Young Professionals Fall Tour

Young Professionals Discover a Place Where Innovation Comes to Grow

by Nina Koziol

More than 85 men and women came together at Sebert Landscape corporate headquarters in Bartlett last month to see the direction of one very forward-thinking ILCA member. They toured Sebert’s Gold LEED-certified building and discovered what it’s like to be on the forefront of sustainability.

“We’re all responsible to lessen our carbon footprint,” said Jeff Sebert, the company’s president. “When you look at the chemicals and fuels our industry uses, we should be the leader of the green movement and we are to some extent.” A decade ago, an employee suggested that batterypowered equipment would be the way of the future. “He was correct,” Sebert said. And, the company has not looked back.

Attendees toured Sebert’s corporate headquarters where the green roof improves insulation, extends roof life, filters pollutants, and collects rainfall. Solar panels on the building convert electricity from DC to AC. A lush landscape, filled with native plants surrounds the parking lot and building. The 30,000-square-foot building is 10 years old.

“A 5,000 gallon pond takes water off our roof and parking lot,” explained Laura Birtas, marketing administrator. “All of the woodwork and the conference room table was reclaimed and reused.” Some of the material came from ships that sank in Lake Michigan where the cold water preserved the wood. Bamboo, a sustainable wood, was used for the floors, and a water-efficient plumbing system was installed. The parking lot has 5,000 square feet of permeable paving and everything was designed to be easily maintained.

Innovation in Action

Sebert Account Manager Matt Leakakos gave a presentation on one of the company’s three custom trailers, designed in-house, and equipped with a special charging station that can recharge batteries while crews are at job sites. “It’s kind of unique to us right now,” he said. The firm’s innovative move into electric equipment, especially the Gravely 60-inch battery-driven mowers, drew the attention of many, including Romeo Marquez of Gabriel’s Landscape and Tree Service in Palatine. “These tours are nice and the mowers are really intriguing,” he said. “We’ve been to another one of these [Young Professionals] events and it’s helpful to see what’s happening in the industry.” “All the brick pavers direct water to the pond and native plantings,” Birtas said. “It goes to a filtration system and we’re basically recycling rain water and reusing it.” The building design and installation involved countless moving parts to meet the criteria for Gold LEED certification. The end result is a breathtaking, comfortable facility that attracts out-of-state firms interested in seeing Sebert’s innovations.

Ten years ago, Jeff Sebert called in a company to demo their batterypowered equipment. “We’ve gone to three or four manufacturers when it comes to batteries; we’re looking for long-lasting products and being able to get the equipment when we need it,” he said. There are tax credits available for purchases as the government attempts to move companies away from gas powered-equipment. What about all the existing equipment? “It’s simply not practical to convert a gas-powered mower,” Sebert said. “You have to start from scratch.”

A demonstration featured Sebert’s mowers and a comparison between the traditional gas-powered mowers and the new battery operated commercial mowers: no gas, oil or fumes and little noise. Afterwards, there was plenty of networking with a buffet and open bar — all free — and courtesy of Sebert and several sponsors.

Things to Come

Adam King of King’s Landscape Design in Lemont is a member of the Young Professionals Committee. “When we were planning the event, we were thinking about companies that can push us in the direction the industry is going — a company that’s innovative. And, Sebert has done a wonderful job pushing into the future. We don’t have a choice — gas-powered equipment will be done in five to 10 years.”

Sebert’s line trimmers and blowers are also battery-powered. “We’re looking to modernize all of our equipment,” Leakakos said. “We looked at other models, but the batteries comes out of the Gravely mower.” Because each mower holds four batteries and runs on only one, a low battery can be removed and recharged in the trailer without stopping service. “Most other electric vehicle models have a hard stop when the battery goes.” And those batteries typically can’t be removed, so the mower is out of service until the battery is recharged.

Gabriel Marquez is president of Gabriel’s Landscape and Tree Service. “If we’re looking to add another crew or replace equipment it wouldn’t take much. If you’re investing $15,000 in a mower, you might as well look at the option to move up to electric.”

Local and state governments are moving in that direction and ILCA has been very active working with regulators. King credits ILCA’s Executive Director Scott Grams. “Scott has been very communicative with legislators,” King said. “It’s a very scary switch for people who have invested in new gas-powered equipment. Newer companies buying gas-powered equipment may not be able to make the switch. Sebert foresaw what was happening and they were smart. We are hoping that the young professionals at the event will take the information back to their companies.”

King joined the Young Professionals Committee because his company was struggling to find young talent. “We want to hire young and nurture and train them to work within the company culture — give them the skills. I want to provide positive reinforcement that the industry is thriving.”

Participation leads to opportunities. “ILCA is a great organization to be part of and a number of our staff are involved,” Birkas said. “We’re so happy to have this group here so we can show what’s possible.”

Curious about what your peers are doing? Join ILCA’s Young Professionals Facebook page: https://www.facebook. com/groups/ILCAyoungprofessionals/.

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