Young Professionals Spring Event Virtual event helps enhance careers

Virtual Event Helps Enhance Careers

Nina A. Koziol

When you can’t get together in person,

the next best thing is connecting virtually and that’s what ILCA’s Young Professionals did for their March 5th event. “What better way to spend a Friday afternoon,” said Greg Johnston of McAdam Landscaping.”

More than 40 people participated in the program, “Unmasked: How 2020 Changed an Entire Generation of Young Landscape Professionals.” Most of the attendees ranged in age from 18 to 34 and the group was pretty much split 50/50 male and female.

The meeting began with a short video from ILCA member Conserv FS, featuring a virtual walkthrough of their facility and products. It was followed by breakout sessions that looked at challenges of day-to-day work, elements of the perfect work/life balance, leveraging professional relationships and networking.

“I’m new to this industry, said Coraima Amaya Pagan of Rent-a-Gardener. This was her first Young Professionals event. “I’m an office manager for a local landscaping company, looking to learn more and network.” She and others discussed the challenges of working during the pandemic, goal setting, using social media and moving ahead in their careers.

Effective Networking

Elaina Blankenhagen of Plandscape looks to the internet for career information. “I’m not really a book reader, I get information from online posts.” She’s also president of a horticulture club. “I attend as many green-related events as I can and I keep in contact and “friend” people on Facebook.” Aaron Lurvey of Lurvey Landscape Supply uses Facebook groups to post questions and ask about plant problems and he reads business books to stay current with trends.

There are many Facebook groups for younger members of the green industry, such as Emergent: A Group for Growing Professionals and ILCA Young Professionals where you can post questions and network.

“ILCA is a huge help—networking, the trade show, the seminars and the open houses,” said 26-year-old Rosalva Duenez of Russo Power Equipment in Frankfort. She’s been with the company for six years. For her, networking and social media outlets are a big help especially for their customers. Her co-worker, Yasmin Chavez, brought a fresh approach to the company’s social media marketing. “We’re doing something more with the content that reaches out to our customers—something they can relate to,” Chavez said. “We send out emails three times a week so they’re not overwhelmed.”

Career Roadmap

Do you feel like an adult, like a pro? That question was posed in one of the sessions. “More and more every year—I push myself out of the comfort zone,” said Tim Sweeney, associate chair of the Young Professionals committee. “Everyone says I have so much to learn.” Tim is 34 and he’s absolutely correct—your education and work experience doesn’t stop when you get a certificate or diploma. Success is all about life-long learning and new experiences. New tools, new materials, new plants, new business strategies, new challenges. And that’s where mentors come in. Finding someone in your workplace to mentor you—someone to advise, coach and support you—will go a long way in reaching your career goals. Jose Jalapa has worked part-time in the industry for four years and received his pesticide applicator’s license. “I’m in the mulch department at Kramer Tree Specialists trying to work my way up to foreman.” Having a goal like that is key to moving your career in the right direction. Recognizing what you enjoy (and dislike) early on in your career will help you determine your direction. Alex Smith, account manager for Schmechtig Landscape has been in the industry for six years, working in the nursery for two. “The best thing about it, I’m an outdoorsman and I don’t like to be confined to an office.” Understanding what you enjoy and what you’re good at and setting personal goals—whether they are one-year or five-year goals—will keep you on track for a 18 The Landscape Contractor May 2021

Virtual Event Helps Enhance Careers

successful—and satisfying—career.

And, don’t let the little things stress you out. “If you take things too seriously, you’re going to burnout at work, especially with the pandemic last year,” said Kyle Banas of Pizzo Native Plant Nursery. “The culture and teamwork around you is so important.” Participate in company activities and get to know as many staff as possible.

Do you have goals? “It’s a good question to ask each other,” Banas said. What kinds of goals do your peers have? When it comes to navigating your future, goals should represent objectives, benchmarks, and milestones in your career. An example: Find a mentor to help me develop the required skills for promotion, by the end of the first quarter.

Dealing with Challenges

Last year’s pandemic turned the workplace upside down according to most of the attendees. “In my situation, I manage inside and outside sales,” said Nicole Nault of LaFarge Fox River Decorative Stone. She’s been with the company for five (continued on page 22) The Landscape Contractor May 2021

(continued from page 21) years and is chair of ILCA’s Women’s Networking Group. “There are people who worked in the office and some who worked remotely.” Managing that can be challenging. “I was presented with the option of working remotely, so I was trying to navigate that.”

“The pandemic brought us to a new level on how to clean,” said Brian Jeske of Mundelein Park and Recreation District. “We have enough trucks so everyone had their own and everyone met outside. Our trucks never looked newer! We were stricter on ourselves and only opened at 15 percent capacity for our residents.”

This was the first Young Professionals event for Melissa Nelson. She’s worked in Kramer Tree Service’s sales department for one year. “I’m 28 and new to landscaping. I worked a bit at The Morton Arboretum and wanted to connect with people.”

Many of the young pros voiced their hopes that future events would be face-to-face. In the past, the Young Professionals Committee has offered a Day In/Night Out event where attendees tour a green-industry facility followed by a casual get-together at a local restaurant or brew pub. “It was awesome seeing everyone on web cam but I miss seeing everyone in person,” said Tim Sweeney. Stay tuned. We’re looking forward to hosting in-person events soon. Stay in Touch

Are you a young professional (age 35 or younger) working in the landscape industry?

Do you want to gain insight from successful business owners? Do you want to build your professional network with other young professionals and industry leaders? Take part in ILCA’s Young Professionals events—they’re free! Have a question?

Contact Marissa Stubler (mstubler@ ilca.net) for more information about Young Professional events.

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