Committed to Giving Back

OGIA Members Invested in Charitable Efforts

BY ALANA SETTLE

Green industry businesses are remiss if they’re not including philanthropic initiatives in their business plans. Giving back to your community can boost your company’s reputation, enhance workplace culture, and ultimately even increase revenue. Moreover, studies show that participating in altruistic projects positively impacts mental health and wellbeing.

Any company can be charitable, yet green industry businesses truly benefit when they find ways to connect their unique offerings with a deserving cause.

Kurtz Bros., a mulch, soil, and landscape supply company and nursery, has found its niche with product donations. They have built a reputation as a generous supporter of a wide variety of neighborhood beautification projects, community gardens, and non-profit events.

The community has been so supportive of our business that we feel it’s only right to give “ ” back when we can.

For landscape companies, charitable acts could include simply “writing a check” or more involved, hands-on work. Over the years, ProScape Lawn & Landscape Services, LLC has supported countless charity events with monetary and in-kind donations. However, founder and president Luke Henry says his favorite way to give back is through volunteer landscape or snow removal service projects that can involve the whole company and their families.

Read on to learn how these companies have infused their company culture with a philanthropic spirit.

OGIA: Why do you feel it’s important for your business to give back to its community?

Jeff Stemler, Senior Account

Representative, Kurtz Bros.: The community has been so supportive of our business that we feel it’s only right to give back when we can. We also realize that a strong community benefits all residents. We have been a part of the Central Ohio community for over 30 years and we look forward to continuing to serve the community we love for many more years to come.

Luke Henry, Founder/President, ProScape Lawn & Landscape

Services, LLC: Giving back through service and donations is a great way to show that we care about more than just the bottom line. We actually talk about a triple bottom line, where yes, we have to generate a profit to stay viable and fuel the continued growth of our business, but with that, we also focus on the growth of our team as individuals, as well as giving back to our community. I believe that in order to truly be successful, we have to be hitting all three of those areas.

OGIA: Workplace surveys show that employees want to feel proud about where they work. According to a Deloitte survey, 70% of employees said volunteer activities are more likely to boost employee morale than company-sponsored happy hours, and more than half of millennials surveyed consider a company’s philanthropic initiatives to be a deciding factor when choosing between job offers with similar responsibilities, pay, and benefits.

How has your community service work benefited your employees or enhanced the company culture?

Jeff: We have supported a lot of projects for family members of our employees. It really makes the employees feel great when their employer supports something that means a lot to their family.

Luke: Service projects are a really fun way to get our managers and field staff (and families) all working beside each other, so it forges the human connection. While we are volunteering, there are no titles. We are all just volunteers.

OGIA: Most companies find community service projects, donations, or sponsorships to be beneficial for building company awareness. And discerning consumers care about a company’s values. Are sponsorships and donations a part of your marketing and PR plan?

Jeff: One thing we probably haven’t done enough of is “toot our own horn.” We donate a lot of material and support a lot of organizations without taking full advantage of all the marketing benefits. When we decide to support an organization, it’s because we believe in their cause, and we have the ability and resources to support them. However, we do plan on doing a better job of documenting our donations and the impact they have on the community going forward.

Luke: Yes, I definitely think these activities raise awareness of our company and our presence in the community. We write donations and sponsorships into our marketing plan every year. At the same time, if we are only looking at the dollars as a marketing expense on our P&L, I think we miss the point. First, the donations of time and money are an investment, not an expense; they are an investment in the type of community where we want to live and do business. These activities also help align us with the types of people we want as clients. They see the work we are doing and want to do business with like-minded people. It’s a positive upward cycle that starts with us being generous in the first place.

OGIA: How does your company manage your various philanthropic projects/ initiatives?

Jeff: We receive maybe 40–50 donation requests a year, mostly in the spring. Generally, each site manager manages the projects that initiate from their location. Site managers have the ability to make decisions on small requests. Larger requests come to me, and I will make a decision or consult with the general managers. However, we did hire someone this past winter who we are training to oversee all donations and community support projects.

We budget for a certain amount of donations per year. As a general rule of thumb, we only donate materials we make ourselves (most mulches, soils, composts). If it’s a product we buy and resell such as limestone, then we may offer a discount but not a full donation. Trying to determine which projects to support can be a challenge. I’d love to be able to approve all requests.

Luke: Historically, a lot of the philanthropic initiatives funneled through me as the owner; however, it’s been really gratifying as we’ve grown to involve other leaders on our team to help scout, plan, and execute various donations, fundraising, and service

opportunities. Generosity gets more woven into our culture this way, and it multiplies our effectiveness to have more people using their creativity and passion towards doing good.

We have a budget of how much we can give to various organizations, teams, and nonprofits and it is determined as a percentage of revenue. We are continuing to refine our system, but it involves a bit of a matrix related to the purpose of the organization, whether we have supported them in the past, and how they are connected to our company. For example, does the son of one of our team members play on the sports team who is seeking the donation? Is one of our team members a volunteer and passionate supporter of a particular nonprofit? Those are the types of opportunities we are more likely to fund.

OGIA: Any advice for companies interested in becoming more involved in their community?

Jeff: I think they should first identify a need in their community. It could be a park cleanup or perhaps a community garden. Put together a plan and then start partnering with other local businesses to get support to see their project through to completion.

Luke: I’d say just do it. There is no shortage of need out there, and I assure you that if you reach out to a local nonprofit, they will find work for you and your team to do. Even if it’s just a handful of people for a few hours on a Saturday morning, that can be invaluable for a nonprofit that relies on volunteers to operate. You will all feel a whole lot better when you leave as well, which hopefully will energize you to continue doing more good! Our companies, our communities, and our world need more of that!

TONY SEEGERS

1803 Consulting, LLC tony@1803consulting.com OPARR Changes Its Name The Ohio Professional Applicators for Responsible Regulation (“OPARR”) Board voted at their September 23 board meeting to change the name of the organization to, “OhioPLANT” with the tagline, “Coalition of Pesticide, Landscape, Agriculture, Nursery, and Turf Professionals”. The idea for a name change has been discussed over the last few years to reflect a growing membership of partners representing nurseries, landscape and lawn care, and golf courses.

It was not an easy task to agree on a name that stayed true to OPARR’s original and continued core mission to represent pesticide and fertilizer applicators while respecting the new industry associations that joined over the last couple of years.

After much debate, the board believes the new name will reflect the growth of the organization while continuing its original mission. A larger voice carries more weight at the statehouse and OhioPLANT will remain your advocate.

A new logo and website will be forthcoming.

A Great Example of OhioPLANT’s Relationship With Policy Makers The residents, businesses, and the State of Ohio have been battling harmful algal blooms in the Western Lake Erie Basin for several years. These blooms are made of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, that can produce microcystin, a known liver toxin that poses a risk to human and wildlife health. The HABs, as they are called, are mainly the result of phosphorous runoff into the waterways in the basin. The State has established the goal of reducing the HABs in the Western Lake Erie Basin to 1990s levels, which would require a 40 percent reduction of total phosphorous loading.

Most of the runoff can be attributed to agriculture, and for that reason, agricultural leaders have been working with the State of Ohio on practices to reduce the phosphorous leaving farmer fields. Embodying that relationship between agriculture and the state is Governor DeWine’s H2Ohio program, which he initiated in his first budget to help fund best management practices for agriculture. It also addresses other areas that help reduce phosphorous loading such as funding the restoration or creation of wetlands, the repair or replacement of failing septic systems, and aiding communities with storm water infrastructure. While much energy has been rightfully expanded on a relationship between the state and agriculture to work on phosphorous reduction efforts, some have wondered about the phosphorous runoff from other industries like turfgrass, lawncare services, and golf course maintenance.

In August, the Lake Erie Commission’s Executive Director, Joy Mullinex, reached out to OhioPLANT’s lobbyist to inquire about the contribution, if any, of phosphorous loading from turfgrass, lawncare, and golf course members. Specifically, what can be done, if there is something to be done, by these industries to help the state reach its 40 percent reduction goal. Director Mullinex stressed that this was merely an informational gathering request.

In response, OhioPLANT’s lobbyist spoke with representatives of its turfgrass, lawncare, and golf course members as well as producers of the products used in their services. From that, a brief report was composed and shared with the Executive Director. The report stated that “there is little to no phosphorous used in the products and services by these industries. All the industries represented in this memo are served by licensed professionals who follow best management practices for their professions.” Startup fertilizers are used that do contain some phosphorous that is needed for germination and root growth but most of the lawncare products contain little to no phosphorous.

The report also referred to the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America who developed and formalized their own best management plans in a manual titled, Best Management Practices for Ohio Golf Courses. These practices are very similar to the 4Rs of Nutrient Stewardship (right rate of nutrients, right source of nutrients, right time for application, and right place of application) used in agriculture. Golf courses, like lawncare service providers and farmers, use soil samples to determine the nutrient needs of the course. These industries, like all the industry associations that comprise OhioPLANT are mindful stewards of the environment.

The inquiry by the Lake Erie Commission Executive Director and the ability to respond to policy makers demonstrates why OhioPLANT is important for its members. While the name might have changed, the core mission remains the same, a large voice protecting the interests of its industry partners and promoting smart policies.