the landscape contractor magazine september 2015

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September 2015

16

62

CONTENTS Excellence In Landscape Awards Project 8

FOCUS: Snow Removal Business Issues

Hold Harmless and Indemnification Language 10 Vital information for every snow contractor Bidding Snow 16 An insider’s look at a critical business element

Garden Speak 26 Joe-Pye weed, by any other name

Committee Chair Profile 30 Golf Committee Chair — Scott McAdam Jr.

Summer Field Day 2015 32 Pictures and more from another great day

Summer Business Tune Up 40 Three short articles to help you refocus

Member Profile 58 Hardscape Designs, Inc. Plant All-Stars 62 Lobelia cardinalis ‘Queen Victoria’

On the cover... Christy Webber Landscapes won a Gold Award in Commercial Landscape Maintenance for this 2014 project.

The Landscape Contractor 3

September 2015

Choose from

robust mums

available in two

sizes, ornamental

peppers, kale &

cabbage and an

array of colorful

fall accent plants.

p.o. box 748 • st. charles, il 60174847.742.1790 • fax 847.742.2655www.midwestgroundcovers.com

fallcollection

Aster, Double Fall Blue

Cabbage, Songbird Red

Celosia Fresh Look Mix Pepper, Ornamental Chilly Chili

Chrysanthemum

U-Pick Fall Display

EN ESPAÑOL Let it Snow Deja que nieve 36

The official publication of the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA), The Landscape Contractor is dedicated to educating, advising and informing members of this industry and furthering the goals of the Association. The Landscape Contractor carries news and features relating to landscape contracting, maintenance, design and allied interests. Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited material and reserves the right to edit any article or advertisement submitted for publication.Publication reserves right to refuse advertising not in keeping with goals of Association. WWW.ilca.net

Volume 56, Number 9. The Landscape Contractor (ISSN # 0194-7257, USPS # 476-490) is pub-lished monthly for $75.00 per year by the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association, 2625 Butterfield Road, Ste. 104S, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Periodicals postage paid at Oak Brook, IL and additional mailing offices. Printed in USA.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Landscape Contractor, 2625 Butterfield Road, Ste 104S, Oak Brook, IL 60523. DISPLAY ADVERTISING SALES: Association Publishing Partners, Inc., Ph. (630) 637-8632 Fax (630) 637-8629 email: [email protected] CLASSIFIED ADS, CIRCULATION AND SUBSCRIPTION: ILCA (630) 472-2851 Fax (630) 472-3150 PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL OFFICE: Rick Reuland, [email protected], Naperville, IL 60540 Ph. (630)637-8632

Photo Credits ILCA Awards Program 1, 8-9Rick Reuland 32-35Richard Hawke 27-29Angel Zielinski 62

ILCA Staff

Executive DirectorScott Grams

(630) [email protected]

Education Manager Julie Nicoll

[email protected]

Membership & Events ManagerTerre Houte

[email protected]

Office ManagerAlycia O’[email protected]

ILCA 2625 Butterfield Road Ste. 104S

Oak Brook, IL 60523(630) 472-2851 • Fax (630) 472-3150

www.ilca.net

CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS ILCA Calendar 4 From Where I Stand 5 President’s Message 7 Classified Ads 58 Advertisers Index 61

Magazine Staff

Rick ReulandPublisher/Advertising Sales


Debbie RauenAdvertising Sales

(817-501-2403)debbie.landscapecontractor@

yahoo.com

v

Becke DavisSenior Writer

[email protected]

Patrice PeltierFeature Writer

[email protected]

Meta LevinFeature Writer

[email protected]

Panel ChairsJim Fizzell

[email protected]

Greg [email protected]

Calendar

PRODUCT DISCLAIMER: The Illinois Landscape Contractors Association, its Board of Directors, the Magazine Committee, ILCA Staff, The Landscape Contractor and its staff, neither endorse any products nor attest to the validity of any statements made about products mentioned in this, past or subsequent issues of this publication.

4 The Landscape ContractorSeptember 2015

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Agriculture, for years, fueled landscape jobs. “Farm kids,” used to a hard day’s work in the sun, saw landscaping as the small business version of agriculture. The long hours, early mornings, and dirty boots did not scare ag kids, and more importantly, ag parents.

One only needs to look at aerial photography of the Chicagoland area to appreciate how much has changed in the past 40 years. One could also drive up Rte. 59 or Rte. 14 or

120 or Randall Road. When I was growing up as a suburban kid, Aurora was the end of the world. Towns like Sycamore or Oswego may as well have been Iowa. Now, as sprawl surges north, south, and west, those towns are being enveloped. Farms are converted to subdivisions. Homes are bought by suburbanites and com-muters. Those families have kids, and they go to high school. Agriculture, horticulture, and farm-ing are as far from these high school students’ career paths as blacksmithing.

The green industry is hard on itself. College horticulture programs are struggling. Landscape companies are searching for the next genera-tion of professionals. The green industry blames itself, its hours, its competition, the changing tastes of millennials, or “kids today.” In reality, geography is proving to be a major culprit.

The traditional students who used to be drawn to landscape companies don’t live in the area anymore. 26% of Illinois students learn horticulture in high school but unless you drive to Effingham or Grayville or Astoria, you will never meet them. In addition, those students live

in markets where landscaping is undervalued or, at least, valued less than agriculture. These communities create cottage indus-tries surrounding farming. High school students see futures in farming or implement and material sales.

So, it’s not hard to trace the roots of the labor problem in the Illinois landscape industry. Urban sprawl pushes farming kids out of Chicago suburbs. Horticulture, agronomy, and crop sciences are alive and well in rural Illinois, but those commu-nities don’t see huge value in landscaping. Those kids, even with a background in hort, go to college (or don’t) to study agriculture. They return to their communities to work in that industry and the cycle repeats. If their community does encoun-ter sprawl, the value of landscaping increases, but the desire for horticulture education decreases. Get it? Depressed yet?

Now, there are a hundred examples of ag kids from rural Illinois getting into landscaping. And there are hundreds of examples of kids from Northbrook loving landscaping and gar-dening. I recognize I am being simplistic and reductive. Yet, these broad strokes do help explain why horticulture programs at the college level struggle, and why there seems to be a lack of kids interested in horticulture as a career path.

So, given the geography, what can be done about it?

Quick quiz. How many of the 774 public high schools in Illinois offer horticulture education? This could range from one course to a series of courses on horticulture related topics?

A. More than 25%B. 10%C. 7%D. Less than 5%E. Hey! No one said there was going to

be math!

I am sure many of you figured it was either B or C, the pessimists may have cho-sen D. Surprisingly, the answer is A. More than 26% of all Illinois high schools offer curriculum in horticulture. Now, this isn’t just learning about plant pistils in freshman biology class. This is an entire course dedi-cated to the art and science of plant growing.

Now, before you ask the local high school kids hanging out at the mall (do kids still hang out at malls?) how hort class was that day, brace yourself for a sobering statistic. Out of the 204 high schools that offer hor-ticulture classes, only 21 are located in what we would call the Chicagoland area. Seven of those high schools are vocational schools located in Chicago itself. That means, in the collar counties of Chicago, only fourteen more high schools offer horticulture classes. Keep in mind these 21 schools service a geographic area that contains 83% of the Illinois popula-tion. The Chicago subrurbs are a hort desert.

Now, let’s consider where the majority of landscape sales, especially design-build take place. The Chicago landscape market is the bell cow to the largest seasonal landscape market in the country. Millions of dollars and thousands of landscape jobs are found within the counties in the immediate Chicagoland area. Along those lines, most of the ILCA mem-ber companies are found in that region too.

Our current President Rusty Maulding lives and works in Watseka, IL. Watseka is near the Indiana border. Rusty, who used to work for Christy Webber Landscapes, has now had his script flipped. Instead of being in a region where hundreds of thousands of dollars are invested into containers, boulevard plantings, and green roofs, he now must sell the entire concept of landscaping itself.

Landscaping outside of Chicagoland is much different. There are few competitors, but also fewer opportunities. Small municipalities and townships don’t set aside large parts of their public works budgets to landscaping. Many homeowners are DIYers and, outside of some shrubs and cutting the grass, don’t invest much time and money in professional landscap-ing. There are still excellent opportunities for design-build and maintenance, but landscaping is not ubiquitous.

From Where I Stand...

I Wasn’t Born in a

Small Town

The Landscape Contractor 5 September 2015

Membership Party

expect to see a business. They want cherry wood, nice com-puters, handheld devices, and customer relationship manage-ment software. An ag kid will jump into the cab of an F150 after checking the oil. A non-ag won’t understand why he needs a pickup truck if he’s selling landscapes.

Now the question is, “why should a landscape company change its very nature to please a new generation of employ-ees?” My response, it may not be a choice. The geography of the labor market is working against the landscape industry. You go to the candidates, they come to you, or you find new candidates. Unfortunately, the other options are limited.

Ag was the minor leagues for the landscape industry for many years. Farm kids arrived at landscape shops with both formal and informal education. Farming communities used to be an hour’s drive from Chicago. The physical and cultural geography of the Chicagoland region has changed. Landscape companies must shift their focus from a desired pedigree to a desired set of skills.

The next generation of great landscape employees will interview in shined shoes, with clean, un-calloused hands. At landscape companies, these new hires will want to put “com-pany” on equal footing with “landscape.” And maybe, that’s not such a bad idea. The next generation will need training, support, guidance, and more importantly, no judgment. After all, to paraphrase the old landscape axiom — it’s all about right person, right place.

Scott GramsAugust 25, 2015

Option I: Let’s start with nothing. That seems to usu-ally be the desired course of action for most major problems. Society does little to curb the eventuality of a problem and just complain more loudly about it. I would say this is the baseline response to most problems the world encounters.

Option II: Convince thousands of high school kids, their parents, and dozens of high schools in the Chicagoland area to fall in love with horticulture. As an industry, we can nip at the corners of this problem through guest speakers on career day and grammar school projects where kids collect leaves. However, the long-term success of this approach does not look good. Eventually, the lure of service sector, education, and advanced degree jobs is too strong. These are the jobs these communities understand and value, similar to ag jobs in a small town.

Option III: Recruit where the students are. I am not say-ing landscape companies need to set up a folding table outside the Taste-E-Freeze, but if the hiring pool is ag kids, they aren’t in Naperville anymore. Landscape companies need to set up relationships with educators in these communities. If a company can recruit workers from Michoacán, Mexico it can look to develop relationships and feeder programs from Altona, IL.

This methodology has its challenges. Anyone who visits or communicates with rural Illinois knows they don’t view Chicago as the shining city on the hill. I encounter this in pol-itics and state government all the time. A lot of downstaters view the problems within the state originating in Chicago and flowing outward. There is a mistrust and even general disdain for the Chicagoland area. Convincing a kid from a small town to uproot and work for a landscape company on the North Shore is more difficult than it sounds. Luring small town farm kids to landscape companies is more about expanding their world view than expanding their pocketbooks.

Option IV: Change the hiring pool. Illinois landscape com-panies employ about 65,000 people and the greatest majority lives and work in seven Illinois counties. The high school students in those areas aren’t taking horticulture. With rare exceptions, none of those students are learning anything about plants outside of chlorophyll. They are not being exposed to horticulture as a college degree or career path. The landscape industry needs to accept that and move on.

The next generation of landscape professionals will not be ag kids. They will be graduates of business, technology, engineering, marketing, communications, liberal arts, and any and every other degree program. They will be career chang-ers from sales, other construction trades, the service industry, and light industrial jobs. Hire to train is going to be the new normal. This means that landscape companies will need to rebrand themselves. In addition, training programs are going to be paramount.

Urban and suburban landscape companies need to under-stand the expectations of their job candidates. A farm kid will walk into an unkempt landscape shop. He or she understands utilitarianism and that some jobs are dirty. Non-ag kids will

From Where I Stand...


Not an ILCA Member? This is the time to join!

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Who has a problem with labor? Everyone, raise their hand. It doesn’t matter if you are a manager or coworker, you have a problem with labor. People are what make our companies strong through their service, work ethic and craftsmanship. They also can punch large holes in a company when any of these things is not adhered to at the expected level…or they are nowhere to be found.

We’ve had a trying year weather wise. Rain in May, June and July stretched us to push staff to get the work done that we had promised to complete. Working in the slop left from the night before, lowered productivity and morale. And how about the mosquitos!?

In our scramble to find employees this spring and summer, how many were new to the industry? How many first time employees were out there hoping to make a career out of some facet of landscaping? What was their take away? Did we push, push, push because we, were stretched to our limit? Did we provide a great growth experience for this fresh crop of blindsided inductees to the landscape world?

I was listening to a nationally recognized speaker on the changing needs of community health care this week. She spoke about the shifting behaviors of the generations from Boomers to Gen Y and how that may impact health care. It caught my attention when she mentioned Gen Y (also known as Millennials, roughly 20-35 years old) have a super volun-teerism ethic. They are the first generation that is less educated than their parents, and that is largely due to the great recession. 25% are lost and still searching for their path in life.

It made me pause to think that this could be exactly what we need. One of the tactics the Board has discussed to improve the image of landscape contracting and the perceived value (the desired outcome is to make landscaping a more attractive career path and increase understanding of why professional providers are worth more) is through volun-teer projects and volunteer community presentations. This can also be done at a company level. It may be an itch that needs to be scratched by staff and interns. This betters the industry as a whole in the process.

We are an industry that you can learn on the job. I know many owners and managers, that don’t have a horticulture, landscape architecture or business degree, but are running very successful landscape companies. They learned on the job. Why can’t we leverage this and be more attractive to Millennials? It’s just a matter of helping them connect the dots.

When I hear that 25% are lost, I think of the stereotypical college graduate work-ing in restaurants/bars for tips. If we reframe our competition as the restaurant industry, where nights and weekends are a must, and as an industry we are focused on ecology and improving quality of life, then landscape work should be more appealing to many.

To help membership find their next employees, ILCA has developed a great resource to aid in your search. It’s called “The Source: Staffing Solutions for a Challenging Labor Market.” It was just released to ILCA members only and includes hundreds of sources to find labor at various levels throughout your organization. Some will be familiar, but I think you’ll find many new avenues. We recognize that labor is the industry’s single big-gest challenge and hope this helps businesses fill a few more holes. This was an immedi-ate reponse to a member challenge that was anticipated by the Board.

In the meantime, let’s double down on keeping the employees we have. Create a time to relax and enjoy each other’s company. Invite employee’s families and the heli-copter parents so they can see just how great the camaraderie and business is. Have pictures or better yet, video of the employees working, so families see first-hand what their loved ones do. Give them an outlet to make work more than just work through volunteering. Lastly, a genuine, heartfelt “thank you” can go a long way.

Rusty MauldingAugust 28, 2015

PresidentRusty MauldingNature’s View (815) 592-7582

[email protected]

Vice-PresidentMike Schmechtig

Schmechtig Landscape Company(847) 566-1233

[email protected]

Secretary-TreasurerLisa Fiore Kositzki

Don Fiore Company, Inc.(847) 234-0020

[email protected]

Immediate Past PresidentKevin Vancina

Vancina Landscaping, Inc.(815) 726-2300

[email protected]

DirectorsMark Breier

National Seed Co.(630) 963-8787

[email protected]

Lisa FioreFiore Nursery and Landscape Supply


Jose GarciaNatural Creations Landscaping, Inc.


Kevin Manning K & D Entreprise Landscape Management, Inc. (815) 725-0758 [email protected]

Tom LupferLupfer Landscaping


Maureen ScheitzAcres Group


Donna Vignocchi ZychILT Vignocchi, Inc.


www.ilca.net


President’s Message

Dean MacMorrisNight Light, Inc.(630) 627-1111

[email protected]

A goal of this active adult community is to showcase landscaping excellence so appealing that property values soar, and it makes the neighbors green with envy.

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Meticulous detail is devoted to tree lined walking paths that connect community neighborhoods. When EAB attacked, we responded by removing 305 ashes and replacing them with 11 different species totaling 302 trees.

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Individual homes receive loving attention from our foremen who have been on site since 2005. Our site-dedicated horticultur-alist provides more than 350 homeowner consultations per year.

The sites very popular amenities are pristinely maintained regardless of weather or excessive use. The 69 acres of turf receive copius care to be “barefoot ready”— lush, healthy, and virtually weed free.

Ponds and shorelines are maintained to the highest standards — each one “Fishingclub approved!”


Focus — Snow Removal Business

Hold-Harmless agreements and Indemnification language

Their impact on

professional snow and ice

management companies

and how to

make them null and void

by Kevin Gilbride

A major problem plaguing the professional snow and ice management industry centers on contract lan-guage, specifically the indemnification clause.

One line in particular reads: “To the fullest extent permit-ted by law, you shall, at your own cost and expense, defend and indemnify (property owner) from any and all allegations directed at the indemnified party. To the fullest extent permit-ted by law, you shall indemnify and hold harmless the indem-nified parties from any and all liabilities, obligations, claims, demands, settlements, and penalties, for any incidents arising out of based upon, or in connection with your performance.”

Translation: If anything goes wrong, the snow contrac-tor must take the fall, even if the property owner is at fault. If you sign this agreement, you are on the hook and you will have no case to fight.

These agreements run roughshod throughout the industry. Frequently, snow contractors are unaware they are agreeing to these terms. After all, the wording is often buried on page 8 of the contract.

Other times the contractor is aware of the language. And even though they push back, they are told to either sign the contract, or lose the work.

(continued on page 12)

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(continued from page 10)Another major issue comes into play when the property

owner not only wants the hold-harmless agreement signed, but they dictate service parameters within the contract. For example, you must hold the property owner harmless, but plowing can’t commence until two inches of snow are on the ground plus they reserve the right to dictate when you salt. So if a claim arises, the snow contractor is held liable -- even if a slip-and-fall inci-dent happens at one inch. Why? Because the snow contractor agreed to shoulder the liability.

There are a few ways contractors deal with this dilemma. Some walk away from work that includes hold-harmless lan-guage, while others negotiate with the property owner or man-ager to remove it from the contract altogether. However, some are forced into the agreement because they need the work, and others, sadly, don’t realize what they are signing or the potential ramifications.

In the end, the net effect of hold-harmless agreements on the professional snow and ice management industry is that liability insurance rates have gone through the roof.

Here is the solution: eliminate hold-harmless agreements from snow and ice management contracts. And through legisla-tion we will make them null and void.

The Accredited Snow Contractors Association (ASCA) has been working for positive legislative change for the professional snow and ice management industry. To date, much of the focus has been at the federal level supporting initiatives to reduce



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(continued from page 12)frivolous lawsuits, and we are still very much in pursuit of that goal.

Closer to home, though, we have been laying the ground work for positive legislative change at your state capital in Springfield and we are excited to announce the unveiling of this initiative with the introduction of ASCA’s model leg-islation – the Snow Removal Liability Limitation Act – to the Illinois General Assembly (HB 4221) and Illinois State Senate (SB 2138).

The bill places the liability with the appropriate party. If the property manager is at fault, they are liable. If the snow contractor is at fault, then he is liable. The bottom line is property owners can no longer pass their liability on to you.

This bill does a number of important things:• It impacts insurance rates, bringing them slowly back

into line.• It alleviates insurance carriers concerns about contract

language.• It increases the value of the professional snow and ice

management services, as property owners can no longer pass their liability on to the contractor. Finding a pro-fessional now becomes vital.

• Scope of work changes. Since property owners will be more concerned with a properly maintained surface, trigger depths may decrease, and salt application will become the discretion of the contractor, brining increased profitability to the snow contractors.

The ASCA is also pleased to be working with the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association to get this bill moved along. Together we have already had some, getting the bi-partisan support in the House. This of course only strength-ens the bill’s chances of success.

We encourage you to get involved as well. Both the ASCA and ILCA will need your support to make this bill a state law in Illinois.



by Meta Levin

How much do you know about your competitors? How much do you know about your own business? Rich Arlington, CSP, LICM, thinks success starts with that knowledge. Arlington, owner and founder of Rich Arlington & Associates, gave iLandscape attendees a look into what he’s learned about running a profitable snow busi-ness in “Bidding Snow Without Losing Profits.”

First lesson— Things are changing and successful

contractors have to understand and modi-fy the way they do business to accommo-date those changes. “If you are reluctant to change, you will struggle to compete,” he says.

Embrace new technology and new equipment. “Ten years ago I didn’t even own a pusher box, but I saw others using them,” says Arlington. So, now, after understanding their value, he does, too.

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Third lesson—Making the SWOT assessment work for you also means

finding mentors. “Younger people are starving for knowledge, but they are not taking the crucial step of networking and finding good mentors,” says Arlington, who admits that his business was languishing until he began networking in earnest and listening to the more experienced contractors. “It dramati-cally changed my business when I started asking questions at the bar after (association) meetings. I was willing to listen.”

Second lesson—It’s all part of what Arlington calls “SWOT:” strengths,

weaknesses, opportunities, threats. Look at your own markets and find your strengths, your weaknesses, where there are opportunities to grow your business and where you are vul-nerable. More than that, you must identify the same things in your competitors. “If you don’t, you can be blindsided,” he says. “The key to a good SWOT assessment is to be honest with yourself.”



the profit in plowing and make it up in salt and sidewalks.” Customers consider salting and clearing sidewalks to be safety risk management.

Arlington believes that the key to making it work is to salt more than you plow. Salting requires less labor. Besides, he estimates that the salt will burn off the first two inches of snow, so there will be less for you to plow. “The money is not in plowing, so give it away.”

You can make all of your money in four services:• Sidewalks• Salting at your discretion• Pre-salting • Loader work, i.e. stacking, removal and relocationArlington also recommends bidding salting services by

time, not by the ton, but be careful. “Know your square foot-age,” he says. “Know your production rates and hit them. Train your salt truck drivers.” If you are not making at least 60 percent in salting, then it’s time to recalculate your num-bers.

Fourth lesson—We all want the good accounts, but how do you find the

ones who are willing to pay for excellent service? “To do this you must bid everything, but use a strategy,” says Arlington, who admits he changed his strategy many times until he got it right.

Customers all assume that each company is the same, because everyone says the same things. Once you learn how the customer thinks, you can differentiate yourself. “It’s a game,” says Arlington. “You have to outsmart the client.”

Fifth lesson— The strategy - identify your costs, your profit centers and

your loss leaders. More than that, Arlington believes that you have to understand where your customers concentrate when comparing bids. And that, he says, is on plowing. “Ninety percent of clients only look at what you are going to charge to plow,” he says. So, charge break-even pricing. “Give up


Sixth lesson— Use the proper equipment for the job and plow with the

most efficient equipment. “Don’t try to plow a big box retailer with a half-ton truck and a seven foot plow,” he says. “Buy loaders with pusher boxes. Buy skid steers with pusher boxes. Try a nine foot V-blade. All of these will increase your effi-ciency and that transfers to profit.”



Seventh lesson— The scope of the work and the level of expectation can be

completely different. What the contract says may not be what the customer really wants. The contract may say 2 inches or 3 inches, but you may find that the customer really has zero tolerance. If so, get it in writing, with signatures. “You have to educate the customer,” says Arlington.

But make it easy on yourself. “If you have a zero tolerance account, you can make money by taking other non-zero toler-ance accounts as long as they are directly around the zero tol-erance account,” he says. “It only takes a few zero tolerance accounts to make a season.”


Eighth lesson: The bidding strategy – 1. One-third of all of Arlington’s accounts (based on

square footage) are seasonal and bid to cover winter over-head. “This keeps my doors open, no matter what kind of winter we have.”

2. In the event of a record winter, the per-times and per-inches will more than offset the loss on seasonals. In the case of a light winter, the seasonals keep Arlington in busi-ness.

3. In some cases, i.e. a high seasonal contract market, in order to stay competitive and in business, add a clause to your contract that allows you to charge more if the snow fall reaches a certain level.

4. Make sure there is a clause in your contract that calculates ice storms into inches. For instance, Arlington sug-gests that 2 inches of ice might be the equivalent of 8 inches of snow.


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Ninth lesson:Only sell what you can deliver.

Tenth lesson:If you read what you are signing, then you can’t complain

after you sign it.

Eleventh lesson:Those guys with the half-ton truck and the seven foot plow

who are underbidding you? Subcontract your sidewalk work to them. It doesn’t take much expertise and both of you will make some money.

Twelth lesson: SWAG or scientific wild ass guesses means, “You are

going broke,” says Arlington. And you don’t want to do that. So, educate yourself and your clients.


Joe-Pye Weed (by any other name...)

by Patirce Peltier

Joe-Pye Weed isn’t a particularly attractive-sounding name for a group of plants that are prized for their statuesque beauty in the late-season garden. Richard Hawke, plant evalua-tion manager at Chicago Botanic Garden, calls them “perennial titans” valued for their bountiful late-season flowers, hand-some foliage and robust habit.

Between 2001 and 2013, Hawke eval-uated 26 kinds of Joe-Pye Weed and its relatives. At the conclusion of the recent-ly-released study, four plants received five-star (Excellent) ratings while another six received four-star (Good) ratings. That’s an impressive outcome, especially when you consider the phlox evaluation where out of 110 phlox trialed, only one received an Excellent rating.

What’s more, Hawke reports that most of the Joe-Pye Weeds in the study were heavily floriferous with 80-100% flower coverage. On average, bloom periods were six weeks long with some lasting eight to ten weeks. Most of the taxa were robust clump-formers with strong, upright stems. On the downside, many taxa were susceptible to powdery mildew. In fact, in 2003, 65% of the taxa were infected.

So which are the Joe-Pye Weeds that performed best in the trial? Here’s what Hawke has to say.

Ageratina altissima ‘Chocolate’ (the Joe-Pye weed formerly known as Eupatorium rugosum) way out-performed the species. Unlike the species which was generally sickly and weak in habit when grown in the sun evaluation garden, ‘Chocolate’ thrived in these conditions.

“‘Chocolate’ had deep purple leaves that eventually faded by late season to green with purple undersides,” Hawke notes. “Strong uniform habits and heavy flower production were noted every year.” There were two ways ‘Chocolate’ performed similarly to the species, how-ever: both wilted on hot summer days and/or when the soil was dry, and both reseeded, although not to a troublesome degree.

Two dwarf cultivars of Eutrochium dubium (formerly Eupatorium dubium)—‘Little Joe’ and ‘Baby Joe’— also out-performed the species in the trial. Despite its name, 5-star rated ‘Little Joe’ is not so little. At 60 inches tall, ‘Little Joe’ was about a foot taller than anticipated, according to Hawke. Although ‘Little Joe’ looks like a smaller version of spotted Joe-Pye weed (former-ly known as Eupatorium maculatum), its flowerheads are more tightly clustered and its habit is shorter and narrower. ‘Little Joe’s flowers start as pink buds opening to small purple flowers with pale styles. Foliage is green with purple stems.

Mild powdery mildew knocked a sec-ond dwarf cultivar, ‘Baby Joe’ down a peg to a “good” rating. Although ‘Baby Joe’ grew 60” tall—twice its advertised size—it still had a compact, bushy habit, according to Hawke. “Light purple flow-ers were borne profusely in narrow heads to 12 inches long,” he reports. New foli-age is bronzy, and stems are deep red-purple.

Garden Speak — Practical Plant Evaluations

Eutrochium fistulosum ‘Carin’ was another 5-star performer. The sec-ond largest plant in the trial, ‘Carin’ grows 85 inches tall. Its pale pink flowers are borne in clusters up to nine inches across on dusky purple stems.

Another hollow Joe-Pye weed, Eutrochium fistulosum f. albidum ‘Bartered Bride,’ also earned a 5-star rating. The tallest plant in the trial—90 inches—‘Bartered Bride’ has white flowers borne on sturdy, upright, yel-lowish green stems. Hawke notes that light purple striations were periodically observed on the stems.

Two Eutrochium maculatum cultivars—‘Phantom’ and ‘Purple Bush’—earned 4-star ratings, outper-forming their better-known cousins, ‘Atropurpureum’ and ‘Gateway’, who earned 3-star ratings. ‘Phantom’ has silvery buds that open to purplish pink flowers in clusters up to 12 inches across. Hawke notes that although ‘Phantom’ is long-blooming like all spotted Joe-Pye weeds, shortly after opening, the oldest flowers begin browning. The plant has dark, red-pur-ple stems and a compact, bush habit.

‘Purple bush’ has terminal leaves that are purple to bronze early in the season with red-purple stems, Growing 64 inches in the trial, this plant was a foot or so taller than described, accord-ing to Hawke. Hmmm. Notice a pattern here?



Ageratina altissima ‘Chocolate’ Eupatorium dubium ‘Baby Joe’

Eutrochium dubium ‘Little Joe’ Eutrochium maculatum ‘Phantom’

Garden Speak — Practical Plant Evaluations

(continued from page 26)Three taxa of hardy ageratum, Conoclinium coelesti-

num (formerly Eupatorium coelestinum) also earned 4-star ratings: the species plus cultivars ‘Album’ and ‘Cori.’ Hardy ageratum differs from many other Joe-Pye weeds in two ways: the species is known for its lavender-blue flow-ers and it’s a rhizomatous plant. Despite its reputation as an aggressive spreader, Hawke says “Stems did not spread widely, mixing only along the common border between cultivars.” ‘Album’ has white flowers and green stems. Although ‘Cori’ is supposed to have clearer sky blue flow-ers, Hawke says, “It showed no obvious differences in flo-ral traits from the species.”


Taxonomy? Schmaxonomy.Those taxonomists are at it again. Just as we learned to call Joe-Pye weed by its Latin name, Eupatorium, this

large genus of plants has been reclassified. Most of the plants we knew as Eupatorium now have first names like Eutrochium, Conoclinium and Ageratina.

We were never correct in referring to all of them as Joe-Pye weeds anyway, according to Chicago Botanic Plant Evaluation Manager Richard Hawke. “Referring to all of the species as Joe-Pye weed is inaccurate,” he says. “Furthermore, Joe-Pye weed needs the appropriate descriptor attached such as spotted, hollow or sweet-scented, to ensure the right species is being referenced.”

Confused? May be this table with help—

Common name Former Name New NameWhite snakeroot Eupatorium rugosum Ageratina altissimaLesser snakeroot Eupatorium aromaticum Ageratina aromatica Hardy ageratum Eupatorium coelestinum Conoclinium coelestinumHollow Joe-Pye Weed Eupatorium fistulosum Eutrochium fistulosum Spotted Joe-Pye weed Eupatorium purpureum ssp. maculatum Eutrochium maculatum Sweet-scented Joe-Pye weed Eupatorium purpureum Eutrochium purpureum

Eutrochium maculatum ‘Purple Bush’

Rating Name Flower Color

Bloom Period

Flower Production

Height Width Mildew Resistance

Excellent Ageratina altissima ‘Chocolate’

White Early Sept-‐late Oct

Excellent 36” 36” Excellent

Excellent Eutrochium dubium ‘Little Joe’

Purple Early Aug-‐mid Sept.


Excellent Eutrochium fistulosum ‘Carin’

Pale pink Early Aug-‐early Sept.

Excellent 76” 48 Excellent

Excellent Eutrochium fistulosum f. albidum ‘Bartered Bride’

White Late July-‐early Sept.


Good Conoclinium coelestinum

Lavender-‐blue

Late Aug-‐mid Oct.


Good Conoclinium coelestinum ‘Album’

White Late Aug-‐mid Oct.

Good 17” 36” Excellent

Good Conoclinium coelestinum ‘Cori’

Lavender-‐blue

Late Aug-‐mid Oct.

Good 17” 27” Excellent

Good Eutrochium dubium ‘Baby Joe’

Light purple

Early Aug-‐early Sept.

Excellent 60” 54” Good

Good Eupatorium serotinum

White Early Sept.-‐late Oct.



Committee Chair Profile

by Meta Levin

Life has changed for Scott McAdam, Jr., since he spent three to four days a week playing golf as part of his high school golf team, but not his interest in the sport. That’s why, when former ILCA President Bob Bertog suggested that he join the ILCA Golf Committee as a way to get involved, he decided it was a good fit.

Now McAdam is its chair and he is determined to grow the event. To do that he wants to find a venue that will allow the event to be as profitable as possible, but at the same time giving the partici-pants a great experience.

This is only one way in which he wants to increase participation. “In the past couple of years we have been sell-ing the outing completely with an 18 hole format, but I’d like to grow it to something larger,” he says. “At the same time I want to see more contact between the vendors and the contractors and more opportunities for networking in a relaxed and casual atmosphere.”

He praises his committee for its “good ideas. The members have been integral to building it to the level we have achieved already,” he says.

It’s no surprise that McAdam is

intent on doing a good job for ILCA; it’s a family legacy. His father, W. Scott McAdam, served twice as ILCA presi-dent in 1992-1993 and 1998-1999 and McAdam, Jr., began attending ILCA events when he was quite young. “I’m continuing a legacy of our company being involved,” he says.

By the time McAdam, Jr., was 13, he had a summer job in the family business, McAdam Landscaping, Inc., something he continued throughout his high school years. When he headed off to college at the University of Illinois, however, he thought he would major in political sci-ence or business. That didn’t last long.

He tried environmental science and fell in love. Specifically, a dendrology class caught his interest and “I realized that I wanted to become a part of the industry,” he says. There was, he empha-sizes, no pressure from his family to go into the landscape contracting business. “They wanted me to do what made me happy.” Landscaping “felt like home.”

So, he headed home after college and now wears many hats at McAdam Landscaping, including vice president of snow operations, staff horticulturalist, safety director and commercial account

manager. Eventually he hopes to head the business.

In the meantime he soon will have more opportunities to get experience, because his father is about to become the district governor for the Rotary Club International, a big time commitment. “He will be coaching me and it will be a big learning experience,” says McAdam.

In the meantime, father and son often make customer calls together so that their clients can gain a level of com-fort and confidence with the younger McAdam. “We are starting the transition so that both of us have a close relation-ship with the customers,” he says.

In an effort to position himself as an expert in the field, McAdam also writes an “Ask the Plant Expert,” column in three local newspapers.

Continuing his athletic endeavors McAdam competes in obstacle course racing, which he describes as a “burgeon-ing sport.” He has competed in 12 races this year. He also plays golf when he can, enjoys dabbling in painting and charcoal drawing and spends time with his girlfriend.

Now he is looking forward to the ILCA golf outing and more responsibil-ity at McAdam Landscaping.

Golf Outing Committee Chair — Scott McAdam

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Special Report — Summer Field Day 2015

by Rick Reuland

Summer Field Day 2015 played to great reviews. Held August 5, 2015 at Cantigny Gardens in Winfield. This was the first time SFD was held at Cantigny and by the accounts of attendees and exhibitors alike, it should not be the last. This marks the second year in a row that SFD drew healthy crowds. In fact, SFD, 2015 was the largest in five years. One of the featured events was a walking tour of the Cantigny grounds led by Jack Pizzo. Jack and his group of approximately 150 attendees meandered through garden areas both new and old, providing his unique spin on plants and design challenges. Other speakers included Jnnifer Brennan from Chalet talking about the secrets behind successful container growing. In the afternoon, Ryan Wagner of Midwest Trading spoke about his favorite subject— Soil— the Black Gold of the Landscape Industry. Midwest Trading will host Summer Field Day in 2016.

After the show, attendees were treated to a “behind the scenes” tour from landscape architect Marvin “Bud” Wehler, one of the original designers of Cantigny’s gardens.

Thanks to our 2015 Summer Field Day SponsorsVermeer Midwest Premier SponsorThe Tree Connections BierGarden Arthur Clesen, Inc CoffeeSmithAmundsen Ice CreamGreen Sponsors included: Atlas BobcatClesen Wholesale D. Hill NurseryHoffie Nursery Intrinsic Perennial GardensLS Training SystemMW GC/MW TradingRCOP, Inc.The Care of Trees, a Davey Co.The Pizzo GroupXylem Ltd/Rocks Etc.

33


The roaming gnomes were found! Three gnomes were hidden among the booths with a $150 bounty apiece.



Bean Bag Toss tourament winners—Sponsored by Vermeer Midwest.



Marvin “Bud” Wehler pictured with Joy Kaminsky of Cantigny.Bud is the former partner of Franz Lipp who originally designed Cantigny’s many gardens.

Enfoque: Sección en Español

Por Meta Levin

En julio, con temperaturas alrededor de los 100 grados, Bill Noyes estaba pen-sando en nieve. Noyes es dueño de Mac’s Property Management Services en Wau-conda, IL, que ofrece servicios de control de nieve y hielo, así como contratación de servicios de paisajismo y lavado de potencia a clientes comerciales grandes. Comienza sus planes de invierno en los meses de verano.

Este fue uno de los consejos que dio en enero pasado como uno de cuatro panelistas que hablaron sobre remoción de nieve en Mid-Am —el día anterior a

una tormenta de nieve proyectada. Luego fue inmediata, pero la planificación que permitió a Noyes y otros expertos en re-moción de nieve manejarla eficazmente, comenzó meses atrás.

Además de Noyes, los participantes escucharon a Bob Bertog de Bertog Landscape Co. en Wheeling, Scott Schoeller de Contour Landscaping en Skokie, IL, y John Lobacz de Russo Power Equipment en Schiller Park. Los cuatros condujeron al público a través de las mejores prácticas de remoción de nieve y hielo, enfatizando el rol que

desempeña la preparación.

Bill NoyesMac’s Property Management Services

“Hay varios niveles de servicios de remoción de nieve”, afirma Noyes. Con la concentración de la compañía usual-mente en proyectos comerciales grandes, tales como complejos industriales, recintos corporativos y centros comer-ciales grandes, Mac’s Property Services es una de esas empresas que destacan del montón.

En los despliegues completos durante

Deja Que nieve... deja que nieve, deja que nieve

Scott Schoeller,Contour Landscaping

Scott Schoeller, fundador de Contour Landscaping en Skokie, señaló cuatro elementos para permanecer redituable en la industria de la remoción de nieve.

1. Base de clientes –Pregúntese, “¿Cuál sería una clientela

adecuada para usted?” dice Schoeller. ¿Debe concentrarse en clientes com-erciales o residenciales? ¿Deben ser locales pequeños con quizá 20 espacios para estacionamiento o propiedades más grandes? ¿Tiene más sentido para sus operaciones limitarse a clientes ubica-dos en un radio relativamente pequeño en lugar de fijar ubicaciones satélites? Schoeller decidió hace mucho tiempo contactar a la mayoría de sus prospec-tos dentro de un radio de cinco millas. “Ayuda al tiempo de respuesta”, afirma.

2. Comunicación –La comunicación con sus clientes es

esencial. Schoeller recomienda educar a sus clientes y fijar expectativas realistas con ellos. “No se debe prometer lo que no se puede cumplir”, afirma.

Por ejemplo, los contratos de Schoeller están contenidos en una sola hoja, frente y reverso, escritos en un

las tormentas de nieve, Mac’s tiene 150 personas en el trabajo, siendo cerca de 125 de esas personas, subcontratistas. “Los contratistas más pequeños pueden subcontratar para una compañía de re-moción de nieve en gran escala”, afirma. “Así es como se aprende”.

La experiencia, planificación y dedicación significan que están en capa-cidad de desplegar equipos y mano de obra suficientes para realizar el trabajo, incluso en casos extremos. Durante la “mega-tormenta” (snowlapalooza) de Chicago en febrero de 2011, Noyes puso un equipo de trabajo en el sitio dentro del término de una hora a partir del primer copo de nieve. Muchos miembros del equipo permanecieron en el sitio durante 24 horas seguidas. En algunos momen-tos, nevó tan fuerte que no se podía ver. En algunos casos, tomó cuatro horas despejar tan sólo un recinto, por lo que quitaban la nieve cada cuatro horas, pero al final el área quedó despejada.

Para ayudar a planificar, Noyes contrata a varios meteorólogos para ob-tener la perspectiva más clara del tiempo. “Nuestros 45 años de experiencia nos permiten ver la información y determinar los recursos que se necesitan”, afirma. “Es importante estar preparado”

Los errores resultan caros. Le cuesta

de $12,000 a $15,000 por hora desple-gar totalmente equipos, empleados y subcontratistas. “Este es un negocio de uso intensivo de capital y está sujeto a los caprichos de la Madre Naturaleza”, afirma. Calcula que, a veces, tiene equi-pos por valor de $250,000 en un mismo sitio de trabajo durante todo el invier-no, esperando la nieve. La compañía es dueña de todos sus equipos.

Sus clientes principalmente están bajo contrato, lo que beneficia a ambas partes: él puede planificar y ellos saben que sus respectivas propiedades se mantendrán despejadas. Los Contratos van del 15 de noviembre hasta el 15 de abril. No obstante, para diciembre comienzan a planificar anticipadamente para la temporada de paisajismo, afirma Noyes.

Durante cualquier nevada, Noyes y su director de operaciones de nieve mantienen comunicación constante con subcontratistas y empleados. Esto permite a Mac’s Property Management responder a emergencias rápidamente, redistribuir personal y equipos y enviar actualizaciones a los clientes.

“Este negocio es centrado en la logística”, asegura Noyes. “Requiere de un alto nivel de planificación”.

lenguaje claro y sencillo. “No abundan en terminología especializada”, afirma. Schoeller, que ha estado en el negocio desde 1976, asegura que se extralimita por hacerlo todo, incluso las facturas, claro para sus clientes.

Para ello, Schoeller proporciona a cada uno lo que él llama su “hoja de eventos actuales, para que el cliente tenga conocimiento de lo que hicimos” afirma. Incluye la hora, la fecha y los detalles para cada servicio. “Pocas veces nos hacen preguntas y los asuntos mon-etarios nunca se vuelve un problema”.

La hoja es tan detallada que incluye el tipo de nieve (mojada abundante, aguanieve, etc.) y da a los clientes cierta perspectiva acerca de los pasos tomados. “Les permite involucrarse en nuestro mundo”, señala Schoeller.

3. Precios –“Somos una compañía orientada

hacia las relaciones, en lugar de una ba-sada en los bienes de consumo”, explica Schoeller. “A través de los años, hemos desarrollado relaciones con nuestro clientes y nos hemos convertido en sus asesores de confianza”. De hecho, los clientes confían tanto en ellos que han pedido referencias para toda clase de servicios. “Es un honor”, asegura.

4. Equipos –Schoeller recomendó a los par-

ticipantes en el seminario seleccionar el tamaño de los equipos que mejor se adapte al trabajo que están realizando, grandes o pequeños. ¿Necesitan una retroexcavadora para remoción de nieve? Quizá pagar $40,000 por una usada en buenas condiciones tiene más sentido que pagar $110,000 por una nueva que permanecerá inactiva gran parte del año. Tal vez sólo necesite una camioneta qui-tanieve para un lote de estacionamiento pequeño, en lugar de un equipo más grande más apropiado para un lote de estacionamiento de siete a 10 acres.

La llave más importante de la rentabi-lidad es la integridad, “hacer lo que dices que vas a hacer, en el momento en que dices que lo vas a hacer”, recomienda Schoeller. La honestidad y la confiabili-

dad son esenciales. “Saber que pueden confiar en ti, elimina mucho de la tensión y el estrés de los clientes”.

John Lobacz,Russo Power Equipment Supply

John Lobacz, vicepresidente de Russo Power Equipment Supply, con locales en Schiller Park, Naperville y Hainsville, transmitió cinco mensajes clave para los participantes:

1. Estar preparadoEl primero coincidió con los otros

panelistas y los boy scouts: estar prepara-dos. Lobacz recomienda comenzar los preparativos para un invierno en medio del actual.

2. Mantener y desarrollar eficienciasRevise todos sus procedimientos con

regularidad. Pregúntese qué puede hacer para mejorar las cosas. “Sus clientes y sus empleados tienen que percibirlo como confiable”, dice Lobacz. Esto sig-nifica mantener todo bajo control, desde mantenimiento y calendarización hasta tecnología.

Entable relaciones y participe en eventos de la industria y educacionales para mantenerse al tanto de las tenden-cias y mejores prácticas en la industria. Implemente lo que funciona en su orga-nización

3. Actualizar la tecnología“Los clientes se están volviendo

más versados en alta tecnología”, dice Lobacz, por lo tanto, ¿por qué no lo va a estar usted? Con métodos viejos, por ejemplo, usualmente el dueño o director de operaciones de nieve regresará a su oficina después de una extenuante tor-menta de 12 a 14 horas, para dar inicio al ciclo de facturación. Ese es el momento que usted está más agotado y propenso a cometer errores. Con los software ac-tuales, la información sobre cada trabajo está automáticamente disponible, lo que permite que alguien en la oficina haga las facturas mientras usted y su equipo de trabajo van al siguiente trabajo.

4. Manejar su flotaRevisar su flota con regularidad

ofrece muchas ventajas. “No esconda su flota”, recomienda Lobacz. Todo es cosa de percepción. Presentarse con camiones viejos, sopladores de nieve u otros equi-pos o herramientas en malas condiciones de reparación envía un mensaje negativo a sus clientes. Los equipos antiguos podrían no ser tan seguros o eficientes. “Hay que mantener el control porque su personal trabaja en condiciones de peli-gro”, afirma. “Nadie quiere lesiones”.

Equipos viejos o que no hayan reci-bido el debido mantenimiento también lo dejan expuesto a averías más frecuentes. No importa si su equipo es viejo o nuevo, es de capital importancia proveerse de un suministro de piezas de reemplazo antes de que comience la temporada para facilitar las reparaciones rápidas y oportunas.

5. Reducir las formas de comunicación inseguras

El rastreo por sistema de posiciona-miento global (GPS, por sus siglas en inglés) mantiene el control de la ubi-cación de sus camiones, eliminando la necesidad de interrumpir el trabajo para intercambiar llamadas con sus equipos de trabajo. Esto aumenta la seguridad, los conductores no se ven obligados a hablar por teléfono o mensajes de texto cuando están trabajando. También le permite dar a sus clientes actualizaciones en tiempo real.

Por ejemplo, si un gerente de propie-dad llama a medianoche diciendo que oyó que usted no está en el sitio, usted puede chequear el monitor de GPS para informarle que no sólo está usted ahí, sino también cuántos camiones y traba-jadores están en ese momento despejan-do los lotes de estacionamiento y aceras del cliente. “Estas tecnologías (GPS) están disponibles, por lo que es necesario usarlas”, recomienda Lobacz.

“Nos gusta la nieve”, afirma. “Es una industria agradable, repleta de gente buena y trabajadora”.

Enfoque: Sección en Español

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Getting Organized: 10 Ways To Detox Your Inbox

by Monica Friel

Do you waste precious time dealing with too many emails? You are not alone. Instead of being the ef-

ficient form of communication it should be, Email can become an albatross. Employ-ees spend more than 40% of their time in email and consider more than a third of that time as wasted, according to a survey from Cohesive Knowledge Solutions. Here are some tips to keep your inbox streamlined and organized:• Delete Promptly: Too many un-

wanted emails find their way into our inboxes. If you don’t want them, don’t just scan over and leave them there, get them out ASAP.

• Unsubscribe: Take the extra step to unsubscribe to emails you don’t want to continue receiving. It ultimately takes more time to continue deleting than it does to just get off the list.

• Add an Account: If you’re giving out your email address to get special of-fers and coupons, consider adding an

email account solely for this purpose. Having random personal emails mixed in with important work email can get inundating and confusing.

• Two Minute Rule: Most emails take two minutes or less to respond to. If you can respond quickly within 2 minutes, do it promptly and remove it.

• File: Filing into email folders is a great way to keep things categorized. Also consider saving email as as a

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document with other related items for easy retrieval.

• Set Boundaries: The average employ-ee checks their email 36 times in an hour, then it takes another 16 minutes on average to refocus after handling incoming email. It’s no wonder we feel the time crunch! Resolve to turn off notifications and check new mes-sages at less frequent intervals. Once you’ve cleared out your inbox, do your part to help improve the way you send out mail. Better email etiquette will not only make your sending habits more efficient, they will also benefit your recipients. Here are some tips:

• Subject Line Savvy: Make sure your subject line lets the reader know the purpose of your email. Beware of Reply All: The corporate world has created plenty of office chaos with the standard of ‘Reply All’

always! Be selective on who receives your email. Do all the people in the thread need this information? If not, do them a favor and remove them.

• Keep it Simple: You are more likely to get a quick reply if you ask a simple question. Keeping your email short and to the point will help to encourage a quicker response.

• Find an Alternative: Don’t think of email as your only option. Consider alternatives, can you text, pick up the phone or even more out of the box—have a face to face conversation.

Getting your nagging, out-of-control inbox organized will not only relieve stress, it will also help you to be more efficient and productive. Take some time today to detox your inbox.

Monica Friel is president and founder of Chaos To Order. Passionate about finding creative ways to organize anything, Monica has offered her expert advice on Oprah, Steve Harvey and many local and national publications. She also manages and trains a staff of professional organizers who spe-cialize in everything from household clutter to corporate chaos. She can be reached on: chaostoorder.com; Facebook; Twitter; Pinterest; or Google+. Or by calling: (847) 825-8400.

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Maybe you graduated at the top of your college class. Maybe you have an MBA or perhaps you

complete the New York Times crossword puzzle in one sitting. Maybe you pride yourself on your ability to correct your colleagues’ grammar and email typos. Unfortunately, says Professor Edward D. Hess, none of that will matter as we advance in an increasingly tech-driven world.

“You might consider yourself a great intellectual, but book smarts won’t be all that relevant as companies increase their use of robots and smart machines,” says Hess, a professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business and author of the new book Learn or Die: Using Science to Build a Leading-Edge Learning Organization, www.EDHLTD.com.

“What will matter is being an adaptive learner—someone who knows what you don’t know and how to learn it by asking the right questions, someone who can think critically and innovatively, someone who can really listen with an open mind and collaborate well with others. And more importantly, someone who is able to overcome the aspects of human nature that can make those accomplishments difficult to achieve.”

In order to stay competitive, it’s time to upgrade your skills and capabilities by embracing 21st century learning skills. The skill set Hess describes is so impor-

tant because it will enable today’s profes-sionals to stay relevant throughout their careers. No matter how rapidly knowledge advances (or how quickly a particular skill set becomes outdated), good adaptive learn-ers have the best chance of winning.

Here, Hess examines the 21st century learning skills you will need to be success-ful in a tech-driven world.

Get comfortable with “not knowing”

None of us are as smart as we think we are. And smart people know this! To learn, we need to know what we don’t know, and not get defensive about it.

“In the technology-enabled world, how much you know will be irrelevant, be-cause smart machines and the Internet will always know more than you,” says Hess. “What will be more important is knowing what you don’t know and knowing how to learn—in other words, the smartest people will be focused on continuously learning.

“And in order to learn well, you will need to accept that humans (yes, that includes you!) are not optimal learners,” he adds. “Cognitively we all are naturally fast, lazy, reflexive thinkers who seek to confirm what we know. It is important to learn how and when to make your thinking more in-tentional and deliberate. You must actively seek to develop your critical thinking and innovative thinking skills.”

Quiet your ego to embrace open-mindedness

Humans are naturally unwilling to listen to challenges to our thinking. But to become a more effective learner, you’ll have to train your brain to be emotion-ally non-defensive. You can no longer define yourself by what you know or by your ideas. Rather, Hess says, you should define yourself as a good learner who uses good thinking, listening, and collaborating processes.

“Today people must learn to stress-test their beliefs and preconceived notions, not constantly seek to confirm them,” he notes. “It takes courage to enter the world of the unknown and learn something new the first time. To make that process easier, people will have to learn to separate their ideas from their self-worth. Changing a previously held belief doesn’t mean you are a bad or stupid person. It simply means you’ve learned to adapt your thinking based on new information or facts that you’ve received.”

Be an “inner-directed” learner Too often people are driven primarily

by external rewards. Seeing learning as a way to obtain more money, respect, or love can result in your not accepting challeng-ing learning opportunities because you want to avoid failures and making mis-takes. In a business world where human contributions will come primarily through


The “Old Smart” Isn’t Good Enoughfor the 21st CenturyWith the influx of technology into the way we work, traditionally accepted concepts of “smart” are simply outdated.

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(continued from page 42)innovation—a process in which failure is a given—those moti-vated to avoid mistakes or failures will not be successful.

“In a tech-driven world, those who are able to be the most successful and fulfilled will be those who are driven by curiosity and a love of learning,” explains Hess. “You’ll need to see learn-ing as its own reward. Develop a learning mindset. Then, when-ever you’re learning, you’re successful. The speed and quality of one’s learning is what will keep one relevant and competitive.”

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes Along with the fear of failure discussed above comes a fear

of making mistakes. To proceed more courageously into the future, you need to adopt a different mindset about mistakes. Rather than look at them as something you’ve done wrong, it’s important to begin looking at them as learning opportunities.

“Learning is not an efficient 99 percent defect-free process,” explains Hess. “Far from it. So mistakes have to be valued as learning opportunities. In fact, as long as you aren’t making the same mistakes over and over again, mistakes can be good. The key is making sure you’re learning from them. And the faster and better you are at turning mistakes into learning, the less likely it is that some smart machine will replace you. Learning from mistakes, knowing and working around one’s weaknesses, and continuously stress-testing one’s assumptions and beliefs are good strategies for 21st century success.”

Be willing to try People who are confident in their own ability to meet a chal-

lenge or take on the unknown (within reason) are more likely to try new things. They believe they will be okay dealing with new-ness or uncertainty. “This confidence is called ‘self-efficacy,’” notes Hess. “To put it most simply, if we believe we can do something, we are more likely to try it. People can build self-efficacy by putting themselves in challenging situations that they have the ability to handle well. As their confidence grows, they’ll be more willing and capable of taking on even more challenging tasks.”

Develop your emotional intelligence (EI)Emotional intelligence, generally understood, is the ability to

be aware of and manage one’s emotions. It plays an important role in your ability to recognize and appraise verbal and nonver-bal information, to access emotions in order to aid in creativity and problem solving, to process your own feelings and assess those of others, and to regulate your own emotions and manage those of others.

“Why is developing your EI so important?” asks Hess. “Be-cause whether you’re working with human clients or as part of a team inside a company, the ability to collaborate effectively will be an essential skill in years to come. The powerful work



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90

(continued from page 44)connections that will be needed to build successful organizations will result from relationships that are built by authentically relating to an-other person, recognizing their uniqueness, and doing so in a respectful way that builds trust. If you can’t manage your own emotions, read those of others, or connect with the people around you on more than a superficial level, then you won’t be a successful collaborator.”

Seek out constructive feedback In his book, Hess writes about “Mr. Feedback,” one of his early

mentors. Mr. Feedback taught Hess how essential negative feedback is if you want to become the best in your field and the importance of pausing and reflecting rather than automatically defending, deflecting, or denying when you receive negative feedback. Hess writes that as he moved forward in his career, he realized how difficult it can be to get this kind of constructive feedback.

“Rather than getting the kind of specific, constructive feedback that can help us improve our skills, most of us will receive guarded or po-litically correct feedback that is fairly useless in practice,” notes Hess. “Thoughtful and constructive feedback is a valuable thing, especially when you can foster your mindset to absorb and not deflect it, and it will only become more valuable as our workplaces become dominated by technology. Of course, all of this ties back in to becoming more emotionally intelligent. When you develop those skills, you will be-come better at receiving constructive, productive feedback.”

“We’re entering a world in which companies can no longer rely on traditional competitive advantages like location, capital, lack of choices for customers, and lack of market transparency,” says Hess. “They’ll have to rely on their ability to learn and innovate in order to compete. Today, the 21st century learning skills require one to be good at thinking critically and innovatively and listening, collaborating, and emotionally engaging with others.”

About the Author: Edward D. Hess is a professor of business administration and Batten Executive-in-Residence at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and the author of 11 books, including Learn or Die: Using Science to Build a Leading-Edge Learning Organization, by Columbia Business School Publishing (September 2014).


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Old-school competitive advantages that depend on all-knowing leaders and better mousetraps are dead.

In today’s competitive, rapidly evolving global marketplace, says Professor Edward D. Hess, the only way to develop and sustain a competitive advantage is to create a “learning organization.” Here, Hess ex-plains what that means and shares four key points to keep in mind as your company makes the transition.

Like all business leaders, you know that your organization’s survival and suc-cess depend on maintaining a competitive advantage. So you’re constantly focused on reaching more of your target market, making your product that much better, and expanding your services.

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The Learning Curve: A Sustainable Advantage You Can Developdoing business in the previous century. But today? Technology has reduced the capital needed to start and build businesses, reducing an historical barrier to entering the marketplace. And new competitors can reach your customers from thousands of miles away. Technology has also given customers tremendous power in compari-son shopping your product and telling the world how happy or unhappy they are with your product or service. That doesn’t bode well for the staying power of the better mousetrap you’ve just built (or for the lifespan of your company, or for your job security). Standing still is a losing strategy in many cases.

“To stay relevant, companies can no longer rely on traditional competitive advantages like location, capital, lack of choices for customers, and lack of market

transparency; instead, they must trans-form themselves into ‘learning organiza-tions,’” says Edward D. Hess, author of the new book Learn or Die: Using Sci-ence to Build a Leading-Edge Learning Organization (Columbia University Press, 2014, ISBN: www.EDHLTD.com). “Today’s technological and marketplace developments necessitate faster adapta-tion, and adaptation requires institutional learning processes such as critical and in-novative thinking, critical conversations, and experimentation.”

In other words, the only way to sus-tain a competitive advantage is to make sure your people have the tools, motiva-tion, and support to learn better and faster than your competitors. In his new book, which is packed with research and case studies, Hess shares his detailed formula


The Learning Curve: A Sustainable Advantage You Can Developfor building what he calls a High-Perfor-mance Learning Organization (HPLO). Here, he spotlights four key points to keep in mind when building a learning culture:

Leadership must shift toward “coaching-ship.” Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that command-and-control structures with Theory X leaders, who think management’s job is to use rewards and punishment to direct, motivate, control, and even modify employees’ behavior in order to get organizational results, are on their way out. If we want adaptable learning organiza-tions, we need to humanize our management models, and that requires many leaders and companies to fundamentally change their at-titudes and behaviors toward employees.

Personal and intellectual humility, em-pathy, emotional intelligence, and self-man-agement are required leadership capabilities

within HPLOs, because these qualities nurture the very human capabilities that are at the root of adaptation and innovation: the ability to ideate, create, emotionally engage, and learn in condi-tions of uncertainty, ambiguity, and rapid change.

“Instead of ‘knowing and telling,’ which can cause progress-limiting de-pendence, leaders should work with em-ployees as coaches, or even allow them to experiment on their own,” Hess in-structs. “I recommend following Intuit’s example by consciously choosing to bury the ‘modern-day Caesar’—the kind of boss who gives thumbs up or down on all decisions. In India, this policy allowed young Intuit innovators to conduct an ex-periment on helping farmers get the best price for their products — even though

management initially wasn’t interested in the idea. The result: 1.6 million Indian farmers now use the successful program these innovators developed.”

Your work environment must be an emotionally positive one. Positive emo-tional work environments are no longer negotiable. They’re a requirement. Positive emotions are associated with openness to new ideas, better problem solving, openness to disconfirming information, less rigid thinking, resilience, creativity, collaboration, better recall of neutral or positive stimuli, and mitigation of ego defenses. (Negative emotions inhibit all of these things.) So a positive emotional state is essential to developing employees who are motivated, productive learners.

“If you still feel that building a positive (continued on page 50)



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(continued from page 50) workplace environment is too ‘soft’ to

suck up your organization’s limited time and energy, consider that none other than the U.S. Army has recently begun an initia-tive to promote positive psychology,” Hess says. “The training includes learning about emotions and their effects on the body and mind, learning how to manage emo-tions, reducing the frequency of negative emotions, and increasing the frequency of positive emotions. It’s directed toward producing soldiers and leaders who can adapt to new and challenging situations and uncertainty—that is, learn.

“Your people may not be tested on a literal battlefield, but these skills will still be crucial in helping you maintain a competitive advantage as your organiza-tion navigates the cutthroat landscape of the global marketplace,” he adds.

High employee emotional engagement is a necessity. It stands to reason that if employees don’t have an emotional invest-ment in your company and their futures in it, they won’t be motivated to learn. But

how do you transform “engagement” from a meaningless buzzword to a reality? Hess says the research of Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan and their Self-Determi-nation Theory shows us it comes down to meeting employees’ needs for autonomy, effectiveness, and relatedness. And these needs are most likely to be met when indi-viduals feel respected, trusted, and cared for, and feel that they can trust the organi-zation and its leaders.

“These concepts are easiest to under-stand when you look at them in action, and UPS is one of the best examples out there for operationalizing emotional engage-ment,” Hess shares. “Founder Jim Casey viewed employees as partners, and main-taining his values over the decades has led to policies that are employee-centric and hold management mutually accountable to employees: an egalitarian ‘open door’ policy for employee input, an employee ‘free agent’ program that allows any UPS employee to move anywhere in the com-pany and advance, mentorship and training programs, and more. As a result, UPS has

maintained a high retention rate and built a deep bench of long-tenured, adaptive employees.”

Employees need permission to TRY and FAIL. Abraham Maslow aptly stated that an individual would engage in learn-ing only “to the extent he is not crippled by fear, [and] to the extent he feels safe enough to dare.” Building that type of environment requires many companies to adopt different mindsets about “mis-takes” and about what “being smart” means. Learning is not an efficient 99 percent defect-free process (far from it), so mistakes have to be valued as learn-ing opportunities. Employees must be given conditional permission to fail within proscribed financial tolerances, with the knowledge that they won’t be punished for their mistakes so long as they learn.

“Some companies are already on this journey,” comments Hess. “Bridgewater Associates, the biggest and one of the most successful hedge funds in the world, is passionate about the power of mistakes. Bridgewater actually encourages employ-


ees to get excited about their mistakes because each error that employees learn from will save them time, energy, and stress (and the company money) in the future. Employees are instructed not to feel bad about their mistakes or failed experi-ments, or those of others. Acknowledging mistakes, confronting weaknesses, and testing assumptions, the company believes, is a reliable strategy for long-term success.

“Another company that puts the per-mission-to-try-and-fail principle into action is W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., which is known for manufacturing innovative products like GORE-TEX® fabric,” Hess adds. “All associates are encouraged to experiment using the ‘Waterline Principle.’ There’s an understanding among the as-sociates that if they see a need, and failure isn’t going to sink the entire ship, they should just go do something about it. If it does look to be risky, however, consulta-tion with other associates is required before taking action.”

“One final point to keep in mind: Transforming an existing organization

into a learning organization requires the change to start at the top,” Hess concludes. “If you’re a leader or manager and you want to change your organization, the best advice I can give you is to change your-self first. Good intentions are not enough. Behaviors are what count.

“So role model how to think and com-municate better. Admit your ignorance and your mistakes. Be authentic. Act with caring humility. Engage people so they feel like they have some control over their destinies. Be honest, have high standards, and hold everyone, including you, to those standards. Then—and only then—will you earn the enthusiastic buy-in of your learn-ers and set the stage to build and sustain a competitive advantage.”

About the Author:

Edward D. Hess is a professor of business administration and Batten Executive-in-Residence at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business .


ILCA NEWS

For Immediate Release Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA) Illinois Landscape Contractors Education & Charitable Organization (ILCECO) 2625 Butterfield Rd., Ste 104S Oak Brook, IL 60523 P: 630-472-2851 ilca.net Press contact: Executive Director Scott Grams ([email protected]) Church Family Donates $100,000 to ILCECO to Create the Denny R. Church Scholarship Oak Brook, IL - Four members of the Church family have donated $25,000 apiece to fund a $100,000 scholarship in the name of Denny R. Church. Denny was the longest serving ILCA President beginning in 1971 and ending in 1975. Immediately after his term, he was named ILCA Man of the Year in 1976. The scholarship will be conferred annually by the Illinois Landscape Contractors Education & Charitable Organization (ILCECO). ILCECO is the Private Foundation of the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA). The scholarship was organized by Bruce Church of Balanced Environments in Old Mill Creek. Balanced Environments have been members since 2005. The Denny R. Church scholarship will be presented to deserving students in full and part-time horticulture-related degree programs. Denny passed away in 2013 after a long career in the nursery and landscape industry. Denny R. Church was an industry treasure who always offered his expertise to those in need. He was a green industry icon who built his career on a foundation of ethics, craftsmanship, and respect. Now, a new generation of green industry professionals will be beneficiaries of Denny's involvement in the industry, as were so many other professionals across the years. Having these donations go towards funding a scholarship carries on Denny's tradition and his legacy. “It seems fitting that Denny Church should be remembered for his continual efforts to make our profession better,” said ILCA and ILCECO President Rusty Maulding. “Better, by attracting the best new industry professionals that will perpetuate our industry’s amazing dedication, passion and talent. Thank you to the Church family for this thoughtful and inspiring gift.” “This scholarship is a fitting and lasting tribute to Denny Church,” said ILCA Past President and former employee of Church Landscaping Kenny Gallt. “He gave so much of himself to others and the industry. Denny was renowned for making other people feel good and for helping others be the best they could be. His respect for educating those in the landscape industry will live on in this scholarship.” The Illinois Landscape Contractors Education & Charitable Organization is a Private Foundation and gifts are tax deductible to the extent of the law.

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Governor Rauner proclaims October 2015, “Oak Awareness Month”Oak ecosystems have been a significant part of the Illinois landscape for more than

5,000 years and are now in a state of threat and decline across the entire State of Illinois.Oaks represent strength and stature. In fact, the white oak is the Illinois State Tree.

Majestic oaks create a sense of awe and wonder. These trees work for us by cleaning our air and water, reducing ambient air temperature and usage of energy. They reduce flood-ing and support our native wildlife. Our oaks, and trees in general, improve our well-being and support a sense of community.

That’s why on August 20, 2015, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed a proclama-tion designating October 2015, “Oak Awareness Month.” With support from 42 partners across Illinois, including ILCA, forest preserve districts, commercial associations, conser-vation groups, state forests, and municipalities, the proclamation was sent to Gov. Rauner in late June with hopes that state-level support would bolster efforts to conserve, protect, and restore threatened oak ecosystems.

Oak Awareness Month — known by many as OAKtober — is a chance for Illinois residents, organizations, communities, park districts, forest preserve districts, private land-owners and managers, and commercial entities to celebrate our oak woodlands.

Oak-related events will be hosted across the state of Illinois this fall to boost aware-ness for the beauty, utility, and needs of our oak ecosystems. A list of events can be found on Chicago Region Trees Initiative website at http://chicagorti.org/resources/oaktober-oak-awareness-month.

ILCA

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[email protected] The Landscape Contractor 55

September 2015


the lawn around the new home, as well. In fact, often the new owner of property owned by a customer will call and tell Gansca that he got his name from the pre-vious owners. Even children of customers will hire the company for their lawns.

Gansca also cares about his commu-nity. During the holidays, he is known for helping his church, especially with donations.

Hardscape Designs recently joined ILCA for many reasons. “A lot of people see and read “The Landscape Contractor” magazine,” says Fernandez. “We also are looking forward to sending crews to classes.” Fernandez, who comes from the university world, understands the importance of education. He remem-bers calling on potential customers with Gansca. They asked why their grass was yellowing. Gansca asked a few questions and, based on the answers, diagnosed the problem. “People don’t realize that there is so much involved.”

Gansca is hoping to build a business that will be around for many years to come. “We’re here for the long run,” says Fernandez.

Member ProfileHardscape Designs, Inc.9233 New England AvenueMorton Grove, IL 60053(847) 966-7620By Meta Levin

Hardscapes were Lucian Gansca’s chosen focus in 2003 when he started Hardscape Designs, Inc.

This is the second landscape contract-ing firm Gansca has owned. He started another in the late 1990s, but sold it after 9-11 and went into the stock market. By 2003, however, he was ready to go back to the landscape industry.

A few of his old customers returned to him and the rest of Hardscape Designs’ growth has been through word of mouth. “He has a lot of good connec-tions in the communities he serves,” says Carlos Fernandez, the business’ director of marketing and sales. “He walks down the street and greets people he knows.”

Initially Gansca was working on his own, but little by little employees from his previous business found their way to him. “The core crew is still with him, because he treats them well,” says Fernandez. “He is able to maintain the same crews, which means that he doesn’t have to train and retrain new people.” Hardscape Designs now has about 15 employees.

Most of Hardscape Designs’ work

is in the Albany Park and Sauganash neighborhoods in Chicago, as well as Glenview, Arlington Heights, Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park and Morton Grove. Gansca lives in Morton Grove. Many of his customers tell him that they would rather contract with a local business.

Many also own homes that date back to the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, when bushes and evergreens were the norm. Now they want their yards transformed with flowers. “They want something simple, low maintenance and colorful,” says Fernandez.

Gansca and his staff make a special effort to get to know their clients. In fact, he tries to be one of the first to talk with the customer, but everyone keeps the personal touch in mind. “It makes a huge difference,” says Fernandez, who remembers visiting one client, a 93-year-old World War II veteran who regaled him with stories of his service. “We genuinely care.”

That’s probably the reason that cus-tomers who move will call Gansca to ask that Hardscape Designs take care of

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Residential Maintenance Account Rep

Rosborough Partners, Inc. is accepting resumes for an experienced Residential Maintenance Account Representative to manage portfolio of residential maintenance clients. Responsibilities include preparing proposals, con-tract renewals, identifying and selling new sales leads and ensuring quality control is followed on client sites. Revenue and profitability goals will be set each year and accomplished by analyzing, planning, organizing, and adjusting schedules to achieve efficient use of resources and people.Establishing, building and maintaining client rela-tionships are the keys to being successful in this position.Landscape industry experience and/or ahorticultural degree is required. English &Spanish fluency is a plus. We offer competitive wages and benefits.

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Rosborough Partners, Inc. is accepting resumes for an experienced Commercial Operations Mgr to coordinate & schedule operations within the Commercial Dept. Analyzing, planning, organiz-ing & adjusting schedules to achieve the most efficient use of resources & people areresponsibilities of this position. Managing &coordinating the winter snow-plowing schedule & execution of activities during snow events are also part of this position’s responsibilities.Excellent communication skills are key to being a successful Commercial Operations Mgr. Landscape industry experience and/or a horticul-tural degree are required. English & Spanish flu-ency is required. We offercompetitive wages & benefits.

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SEBERT LANDSCAPE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

We are an award winning commercial contractor that has managed corporate properties throughout the Chicago area since 1985.

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Landscape Construction Project Manager (F/T)

Landscape Co. in Libertyville is seeking anexperienced individual to join our team. You willbe responsible for scheduling crews, materials,& sub-contractor mgmt. on a daily basis. You will also be responsible for the client’s expectations regarding quality and service. Strongleadership qualities; understanding the safety ofequipment, technical construction aspect oflandscape construction, hardscape and plantmaterial. Min.3-5 yrs. Exp., SP speaking aplus. Exc. Comp. & Benefit pkg.

Email resume:[email protected] or fax to 847-680-6084

Premier Landscape Architecture

Premier is an award winning, Landscape Architectural/Construction firm, servicing Chicago and its north and west suburbs. We are looking to add energetic Landscape Architects to our growing design studio located in Lemont, Illinois. Entry Level Landscape Architect,Mid-Level Landscape Architect An ideal candidate will display the following skill set, based on years of experience:

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Licensure: Current Landscape Architecture Registration- preferred; LEED accreditation Premier offers competitive compensation and an excellent benefit package, including 401(k) and continuing education reimbursement.

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Landscape Maint. Client Rep (F/T)

Landscape Co. in Libertyville, seeks individual possessing strong background in project & client mgmt., cust. service, est. & sales, as well as in all phases of Hort., turf mgmt., proper maint. tech-niques, leadership & communication skills. Min. 3-5 Yrs. Exp.; SP speaking a plus. Exc. Comp. & Benefits pkg.

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Chicago Account Manager

Grow with us!

Balanced Environments, Inc. is looking for a full-time addition to our team to concentrate on work in the City of Chicago.

As a Chicago Account Manager, you will super-vise and manage a portfolio of landscape and snow accounts, prepare and present site recommenda-tions, maintain client relationships and develop new clients through networking and sales of new services. Our company offers a compensation plan that includes a competitive alary/commission structure, health/dental/disability insurance, and 401k plan.

For a confidential consideration, please send your inquiry and resume today to:

[email protected] or call Ed Reier at 847-833-3594.

Construction Estimator

Premier is an award winning, Landscape Architectural/Construction firm, servicing Chicago and its north and west suburbs. We are looking to add talented, Construction Estimator to our grow-ing design studio located in Lemont, Illinois.Construction Estimator W/4 years experienceAn ideal candidate will display the following skill set, based on years of experience:

• Review bid documents with Construction Managers and arrive at labor and material quantities for bid

• Solicit sub-contractor quotations and ensure they are in compliance with bid documents

• Utilizing construction estimating software, prepare bids

• Complete all necessary bid forms• Coordinate field reporting and process

project data in Heavy Job• Develop, analyze and present project P &

L’s to Management• Maintain bid records and update item rates

with consultation from Sales Department• Excellent communication skills• Working knowledge and experience with

asset preferredWe offer competitive wages commensurate with experience as well as opportunity to grow.

Please submit resume, references, and salary expectations to: [email protected]

Irrigation Contractor looking for the following positions:

• Service Manager• Project Manager• Engineer/Designer/Estimator• Immediate openings. CAD

drafting abilities a plus. Please send resume to:

[email protected]

Attention all CDL drivers

A growing commercial landscape company is seeking a driver for deliveries. A CDL is required. Job also requires operating forklift or similar. Apply today.

Email: [email protected] or call: 708-670-1571

Construction Project Manager/Estimator

Landscape Construction and Design Company is looking for an experienced Project Manager/Estimator. He or she is responsible for nurturing customer relationships, finding profitable project opportunities, thoroughly and accurately estimat-ing the costs of the projects and bidding and securing assignments.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• CAD Experience is MUST• Experience in project estimating and writ-

ing proposals• Experience in working with governmental

agencies• Good design and graphic skills• Good communication Skills• Enjoy working with people• Ability to Multitask• Eagerness to learn• Integrity• Team Player• Able to handle high pressure situations• Willingness to get the job complete and

meet company deadlines• Ability to manage all aspects of a job

from initial client meetings to completion of construction

Please send resume with qualifications to: [email protected]

Winklers Tree Service

We are currently looking for an experienced Certified Sales Arborist. Are you currently the number 2 or 3 sales person in a district? Are you putting in the time but not reaping the benefits? We have an opening in our top district for an experienced salesman.We are also looking for a tree worker who is an experienced spray technician.We are also looking for a lawn technician who has experience with lawn and shrub application.

All positions have a daily production bonus and full company benefits.

[email protected]

708-544-1219

HELP WANTEDHELP WANTED HELP WANTED


CLASSIFIED ADS CLOSING DATES & RATES

October 2015 issue ads: September 15, 2015November 2015 issue ads: October 15, 2015

December 2015 issue ads: November 15, 2015

PLEASE NOTE: “HELP WANTED” AD SALES ARE

LIMITED TO ILCA MEMBER COMPANIES

Magazine Cost is $5 per line Minimum charge $50

Optional Website Cost is $7 per lineMinimum charge $70(About 6 words/line)

Call Alycia O'Connor (630) 472-2851

or use the online submission form located atwww.ilca.net

Beverly Environmental is a South Chicago based landscaping company. We are seeking an experi-enced landscape manager. This position will focus on landscape maintenance and snow removal as well as pursuing new business opportunities. This is a sala-ried position with benefits.

Please email resume to: [email protected]

Experienced landscape and business professional searching for a landscape contractor business topurchase in Western, Northern, and/or Northwestern Suburbs. Maintenance, Snow, and D/B. Purchase accounts and equipment.

Contact [email protected]

FOR SALE - Asking $675,000 New Lenox, IL.Contractors or Hobby Enthusiasts - Have you

always wanted to work from home? Consider this 4200 sq.ft home on five acres of heavily wooded property.

Split zoning. 4 acres/residential; 1/acreIndustrial with 32 x 50 POLE BUILDING. Private

road located off Rt. 30 in New Lenox at full lighted intersection. Ten minutes to I-80 and/or I-355. The house is completely updated with gourmet kitchen/stainless appliances and quartz counters; hardwood floors throughout open-space family room with brick fireplace, wet bar area and living room; 4 bedrooms, each with walk-out deck;

3 1/2 baths, dormer and walk-out basement. Private entrance for the office. Live and work in

paradise! One-of-a-kind! Realtor owned. Cell 815-347-2850

HELP WANTED

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGalso available on ILCA’s WEB SITE

www.ilca.net Call for information

(630) 472-2851

Classified Ads

HELP WANTED HELP WANTED

REAL ESTATE

BUSINESS WANTED

Synthetic Grass

by RugZoom

Contractor Pricing $1.59 to $2.79 sq/ft over 80,000 sq/ft in inventory

* available in 15’ widths x any length

Free Next Day Delivery To Jobsite, No Cut Fees, No Order Minimums

RugZoom Synthetic Grass

backyard in Evanston

“Synthetic grass has come a long way since traditional AstroTurf. In many unique landscapes traditional grass simply isn’t an option due to any number of issues that affect it’s ability to thrive. With advancements in manufacturing, synthetic grass is becoming a more viable and mainstream product that customers are inquiring about.

Call, email or visit our warehouse firsthand by appt. We’re happy to offer any assistance and send you a free box of samples to keep on hand.” – Eddie

RugZoom is an artificial turf supplier and installation

subcontractor.

Contractor Supply (630)805-3800

www.rugzoom.com

4042 S. Michigan Ave. | Chicago

Not an ILCA Member? This is the time

to join!

Call Terre at 630-472-2851 for membership

information.

It will be your best investment

in 2015!


AttentionLandscape Contractors:

Remember to Support ILCA Supporters! These include: • Members & Advertisers who supply goods and services • Members who sponsor ILCA programs and events

Where will you find them? • ILCA Membership Directory & Buyer’s Guide • The Landscape Contractor magazine advertising • The Landscape Contractor magazine reports of events with sponsor acknowledgments • www.ilca.net member lists – Finding a Landscape Contractor & Suppliers to the Trade

Advertisers

1st Choice Equipment .............................................25

R.A. Adams Enterprises ....................................17, 19

Agrecol..............................................................44

Bartlett Tree Experts .............................................53

Beaver Creek Nursery ..........................................54

Carlin Sales.............................................................44

Central Sod Farms ...................................................49

Chicagoland Gardening .........................................61

Clesen Wholesale ....................................................40

Compost Supply ......................................................56

DeVroomen Garden Products .................................46

DitchWitch ...........................................................57

Doty Nurseries LLC ..................................................4

Goodmark Nurseries ..............................................45

Green Glen Nursery ...............................................63

GRO Horticultural...................................................43

B. Haney & Sons, Inc. ............................................51

Hinsdale Nurseries, Inc. ......................................50

ILCA Golf Outing ...................................................47

Ken Burns Inc. .........................................................48

Lafarge Fox River Stone .........................................47

Longshadow Planters ..........................................11

McGinty Bros. ........................................................51

Midwest Groundcovers .............................................2

Midwest Trading .....................................................24

Mobile Fleet Xpress ...............................................30

Montale Gardens ....................................................53

OGA .......................................................................13

ProGreen Plus ........................................................44

RugZoom Synthetic Grass .....................................60

Stockyards Brick Co. ...........................................15

The Care of Trees ..................................................44

The Mulch Center ...................................................54

Timber Industries...................................................44

Unilock, Inc. ...........................................................64

By Patrice Peltier

Some plants — just like All-Star athletes — make every-one around them look better. What’s a plant you can use — and recommend — with confidence? We’ve asked ILCA members to share their thoughts on proven performers.

“A cultivar of an Illinois native, Lobelia cardinalis ‘Queen Victoria’ is a very useful, very showy plant. It’s similar in size and form to the species. The difference is its deep burgundy foliage that gives you the benefit of color throughout the season. When the true-red flowers appear from July into October you have the added bonus of that brilliant flower color — much later in the season than most other reds.

“Queen Victoria grows well when planted in the water, at the water’s edge or in a moist, shady spot in the garden. It is even fair-ly drought tolerant and is not particular about soil type. Because you can plant it in so many places, it’s a good plant to use for creating repetition in the landscape. It ties the water garden and the terrestrial garden and can be used to blend the water’s edge.”

Lobelia cardinalis ‘Queen Victoria’ facts—

Culture

Attractive, dark reddish-purple

Lobelia cardinalis ‘Queen Victoria’

Angelo Zielinski, DesignerKane Brothers Water Features

A student of architecture, art, design and horticulture, Angelo found his way to Kane Brothers after his studies at the University of Illinois. He has been a designer at Kane Brothers for seven years.

Foliage:


3-4’ tall; 18-24” wide

Size:

Full sun to part shade; prefers moist soil—especially when in full sun. Will grow in water but is not reliably hardy there. Adaptable to soil types.

Vivid red, two-lipped flower; attractive to hummingbirds summer.

Flowers:

TOWN HALL® (3 COLOR BLEND)

Give yourself an edge the next time you quote a landscaping project.Give yourself the Unilock® advantage. As the leader in the industry, Unilock’s distinctive products will grab your client’s attention and never let go, with leading edge designs that will help you blow the competition away.

PUT A LOCK ON THAT NEXT JOB.

TOWN HALL™

Town Hall™ is cast from original brick street pavers and offers a distressed, time-worn appearance. With Unilock’s ever-increasing focus on permeable pavers, Town Hall™ has been designed to satisfy both traditional and permeable installation methods.

UNILOCK.COM 1-800-UNILOCK

Recommend Town Hall® as part of your next project bid to stand apart from the competition and lock up the job. For sizes, colors and other details for Town Hall®, please visit Unilock.com

the landscape contractor magazine september 2015

Documents