Communication is a pillar of the industry, and students were able to practice this skill throughout the 30 different competitive events held during the 49th National Collegiate Landscape Competition, presented by NALP and powered by STIHL.
Across the Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins, 770 students from 56 schools demonstrated both their hard and soft skills during events such as compact excavator operation, arboriculture techniques, employee development and sales presentation.
During the employee development event, students had to roleplay two different scenarios that focused on dealing with a disgruntled employee and how an HR manager and general manager should develop action items for a struggling employee. This event judged students’ abilities to both communicate and listen.
Another event that tested students’ ability to navigate conversations was sales presentation. Participants had 10 minutes to close the sale and were required to present a design that met the client’s specifications based on previous meetings.
Desirae Albertson, a senior horticulture major at Brigham Young University – Idaho, says she’s always watched the sales competition event and wanted to try it. This year, she was able to represent her school. She says competing in the event has opened up a lot of doors she hadn’t considered before.
“You can never have too many options,” Albertson says. “Coming here, you’re exposed to things just like I was exposed to sales. Maybe that is the niche that I wanted, and you just never know. This gives you the freedom to try things out without being committed to something like a job for an extended amount of time.”
After having a successful presentation and closing her sale, Albertson was approached by a landscape company rep who said they’d like to hire her after graduating. She says it makes her feel like a million bucks when she has companies approaching her about job opportunities.
“It’s just amazing to get those companies coming up to you, and you realize that the things that that I’m paving towards are right here and that I can add value within the industry,” Albertson says.
Katelyn Milanes, director of culture and employee engagement for Fisk Lawnscapes, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, says the best part about NCLC is being able to have access to talent they wouldn’t have been able to meet otherwise and being able to build those relationships.
“The talent is incredible, seeing these super young students who’ve probably never sold anything in their life be able to do it in front of an audience and three judges,” Milanes says. “It’s just the confidence that they exude. These are the exact students that we want to potentially work with in the future.”
Even at events like truck and trailer operation and hardscape installation, communication was critical. During the truck and trailer event, the driver counted on their teammate in the passenger seat to serve as their spotter as they navigated through the obstacle course.
Meanwhile, at the hardscape event, teams of two worked to create a small paver patio and freestanding wall within the time limit.
“It’s a very big team dynamic competition,” says Caleb Fox, lead instructor of the horticulture technology program at Alamance Community College. “If there’s no communication whatsoever, it’s going to be chaotic. They’re not going to finish.”
Fox says students have to let one another know what color paver is needed or if they need to tamp the base down more. He says if the team members both try to lay block at the same time, it’s going to cause confusion and a traffic jam.
For Mayo Mitchell, a senior majoring in landscape contracting and minoring in landscape architecture and business at Mississippi State University, it was his second year competing in the hardscape installation event. He says he had better chemistry with his teammate this time.
“My partner Mason and I are good friends, so we do communicate very well,” Mitchell says. “We were timed, so everything has to be one fluid dynamic, and communication is huge in that. He needs to know what I need from him. I need to know what he needs from me, and we need to be able to communicate that to each other, so that we’re moving and working together the whole time.”
Communication is also essential for the landscape plant installation event as it’s the only three-person competition.
“You’ve got to work with those people to get a job done in a time limit,” says Joshua Fain, a junior majoring in landscape management at Auburn University. “That’s something that happens every day in the job in the workforce, and so communicating is something very important here at this event, and it definitely translates into careers and into life past school.”
Jenn Myers, executive director of NALP Foundation and senior director of workforce development for NALP, says one of the benefits of NCLC’s competitive events is it gives students a chance to test their skills or try out something new.
“You learn more about if this something you enjoy and want to pursue in our industry, just by virtue of raising your hand to compete in an event and then all the studying and prep that goes into it as you get ready to compete at NCLC,” Myers says.
Skylar Bates, a junior double majoring in landscape architecture and landscape contracting at Mississippi State University, says NCLC prepares you in a lot of ways.
“It teaches you how to network,” Bates says. “It also teaches you how to be confident within yourself by competing in different events. It’s a growth tool, not for just you, but just for everybody. It also teaches you collaboration. Because when you’re working here, you’re here with your school, you got to talk. You have to communicate, depending on what event you’re in. It helps you prepare as a person and as a professional.”
NALP CEO Britt Wood says the students who attend NCLC are intelligent, outgoing and hardworking.
“It gives me a great amount of solace knowing that this is the future and they’re impressive,” Wood says.
Thank you to our elite partners STIHL, Stanley Black & Decker, Caterpillar and Aspire for supporting this event. Additionally, thank you to our Gold partners, John Deere and Mariani Premier Group, as well as all the other industry partners who help make NCLC possible.
