How I Do It Archives - The Edge from the National Association of Landscape Professionals

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How I Do It

How I Do It: Attracting Promising Candidates with An Apprenticeship Program

How often have you had to pass on a promising job candidate due to their lack of experience? One way Ryan Lawn & Tree, based in Merriam, Kansas, has addressed this common challenge is with their apprenticeship program. Launched in 2021, this program is designed to serve as a talent pipeline that supports the company’s […]

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Hiring Smarter: The Case for Working Interviews

How many times has this happened to you? You interview a candidate who checks all of your boxes and answers the questions perfectly. Yet when they join your company, you quickly discover they lack the work ethic and team skills needed to succeed in the field. This can be a frustrating, but common phenomenon in […]

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How I Do It: Creating a Foreman Fast Track Program

If you want to attract leaders to your organization, outlining a viable career path for them from the start is one key to success. This is one of the benefits Weller Brothers Landscape Professionals, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has reaped through their Foreman Fast Track program. The FFT program provides clear growth opportunities […]

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How I Do It: Helping Employees Through Life’s Challenges With a Dedicated Hope Advisor

Stressors often originate outside of work, but they can easily stick with employees on the job and have a direct impact on their overall well-being, safety and productivity. In an effort to combat stress and to make their team members’ lives a little bit better, Pro Cutters Lawnscapes, Inc., based in Conyers, Georgia, added the […]

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How I Do It: Creating a Strong Leadership Bench

Promoting employees from within can greatly strengthen your company, but this can only occur if you are building out your team members’ leadership skills. This is what prompted LandCare, headquartered in Frederick, Maryland, to launch their Accelerated Leadership Development Program in October 2024. ā€œSustainable growth requires a strong bench of leaders who are ready to […]

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How a Perpetual Purpose Trust Works in a Landscape Company

If as an owner, you don’t like the idea of your company’s culture and purpose changing after you sell the business, you’re not alone.   This is what prompted Dave Mazanowski, founder of Mainscape, based in Fishers, Indiana, to establish a purpose trust to sustain the company’s mission and vision in perpetuity. ā€œWhen you’re with […]

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Door Number Three: Why Mainscape Chose a Perpetual Purpose Trust

When landscape company owners begin considering their exit strategy, it often comes down to a choice between passing the business on to family members/key employees or selling to private equity. But what if there was a third door? This was the option Mainscape’s founder, Dave Mazanowski, ultimately ended up taking. The company has recently begun a […]

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Firefighter-Owned and Operated: How Px3 Landscaping Puts Safety Above Everything

Safety is paramount for any landscape company, but Ryan Pontzloff, owner of Px3 Landscaping LLC, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, approaches it from the lens of a volunteer firefighter. ā€œBeing a volunteer firefighter in the communities in which your company operates really shifts your focus,ā€ Pontzloff says. ā€œYou get to learn street names and addresses through […]

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How I Do It: Investing in Account Manager Sales Training

Account managers are the backbone of Visterra Landscape Group, based in Rosemont, Illinois. Because these team members are critical for retaining customers and increasing margins, the company decided that one of their core focuses will be providing their account managers with more resources. ā€œI think as an industry as a whole, we have lacked providing […]

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How I Do It: Taking the Lead on Recruiting

Recruiting is HR’s responsibility, right? For Will Richardson, managing director of Father Nature Landscapes, based in Birmingham, Alabama, he’s found it’s more beneficial when he takes an active role in this task. ā€œIn my mind, it’s a way better investment in our future for me to focus on recruiting and get the right people on […]

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