Shoreline protection and restoration along with being proactive about aeration, nutrient remediation and water quality testing can lead to successful freshwater management.
Photos courtesy of SOLitude Lake Management
While all lakes, stormwater ponds, wetlands and fisheries are susceptible to water quality problems without proper management, the cause of these issues doesn’t always originate within the body of water.
Pond maintenance companies know that these complications often begin outside of the water. During precipitation events, water follows the course of gravity, either seeping into the earth to replenish groundwater or running across the ground as surface water runoff. The area of land that directs flowing water to lakes and ponds is called a watershed. As water travels across the watershed, it picks up and carries whatever is in its path, which can pose an enormous threat to your waterbody.
Understanding eutrophication.
Surface water runoff often carries fertilizers, animal waste, loose soil and organic matter like leaves and grass clippings, plus other debris. Upon entering a waterbody, the undesirable nutrients that comprise these substances are released into the water, initiating a dangerous cycle: Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen can promote excessive plant growth and algae blooms.
As large volumes of plants and algae decompose over time, they are transformed into sediment and release additional nutrients into the water. Increased sediment levels further decrease water depth and volume. As depths become shallower, sunlight is able to penetrate throughout the entire water column, which warms the water and fuels additional plant and algae growth through photosynthesis. This entire process is known as eutrophication. When the process is further expedited by human activities like urban development and pollution, it’s often referred to as cultural eutrophication.
Negative effects.
The eutrophication cycle does not just pose a danger to the long-term health and aesthetics of your waterbody; it also creates potentially deadly conditions for fish and small beneficial organisms. During plant decomposition events, dissolved oxygen in the water column is consumed by bacteria. When dissolved oxygen is consumed at high rates, fish and other aquatic organisms will become stressed and can even die. Shallow waterbodies, particularly in the summer, are at the highest risk due to the inability of warm water to hold dissolved oxygen. In order to protect lakes, stormwater ponds and other aquatic resources from the negative effects of eutrophication, communities should always be cognizant of surrounding land use practices – starting around the shoreline of your waterbody.
By leaving a large strip of unmowed native plants around a waterbody, surface water runoff can be slowed and filtered before it enters the water.
Slowing down.
Establishing and maintaining a vegetative buffer is highly important in protecting a waterbody from surface water runoff and outside contaminants that tend to promote eutrophication. By leaving a large strip of unmowed native plants around a waterbody, surface water runoff can be slowed and filtered before it enters the water. Many of the nutrients in the surface water runoff will be taken up by rooted plants in the vegetated buffer. Vegetative buffers produce long, deep roots, which are also extremely important in stabilizing banks and preventing erosion.
If erosion problems cannot be solely addressed with a beneficial vegetative buffer, several methods can be employed to help repair and stabilize your bank. Some property managers find success by installing rip-rap, deflectors, erosion mats and plantings along the shoreline to hold sediment in place. Coconut “coir” logs can also provide short-term shoreline stability. However, one of the latest and most comprehensive restoration methods is the introduction of a bioengineered living shoreline, which utilizes a biodegradable woven mesh that is anchored to the earth and filled with soil to rebuild and stabilize eroded banks for several years.
Depending on your state’s permitting requirements, sediment that has accumulated locally in the pond can be dredged and placed inside the woven material. Grass or other plants are then planted on top, ensuring protection from erosion in the future. This both reclaims lost water depth by removing excess sediment and rebuilds and stabilizes the shore bank, allowing for optimal aesthetic, recreational and ecological use.
Be proactive.
Shoreline protection and restoration are critical aspects of a successful freshwater management program, but they will not alone ensure your long-term goals are achieved. In order to maintain a healthy waterbody, one should also maintain a healthy watershed by limiting fertilizer use, confirm septic systems are functioning and properly dispose of pet waste, leaves and grass clippings. Proactive measures, like aeration, nutrient remediation and water quality testing should also be taken within the waterbody to further prevent ongoing problems.
Become the teacher.
The last piece of the puzzle is education. Educate your clients about the direct impact they have on surrounding aquatic resource and the small steps they can take to prevent algae and aquatic weed growth. By taking a proactive, custom aquatic management approach – designed with the help of a professional lake manager – you can reduce eutrophication and prolong the health, beauty and function of your lake or stormwater pond for years to come.
Paul Conti is an environmental scientist and regional manager with SOLitude Lake Management.
Swimming upstream
The Water Issue - The Water Issue
Contractors and educators alike are trying to find ways to properly teach irrigation methods to college students.
Students learn how to install drip irrigation with a hands-on exercise.
Photos courtesy of Walla Walla Community College
Just a few weeks ago, Kansas State’s Cathie Lavis addressed a room full of homeowners and contractors to give them the basics on irrigation work.
Lavis says – pun intended – that she was trying to “water down” the presentation to make sure nothing went over anybody’s head. The information she shared would give them enough background knowledge to keep their lawns green and that’s about it. But some of the contractors seemed to already know how to do what Lavis told them, and they clearly had worked in the industry for several years and had plenty of experience.
Yet what Lavis could still teach them was equally important, and when questioned about it, it was something the contractors weren’t confident in answering. Lavis says many of them all knew the how – but the why they did each step was lost.
“I always tell my students if you know how to do something, you’ll have a job,” Lavis says. “If you know why, you’ll be the owner or the boss.”
Lavis teaches landscape management at Kansas State, including an irrigation basics course that’s mandatory for each student. They cover as much basic information as she can cram into a semester and it still feels like it’s not enough time to dig deep. Lavis says it’s essential information for any of her students because “pipe doesn’t know where it is.”
In other words, it doesn’t matter if you manage a golf course, a nursery, or maintain residential lawns. You’ve got to know enough of the basics to field questions from clients and best serve them.
“Of course, you can learn these things (in the field),” she says, “but you’re going to be way ahead if you know the why’s.”
Walla Walla Community College is one of the only colleges or universities in the country that offers a specialized irrigation degree.
A limited choice.
Lavis says her students that expressed interest in irrigation tech work are usually recruited aggressively. But students who want to actively seek out a degree specialization in irrigation management have limited choices: They could go to Walla Walla Community College in Washington or Modesto Junior College in California, which just launched its new program.
And that’s about it, Stockdale says.
“We wrestle with, ‘Why aren’t people beating down the door?’” says Dave Stockdale, the director of Walla Walla’s Water & Environmental Center. “Any of the students we graduate get picked up instantly with jobs.”
Walla Walla offers a variety of programs relevant to irrigation, but its irrigation management degree is a two-year Associate’s degree that’s focused on training people to work in agricultural, residential and commercial careers. The college has offered the program since 1977 and students must be physically present in class to attend.
However, the school also just started its short certificate program that students can take online this fall. Stockdale says it focuses on five key areas: irrigation principles, fluid dynamics, pump applications, drip irrigation and irrigation design. At the end of the full academic year – which is how long it’ll take for students to complete the course – there’s a capstone project that must be completed to receive the certificate.
This could be good for incumbent workers who want to further their irrigation education, Stockdale says. The online component, though rigid in class sequence, allows for more flexibility in scheduling as students can do this on their own time.
Students will send photos and videos of them implementing the knowledge from online courses to professors for homework assignments, so Stockdale says students will still receive the hands-on experience required to learn irrigation techniques.
Most horticulture programs only touch on irrigation basics, this despite the fact there are plenty of jobs in irrigation available for graduates.
Knowing the market.
Lavis agrees that there are plenty of open irrigation jobs, but she also thinks another part of the problem is that students don’t know those jobs exist.
“When most students come into our program specifically or they’re on the K-State campus and they hear about horticulture, most of them have no idea of the opportunities,” Lavis says. “Most parents, when they sit in my office, are flabbergasted when I say, ‘Your student will probably get at least six job offers and will make a good living.’”
And for those who are getting into irrigation anyway, Stockdale says prospective students are just learning on the job instead of in the classroom. While they both acknowledge there are some benefits to this experiential learning, Lavis says students are missing a tremendous amount of knowledge by not taking the degree and going into the field anyway.
“There’s a lot of people that think, ‘I don’t need a college degree for that. Why would I spend all that money?’” Lavis says. “So it’s (about) refreshing people on why that college degree is valuable.”
Lavis says contractors should work with universities and high schools to show the job opportunities available in the field. She also recommends attending events like the National Collegiate Landscape Competition to specifically talk about career opportunities.
Stockdale says irrigation is more complicated than people realize, so they’re often overwhelmed early in their careers as irrigation technicians because they didn’t spend enough time learning about the principles that could be taught in classes. If they took the chance on that education though, Stockdale says he’s confident they’d pick up the necessary information to work at and possibly lead successful companies.
“I think there’s more to it than people realize, which is why people aren’t pursuing (education),” Stockdale says, “but if they pursue it, they’ll realize they can become an expert and a leader in an industry that is still growing.”
If there is a word I hear more than “labor” when it comes to this industry, it’s technology. Now that word can mean many things to many people. Everything from software, to drones, to battery-powered equipment, it’s a word with many layers – all layers that people in this industry are increasingly curious about.
A few months ago, we hosted a virtual conference which featured landscapers presenting on how they integrated different technologies into their companies. We had almost 700 people sign up to attend. It was a sign to us that the people in this industry want to learn more about the topic.
Brian Horn, editor, Lawn & Landscape
So, from February 19-21, we’ll host our inaugural Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference in Orlando, Florida. The conference will focus on presentations from green industry professionals about how they have become more efficient by using different technologies.
Whether it’s going paperless, getting buy-in from employees on new software, or converting to an all-electric crew, the conference will give you the opportunity to learn first-hand from landscapers how to make a change.
Maybe you have already invested in a software program but want to learn about it, or you have no clue where to start – you’ll find a home at this conference.
What will be most valuable is the networking that will take place. Like-minded people from the industry will be in one place and have the opportunity to share ideas with each other on a specific topic.
You can meet people from similar-size companies, who aren’t a competitor, and pick each other’s brains on what challenges and solutions you’ve found with products or approaches.
There will also be an exhibit space where you can speak with vendors and learn about what they have available.
At Lawn & Landscape’s 2019 Top 100 Executive Summit, Marcus Sheridan said that 70 percent of the clients you meet with have already decided if they’re going to buy your service.
Sheridan, a full-time professional speaker and also the co-owner of IMPACT and River Pools and Spas, encouraged attendees to consider a different approach to marketing their services. Simply put, the work in closing sales and building relationships starts on your website. If you think like a consumer, you’ll realize buyers care about five key things:
Cost
Problems
Comparisons
Reviews
Getting the best
“Your site content should be 80 percent aligned with those big five,” he said. These topics move buying decisions no matter what the industry is.
If your site content doesn’t answer those questions for the buyer, you’re missing out on potential sales. Here’s a few tips from Sheridan to make your website a channel for landing more sales. With these in mind, he says he was able to make River Pools and Spas the most trafficked pool installation website in the world.
Address the competition.
This might seem counter-intuitive, but providing your site visitors with a clear depiction of your competitors will position you as an expert in the field. Sheridan created an article detailing his biggest pool installation competitors. Instead of looking at it like free publicity for the competition, the page views showed he was getting his audience’s attention.
The elephant in the room.
It may help to address some of the negatives of the services you offer. For the green industry, this could mean not shying away from the negative press surrounding chemical use in lawn care.
Know what people are searching for.
If you have an idea of how your potential clients are searching for services online, you can cater your web content toward those searches. Sheridan said searches have shifted toward more “me” specific queries. For example, your audience is starting their search with “should I,” “can I,” or “do I need” phrases.
Become the most trusted voice in your market.
“If they ask, you’d better answer,” Sheridan said. If not, the potential customer will go somewhere else.
You need more content.
Sheridan shared a statistic showing people who read 30 or more pages of a website will buy the service 80 percent of the time. 30 pages may seem like a lot, but Sheridan also suggested having a role in your business strictly for content creation.
ASV debuts new CTL at press event
The VT-70 High Output machine is the company’s second vertical lift compact track loader. By Jimmy Miller
GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. – Over two years removed from producing its first vertical lift compact track loader, ASV has done it again with its VT-70 High Output machine.
The CTL was debuted at the company’s first ever press event in May. Production Line Manager Buck Storlie said ASV had plenty of radial-track models – seven to be exact – but wanted to expand its vertical track offerings to help people with high-lift applications. He also said this project took roughly 12 months to complete, though ASV did already have its VT-70, which it launched in 2017, as the starting point for designing the new High Output machine.
“That middle segment of vertical lift track loaders, we see the numbers out there,” Storlie said. “It’s a high-volume class of machines. There’s a lot of guys in that.”
ASV will start production on the VT-70 High Output this month and customers must ask their dealers about a retail price. The model is powered by a 74.3 horsepower, turbocharged Deutz engine and has a more comfortable cab than its predecessor. The VT-70 High Output vehicle’s rated operating capacity at 50 percent is 3,325 pounds and offers a tipping load of 6,650 pounds.
The 15-foot track is entirely composed of rubber compound and co-polymer cords, plus it’s shaped with all-purpose treads to withstand work in any condition. Staying true to its “All Seasons Vehicles” brand name, the machine is built to withstand a range in temperature from -30 degrees Fahrenheit to 118 degrees.
Photo courtesy of ASV
Storlie said the company has plenty of clients in Texas and a surprising amount in places like Australia, but they also designed the vehicle to withstand cold conditions like those often found at their 65-acre test facility in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The machine offers a side-by-side cooling system with its radiator and oil cooler.
Storlie said they also have designed their machines to limit damage to the ground, as the VT-70 High Output machine produces 4.6 psi in ground pressure.
At one point during the press presentation, Storlie showed a video of one of their older machines doing a 360-degree spin on his own backyard turf to prove he’s not worried about damage.
“Following (the original VT-70), we started looking at, ‘How can we continue to improve this?’” Storlie said. “We’re looking at a new engine configuration, more cooling to cool the increased horsepower, and more reliability testing to make sure the machine is capable of taking the things you throw at it.”
Nice to meet you.
On one of its slides during the press event, ASV displayed its full business timeline, detailing each step of a tumultuous journey.
“One of the biggest questions that we get when we go into a show or another event is, ‘Who are you people?’” said Justin Rupar, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing.
Forgive them for being confused. In a way, the press event also marked an informal reintroduction to the ASV brand. It’s been a winding path for the company, which first launched 35 years ago but was purchased by Terex in 2008. ASV absolved its branding to become a part of Terex’s company. In 2014, that acquisition became a joint venture with Manitex, and a year later, ASV was able to bring back its original brand name.
“So at this point, we’re kind of responsible for our own destiny,” said Regan Meyer, ASV’s dealer development and marketing manager. “That can be a really scary thing, but it can be a really empowering thing, too. There’s a lot of pride, there’s a lot of fun in having that ASV brand name back again.”
Meyer said the company has always had loyalists dedicated to ASV through all the name changes and rebrands, plus she said ASV is particularly appealing to the small business market. She said the company had no dealers in 2015 when they reintroduced the brand, but now they’re up to roughly 280 and counting.
“There’s a lot of white space left in the country we have yet to cover,” Meyer said. “If a dealer isn’t within an hour radius of you, it’s hard to get the product, so we want to eliminate those hurdles, get it where people can buy it, as fast as we can.”
RISE President Aaron Hobbs resigns
Hobbs started his career at RISE in state government affairs but has been president since 2010.
Aaron Hobbs, the president of Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment, announced his resignation in June via an email sent to RISE members.
“It has been a pleasure and honor to work with, and for you, this past decade. We’ve grown our industry, faced many challenges, and enjoyed many successes,” Hobbs wrote in the email. “You have a great team to carry you into the future beginning with your peers serving on the Governing Board and Strategic Oversight Council and the staff team in Washington.”
Hobbs started his career at RISE in state government affairs and was then selected to serve as president in 2010, taking over for longtime leader Allen James. During his tenure, Hobbs created a strategic plan that has guided the organization’s tactical investments for the past five years. Hobbs helped lead the RISE team’s development of the DebugtheMyths campaign, the ANDnotOR campaign and helped sharpen the issues management focus on for specialty pesticides and fertilizer.
The RISE Governing Board has named a transition committee that will be working with CropLife America to evaluate ways to enhance the service provided to RISE Members and the specialty pesticide and fertilizer industry.
“As public challenges to our industry’s ability to do business continue to grow, our need to work more closely, and more effectively, has never been greater,” members of the RISE Governing Board wrote in an email. “We welcome your thoughts as we move through this process and look forward to hearing and sharing more with you during the RISE annual meeting in August.”
Yellowstone acquires Texas company
The Top 100 company added Native Land Design to its portfolio.
Yellowstone Landscape acquired Native Land Design earlier this year. The move expands Yellowstone’s growth opportunities in Austin, Houston, and McAllen, Texas.
“I met with a lot of great people during the process and Yellowstone stood out,” said Native’s founder, Ben Collinsworth. “We have very similar operations, people, software, processes and priorities. We are all very excited to continue in this journey with Yellowstone and believe we will be able to mutually benefit each other for years to come.”
Native Land Design focuses on commercial properties and was founded in 2001 with current revenue around $15 million and a staff of 250 people. All employees at Native were retained following the move and there is no brand change for Native currently underway.
Late last year, Yellowstone acquired Somerset Landscape & Maintenance, a $30-million company based in Chandler, Arizona. Yellowstone ranked No. 5 on Lawn & Landscape’s Top 100 list with 2018 revenue of $230 million. Yellowstone is based in Palm Coast, Florida, but has multiple locations.
Owner Joe Kujawa joins Bruce Wilson & Co. as senior facilitator, Chris Kujawa becomes KEI president.
Calabasas, Calif. – The recently launched Sperber Landscape Companies acquired Kujawa Enterprises, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was Sperber’s first acquisition after officially launching in early April.
As part of the acquisition, Chris Kujawa will become president of KEI, replacing Sally Kujawa, who retired. Joe Kujawa will stay on as a strategic adviser, though he’s also joined Bruce Wilson & Co., a consulting firm, as a senior facilitator and practice leader.
“Our first acquisition is one that came with careful consideration as it sets the tone for the company culture we set out to create with Sperber Landscape Companies," said Richard Sperber, CEO of SLC. "KEI is a natural fit, as it has been a family owned and operated business since its founding in 1926. “KEI has a reputation as a market leader and as a company with strong values and emphasis on taking care of its clients and employees. We are excited to be a part of the continued growth and innovation of such a special company.”
Adding 130 employees to the Sperber Landscape group, the recent addition of KEI expands SLC’s commercial landscape service offerings into the Midwest. Sperber said he plans for a seamless transition, as leadership and branding remain unchanged under the guidance of the Kujawa family.
Joe Kujawa said Sperber and his team’s understanding of a service culture was a major factor in the sale. Kujawa added that the existing brand and employees at KEI will continue to serve the Milwaukee market.
Joe Kujawa will serve as a member of Wilson’s senior team and will be responsible for helping Bruce Wilson & Co. bring to life the goals outlined for strategic growth across all its service offerings. He will also provide executive leadership in implementing a growth vision for peer group education events and industry relations. He will consult with snow market leaders on winter services strategies and companies facing the unique challenges of a family-owned business.
“We are all delighted to welcome Joe to our team as we work together to bolster our expertise and strengthen our position as one of the top-ranked growth consultants in the green industry," said Bruce Wilson, the company's lead growth strategist. "Joe’s own experience in CEO peer groups, his formidable industry relationships, and his depth of expertise will help us serve our clients in whatever capacity we can be most useful – whether as a trusted advisor to CEOs and leadership teams or as a hands-on coach."
“Making this career move aligns my personal beliefs with an organization that values and facilitates learning, and the transformational power continuous improvement has on the business environment," Joe Kujawa said. "I’m excited to be using my experience to help other snow and landscape companies inspire their teams, achieve their goals, and connect people, processes and technology to improve their financial performance.”
In addition to Joe’s contributions to the landscape and snow industries, he serves as planning commissioner for the Village of Elm Grove, Wisconsin, and is a former member of the board of directors for the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
He will also be part of Bruce Wilson & Co.’s column in Lawn & Landscape, which you can read in this issue.
Travels with Jim follows Jim Huston around the country as he visits with landscapers and helps them understand their numbers to make smarter decisions.
I literally just got off the telephone with a young green industry entrepreneur. We’ll call him George. He’s been in business for five years and has one two-man mow crew and one two-man enhancement crew. His complaint was that he wasn’t making any money and that he could barely make payroll.
George talked with my assistant, Ashley, last week and she set up today’s telephone consultation as he thought that he could not afford to have me consult with him on-site. (Actually, he couldn’t afford not to work with me, otherwise he’d probably be out of business by the end of this year). Ashley gave me some preliminary information about George and his company. I immediately knew what the problem was and was looking forward to working with this young man. I also knew that if George would implement what I told him, it would put an extra $1 million in his pocket within the next 12 to 15 years.
I asked George if he was married, had a significant other or a girlfriend. The answer to all three questions was “no.” I told him that was a good thing because he couldn’t even afford Happy Meals at McDonald’s if he went on a date.
The good news was that, if he did what I told him to do, he’d be able to go on a very expensive date. I knew that a turn-around for him was possible because he was in a great market near Washington, D.C., and the same changes have helped hundreds of other green industry contractors improve their bottom line.
How it works in the field.
I started with his single two-man enhancement crew. His pricing needed to be as the chart below shows.
Analysis.
I told George that he needed to charge $1,100 per crew day or $550 per man-day. That translates to $55 per man-hour or $110 per crew-hour. And he needed to charge $55 per man-hour for all twenty man-hours. This would give him a 20 percent net profit margin which was realistic for this kind of work in his market. If he needed to get a bit more competitive, he could drop his man-hour rate to $50 or $100 per crew-hour or $1,000 per crew-day.
George told me that he was already charging $55 per man-hour. But as it turned out, he was only charging $55 per man-hour for 8 man-hours per day per man, not 10. He was not charging for two crew-hours per day or $220.
2.0 MHrs per day x 2 men x $55 =2.0 x 2 x 55 = $220 per day
Conclusion.
George and I spent about an hour on the telephone. To his credit, he had a good man-hour rate as long as he was charging the client for all 10 man-hours per day per man. But he wasn’t. He was underpricing his enhancement crew by at least $200 per day. Let’s see now.
$200 per day x 22 days per month x 9 months = $39,600 per year
Add in a similar shortfall for his mowing crew.
$39,600 x 2 = $79,200
$1,000,000 ÷ 79,200 = 12.6 years
In a little over twelve years, George would make an extra $1 million. He’d not only enhance his clients’ property, but he’d also enhance his bottom line if he implements what I showed him. With an extra $1 million in his pocket, he not only could afford a high-maintenance girlfriend, he could also afford me.
Not bad for a one-hour phone call.
Contact me at the email address below for a free copy of the worksheet that I used to calculate the rates in this article.
Lauren Rathmell
