Attendees received powerful insights on the next few years ahead as well as leadership advice at Leaders Forum, presented by NALP and powered by Aspire, at Guanacaste, Costa Rica, on Jan. 30.
One major aspect highlighted throughout the different presentations was the importance of people and the need to be nimble in the near future.
Regulatory Updates
Andrew Bray, NALP senior vice president of government relations and membership, kicked things off with a look into the dynamics of the incoming Trump administration as well as the 119th Congress and how this will impact the lawn and landscape industry.
One of the more recent developments was a memorandum that would freeze spending on federal loans and grants impacting 2,600 different programs until the spending could be reviewed and ensure they do not advance “Marxist equity, transgenderism or Green New Deal social engineering.”
Bray notes that this freeze would have impacted the Department of Labor processing for H-2B, enforcement funding for pesticides, the gas-to-electric transition and a multitude of initiatives involving water. However, this memo was quickly rescinded but hints that the Supreme Court will have to decide in the near future if the president can control the power of the purse.
President Trump has also signed a number of executive orders that can impact the industry. While he has not currently placed any tariffs in place, Bray anticipates they are coming. Trump has also sought to reclassify thousands of federal workers so it will be easier to fire them and is offering early retirement to millions more federal workers. Bray says that the loss of these workers will result in a slowdown of many government processes.
With immigration and work visas, Bray says Project 2025 is the diagram that Trump is following, but the question is simply how far he will take it. He has also cut off foreign aid, which plays a role in bringing in H-2B workers from the Northern Triangle countries. Bray says those coming from Guatemala shouldn’t be impacted by this, but it will cost more to bring these workers in.
Despite these headwinds, NALP’s government affairs team has been working to educate President Trump’s top advisors about the importance of the H-2B program and several new leaders of departments like the DOL and DHS are supporters of the H-2B program.
As for Congress, Bray is optimistic there is an opportunity to make a difference on immigration and H-2B legislation this year. NALP is also looking to get bipartisan support to enable the Farm Bill to be passed this year.
“Let’s buckle up, be prepared and it may get bumpy,” Bray says.
Factors Shaping the Future of the Industry
Jon Gohl, senior account manager with Aspire, shared some of the data they collected by surveying over 1,000 landscape companies. It found that in 2024, only 25% of landscape companies had revenue increases, while another 42% faced revenue declines. Overall, the industry anticipates a favorable 2025, with 56% expecting more of the same and 32% predicting their businesses will perform even better.
However, many are also expecting volatility in the coming months with cost of materials being the top concern for 52% of respondents. Staff recruitment and retention was a close second at 51%.
Many companies are investing in their sales and marketing (38%) but only 13% said they were investing in employee training.
“Training is what helps with retention,” Gohls says. “People stay when they understand where they’re at today and where they can move up.”
Gohl also recommends companies diversify their services so they can adjust faster to market shifts.
“Stay balanced,” Gohl says. “Anything can happen this year with the new administration. Stay flexible.”
Drew Garcia, vice president of Rancho Mesa Insurance Services and Landscape Group Leader, covered some of the insurance lines most likely to see rate increases as well as best-in-class auto risk management practices like utilizing telematics to track and coach against bad driving habits.
He also encouraged landscape professionals not to overlook contractual protection. Make sure your contracts contain strong indemnity and hold harmless clauses that transfer risk and liability to the appropriate parties.
Britt Wood, CEO of NALP, shared recommendations from ITR Economics and some of their takeaways from their latest economic report. There is expected to be a sluggish start to 2025 but things will pick up near the end of the year with slow, steady growth from 2026 to 2029. Landscape company owners are encouraged to focus on efficiencies to protect their margins, diversify their supply chains and learn from past business cycles.
NALP members can access the full economic report here.
Leadership Panel Takeaways
Experienced leaders J.T. Price, CEO of Landscape Workshop, based in Birmingham, Alabama; Josh Willey, president and COO of Green Lawn Fertilizing, based in West Chester, Pennsylvania; and Chris Lee, president of EarthWorks, based in Lillian, Texas, discussed different life lessons and best practices they have picked up over the years running their businesses.
One practice that Price has found beneficial is working with an executive coach who can let you know when you’re doing something wrong. He points out that people you can fire are not going to tell you you’re making a stupid decision, which is why it is critical to have external people who will call you out.
Willey says he has learned the importance of time management by setting meetings well in advance to check up with his team throughout the year. They also create contingency plans when they are budgeting so they already know how to pivot if they are missing KPIs or overshoot their predicted growth for the year.
Lee says most of their missteps over the years have spawned from miscommunication. In response to this issue, they have implemented seven-minute meetings where the team discusses where different projects are and provides an open floor for shoutouts and problems encountered at a specific branch like downed equipment.
“It solidifies the fact that we’re all in this together,” Lee says. “We’re all a team.”
Thank you to our title sponsor, Aspire; our Elite partners, Cat, Stanley Black & Decker and STIHL, as well as our additional partners, Rancho Mesa, Toro, Boss by Integra, Hunter, Vermeer and Wilson360.
