Todd Kramer of Kramer Tree Specialists has more than 25 years of experience under his belt. As Kramer Tree Specialists grew in success, he began consulting other tree service companies that were having issues running a successful business.

“We could give them tips on how to be more productive, but I started to realize the root of many of these problems was failed leadership,” Kramer said.

At the Tree Care Industry Association’s TCI EXPO in Columbus, Ohio, Kramer offered up some tips to tree care industry professionals looking to lead and manage their crews better.

1. Have a “lead from the front” attitude. Kramer stressed that this doesn’t always mean getting out there and doing the work yourself. It’s important to put yourself in a position where your crew members look to you for the example.
2. Use your soft skills to lead. Oftentimes, leaders get selected because they can use their skills to complete a task. Good leaders need to have soft skills along with those “hard skills.” Soft skills include being approachable, easy to talk to, and actively listening when your crew member has a suggestion or concern.
3. Manage stress. “As leaders, we almost have to just stuff our stress right down inside of us sometimes,” Kramer said. Leaders need to be able to diffuse stressful situations for their employees by offering some help and reassurance that the team will be able to get their job done.
4. Know your most important asset. The people who work for you are your most important asset, Kramer says. Without them, you would have no team. Kramer suggested listening to your team as well as observing them throughout the day.
5. Be a coach. A key difference between being a boss and being a leader is that a leader coaches his crew to succeed. “The goal of coaching is to enable your crew to act independently,” Kramer said. Offering to show your workers a new skill or explain why a certain task is done the way it is will provide knowledge and skill to your crew.

The National Association of Landscape Professionals launched the new Landscape Industry Accredited Company designation is the mark of excellence at the company level. The new accreditation is similar to the Landscape Industry Certified designation for individuals in the industry.

When a company is recognized as a Landscape Industry Accredited Company, it differentiates itself from competition with added professionalism. Accreditations and certifications help in the bidding process, help attract top employees and help clients understand that the team is well educated and trained on best practices.

Landscape Industry Accredited Companies should be knowledgeable, safe, ethical and in compliance with federal, state and local codes, statutes, and licensing and insurance requirements. NALP’s requirements for being a Landscape Industry Accredited Company include:

• Employ at least 10 percent Landscape Industry Certified staff, including at least one person on staff who holds the designation Landscape Industry Certified staff manager

• Participate in a national safety program

• Conduct responsible and ethical business practices

• Complete the Pledge of Excellence

• Submit three customer reference verification forms

• Complete the application

The application process requires completion of the necessary documentation, a submitted Pledge of Excellence form and three Customer Reference Verification forms directly from customers sent to the NALP headquarters. Upon review of application materials, NALP will notify applicants of their status, which could take 30 to 60 days. Upon approval, Landscape Industry Accredited Companies will receive a certificate, rights to use the Seal of Approval and marketing materials to promote the accreditation.

The application can be downloaded here. All questions about the program can be directed to Shaine Anderson.

Morbark completed the acquisition of Rayco Manufacturing. This transaction represents the first addition since affiliates of the private equity firm Stellex Capital Management acquired Morbark in 2016. The purchase of Rayco represents a move toward the company’s strategic focus on broadening the range of tree care and industrial equipment, aftermarket parts and service offered to their customers.

Rayco was founded in 1978 in Wooster, Ohio, by John M. Bowling, who as the owner of a tree care service identified the unique needs of the tree and landscape industry. He began to build equipment to meet those needs. Today, the company is dedicated to the design and production of a line of environmental equipment. The current range of Rayco products includes stump cutters, crawler trucks, forestry mulchers, multi-tool carriers and attachments, brush chippers and the AT71 aerial trimmer.

“Our family is very proud of the legacy we have established and nurtured over the past 39 years,” said John Bowling, CEO of Rayco. “As a family-run and -owned business, we view today’s transaction as an opportunity to continue growing our business while joining an even larger family.”

The transaction is a positive, strategic fit for both companies. Rayco founder John Bowling plans to continue to work with the team and develop new products to improve the company’s existing product lines. He will continue to have an economic interest in the combined business and will be a member of Morbark’s board of directors.

Morbark will operate Rayco as a new division maintaining its brand identity. Rayco’s management team will also continue to manage their operations.

“Rayco has a well-deserved reputation for providing customers with equipment and service they demand and the value they deserve,” said Dave Herr, CEO of Morbark. “That product innovation and dedication will continue without interruption. We are excited by what we can bring to Rayco in the way of our experiences, our dealer network and products to complement current Rayco equipment owners.”

MOLINE, Ill. – Expanding its lineup of Worksite Pro attachments, John Deere introduced upgrades to its planetary auger models. The new PA15B and PA30B augers are designed for longer product life to better meet customer needs and application uses. These solutions are optimized to work with John Deere skid-steers, compact track loaders, compact excavators and compact four-wheel-drive loaders, along with most competitive models.

The B-Series augers offer new motor and planetary designs for improved toughness and longer attachment life. The hydraulic motors have a higher-rated operating pressure for better raw digging power. An upgraded integral motor and planetary gearbox housing bring the planetary gear set closer to the motor, decreasing motor stress. A five-gear gearbox with an updated input shaft and shaft seal allow for increased durability. For heavy-duty work in terrains such as rock and clay, the maximum torque rating on the PA30B has been increased from 4,166 feet-pounds to 4,500 feed-pounds.

The PA15B and PA30B models maintain the reverse rotation feature of their predecessors, which allows quick back-out, and sheds dirt from the auger when working in wet conditions. In addition, the universal, self-cleaning Quik-Tatch easy attachment system enables operators to switch from one type of attachment to another. Both models are compatible with a variety of auger bit styles and diameters, including the standard 4- 6-inch, 9- to 12-inch rock and frost, and 18- 36-inch tree and shrub.

To learn more, visit the company’s website or contact a John Deere dealer.