Spartan Mowers Releases 2025 Product Lineup
Jessica Schwartz
Maintaining Company Culture During Stressful Times
In a positive display of company culture, Ruppert Landscape of Laytonsville, MD, distributed bonus checks totaling $470,000 to 1,100 frontline field-level employees to thank them for their commitment and service during COVID-19. “We wanted to focus our efforts on our field managers and crew members who continued to report to work during a time of great crisis and uncertainty, while many of us were afforded the flexibility of working from the safety of our homes,” said Craig Ruppert, CEO. “To me, their efforts really underscore our company values of hard work, honoring commitments and supporting our community and I truly couldn’t be more proud of how they stepped up to the plate. In my mind, that deserves an extra thank you, which is what we wanted to do with these bonuses.” For those wondering how you attract and retain top employees, here’s a big part of the answer. No, not the money (but as any employee will tell you, it does help), but the company culture! Having an established culture, hiring people who align with that culture, and reinforcing that corporate culture from the top down—even during a pandemic—can go a long way toward your company’s long term success. Not to mention your company’s ability to weather a crisis, such as a pandemic. “We have been extremely fortunate so far,” acknowledged Ruppert. “But even with our ‘essential’ designation, the only way to keep things running is by having a dedicated team who believes in your company and trusts that you ...
The Curious Case Of The Less than Two-Inch Snowfall
Does this sound familiar? Doug Delano, owner of Level Green Landscaping in Maryland, outlines his firm’s snowfall tracking procedures and practices with snow manager Greg Stacho. When the weather forecast calls for snow — even less than two inches — we snap into action the day before. Planning is everything. While some of our customers sign contracts stating they don’t need our services unless it shows at least two inches, others have more pressing needs. “Many of our clients have what we call ‘minimal tolerance,’” Stacho says. “As long as flakes are falling from the sky, they want us there, even if it amounts to just half an inch.” Please Stand By If the forecast calls for an inch and a half of snow starting at 3 a.m., we want our snow removal crews to be rested, not waiting up all night for the phone to ring. So crew members are told to get some rest, and are given a start time to report in the morning. “We need crews to come in,” Stacho says. “We can’t wait until we know if there’ll be two inches.” We contact our minimal tolerance customers the night before, too, to inform them of our plan for their property. “We don’t want to bother them at 2 a.m.” Stacho says. “All that is done by 9 p.m. the night before.” High Tech Weather Tracking On alert from the day before that snow is coming, Stacho checks the weather forecast at about 1:00 a.m. Years ...
