As we wrap up the final days of 2024, now’s your chance to review some of the most popular articles on The Edge. Some of the common themes include technology, best practices and stories related to mergers & acquisitions. If you missed any of these most-read stories, check them out now!
10) Level Up: Inside Yardnique’s Steady Organic and M&A Growth
When Yardnique’s CEO Brian DuMont was considering where to go to college, all he wanted to do was play baseball. It was when his father asked, “What are you going to do with your life, son?” that he decided to study landscape horticulture at North Carolina State University.
While attending college, one summer he worked for another landscape company doing high-end residential work.
9) The Power of Collaboration: How Partnerships Propelled SunWorks Landscape Partners’ Rapid Growth
SunWorks Landscape Partners, based in Carrollton, Texas, was founded in 2021 and has already reached No. 55 on Lawn & Landscape’s Top 100 list for 2023.
“We are proud of what we have accomplished and are grateful to work with so many dedicated and talented teammates,” says Nate Carlson, CEO of SunWorks Landscape Partners. “Our presence on the Lawn & Landscape Top 100 list is also a testament to all of the incredible founders and entrepreneurs who have entrusted SunWorks with their legacy. We would not be here without them.”
8) How I Do It: BrightView Steps Up Safety with Work Boot Initiative
The right pair of work boots is an underappreciated but vital part of a landscape employee’s personal protective equipment.
This year, BrightView, headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, recognized the importance of high-quality footwear and partnered with Red Wing Shoes to equip over 18,000 BrightView employees with new boots. This program, known as Stepping It Up in Safety, provides new hires with a pair of Red Wing work boots when they start and every following year on their work anniversary.
7) Tree Care: Stop the Spread of Crape Murder
It’s February, which means in the South, crape myrtles have all of a sudden started sporting rather severe buzzcuts. Despite its extreme prevalence, this type of ‘pruning’ is the opposite of beneficial for the plant.
As a landscape professional, you know better than to practice topping innocent crape myrtles, better known as crape murder. However, your clients may try to undertake this task themselves or insist you trim back their crape myrtles for them. Arm yourself with responses to these commonly touted myths.
6) Safety Culture: The Art of An Effective Equipment Rodeo
Whether you call them safety rodeos, equipment rodeos, or some other name, spring training kickoff events can set your team off on the right foot and ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to safety and equipment operations.
Kristin Hunt, safety rodeo coordinator for Monarch Landscape Management, based in Houston, Texas, says their company started conducting safety rodeos in 2020. She says the team appreciates the emphasis on safety, reviewing policies, and acquiring new skills.
5) Four Essential Considerations for Creating a Rooftop Garden
In urban settings, rooftop gardens can be enjoyed by residential and commercial clients alike as they can provide an oasis amongst the concrete and steel structures. The popularity of these spaces is growing as people seek connections to nature and improved quality of life.
“Clients see their rooftop spaces as an extension of their interior real estate – so developing rooftops gives clients more space to live and work – especially as so many people are still in a hybrid work environment,” says Gwyneth Owen-Webber, designer and director of horticultural services for Chicago Specialty Gardens, based in Chicago, Illinois. “And while Chicago outdoor spaces are typically only used in the summer – designing with the spring and fall seasons in mind (adding wind screens/heaters/fire tables) allows for an extension of the outdoor season for our clients.”
4) How To Integrate Robot Mowers Into Your Lawn Care Business
If you own or manage a lawn care business, then you’re probably already well aware of the current labor market and the difficult conditions it’s causing.
Almost every industry, lawn care included, is dealing with labor shortages and a tight labor market. This can make it difficult to scale your business effectively. It also may make it hard to service your current clientele if you’re struggling to find qualified workers.
3) Boost Your Crews’ Plant Knowledge with These Powerful Plant ID Apps
If you’re opting to hire your employees based on their attitude and work ethic, rather than a particular set of skills, chances are not all of them have an encyclopedic knowledge of all the plants they may encounter out in the field.
While you should work to increase their recognition of different plant species through training, a tool you can use to augment their expertise is plant identification apps. There are a number of these available so we’ve outlined a handful of the options as well as their pros and cons, and if there is a free versus paid tier.
2) Level Up: Sunrise Landscape Grows by Almost 300% in Three Years
In 2019, Austin Ashmore acquired Sunrise Landscape, based in Tampa, Florida, along with some outside investors. He had contemplated starting his company from scratch when he missed the entrepreneurial environment of small business, but he says his skillset is better suited to taking an existing organization to the next level.
He considers it “writing another chapter in an already great book.”
1) Landscape Industry Trends for 2024
So far, the 2020s have been banner years for the landscape industry. However, the upcoming presidential election, talk of a potential recession, climate change and other factors are all impacting client demand and trends.
Landscape professionals across the country share what they are seeing when it comes to these elements influencing consumers and what they see happening in 2024.
Do you want to have a story you want to share? Contact Jill Odom to be considered for a future article.
