS, The Retail Doctor, is a nationallyrecognized business strategist, customer service expert, sales coach, marketing mentor, and retail author. Contact Bob at www.retaildoc.com, or 562-260-2266.

CHIP IT. GRIND IT.

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TREES, BRANCHES, LIMBS AND STUMPS ARE NO MATCH FOR A BANDIT! Rent the brush chippers and stump grinders that are the choice of tree care professionals for their performance and dependability! There are many types and sizes of machines to suit every job. Chippers have capacities from 6 inches all the way up to 21 inches and we have stump grinders small and nimble enough for yards or large and powerful enough for high production work.

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➾ WOR D ON THE STREET

WORD ON STREET THE

QUESTION: WHAT NEW TECHNOLOGY ARE YOU USING THIS YEAR TO HELP YOU WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY? ADAM BACHMAN, BACHMAN’S, INC.

With such an intense and limited garden season, it is extremely important to have what your customers want when they want it. At Bachman’s, we are embracing a new POS (point of sale) system and receiving technology to improve our inventory management so we can continue to provide superior customer service. All of our hardgood and perishable merchandise is now electronically requested and received at our retail stores or distribution center. As a result, we now have real-time inventories. This gives us great visibility and enables the buying, marketing, and operational teams to work closely together to provide the best customer experience possible. We recognize that embracing and utilizing new technology is a must if you want to be relevant in today’s marketplace.

AARON SMITH, HOFFMAN & MCNAMARA NURSERY AND LANDSCAPE

Hoffman and McNamara has recently begun to use a tablet in place of many things that were typically documented on paper. This is an effort to: 1) minimize the use of paper products, 2) organize files in a manner that allows for quick and easy access, 3) consolidate paperwork typically carried in the field into one location, and 4) reduce time spent filling out paperwork by hand. The tablet is paired with a hot spot for internet access while away from headquarters. Certain files that have historically been stored on our server are now available offline and synchronize automatically with our server upon returning to headquarters. Pictures can be taken and easily attached to an email or stored for later viewing. We are working toward eliminating the 3" 3-ring binder carried around by the Nursery Manager containing information on customer orders, inventory stats, and many other pieces of valuable information that are needed on a daily basis around the nursery. In digitizing this information we will be able to streamline the processes of writing customer orders, filling out dig orders, recording chemical application data, and updating quantities ready for shipping, along with many others. It takes time to digitize this information and to customize programs to fit this media, but the long term benefits, I believe, will more than make up for the time spent. Hoffman and McNamara hopes to find other applications for this technology in the near future, and welcomes any questions or ideas. 60

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BOB BALGIE, IRRIGATION TECHNICIAN AT BARRETT LAWN CARE

Smart Controllers in Irrigation Systems: In the irrigation industry, the use of smart controllers is becoming more prevalent with each passing season. These controllers can save you up to 70% of the water you are currently using to irrigate your lawn. The smart controllers do this by taking into account factors such as soil type, amount of sun, plant type, and your location in regards to seasonal weather. This is a great way to lessen our environmental foot print and still keep our lawns looking great. There are several different manufacturers that provide these controllers and weather sensors. Have your irrigation contractor give you a quote on upgrading your system so that you too can start saving water and money.

PAT WEISS, GROUND ONE ENTERPRISES OF MN LLC

2016 is a big year for us at Ground One for office technology upgrades. Our design team has switched to Dynascape design software from Autocad. Autocad has it’s advantages and can still be used with Dynascape. The advances in technology that Dynascape brings us is the ability to draw, estimate, job cost and integrate Quickbooks for invoicing. We were spending a lot of extra time using Excel spreadsheets, etc., to formulate answers to questions. Some questions never were answered because of time constraints. We’re off to a quick start as our staff took classes from Hennepin County Technical School this winter! Additionally, we began using an electronic payroll system. This cuts down on paperwork for the whole staff and gets the information into payroll and job costing software. These were big changes and we are already enjoying the results!

BRANDON GALLAGHER WATSON, RAINBOW TREECARE

TONY FRATZKE, DIRECTOR OF DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY FOR SOUTHVIEW DESIGN

You’ve heard of “keeping up with the times”? Sometimes you are forced to keep up whether you want to or not. Our design software was showing its age in spite of updates. So the quest was on to find new design software and Southview Design decided on Vectorworks. It’s one of the only products to incorporate 2D & 3D design simultaneously and allows almost limitless customization with drawing styles, graphics, and symbols. Vectorworks will eventually allow us to take design capabilities a step further. In a few years, we will be able to look at full-site modeling. Plus, Vectorworks has an incredible local support group. People in various industries, such as landscaping, engineering, architecture, graphic design, and interior design — all using the software — meet to share ideas and provide training every few months. It’s a whole new world.

CONNOR WALSH, VINELAND TREECARE

Safety is our number one goal and sometimes it is difficult to manage in a loud environment. Our in-helmet intercoms, with noise cancellation, help us communicate with each other on the fly without having to shout. Smoother communication means better work flow and job planning.

In January 2016, Rainbow Treecare (Minnetonka, MN) purchased a tracked lift, and since then, this new piece of technology has been a game-changer. If you aren’t familiar with a tracked lift by name (they also go by mini-lift or spider lift) they are boom lifts that are mounted onto small tractor-like bases. They fold in small enough to get through an average backyard gate but then they have support legs that telescope out, giving it a wide, stable base. From there it works just like a bucket truck would, allowing the arborist to access a tree’s canopy up to 72' feet from the ground. I had the chance to see this lift in action in late March. The tree was one of the largest American elms Rainbow has ever taken down — a 57" DBH tree in a tiny backyard in South Minneapolis with no alley access and a tree that went over several adjacent properties. Our team was able to access portions of the tree overhanging the next-door neighbor’s home by driving the tracked lift up their cobblestone driveway, set up in the backyard, and perform the necessary limb removals without the need for a team of climbers and/or a crane. No other piece of equipment could have allowed this. This new technology presented not only safer working conditions for our technical arborists, but the time and labor reduction significantly reduced the final cost to client.

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➾ T H E LAST WORD

HORTICULTURE CURRICULUM FOR HIG H SC H O O L ED UC ATO R S AN N O U N CE D

Paulette Sorenson

MNLA Foundation Coordinator

THE MNLA FOUNDATION is proud to announce an invaluable resource for high school teachers. Pathways Through Horticulture is a free curriculum that addresses the importance and significant value of horticulture and gives a detailed orientation of Botany and Plant Growth, Plant Materials, Floriculture, Landscape Design and Maintenance, and Careers. This curriculum guide provides materials for teachers to use in developing a 1- or 2-year course in horticulturerelated occupations. The program prepares students with employability skills that are transferable among horticulture-related occupations or into other vocational programs.

Members of MNLA are embracing relationships with all levels of education throughout Minnesota to encourage young people to consider education and careers in the green industry. Local members can assist with classroom presentations, field trips, demonstrations, and technical assistance to bring the classroom experience to real life experience. The green industry provides economic value to our communities and to the country. A healthy green industry creates job opportunities, food, and psychological well-being. Education and training required for people wanting to be in the industry have led to increased enrollment in horticulture and agronomic programs at two-year colleges and universities. A student who plans to study horticulture can earn an associate’s, baccalaureate, masters or a doctoral degree. Earning a degree betters the opportunity to find a higher paying job in the green industry. The curriculum includes: Each module will take 2 to 15 hours, depending on how much depth the teacher wants to discuss. Each module includes a script for the teacher, suggested classroom activities, PowerPoint presentation and or reading lessons, and suggestions on where to go for more information. How do I get the curriculum? You can access the curriculum on this web site: http://www.mnla.biz/default. asp?page=hscurriculum THE MNLA FOUNDATION, the charitable arm of MNLA, is a non-profit charitable foundation that raises funds to support research grants, scholarships, and other educational activities to benefit the green industry. Horticulture education and workforce development continues to be at the forefront of the MNLA Foundation’s commitment to the industry.

MNLA .biz

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Opening Keynote

9:00

7:00

10:00

9:00

12:00

1:00

10:00

2:00

1:00

2:00

Campfire, Sandbox, and Theater Sessions 12:00

Concurrent Sessions

4:00

Closing Keynote

8:00

6:00