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Bobcat Introduces TL623 Telehandler
Jessica Schwartz
Turf Winter 2021 Issue
Editor’s Letter: Raise Your Glass “At the end of each landscaping season most owners are either raising their glasses or scratching their heads,” writes Josh Currivan, owner of Currivan Green Landscaping in “Optimizing Your Profits.” And it’s true. It’s only after the craze of busy, daily work do most owners have a chance to sit, tally up the numbers, and realize how their year truly fared. The New Year is a time of reflection and resolutions for everyone—but it’s especially true for landscapers whose “off-season” occurs at the same time. What went right? What went wrong? How can 2022 be better? Currivan’s article speaks to the heart of this analysis and reminds us that client numbers—or even how busy you were—don’t always equal a great bottom line. He urges peers to do business homework now, in January, and provides a timeline and solid strategies for realizing true profit in 2022 and beyond. In many ways, it’s the most important work you’ll do all year. Even with numbers-based decisions, growth is not without risk and Currivan details his tumultuous 2021. Joel Schaubel, Senior VP of Lending at LMN, addresses this risk/reward dynamic in “Investing In Equipment.” While providing a formula for “lease vs. own vs. keep,” he points out that choosing not to buy new equipment carries its own risk of downtime and lost opportunities. In terms of opportunities, Winter is also the perfect time for exploring new revenue sources. Want billable hours on rainy days or in the off-season? This ...
Turf Fall 2021 Issue
Editor’s Letter: Winter Is Coming Right now there’s a squirrel causing a ruckus outside. Last night I could hear the crickets. It’s that lovely, fleeting time—sandwiched between the heat and humidity of summer (requiring A/C) and the cold of winter—when you can open the windows, enjoy the fresh air, and hear the sounds of nature. So it seems hard to believe that the quiet chaos of snow and ice will be upon some of us soon. But it will. And unless you’re preparing now, you could be left out in the cold. So Turf Editor-in-Chief Anne Cosgrove interviewed Phill Sexton of WIT Advisers and Neal Glatt of Snowfighters Institute to talk about changes impacting the snow industry this year. The result is a discussion of specialized equipment, handling the labor shortage, and chemical runoff concerns. The Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA) also contributes to this Turf edition with tips for employee safety, both seasonally and year-round. It’s an especially important topic for companies who may have an abundance of new-hires. Naturally, to get that snow and ice work, or any landscape work, you’ve first got to win that bid. And this is where software can help you know your real costs, assess past wins and losses, provide timely estimates, and more. Clearly, bidding is one of the most important aspects of business management, and it’s why things like work-life balance often take a back seat. In an interview with Turf, Chant Singvongsa, owner of Singvongsa Landscaping in Jackson, MN, ...
Turf Summer 2021 Issue
Editor’s Letter: Good, Better, Best In the Turf Summer 2021 issue, we focus on Sustainability & Going Green—a topic close to my heart. In my jobs over the years (park naturalist, garden center worker, floral designer), I’ve encountered the ironies that can exist within the green industry. Specifically, how the creation of a beautiful lawn, garden, or even flower arrangement, can sometimes involve practices ignorant of, or even harmful to, the environment. The issue is particularly timely now. Climate change, water shortages, and a new generation have increasingly put lawn care practices under examination. As Vegas officials eye a “useless” grass ban and municipalities adopt leaf blower laws, it’s easy to feel under attack. So when I read a column in the Kansas City Star talking about the benefits of grass, I knew it was the sort of good news landscapers needed and contacted the author. See his article, “Defending The American Lawn,” written specifically for Turf. Yet how do you balance aesthetics with stewardship? Must they be mutually exclusive? With Nature as an industry player, answers aren’t easy. Today’s introduction of beneficials will be tomorrow’s invasive requiring chemical control. And on it goes. But the discussion matters. It requires honoring experience and time-tested methods. (Whose grandparents threw kitchen scraps in the garden long before “composting” was trendy?) But it also requires a willingness to embrace different ways of doing things as our knowledge — or technology, such as battery-powered equipment in “Getting Equipped” — advances. It might mean taking ...
Turf Spring 2021 Issue
Editor’s Letter: We Can Be Heroes Right now I feel like a superhero. I feel nearly invincible. Why? Because I’ve gotten my first COVID vaccination shot. Of course the real heroes are the scientists and front line workers. I’m just incredibly fortunate. Here in NJ, getting the vaccine has been a “circus” (to put it nicely) of research, persistence, and dumb luck. As an asthmatic with elderly parents, I spent a year living with greater fear than I admitted to myself—until with the click of an appointment button, a heavy weight began to lift. It makes you realize the toll of fear. The stress we accept as normal. The ways we hold ourselves back. We had little control over the pandemic, but emerging from it could be an important lesson in freedom from fear. What have you been holding back on? Buying new equipment? See page 20. Taking a chance on new plants and trees to add to your rotation? See page 32. Adding irrigation to your services? See page 24. Or applying fertilizer to client lawns? See page 36. What about finally addressing those marketing opportunities you’ve never fully looked into—like Google Ads, SEO, and more? See page 39. Of course, some things, no matter what, remain beyond on our control. Like the frustrating challenges of H-2B visa caps and hiring. Mari Medrano, human resources director at CoCal Landscape in Denver, shares an intimate look at the ups and downs of this program’s effects at her company on page ...
Turf Winter 2020 Issue
Editor’s Letter: In The Bleak Mid-Winter If you’re like me, you’d rather hibernate this winter under a sign reading, “Wake me when the pandemic’s over!” Since that’s not an option, we need to take comfort knowing it’s the beginning of the end. A friend of mine created a positive spin for her family by deciding to list what they’ll actually miss about the pandemic. For me, one thing will be the amount of time spent outside. I finally made real progress converting a narrow side yard from pathetic grass in poor soil to a compost enriched cutting garden. After 17 years of working in my yard, I didn’t perform a soil test. The moss, blueberries, and blue hydrangeas tell me it’s alkaline. The standing water tells me I have clay. But I see great value in testing, particularly for landscapers—if you know how to read the results. Enter Spectrum Analytic Chief Agronomist Bill Urbanowicz, who demystifies all those numbers and symbols for you. One of the plants added to my new garden is a gorgeous Blonde Ambition blue grama grass. Imagine my surprise when researching xeriscaping and discovering the expert I hoped to interview was actually the plant’s developer! David Salman is a horticultural rock star with over 30 years of experience in greenhouse production, perennial propagation, xeriscape design, and more. Founder of High Country Gardens, he currently runs WATERWISE Gardening, focusing on xeric plants. For Turf’s readers, he graciously wrote an article about emerging low-water choices for turfgrass in ...
Turf Fall 2020 Issue
Editor’s Letter: Shifting Gears Autumn is a time of transition. Even more so for landscapers. For many, it means getting ready to run a completely different seasonal business—from one based on mowing, maintenance, and plants (Pricing Fall Clean-ups) to one based on snow, salt, and plowing. If we were tempted to be trendy, we’d call it “pivoting,” but landscapers have been doing it far longer than the buzzword has been grabbing business headlines. It’s more about shifting gears. And in 2020, shifting gears isn’t just seasonal, it’s a near daily occurrence. So in the Fall 2020 issue we focus on transitions and handling them successfully. Think the COVID remote work trend doesn’t apply to you? Think again. A WorkWave software exec points out the increasing importance of virtual consultations, online payments, and digital marketing. In other business advice, find out why an EPL insurance policy is the new must-have for evolving pandemic liabilities. Even pest/disease control is in a state of flux as more clients become concerned about toxicity. Ever heard of EIQ? If not, you need to read why this number can help you make the right decisions about pesticides and environmental impacts. Of course, one can’t talk about shifting gears without the biggie: our climate. As weather extremes become more common, stormwater management is being rethought. Landscape architect Gabriela Cañamar Clark shares how this construction byproduct is being redefined into landscape amenities. Embrace this trend and you’ll be better positioned to win high-end contracts as part of a ...
