The Landscape Professional May/June 2020

Ă?The

Landscape PROFESSIONAL The official magazine of the National Association of Landscape Professionals Profess

May/June 2020

Resilient member companies push forward through trying times PLUS: NCLC Event Goes Virtual Key takeaways from the Workforce Summit Safety Watch: Personal Hygiene

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President-Elect Shayne Newman, Landscape Industry Certified, YardApes

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Secretary/Treasurer Bob Grover, Landscape Industry Certified, Pacific Landscape Management

•

Immediate Past President Jeff Buhler, Massey Services

DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE •

Bruce Allentuck, Allentuck Landscaping Co.

•

Mike Bogan, Landscape Industry Certified, LandCare

•

Lisa Fiore, Landscape Hub

•

Paul Fraynd, Landscape Industry Certified, Sun Valley Landscaping

•

Phil Key, Ruppert Landscape

•

Roscoe Klausing, Landscape Industry Certified, Klausing Group

•

Joe Kujawa, Kujawa Enterprises Inc.

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Frank Mariani, Landscape Industry Certified, Mariani Landscape

•

William MacMurdo, Bayer Crop Science

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Joe Munie, Munie Greencare Professionals Inc.

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Tim Portland, Yellowstone Landscape

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Chris Senske, Senske Services

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Brandon Sheppard, Weed Man

THE EXTERIOR TECHNICIAN PROGRAM GOES ONLINE FIVE SPECIALTY AREAS TO CHOOSE FROM: SOFTSCAPE INSTALLATION, HARDSCAPE INSTALLATION, TURF MAINTENANCE, ORNAMENTAL MAINTENANCE, OR IRRIGATION.

National Association of Landscape Professionals landscapeprofessionals.org NALP is the national trade association representing the landscape industry that continuously strives for the highest level of professionalism through education, best practices and certification.NALP helps to advance the landscape industry through education, advocacy and professionalism.

Jill Odom, Editor Cheryl Claborn, Advertising Rob Ghosh, Design Page Howard, Copy Editor Lindsey Getz, Contributing Writer Heather Tunstall, Contributing Writer 12500 Fair Lakes Circle, Ste. 200 Fairfax, VA 22033 800-395-2522 | 703-736-9666 | Fax 703-736-9668 © 2019 The Landscape Professional is published bimonthly by the National Association of Landscape Professionals expressly as a member service.

National Association of Landscape Professionals 3

ÐThe

Landscape PROFESSIONAL 20 Forging Ahead: Resilient member companies push forward through trying times

34 DEPARTMENTS 6

From the CEO: Thoughts on COVID-19, Being Essential and Lessons Learned

8

Letter from the Editor: Jill Odom Joins NALP as Content Manager

32 From the Hill: Landscape Industry Deemed Essential – NALP Advocating for Your Continued Operation During COVID-19 34 I am a Landscape Professional: Miles Kuperus Jr., Farmside Landscape & Design

THE NALP EXPERIENCE 10 NALP Experience: Workforce Summit Highlights Ways to Attract and Retain Employees 14 NALP Experience: NCLC Event Goes Virtual 16 NALP Experience: Newest Members 17 NALP Experience: Plan to Attend LANDSCAPES

29

In Memoriam: Bill Hildebolt

30

Safety Speaks: Personal Hygiene

29 NALP Experience: Will You Be a 2020 Awards of Excellence Winner?

Advertiser Index Bartlett Tree Experts .................................................................. 26 Bayer................................................................... Inside Back Cover Colorblends ......................................................................................... 25 Florasearch ............................................................................................3 Husqvarna ................................................................................... 18-19

4 The Landscape Professional // May/June 2020

John Deere ..............................................................................................5 NALP LANDSCAPES ....................................................................9 NALP NCLC Virtual Event ...................................................... 13 NALP Stronger Together ......................................................... 23 NALP Awards of Excellence..................................................27

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LETTER FROM THE CEO

Thoughts on COVID-19, Being Essential and Lessons Learned leaders in less formal settings, again hearing how they are handling the situation. What I have captured from those conversations I have boiled down to a few lessons learned for you to consider: Most of the leaders are scenario planning on a regular basis, always planning for different scenarios that might occur and how they will react to them.

Many have cited the time that means that the work you do is they have paid prior to this crisis very important, but I believe in where they developed their this time it is more about how you do the work that makes this people as some of the most valuable time they spent. They industry essential. You have to have seen their team members be professionals, which means rise to new heights and were being safe, making the necesglad that they had invested in sary changes to keep our team members and our customers out them prior to this crisis.

Nearly all have spoken of new of harm’s way and being overly ideas they can use in the future cautious with the health and well-being of everyone we come such as having teams show up in small shifts, instead of all into contact with. Now having once, new ways of teleworking spent a good deal of time with and the critical need to always this industry’s leaders, I know be planning for the unexpected. this comes naturally to all of Let me leave you with this, you, however you must remain you are part of an essential invigilant and stay safe. dustry that is going to continue Speaking of the industry’s to grow and change. Make sure leaders, I have been fortunate you are preparing, staying prothe past several weeks to host fessional and most importantly, the new “Big Green Podcast,” staying safe. where I get to spend about 15 to 20 minutes talking to some of this industry’s best and brightest leaders about how they are handling the COVID-19 situation. I have also Britt Wood, CEO spent time with other industry

WHEN YOU START A PIECE ABOUT CORONAVIRUS, YOU are easily tempted to use phrases like “These are unprecedented times…” or “Never in human history…”. I prefer to take the tact that we have a big situation we are having to deal with, and so far, our industry has been more than up to the task. As a new member of this industry I have been fortunate to observe the COVID-19 crisis as both an insider on the front lines, but also as an outsider who has only been in the industry for a few months. I can tell you one thing I have gathered from both of those perspectives: this industry is going to be fine, moreover it may excel from the lessons we have all learned over the past several weeks.

One thing we have learned over the past several weeks is that our industry is essential. I know this is something that we have always believed, but in mid to late March the Department of Homeland Security verified it. So, what does it mean to be essential, and how can we live up to being essential? Well it

6 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Jill Odom Joins NALP as Content Manager SALUTATIONS! CAN YOU TELL I’VE NEVER WRITTEN AN editor’s note before? While I am new to the world of print magazines, I’ve been familiar with the green industry for almost five years now.

If my name rings a bell, that’s because prior to becoming NALP’s new content manager, I was the editor of Total Landscape Care. I’ve been at many NALP events over the years and have had the pleasure of meeting a number of its members so far and I look forward to meeting even more of you in the future.

Going from an online industry trade magazine to the association I so frequently interviewed for its stance on matters is an interesting transition. Becoming part of the organization that is the true voice of the industry is an exciting challenge I look forward to tackling.

As spring heads into summer, I’m sure no one would have predicted 2020 to have panned out the way it has. Pandemics aren’t exactly common occurrences that your business prepares

8 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020

for, unlike unfavorable weather conditions.

Yet despite the challenges, both NALP and its members have risen to the occasion.

When the National Collegiate Landscape Competition scheduled for March 18-21 at Michigan State University was cancelled due to COVID-19, NALP created a virtual NCLC event where students and industry members could still connect. Read more about this event on page 14-15.

As for upcoming events, the situation with coronavirus is constantly evolving, but at this time, events in the fall such as LANDSCAPES on October 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky, are still a go.

Members have also been making the best of it by ensuring their employees are able to work safely while keeping a

positive attitude about things.

Many have been thinking about how to improve their company’s operations in the wake of this global crisis. You can read about how some of these companies are forging forward on page 20.

In the words of Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, “Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.”

In the meantime, NALP has developed a coronavirus resource center online that is updated regularly with information on regulations, best practices and guidance surrounding COVID-19.

We will get through this as we are stronger together.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at jill@landscapeprofessionals.org and share your thoughts, concerns and stories.

TLP

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THE NALP EXPERIENCE

Workforce Summit Highlights Ways to Attract and Retain Employees

By Jill Odom MORE THAN 100 INDUSTRY MEMBERS gathered in Alexandria, Virginia on March 2-3 for this year’s Workforce Summit to share strategies and best practices on attracting and retaining workers. If you were unable to attend this year’s summit, here’s an overview of some of the topics that were discussed.

10 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020

ATTRACTING If you ask your peers in the industry what is one of their biggest pain points, majority will say it is finding labor. With this being such a common issue, you have to get creative with where you’re looking for potential employees and how you are attracting them to your company.

DEVELOP MORE DIVERSITY The first step to attracting a more diverse workforce is to ensure your company culture is open and inclusive.

For instance, if you are looking to attract more women to the field, work on having the basics taken care of such as providing uniforms and PPE specifically designed for women and ensuring access to bathrooms. Training on anti-bullying and sexual harassment policies should also be created.

“There was tremendous insight on how to create a culture of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and steps you can take to walk the talk,” says PJ Rovinelli Jr., director of talent development at Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Supply.

Another demographic you can look to tap into is the up and coming Gen Z, which are those born in 1998 or later.

Employees in this age group want to know about their impact on the environment and are very inclusive when it comes to diversity in general. People in this generation are looking for clear growth paths and are open to careers right after high school, so they should be recruited early on.

EFFECTIVE INDUSTRY BRANDING One major element that is keeping people from considering landscaping

As for engaging with local FFA chapters, focus on educating the educators as you start to reach out. Offer a helping hand to the teachers who are stretched thin by providing hands-on experiences for these students. FFA students have strong value systems and great soft skills, making them a good fit for the industry.

and lawn care jobs as a career is the general perception of the industry.

“A rebrand of our industry is required to attract new and future generations to our awesome industry,” Rovinelli says. “We are far more than a ‘mow and blow’ workforce.”

Rovinelli advises sharing the passion, ideas and concepts of sustainable solutions and environmental resource management.

Some of the ways you can communicate the value of a job in the green industry is to partner with local schools, local FFA chapters and workforce development boards.

While collaborating with schools can take a lot of work, you will also reap the benefits. It is important to be strategic about how you want to recruit and provide real-world experience to the students.

Rovinelli says Ewing is looking into ways to work collaborate with local schools and organizations to introduce and share their passion for the work they do.

“The earlier we expose our community to the work we do the greater influence we can have!” he says.

As for engaging with local FFA chapters, focus on educating the educators as you start to reach out. Offer a helping hand to the teachers who are stretched thin by providing hands-on experiences for these students. FFA students have strong value systems and great soft skills, making them a

“The group is stronger because everyone has the same challenges and are willing to come together, share and be open to possibilities.” - Scott Sittler, channel marketing manager, Husqvarna good fit for the industry.

“I was in a group that spent a lot of time discussing how to engage students involved in FFA,” says Erin Barr, director of human resources operations for Munie Greencare Professionals, based in Caseyville, Illinois. “We had some really great ideas and were able to get into details about how to engage students in general.”

Participating in and creating a presence at workforce development boards can put you in contact with like-minded employers who are dealing with similar recruiting issues. It brands you with the community and provides a consistent flow of candidates from the workforce board. This can also put you in contact with others who can help supply you with candidates.

“Right after the conference I started reaching out to local workforce boards and have partnered with several in different locations where we have an office,” Barr says. “Some of our plans have been put on hold due to the current situation with COVID-19, but we want to continue to build on our current programs and implement the apprenticeship program.”

The Landscape Management Apprenticeship Program was launched at last year’s Workforce Summit Continued on page 12 Ð

National Association of Landscape Professionals 11

THE NALP EXPERIENCE RIENCE

“Eric Chester’s keynote presentation was fantastic. His advice around creating a great work environment was the most beneficial.” - Scott Sittler, channel marketing manager, Husqvarna

and offers job seekers a new career path via a paid apprenticeship with a professional landscape company. As an apprenticed industry, the landscape profession is now considered a skilled trade.

Apprentices are required to receive 2,000 hours of on-the-job training as well as a minimum of 144 hours of in the classroom or online equivalent.

Barr says she was very curious to hear during this summit how companies were implementing the program.

“When I first heard about it in 2019, I had a hard time envisioning how we could implement it and make it work,” she says. “After hearing about the suc12 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020

cesses of other companies and how they put it to use in a practical sense, it really helped me frame it in my mind and understand how we could move forward with it.”

RETAINING After you’ve went above and beyond recruiting your employees, the last thing you want to do is to lose them over not having a company culture that makes them want to stay.

Starting with improved onboarding can help new employees feel welcomed from day one. Some of the ways to achieve this is to assign a mentor to a new employee from the start and

allowing them to anonymously submit feedback. Make sure your new hires understand your core values and how you implement them on a daily basis.

Celebrate employees’ accomplishments and recognize them on social media. One way to develop a positive culture is to create an awards program where individuals can recommend other employees for awards.

Another aspect of a strong company culture is to invest in educating and training staff. This will not only attract new recruits but shows current employees how much you value you them and your desire for them to continually improve.

In the same vein of providing employees opportunities to improve, offering a visible career ladder is also critical for both prospects and staff.

Highlight how a person can reach a certain job position while understanding not everyone progresses on a set path. Also there are people who don’t want to be promoted to a different type of job.

In employee reviews, make a point to monitor and document employees’ core competencies to see how people are doing overall. TLP

THE 2020 NCLC

VIRTUAL EVENT

NALP would like to thank the sponsors of the 2020 NCLC Virtual Event. These companies have gone above and beyond to support our great industry, proving that together, we are stronger.

Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

SEASON AFTER SEASON

Key Cards Sponsor

THE NALP EXPERIENCE

NCLC Event Goes Virtual

By Jill Odom THE 2020 NATIONAL COLLEGIATE LANDSCAPE COMPETITION WAS held in a markedly different manner this year due to the cancellation of the traditional NCLC event in March at Michigan State University. Rather than not hosting an event at all, NALP developed a virtual event for students, landscape professionals and suppliers to attend and network on April 7-8. along with 33 faculty members, and 100 “Obviously with the current situacareer fair representatives, workshop tion with COVID-19, it was pertinent presenters and sponsor representatives. to cancel the live event,” says Jason “It not only means but shows that Lex, landscape designer and project NALP is dedicated to helping the director for Exscape Designs, based green industry grow even in times of in Novelty, Ohio. “However, I think this offers a great alternative for employers uncertainty,” says Barrett Chow, director to meet with exciting prospects looking of people operations for Lifescape Colorado, based in Denver Colorado. to begin a career within the industry. I “It shows that our industry can and is applaud the organizers for being able willing to adjust to modern times and to pivot and hold this event virtually provide yet another skill set for our with little notice.” future leaders.”

A total of 154 students attended,

14 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020

Platinum sponsor STIHL has been the lead sponsor for 20 years, and Roger Phelps, corporate communications manager for Stihl says whether NCLC is live or virtual they are here to support these students, who are the future of the green industry.

“It means so much to me that NALP created this virtual link!” says Callie Roseman, a sophomore from the University of Mount Olive majoring in agriculture education. “My team and I were so excited to compete in Michigan and when our university sent us an email that we were not allowed to go, it really put us down. We had worked so hard and it felt like it was all being taken away from us. Then our professor told us about the virtual tour, and we all got excited again! It means so much that the organizers care so much about us and our futures to put in the time to create this!”

The average time students spent at the live virtual event over the two days was five hours and 29 minutes.

“I really enjoy how NALP leveraged their resources to still be able to provide students a NCLC experience in the virtual environment,” says Stephen Vaiano, a junior from UMass Amherst majoring in horticulture. “I think that NALP really strives to connect the next generation of green industry professionals and takes a great deal of responsibility to make sure that professional connections are made between students and prospective employers.”

At the career fair portion of the event, there were 40 exhibitors. Despite the unique circumstances, both landscape professionals and students attending the career fair went in with a plan to network.

“We still wanted to participate because we believe in connecting with the students and keeping our name out there,” says Kathryn McLane, business manager with Green Summit Landscape Management. “Our company is only five years old and we are trying to have students, schools, and professors familiar with our name, values and we would like to create relationships with schools and professors so that we can make connections with their best students. We are in a growing industry and are always looking for top talent and attitude.”

Many of the exhibitors, like The Greenery, Inc. based on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, had the goal to virtually connect with as many students as possible and let them know more about their company.

“We felt that it was important to continue to be a part of this as we have been over the past few years,” says Jerry Ashmore, director of workforce development and safety for The Greenery. “This is a great opportunity to meet, talk and discuss with the graduates and future leaders of the green industry. We have jobs available and we want them to know we are here for them.”

Chow says aside from chatting with students interested in internships with the company, he also used the event to network and send positive messages to the people he has met and normally interacts with at NCLC. For Erick Kennedy, a student at Pennsylvania College of Technology studying plant production and landscape technologies, this is his first time attending NCLC. “My goal for today was to search internship opportunities for this upcoming summer as well as to get a feel for how the next summer’s market is looking, as I will be graduating next May and searching for my next career,” Kennedy says. “I will be attending next year’s NCLC event in Virginia so I will meet many of these companies at that point as well.”

Jade Russell, a senior from Brigham Young University – Idaho who is majoring in horticulture says she wanted to explore the companies she was interested in and talk to representatives from companies she had researched beforehand.

“I want to get a feel for the culture of the companies and narrow them down to see which ones are the best fit for me,” Russell says. “I am primarily here to look at internships because I am interested in completing one this summer.”

The virtual event also featured 12 workshops and educational sessions

that students could watch including arboriculture, the power of 3D modeling and a look at robotics and technology.

The sessions on green roofs and sales were the most popular workshops attended during the event.

Kennedy says he attended the arboriculture demonstration, the tree inspection protocol, green roofing and 3D modeling workshops.

“I like what they have done with the virtual event, because I get to learn a lot more in one place,” says Devon Smith, a student with Sandhills Community College majoring in landscape and gardening.

The virtual event also featured 12 workshops and educational sessions that students could watch including arboriculture, the power of 3D modeling and a look at robotics and technology.

The sessions on green roofs and sales were the most popular workshops attended during the event.

Ò

THE NEXT NCLC WILL BE HELD MARCH 10-13, 2021, AT VIRGINIA TECH.

At the NALP Resource Center, students could look at various content, including the Women in Landscape network and how to become Landscape Industry Certified. At the Major Sponsor Showcase, visitors could check out information on the platinum, gold, silver and bronze sponsors.

“I can’t think of a more resilient, creative, resourceful group of people than landscapers,” Phelps says. “The fact that the association lived up to the expectations of its members by saying ‘Look, we’re not just going to roll over, but let’s get creative here,’ really impressed me. I think it shows exactly what the green industry and what the landscape profession and landscapers and the association is all about.”

For those who couldn’t attend the live virtual event, the content from the event is available on demand until June 30. TLP

National Association of Landscape Professionals 15

THE NALP EXPERIENCE

Welcome To Our Newest Members Company

City

State

Company

City

State

2 J'S & Sons

Noel

MO

Grounds by Sturgeon

Jacksonville

FL

4 Point Lawn Care

Boiling Springs

SC

Grounds Guys of Medina

Medina

OH

4 Seasons Maintenance Group, LLC

Atlantic Beach

FL

Growing Works, LLC

San Rafael

CA

Advanced Ecology Lawn Care

Johnston

RI

H&M Landscaping, Inc.

Newbury

OH

All Seasons Yard Service

Memphis

TN

Hermanos Flores Gardening

West Sacramento

CA

Arbor Doctor, LLC

Cincinnati

OH

Highridge Landscapes

Bozeman

MT

Aspen Valley Landscaping

Carbondale

CO

HPM

Mukwonago

WI

Austin Living Landscapes

Austin

TX

Inside Out Design Group

West Harwich

MA

Bella's Lawn & Landscape

Toledo

OH

Jason's 5 Star Landscape & Design, LLC

Watertown

WI

Best Lawn Care

West Chicago

IL

Johnson Landscape Experts

SANDY SPRINGS

GA

Blue Native of the Florida Keys, Inc.

Florida City

FL

JTX Lawns, LLC

Fort Worth

TX

Boyer Equipment, LLC

Houston

TX

Ksquared Landscapes

Kansas City

KS

Grass Valley

CA

Brick Hill Property Services, LLC

Housatonic

MA

Kurt's Garden, Inc.

Bristol Snow and Landscaping Services, LLC

Terryville

CT

L&E Lawn Service, LLC

Mount Upton

NY

Bardstown

KY

BTS Landscaping, Inc.

Randolph

NJ

LandPro, Inc.

Caruso Landscape Design, Inc.

Braintree

MA

Landscape MD, Inc.

Tomkins Cove

NY

Saint Charles

MO

Cima's Landscape & Maintenance, Inc.

Rancho Cordova

CA

Larson Lawn Care, LLC

CJ's Custom Greens

Columbia City

IN

Lawns and More

Kendallville

IN

Fort Lupton

CO

Cliffstone Corporation

Woburn

MA

Leo Landscape, LLC

Coastal Pacific Landscapes Services, Inc.

Manhattan Beach

CA

Liberty Outdoor Solutions, LLC

Waldorf

MD

Wethersfield

CT

Commercial Landscape Services, Inc.

Fairview Heights

IL

M&G Landscaping, LLC

Creative Image BMP

Burlington

KY

Macy Landscaping, Inc.

Santa Barbara

CA

Brewer

ME

Custom Landscaping and Lawncare, Inc.

East Brunswick

NJ

Maine Lawn Pros

Dave The Garden Guy, Inc.

Valrico

FL

Mainguy Landscape Services

Davie

FL

Las Vegas

NV

Davidson's Lawn Care

Christiansburg

VA

Matiscape

Deep Rooted Designs, Inc.

San Diego

CA

McDaniel Yardscaper, Inc.

Clifton

TX

Broken Arrow

OK

Doctor Lawn Landscape Management

Great Falls

MT

McGuire's Lawn & Landscape, LLC

Dorsey Landscaping

Raleigh

NC

McKinley Landscape Designs, LLC

Norwalk

CT

Swarthmore

PA

Double E Landscaping, LLC

Taylor

MI

McNulty and Co.

Down To Earth Greenscaping, Inc.

Menasha

WI

Metro Crest Landscape, Inc.

Darien

CT

Newington

CT

Durgin's Lawn & Landscape, LLC

Norway

ME

MFR Property Services, LLC

Ecological Restoration Solutions, Inc.

Irvine

CA

Milliken’s Lawn & Landscaping

Saint Joseph

MO

Johnstown

NY

English Garden Care

Rancho Cordova

CA

Mohonk Landscaping & Turf Management

Enhance Home and Lawn, LLC

Saint Louis

MO

Next Level Landscaping, Inc.

North Attleboro

MA

Berthoud

CO

ESK Landscaping, LLC

Strongsville

OH

Northern Colorado Landscaping

Fisk Lawnscapes

Elbert

CO

No-Stress Gardening and Landscapes

Eden Prairie

MN

Colonie

NY

Frisch and Sons Landscape Construction

ORANGE

CA

NVS Landscape Services, Inc.

Gardens of Babylon Landscapes

Nashville

TN

O'Hara Outdoors

St Louis

MO

Spencer

IA

Gino's L&L Service, Inc.

Peotone

IL

Otto Lawn Care

Good Earth

Basalt

CO

Outdoor Image

Glen Burnie

MD

Pasco

WA

Gorgas Garden Landscape & Design

Succasunna

NJ

Patriot Rooter & Irrigation, LLC

Grand Gardens, LLC

Chesterfield

VA

Peak Landscape, Inc.

Hillsboro

OR

Lakewood

CA

Green Touch Lawn, Inc.

Woodville

WI

Peter Murray Landscaping

Greenscape Design

Coral Gables

FL

Premier Lawn Management & Services

Saint Louis

MO

KY

Provost Companies, Inc.

Stoughton

MA

PWLC I, Inc.

Vista

CA

Greensward Lawn Solutions

Glasgow

16 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020

THE NALP EXPERIENCE

Plan to Attend LANDSCAPES LANDSCAPES 2020, WHICH IS CURRENTLY MOVING ahead as scheduled for Oct. 20-23 in Louisville, Kentucky, is a learning and networking experience for the whole team.

CEOs, sales and marketing executives, account managers, customer service representatives and crew leaders can connect with professionals across the country during this “must-attend” education event of the year.

This year’s schedule will look slightly different with a full-day Innovation and Technology Summit on Tuesday, Oct. 20. There is an additional fee to attend this summit.

A variety of LANDSCAPES sessions will be offered Wednesday through Friday on topics that are timely and relevant to members. Programming will include the impact of COVID-19 and lessons learned by NALP members that can help companies better prepare for future business disruptions.

While the Speciality Summits will not be held this year, there will be an opportunity for individuals to join speciality roundtable discussions to share ideas and discuss issues of common interest. The full LANDSCAPES program will be available soon.

Also, in the LANDSCAPES package is admission to the Green Industry and Equipment Expo (GIE+EXPO) where attendees can explore numerous exhibits on the tradeshow floor and demo equipment. As part of your GIE admission, don’t miss Admiral James Stavridis, the opening keynote speaker on Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. This keynote is sponsored by John Deere.

Stavridis is a retired U.S. Navy 4-star Admiral and USEUCOM, 16th Supreme Allied Commander, NATO. He will provide insights on addressing pressing global affairs challenges. TLP

Company

City

State

Company

City

State

R-Greenscapes, LLC

Latham

NY

Thompson Landscape Company

Eugene

OR

Riverview Landscaping

Durango

CO

Thompson Nursery

Rocky Mount

NC

Rock & Rose, Inc.

Denver

CO

Tim Andrews Horticulturist, LLC

Mazomanie

WI

San Jose Tree Service

San Jose

CA

TL Turf & Landscape, LLC

Lorain

OH

Sanders Lawn & Landscape

Canton

TX

TM Property Services, LLC

Des Moines

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Ă?COVERSTORY

Resilient member companies push forward through trying times

By Lindsey Getz

20 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020

AS

CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWNS WENT INTO EFFECT and thousands of non-essential businesses were shuttered in March, many lawn and landscape business owners scrambled to figure out what that would mean for them. While industry companies have since been deemed “essential,” and most have forged ahead, it’s certainly no longer “business as usual.” There have been many changes, but lawn and landscape business owners remain cautiously optimistic.

Of course, there’s no denying that many businesses have taken a hit. Jeff Rossen, owner of Rossen Landscape in Great Falls, Virginia, says that it’s definitely caused a sales slump.

Though it’s too soon to tell how much it will impact the bottom line, the silence of the phones speaks volumes.

“At this time of the year, the phone is normally ringing off the hook and we’re being flooded with emails about potential projects,” Rossen admits. “It’s very noticeable that this year is different.

However, we have a good maintenance base and that’s going strong — and we did manage to sell a couple of big jobs despite everything that’s going on. So, we remain optimistic right now.”

In Northern New Jersey, business has been hit hard given the proximity to New York, the the “epicenter” of the virus in the United States. But Scott Fullerton, owner of Fullerton Grounds Maintenance (FGM), headquartered

in Kenvil, New Jersey, says he can remember when it first started, nobody was taking it very seriously.

“We realized that our crews were pretty oblivious to the seriousness of what was happening,” recalls Fullerton.

“So, we had to educate them first. We closed the company down for a short period and we focused on educating crews on safety measures. We also got all of our administrators set up at home and we went 100 percent virtual from the office standpoint. Then, we opened and proceeded forward since we are considered an essential business.”

In terms of the financial impact, Fullerton says that it’s certainly been difficult that this pandemic has come on the heels of the worst snow season the company has experienced in its 26-year history. However, he remains optimistic about the fact that they haven’t lost a significant number of clients.

“Most of our commercial clients are

telling us they want to keep their properties looking great when their people do come back to work,” Fullerton says.

“I think people are pretty optimistic overall. And in terms of the residential market, I think a lot of homeowners are nesting. They are obviously home now, and they want their homes to look nice.

We’ve had some mowing cancellations with people telling us they can handle that service themselves now — but that was never a big percentage of our business. In some parts of North Jersey, we’re seeing big surges in permits for home landscaping projects like patios and decks — and I think it’s because people are preparing for potentially being home a lot more this summer.”

Also, in Northern New Jersey, Mark Borst, owner and president of Borst Landscape and Design says that they were also hit hard by a virtually snow-free season this year. When the Continued on page 22 Ð

“We realized that our crews were pretty oblivious to the seriousness of what was happening. So, we had to educate them first. We closed the company down for a short period and we focused on educating crews on safety measures. We also got all of our administrators set up at home and we went 100 percent virtual from the office standpoint. Then, we opened and proceeded forward since we are considered an essential business.”

– Scott Fullerton, owner of Fullerton Grounds Maintenance (FGM)

National Association of Landscape Professionals 21

ÐCOVERSTORY Ðcontinued from page 21 closures first began in mid-March, they were in the midst of gearing up to go full steam and make up for that loss.

However, as closures went into effect, Borst says they had to change gears.

“We had to put a lot of plans into action quickly,” says Borst, who says the Allendale business needed to put their H-2B workers on hold. At press time, he still hadn’t been able to bring them all back.

“We’re getting our work done but we’re running with about 85 percent of the workforce we’re accustomed to,” adds Borst.

At times, Borst says that tensions amongst the team have been high.

Employees are stressed — and for good reason, he says. He’s remained empathetic and focused on being a calm leader.

“There are a lot of emotions right now and a lot of people are extremely stressed out by all of this,” says Borst.

“We did have one manager and two field members take a leave of absence in the midst of it. So, it’s been important to take the time to talk to everyone, to calm them down, and to assure them that things will get better.”

RAMPING UP SAFETY With landscape businesses being considered “essential” and continuing operations across the country, it’s been important that owners ramp up their safety efforts not only to protect their people but to also remain in compliance with various mandates.

Most lawn and landscape business owners have told us that’s meant drastically reducing office staff — or going completely virtual. It’s also meant limiting the number of workers on a crew, staggering start times, and eliminating all in-person contact with clients.

Mark Hopkins, regional vice presi-

dent of LandCare says that the company has been quick to act across the company’s 50 locations, which span 20 different states. He says discussion of changes that could be made began back in February. That quick-thinking has made a difference.

“The first focus was on the safety and welfare of our team members,” Hopkins shares. “When the initial cases were beginning to be seen in Washington state, LandCare had already begun

“The first focus was on the safety and welfare of our team members.

When the initial cases were beginning to be seen in Washington state, LandCare had already begun an aggressive, nationwide safety protocol of daily sanitation to protect our teams and customers. In addition, the company enhanced our PTO policies to aid team members either directly or indirectly impacted by COVID-19 illness or quarantines. As a result, to date, our team members have had their personal economic impact mitigated.”

– Mark Hopkins, regional vice president of LandCare

Masks have become a new part of PPE for crews out working.

an aggressive, nationwide safety protocol of daily sanitation to protect our teams and customers. In addition, the company enhanced our PTO policies to aid team members either directly or indirectly impacted by COVID-19 illness or quarantines. As a result, to date, our team members have had their personal economic impact mitigated.”

Borst has taken similar measures with reduced office staff and smaller crews. He also purchased a disinfectant that could be used in the company’s mist blowers. Every single truck that comes back from the field is sprayed inside and out.

Rossen says that the company has set up washing stations where field crews can wash their hands when they Continued on page 24 Ð

22 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020

THE LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY IS

#STRONGERTOGETHER

DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Find insights from industry pros and legal, HR, and safety advisors to help you now and in the future…

Find COVID-19 News & Resources at landscapeprofessionals.org/coronavirus Get Insights from Industry Pros landscapeprofessionals.org/covidblog Our government affairs team has been working behind the scenes with allied associations to protect our industry.

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National Association of Landscape Professionals 23

ÐCOVERSTORY

Many of the lawn and landscape business owners that we spoke with were optimistic about government funding opportunities.

arrive in the morning and when they return their trucks to the yard.

“While on-the-go, they’re wiping down high-touch areas multiple times a day with a rag and bleach,” adds Rossen. “For now, we’re no longer doing our morning huddles and we’re preventing crews from talking or congregating at the shop by staggering their start and finish times. We’ve created a check-out station that they go through as they exit the yard. The manager will stand there and give them any information they need. But we’re also encouraging crews to just report directly to the job site if they can.”

For Oasis Turf & Tree, headquartered in Loveland, Ohio, a focus on safety has meant a similarly well-coordinated effort of strategically planned out start times that help reduce human contact.

“We don’t want to have a cluster of crews together waiting on each other to load the vans and get on the road,” explains Angie Bradley, chief operating officer for the company. “Each of the vans is also sanitized and their equip-

24 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020

ment is sanitized daily. We’ve upgraded our PPE requirements to also include disposable gloves — each team member has a box in their van — and face masks are available if so desired. We have also suspended all door knocking or leaving any type of paper hangers on the door. We’re now emailing our service notes.”

On the administrative and management side, Bradley says only a handful are coming into the office — everyone else is working remotely. All meetings are being held via video conference and the office facility is sanitized frequently. Everyone is cognizant of this new norm.

Adam Zellner, the company’s vice president of sales, says that as much as they’ve been focused on the team’s safety — the effort also extends to customers.

“We know this is about the safety of our customers, too,” he says. “We have some customers that require communication prior to our visit, such as informing them before we treat.

That’s something that we typically did in person. Now, we’re doing that from the driveway. Our customers have been extremely appreciative and greeted us with a positive attitude. They’ve been very cooperative about any changes we’ve had to make, and we’ve been grateful for that.”

Of course, keeping up with ever-changing protocols has been no small feat, adds Fullerton.

“We’re trying our best to keep up with every recommendation that comes out,” he continues. “It’s changing all of the time. First it was wearing masks,

then it was a recommendation not to exchange tools, and now it’s a suggestion of one man to a truck. It seems that every day it’s something new. We have 100 vehicles that go out every day and each of our drivers is responsible for bleaching down their truck.

It’s a lot of work but everyone is really stepping up.”

CLIENT COMMUNICATION As a variety of changes have been made, it’s been important to keep clients well-informed.

“The company has focused on enhanced client communication to both inform customers of our efforts to ensure safe operations on their sites and to understand the potential impact of COVID-19 to their businesses or organizations,” says Hopkins of LandCare’s effort. “This approach is just an extension of the close relationships we strive to keep with our clients.”

The Rossen team has also been communicating regularly with customers ensuring they understand that landscaping is an essential business.

“We want clients to know that there will be no service interruptions,” Rossen says. “We’re also now announcing our site visits so that clients know we will be in their yard.”

Email communication has been a helpful tool that most companies have been utilizing. However, as Jack Moore, president and CEO of Grassperson quickly found out, many clients are already inundated with that type of communication from so many other businesses and services they’ve used.

“Like so many others, we felt it made

sense to begin communication with our clients through an email,” Moore says.

“We intentionally waited on creating that email until we really knew what these changes were going to look like for us and that we were in line with all of the regulations. However, in gauging our open rate, only around 20 percent of our clients opened that email. That tells me that we were yet another email among so many others. In the case of many of our larger or strategic clients, we called them — and had conversations about what changes they could anticipate.”

Zellner adds that maintaining relationships with clients has long been something that Oasis has taken pride in — and now it’s paying off. And it’s been rewarding to see how much clients appreciate that their services have continued.

“I think for a lot of people, it’s a bright light — and some sense of normalcy — when their lawn care company shows up,” Zellner says. “They’re quarantined at home but things are still happening — their yard is still being taken care of — and I think that may

be more appreciated than ever before in a time when so much has changed and so many other things have been cancelled in their lives.”

GOVERNMENT FUNDING Many of the lawn and landscape business owners that we spoke with were optimistic about government funding opportunities.

“The government’s Paycheck Protection Program has been a bright spot in this whole thing,” says Fullerton. “I’m not always a positive political person, but I see our government working to keep everyone going. We need to come out on the other side of this without devastating businesses — and there’s a lot of effort right now to make that happen. I see companies working together and I see the government working together and that’s all pretty encouraging.”

Borst agrees.

“The Paycheck Protection Program will be a lifesaver for us,” he says. “Having just emerged from our worst snow season, we were already taking a hit, but that program could really save a lot of businesses like ours — helping them

get through the worst of this.”

At press time, Moore says he had just found out from the bank that he was approved by the program though many other companies didn’t get financing before the cap was reached..

“I spent about a week of my time researching and getting the paperwork in order for the Paycheck Protection Program,” he adds. “That is honestly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a small business, and you can be sure I was on the phone the minute Chase started taking calls. We didn’t lay anyone off and in fact, we’re trying to hire right now with the intension of investing in the business with that support.”

A CHANGE OF WAYS Certainly, there have been a number of positives to emerge from this forced situation — a key of which has been the necessary adoption of technology and remote working capabilities. Albeit a forced situation, many lawn and landscape business owners say they’ve been pleasantly surprised just how well things are going.

“I’ll be honest that we were not

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National Association of Landscape Professionals 25

ÐCOVERSTORY up-to-speed in terms of our virtual capabilities,” says Fullerton. “Now, we are 100-percent virtual and that’s a blessing that has come out of this.”

Rossen echoes a similar story.

“It’s not all doom and gloom. We’ve gained a ton of efficiencies because of this — including having become masters at Microsoft Teams meetings,” he laughs. “Previously, all of those meetings were done face-to-face. This has proven that we don’t have to all be in the same room together to get things done. We are functioning just fine remotely.”

Rossen did say that having the right software support has been crucial.

“Our Aspire software program has been critical in this whole thing,” he says. “If we didn’t have everything that we did streamlined into one software program, it would have been a nightmare. Aspire has honestly been a lifesaver in this.”

The company has even found some ways to keep things fun.

“I can’t take credit for this as it was my business partner Jason Navon’s idea, however, we’ve been doing ‘water cooler’ virtual meetings where once a week we’re getting all 15 members of

the middle management team together just to talk,” says Rossen. “We might put a funky background up, play a little trivia, or just chat. My key challenge as a leader is to find ways to continue to engage the workforce even as we work remotely — and that’s hard. But this has been one way to do just that.”

Like others, Borst sees potential changes in the future as a result of a “new norm.”

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“It’s hard to know what exactly that will look like, but I do see more people working from home in the future — in our industry and others,” he says. “I think in the long-term, people won’t travel as much. They might even take fewer vacations but will instead say, ‘Let’s make our oasis here in our backyard.’ Down the road, that could help our industry.”

Moore says that he’s doing everything he can to look at the positives — and the opportunities — that may arise from this situation.

“We’ve been looking at buying real estate and we’re wondering if there may be reduced real estate costs that come of this,” Moore says. “We’ve also recognized that with some improvements, working remotely is a possibility for us. The point is, there are opportunities. There’s no question that the illness driving this is absolutely devastating.

You can’t lose sight of the fact that lives are being lost. But I do think in terms of business, there are opportunities out there right now.”

Zellner shares a similar sense of hope with a focus on the bright side.

“While we’ve had some customers put their accounts on hold because of uncertainties, I have no doubt that once this calms down, we will be able to get those customers back,” he says. “They didn’t make a change due to being dissatisfied but rather because they felt they were forced to be conservative in their spending. We’re continuing to focus on the things that have helped our business to grow in the first place and we remain positive and optimistic that we will come through this as a result.” TLP

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By Heather Tunstall SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW BEING accepted for the prestigious Awards of Excellence (AOE), NALP’s annual program showcasing the industry’s greatest accomplishments in landscape, lawn care, interior maintenance, design/build, installation, container plantings, special events and erosion control.

Winning an AOE isn’t just an ego boost; it’s fantastic for business in several ways. Aside from the great publicity winners get, it also helps to motivate staff and reinforce client relationships. Everyone loves to see their work and their investment recognized as best in class. And when it comes time to recruit team members, AOE winners have a leg up on the competition, showing that their company puts forth some of the highest quality work in the industry.

The AOE are highly competitive, open to members of NALP and awarded at gold, silver, and bronze levels. A select panel of judges will choose the esteemed Judges Award to top contenders. Here are some tips to stand out from the crowd: Q Prepare the site — Clear any debris, toys, litter, etc. for clean pictures.

Q Give a freshly completed project time to mature before entering it for AOE. Q Do not include shots with a company name and/or logo.

Q Take before and after shots from the same vantage point.

Q Begin and end your submission with “wow” photos.

Get more information and specific requirements at landscapeprofessionals.org (under menu item Stand Out Awards). The early bird entry deadline is July 1, so start gathering your materials now to take advantage of $100 off your entry fee. The final deadline is August 5, 2020. TLP

28 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020

In Memoriam: Bill Hildebolt

By Jill Odom BILL HILDEBOLT, FORMER PRESIDENT OF NALP, WHICH WAS KNOWN as Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) at the time, passed away in WinstonSalem, North Carolina, on March 28 after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 76 years old. book The Professional Entrepreneur: Hildebolt earned a Bachelor of Science in food technology and then went When Cowboys Grow Up at a summer on to receive his Masters and Doctorates leadership meeting and all the proceeds in food science at Ohio State University. went back into the scholarship fund.

After graduating in 1969, he joined the “He always did what was best for Campbell Soup Company where he the industry and he was always very eventually became the vice president of respectful of others’ opinions,” says David product and development.

Snodgrass, owner of Dennis’ 7 Dees One of his most notable developLandscape, based in Portland, Oregon. ments during this time was the Prego “He had great leadership skills and got spaghetti sauce. Hildebolt wrote about things done.” this accomplishment in his book It’s in “Many people knew Bill as a fine and dedicated leader in the lawn and landThere!

“Talking to Bill about the food industry, scape industry, which he most certainly was, however, there was so much more technology and advancements and all the products developed was so incredibly to him,” Stropko says. “He loved his faminteresting,” says Barbara Stropko, owner ily, loved his farm, he was an educator, a of New Desert Gallery, Inc. based in Tuc- researcher, a developer, he was creative, he was an author, an entrepreneur, a son, Arizona. “His stories of coming up corporate leader, a business owner, a with initial ideas, the process, successes and failed products, presentations of the craftsman, a traveler and much more. He had accomplished much in his life!” products and getting to see the fruition Cundiff says the best times with Hilof the final product were so funny and debolt would be when they were playing amazing. What we don’t know that goes golf or having dinner and listening to into research and development of food the insights only he could bring to the products!” conversation. Cundiff says Hildebolt had In 1994, Hildebolt shifted from the food industry to the green industry when a way of identifying the core of an issue.

“I would describe Bill as a strategic he started Nature’s Select Premium thinker who was very passionate for our Turf Services and pioneered biologically industry,” Cundiff says. “Mostly, I would enhanced lawn care services.

He joined the Professional Lawn Care describe Bill as you would be very fortunate to call Bill a lifelong friend. I have Association of America (PLCAA) board been very blessed to be one of Bill’s of directors in 2002 and shortly afterassociation friends.” wards PLCAA entered discussions of Snodgrass says Hildebolt was a merging with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA). In 2005, thoughtful individual who you wanted to be around. the two became known as PLANET. “I think Bill held himself to a very high He became PLANET’s president in standard,” Snodgrass says. “He was al2009 and one of his personal charges ways looking to learn more or experience while in this position was to share the more. He was a person of adventure. He message that becoming an association would just do, rather than think someday member and taking advantage of its rehe may do that.” sources would raise the professionalism Hildebolt also had a love of nature, of the industry. and a special attraction to old-growth “Bill’s impact on our association is trees and woodworking. Snodgrass says seen everywhere,” says Jon Cundiff, president of Weed Man. “His wisdom and when they visited the Camp 18 Logging Museum in Elsie, Oregon, Hildebolt was insights on the association’s initiatives like a kid in a candy store. have guided NALP to what it is today.”

“He was a gifted woodworker, a Stropko says Hildebolt was a giver. craftsman,” Stropko says. “I was blessed One example of this is when he sold his

to be the recipient of a beautiful bowl and one of his famous cutting boards. Knowing my love of colorful fall leaves and me living in the desert of Arizona, he called and told me to keep checking my mail. I had received a package full of the magnificent leaves I love, yellows, oranges, reds. He said his farm was ‘leaf paradise!’”

Stropko says it is an unfortunate loss for those who did not have the opportunity to meet Hildebolt as he is a testament to living life well.

“He was a very genuine guy,” Snodgrass says. “He was very unassuming.

He was intelligent but he didn’t have an ego. He was extremely likable. He always did what’s best for the industry; there was no personal agenda. There were no grudges, it was just live the day for the day and get the best out of it and enjoy it.”

Hildebolt is survived by his wife of 55 years, Sandi, his sons William Hazen and Joseph, his grandchildren Hannah and Hazen as well as his brother Jim and sister Mary Ann. TLP National Association of Landscape Professionals 29

SAFETY SPEAK

Safety Watch:

Personal Hygiene

By Jill Odom

JUNE MARKS NATIONAL SAFETY MONTH AND WHILE THE landscaping profession deals with a number of occupational hazards, one that can be easily overlooked is personal hygiene.

“General cleanliness in a workplace Yet COVID-19 has brought handhelps promote other safety behavior, washing and general personal hygiene and clean facilities are more likely to be for the forefront of people’s minds.

Whether the pandemic is still ongoing or used than dirty facilities,” says Marissa Baker, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the under control by the time you read this University of Washington’s Department article in the magazine does not change of Environmental & Occupational Health the fact that hygiene is important to Sciences and program director of indusmaintain a healthy workforce. trial hygiene. “An individual’s cleanliness “Obviously poor hygiene practices at work affects others, too, including risk the spread of COVID-19 to fellow co-workers and the public, so if there workers and crew members, not to mention the distinct possibility of carrying isn’t good hygiene it may not make a very good impression to potential clients or dirt, grime, residues, and germs home to employees.” family members,” says Sam Steel, safety advisor for the National Association of HANDWASHING DONE RIGHT Landscape Professionals.

Handwashing is one of the commonly Not only does good hygiene keep cited precautions anyone can take to workers and the public healthy, it can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 also help prevent dermatitis and other and is a key pillar of personal hygiene. skin-related conditions that may be This is because people frequently touch caused by work activities.

How to wash your hands the proper way

Use hot water

Wash for at least 20 seconds

Scrub under fingernails too!

Turn off the faucet with a towel

Wash your hands often 30 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020

their faces and it is an easy way for disease to spread.

Proper handwashing ensures that if someone touches their face, they are at least doing so with a hand clean of bacteria or viruses. Not only that, but handwashing also helps keep members of the public safe by not spreading a disease when shaking hands or infecting a surface someone else might touch.

You may think even a child knows to wash their hands, but Baker says proper handwashing isn’t necessarily as simple as people think.

“When you are doing a textbook handwash, you have to wait for the water to get hot, scrub for at least 20 seconds with soap, including between all fingers and even under fingernails,” she says.

“You also need to ensure that you don’t turn the faucet off with your clean hands or open the door with clean hands, which could then negate the good washing you just did.”

Baker adds that because handwashing is such a routine part of life it can be hard to convince yourself to wash your hands when they aren’t dirty visually.

“We all assume we are doing it adequately, so it can be hard to convince people they need to change their habit, or do it more frequently,” Baker says.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU WASH YOUR HANDS? Speaking of frequency, Baker says that in a perfect world, everyone should wash their hands before and after consuming food, after using the toilet, after blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing into their hand, after touching garbage or an animal, after coming in from outside or another location, and after shaking someone’s hand or holding their hand.

“For landscape professionals, ideally they should also be washing their hands after they remove gloves, since anything that is on the glove could be transferred to the hand removing the glove, and if they are sharing tools/equipment without gloves on, should be mindful of a few

more handwashings when sharing the equipment,” she says.

SOAP OR HAND SANITIZER? As for the debate over whether hand sanitizer or soap and water is best when it comes to handwashing, Baker says soap and water is ultimately better.

“While both hand sanitizer and soap and water can remove viruses and certain bacteria, soap and water actually clean the hand, removing the dirt and debris that could trap viruses,” she says.

“But hand sanitizer can often be easier to use since it can be used anywhere, and carried with the user, making it useful in certain situations.”

Steel adds research has shown this virus has a lipid (fatty) barrier that surrounds and protects it. This barrier can be broken by soap bubbles in what is called the lathering process.

“The more lather (bubbles) the more likely the barrier will be broken, and the virus splits open and is washed down the drain. By the way, warm water generates more bubbles, which translates into a greater positive effect against the virus.

So now landscapers and lawn care workers have an even more important reason to wash away dirt and grime from the palms and backside of their hands, and from under their fingernails,” Steel says.

HOW TO MAKE PERSONAL HYGIENE A HABIT Personal hygiene shouldn’t only be practiced or paid attention to in the midst of a pandemic, so take advantage of this time to incorporate the importance of hygiene in your culture of safety. Baker says it should be emphasized in training, modeled by all levels of management and owners, and prioritized by ensuring workers have access to clean, appropriate facilities to wash hands.

“By maintaining our new level of hygiene policies, procedures, and practices, and providing sanitizing products and continued training and briefings on infectious diseases, we may be preventing another major outbreak of this virus or its mutation(s),” Steel says.

Some of the ways to incorporate personal hygiene into your company culture include having a company-wide, written policy on hygiene, providing workers time to practice personal hygiene through additional breaks and ensuring workers have access to proper handwashing facilities, and/or hand sanitizer if getting to a handwashing facility is not feasible.

“The policy would include a general statement from ownership/management on the importance of practicing good personal hygiene and procedures for following through on recognized hygiene practices now and in the future,” Steel says. “Prominent signage on sanitation practices should be placed at locations where all employees can read and adhere to them – in a language all employees can understand.”

Steel says frequent handwashing and sanitizing practices should be adopted at or in offices, restrooms, shops, equipment and product storage yards; and, at work sites contracted by the firm.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE Just like any other safety practice owners expect their workforce to follow, management needs to set good examples.

“If workers are expected to wash and sanitize hands, tools and surfaces at work, then company leadership should demonstrate and practice the same,” Steel says. “Company owners should encourage their employees to practice sanitizing guidelines while off the job and at home.”

MAKE HANDWASHING ACCESSIBLE Baker adds that that workplace needs to make it as easy as possible for workers to be able to wash their hands whenever they want to. She suggests having a handwashing station near the water bottle filling station making it easy for workers to wash their hands.

“If handwashing facilities aren’t readily available to people, making a trek to wash hands hardly seems worth it, unless someone is also going to the bathroom,” she says.

Companies should put handwashing

facilities in convenient locations, ensure workers have adequate breaks and are not penalizing a worker for taking the time to wash their hands as needed.

“Often, handwashing facilities in a porta-potty aren’t a pleasant experience, and someone wants to spend the minimum amount of time in a porta-potty,” Baker says. “Therefore, other handwashing facilities should be provided as well. Don’t make workers rely on porta-potty sinks if you are trying to encourage them to up their handwashing frequency and quality.”

However, Baker recognizes that many landscapers work alone and not all employers can put in handwashing facilities at every jobsite. She suggests looking into building a temporary handwashing station instead.

“This is something that every worker could feasibly have in their work vehicle, as long as the parts and upkeep are provided by the employer and they receive training on how to build it and transport it when out in the field doing work,” she says.

REMIND EMPLOYEES OFTEN The final way to drive home the importance of personal hygiene is through constant reminders. Steel encourages posting critical messages about personal hygiene in prominent locations and to not tolerate lapses in proper hygiene. He says companies need to be proactive when it comes to the safety and health of employees, their families, customers, and the community.

“Practicing good hygiene is contagious in itself,” Steel says. “And, your customers will notice your employees’ attention to good hygiene in their appearance at the work site. Good hygiene is an excellent habit to develop and follow now and down the road.” TLP

Overlooked Areas of Hygiene There is much that is still not understood about COVID-19 and varying reports on how long the virus can live on a surface, but the best rule of thumb is to simply clean these surfaces frequently.

“I believe we overlook those commonly touched surfaces where the virus may be ‘sticking around.’ For example: door handles to buildings, rooms, lockers, coolers, restrooms, vehicles; handles on tools and equipment; writing utensils; cellphones; and other surfaces,” Steel says.

Baker says another hygiene step that may be overlooked is reminding workers they need to wash their hands or at least sanitize them after taking off gloves.

“Outdoor workers are often wearing sunscreen, so hands should be washed before and after applying sunscreen since that requires touching their face,” Baker says. “If workers are wearing eye or hearing protection, hands should be washed before putting them on or adjusting them.”

National Association of Landscape Professionals 31

FROM THE HILL

Landscape Industry Deemed Essential – NALP Advocating for Your Continued Operation During COVID-19 IT HAS BEEN A FRENETIC TIME FOR THE LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY advocating to assure federal, state and local officials that landscape services are indeed “essential” and must be performed under any order to “lockdown” or “shelter in place.” Beginning with California issuing the first executive order on March 18 followed a rapid succession over the course of the next two weeks in which every state in the United States, including D.C., issued some sort of order limiting businesses and/or social gatherings.

By Andrew Bray VP, Government Relations This article was written on April 28, 2020

32 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020

Complicating the issue further was the release of the Department of Homeland Security Memorandum on Identification of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During COVID-19 Response on March 19. While this version of the memo did not specifically enumerate “landscapers” it did include the landscape industry by inference because the landscape industry plays a critical role in providing “services that

are necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation and essential operation of residence and businesses.”

The DHS memo is designed to be only “advisory,” but many states promptly adopted the memo and crafted orders that either specifically included landscapers or did so by inference.

NALP continued to beat the drum on behalf of the industry in all 50 states on the essential nature of the industry and also launched several grassroots campaigns and published a website to provide updates on the status of landscape operations in each state along with rationale to defend the essential nature of the landscape industry based on each order issued by a state. BUT to reduce ambiguity or further confusion NALP was actively communicating

with DHS about including “landscapers” in any future updates of the list.

On March 28, DHS released Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During COVID-19 Response version 2.0, which specifically included “landscapers.” This was a significant win for the landscape industry and assisted in solidifying the essential nature of the landscape industry with federal, state and local officials. Since version 2.0, a third version was released on April 17 and continues to include “landscapers” as essential.

One of the most important components of all the orders mandated by the states or localities is to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 by requiring strict safety protocols that must be practiced by all business that are deemed essential. NALP promptly provided Operational Guidelines for the Landscape industry during COVID-19.

The guidelines are based on recommendations provided by the federal government and are updated when new information is provided to better protect landscape employees and reduce any transmission with landscape customers or the general public. These guidelines were used to demonstrate the responsible practices of the landscape industry with state governments and should be rigidly adhered to because the landscape industry is being closely watched by policy makers, our customers and the general public. Remember the old saying “one bad apple ruins the bunch.”

While we are certainly not out of the woods yet on COVID-19 and the ability of the landscape industry to continue to operate as an essential business, the path ahead is promising. States have recognized the essential nature of the landscape industry and are now taking the next steps of beginning to relax orders on all businesses but we must remain hyper vigilant through the remainder of the spring and into the summer as fears grow over a second wave in the fall.

The success NALP has had in advocating on behalf of the industry was only possible with the tremendous support and participation by the entire industry. The amount of energy and activity at the grassroots level with individual companies, state associations and other allied industries and associations has been unprecedented for the landscape industry. NALP’s ability to collaborate and cooperate with our partner state associations was a pivotal component of these positive outcomes.

NALP is confident that even in these chaotic times that we will get through this by working together. There will continue to be obstacles and we will not stop advocating on your behalf.

The path forward is clear, landscape services are indeed essential, strict COVID-19 safety measures must be rigorously implemented and as an industry we are much stronger together working towards one common goal for the entire landscape industry. TLP

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l a i t en National Association of Landscape Professionals 33

I AM A LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL

Miles Kuperus, Jr., Farmside Landscape & Design

By Jill Odom MILE KUPERUS, JR., PRESIDENT of Farmside Landscape & Design, based in Wantage, New Jersey, originally got into the landscaping business around 1985-1986. Born and raised as a dairy farmer, Kuperus says there was a natural migration from farming to the landscape industry. He says his background is also where the name of his company comes from.

“I just had a desire to make things look good, and loved the feeling of working with the earth,” Kuperus says. “It was just a love of the results you get and appreciating plants and creating those wonderful spaces.”

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE TODAY? The biggest challenge right now is dealing with the uncertainty. The virus is, no question, a huge challenge for us. Not knowing what size crews are allowed, if we even have the right to work, because construction in New Jersey got shut down. And then also making sure that we’re doing right in the community, so we don’t get ourselves exposed to social shaming. We don’t want to be part of that. We want to show professionalism.

We want to show we’re doing right within the community.

Those are the biggest challenges that we have and then you’ve got your typical things that always loom over us that didn’t go away, such as your labor base, developing and building the team and also your regulations that exist over your company. Those would be the real challenges that we face, but in there lies opportunity too.

WHAT BUSINESS WORRY KEEPS YOU UP MOST AT NIGHT? I think now, again, the biggest thing that we’re worried about is if we do the 34 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020

work will we be paid from our clients.

Even if they’re quality clients with these unfounded circumstances, will we be able to make our financial obligations if they can’t pay.

Also, the safety and well-being of our staff, that’s what’s keeping us up at night, making sure that we’re not putting our folks in harm’s way. It’s a different dynamic question. If you asked us two months ago, I’d probably have different answer. But what keeps me up at night is making sure I’m making good decisions that have everybody’s best interest at heart and I’m not being selfish and trying to drive for the wrong reasons.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE A LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL? I would say to be a landscape professional, it means you’ve acquired a skill and you have an incredible knowledge base of what you’re doing and you’re doing it to the best skill sets and practices that are available to us as an industry. You’re being professional.

You’re a person that’s focused on safety.

You’re a person that has good insights, whether it’s business or the landscape horticulture aspect.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE AN NALP MEMBER? Being an NALP member, I would say that’s a group of people who are best in class, recognized nationally and it’s a group that you enjoy sharing and networking to develop best practices. surrounded with great suppliers.

IN FIVE YEARS, WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR BUSINESS GOING? Jumping past post-virus, I think we’re going to have a new tomorrow. I think

FAST FACTS Business mentors: “There have been many great mentors: Frank Mariani, Bob Grover, Landon Reeve, to name a few.”

Proudest moment in business: “Watching and developing leaders within our company.”

Favorite business book: “The Bible. It just does truly give you value, making sure that all your core principles are aligned.” that that’s a difficult question for me to answer from that aspect. I don’t know what the outcome of the virus will be. I would say both pre-virus and post-virus, autonomous and quiet equipment and using technology in order to conduct our businesses will very much be a part of who we are as an industry. I would say that you’re going to be into higher tech business solutions, and we’ll be in that space. We’re going to continue to be very heavily involved with outdoor living spaces and creating new spaces for social gatherings.

IN FIVE YEARS, WHERE WILL YOU BE AS A BUSINESS OWNER? My hope is that I’ll continue to be less of an owner and more of a coach.

I want to make sure that we’re laying foundation. That’s something that I don’t see where we are today changes that dynamic at all. I would say I want to continue to be more of a coach and make sure I develop a team that could be self-sustaining without me being the driver. TLP

Your Success, Our Science Andrew Ziehler Owner and CEO, Ziehler Lawn and Tree Care

Together, We’ve Got This For years, Bayer has been trusted by lawn and landscape professionals everywhere. Great lawns and landscapes need help to thrive, and so do great businesses – and that’s where we come in. From our world-class products, to our industry advocacy and know-how, we’re always there when you need us.

Visit es.bayer.us/lawn-and-landscape, and put science on your side.

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL INSTRUCTIONS Bayer Environmental Science, a Division of Bayer CropScience LP. 5000 CentreGreen Way, Suite 400, Cary, NC 27513. For additional product information, call toll-free 1-800-331-2867. environmentalscience.bayer.us.

Not all products are registered in all states. Bayer and the Bayer Cross are registered trademarks of Bayer. ©2019 Bayer CropScience LP. ES-1219-LL-0195-A-1

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