EDITORIAL Get a Jump on Training

The debate is an old one but still rings true today. Ask any owner in the landscape industry about training and he’ll concur that it’s definitely needed. But ask any owner about how much time and money he’ll invest in sending his workers to educational conferences and seminars, and the answer isn’t always greeted as enthusiastically. 

The landscape industry is full of educational opportunities in the areas of business, technical, specialty and so on. But in many ways, the industry chooses to put education on the back burner in lieu of other day-to-day priorities.
 
Sure, customer backlog, rainy days and equipment hassles can smother your plans and intentions to refine your craft. But that thinking is short-sighted and doesn’t pay long-term dividends.
 
Continuity in education is needed to recharge your batteries, refresh your industry know-how and to network with your peers. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard a contractor tell me that attending a conference was the best thing he did all year and how it pays immediate dividends in his business.
 
Another recurring theme is one of cost. Many contractors say they can’t afford to attend a meeting; yet, those who do attend say they can’t afford not to attend.
 
Because Lawn & Landscape magazine is your business partner in growing your business and making your firm more profitable, we are offering two seminar series this year that are sure provide you with some money-making tools to take back to your business. Respectful of your time, each of these seminars is one day in length.
 
First, is our Lawn Care Seminar series (www.lawncareseminars.com) that kicked off last month and runs through November. These meetings are intended to provide you and your technicians with an up-to-date look at the latest trends in the identification and control of weeds, insects and diseases in both turf and ornamentals.
 
Not only will you hear about the latest invasive species affecting our plants, you’ll also learn about management and application techniques and receive CEU credits.
 
The remaining seminars are being held in Atlanta on Sept. 14, Indianapolis on Sept. 28, Washington D.C. on Oct. 12, Northern New Jersey on Oct. 19 and Dallas on Nov. 16.
 
Second, we’re offering a Benchmarking Your Business Seminar (www.lawnbizseminars.com) series presented by veteran industry consultant Jim Huston. It’s a unique seminar dedicated solely to helping you benchmark your business for improved efficiency and growth. This seminar series will walk you through evaluating your financial statements; analyzing growth patterns; understanding your company structure, equipment costs and benchmarks for overhead; setting sales and marketing goals; establishing exit strategies and buying and selling a business.
 
Six of the eight seminars remain and will be held in Washington D.C. on Sept. 13, Boston on Sept. 14, Tampa on Oct. 10, Houston on Oct. 12, Detroit on Nov. 14 and Chicago on Nov. 15. 
 
We hope to see you at one of these events and please provide us with your feedback.