If you’re planning to attend the National Collegiate Landscape Competition, presented by NALP and powered by STIHL, next year at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, on March 19-22, 2025, you want to make sure your team gets the most out of the event.
Check out some of the advice other landscape companies have for attending NCLC.
Develop A Plan
Bill Petry, a sales consultant for Milosi, based in Hendersonville, Tennessee, says they have a committee that decides who all on staff is attending NCLC each year, when they’re arriving and who is taking which students to dinner.
“We’re all responsible for different things,” Petry says. “To make it successful, there’s so many moving parts that no one person can do it.”
Jaden Miller, marketing manager for Weller Brothers Landscape Professionals, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, says you should be thoughtful about bringing representatives from different departments within your organization so students can have relevant conversations with your team.
“Once you make the decision to do it, you just got to really spend the time to do it right,” Petry says. “You don’t want to do it halfway. You really want to have a plan, follow the plan, and understand why you’re there, what they need, what you can provide them and what they’re going to provide you.”
Take Advantage of the Interview Spaces
During the career fair, there are dedicated interview spaces that landscape companies can take advantage of.
Jeff Rossen, CEO of Rossen Landscape, based in Great Falls, Virginia, encourages other companies to schedule one-on-one interviews during NCLC.
“I feel like your chances go up exponentially because you just gained 30 minutes of time to sell them on your company that somebody else didn’t take,” Rossen says.
Jennifer Burnett, chief people officer for LandCare, based in Frederick, Maryland, says they also take advantage of the interview spaces at NCLC.
“If we meet a student that’s specifically looking for full-time employment, we will absolutely take the opportunity to use those interview spaces because we don’t want to let that wait,” Burnett says. “There’s competition there. We want the opportunity to talk with them and plant that seed really quickly.”
Brigitte Orrick, director of talent development for Davey Tree Expert Company, based in Kent, Ohio, says they have both human resources professionals and hiring managers who come for the purpose of interviewing students.
“We’ve gotten pretty good at interviewing and knowing what we’re looking for for a particular position,” Petry says. “We’re not just trying to bring people in to fill seats. They’re actually here because we want them to have the opportunity to be a team member.”
Sponsor an Individual Competition
Another way to maximize the value of attending NCLC is to sponsor one of the individual competitions, when the opportunity is available.
“I think it’s great to come to the career fair,” Orrick says. “It is even better to volunteer for the competition. That’s where you’re going to develop relationships over the course of the week, not just during the career fair.”
Burnett says LandCare loves sponsoring individual competition events because it helps get their name out there and develop brand recognition.
Petry also encourages talking to students who are studying in the hallways or watching an event.
“Just don’t be afraid to start talking,” Petry says. “And then next thing, you start talking to the professors and you just learn and build a relationship.”
Attend Every Year
One of the keys to being successful at NCLC is to attend every year. Orrick says you need multiple touchpoints with the students in general.
“This is branding, it’s employer branding, and if you want to be seen as the employer of choice, you’ve got to show up in the places where students are,” Orrick says
Burnett adds that NCLC is also a time to continue to build your relationship with faculty members.
“The students are going to be there for four years at best,” Burnett says. “The faculty, they’re going to be there for many years, and they’re going to know you. When you build relationships with them, and they see that they’re turning their students that they’ve poured their heart and souls into developing into your organization, and their careers are taking off, they’re going to want to continue to push the students that way. They’re most invested in the student’s success.”
Petry notes that it’s the one time of year that you’ll have access to everybody all at once.
“It’s like any relationship,” Petry says. “You got to work at a relationship and if you don’t work it and you just do it willy nilly, you’re never going to have a successful relationship.”
Ready to build your relationships with faculty and students? Make sure to attend NCLC at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, on March 19-22, 2025. Registration for the Career Fair opens in late fall.
