How I Do It Archives - Page 2 of 25 - The Edge from the National Association of Landscape Professionals

We recently updated our Privacy Policy. By continuing to use this website, you acknowledge that our revised Privacy Policy applies.

How I Do It

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 […]

Read More

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 […]

Read More

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 […]

Read More

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 […]

Read More

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 […]

Read More

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 […]

Read More

Starting Over From Scratch: How A Client-First Approach Led to National Recognition

Tim McAuliffe originally thought he would retire in Texas after selling his firm in Pennsylvania and moving in 2018. However, he and his wife chose to make a change for more work/life balance with their family in 2024. ā€œI had the opportunity to join a local firm in the Carolina coastal area of Wilmington, North […]

Read More

How I Do It: Building an AI Council to Test and Scale New Technology

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the speed of new technologies coming to the market, particularly in the AI space. Rather than considering it a lost cause to stay on top of these changes, Level Green Landscaping, based in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, opted to create an internal AI council that allows their team the freedom […]

Read More

How I Do It: Growing Talent From the Ground Up

Two years ago, Father Nature Landscapes, based in Birmingham, Alabama, was struggling to find individuals who were willing to get their hands dirty and found satisfaction from building something with their hands. ā€œEven with a growing internship program, we found it challenging to hire solely from the college pipeline,ā€ says Will Richardson, managing director of […]

Read More

How I Do It: Keeping Seasonal Employees Engaged During The Off-Season

If you operate in a region where your work is seasonal and you need to lay off a portion of your employees, you know all too well how challenging it can be to ensure this workforce will return in the spring. Brad Leahy, vice president of Blades of Green, based in Edgewater, Maryland, says the first […]

Read More