THE BUSINESS OF DESIGN: Design Dilemma

When I joined the green industry in the late 1980s, I left behind a sales and marketing career in the industrial chemical industry. There, credentials weren’t an issue for me – my chemistry degree and MBA plus 10 years in the business gave me credibility with my customers. Looking around the green industry after founding a design/build and maintenance company, I realized I had no distinctive identity – I was nobody. That’s when I began to explore how to establish my expertise in this industry.
 
One of my first steps was to associate myself with professionals. I joined the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association and then became aware of the International Society of Arboriculture. It was the only organization I knew of at the time offering a certification program. I became one of the first certified arborists in Illinois, with my production manager following right behind me. While not all of the program’s criteria pertained to the work of our emerging landscape business, we weren’t concerned because we were establishing ourselves as experts in our market. We were creating an identity. 
 
In contrast to 20 years ago, the green industry today offers a multitude of certifications that recognize distinct areas of specialization. (See sidebar, “Designer-Related Affiliations.”) The logical question is where do you fit? Which organizations are going to help you to achieve your personal and professional goals?
 
A certification has to first be congruent with who you are and what you believe. Why? Those designation initials are going to go right after your name and actually become part of your identity. Today, with virtually all customers doing research and shopping on the Internet, your name may well be the most important thing you have in today’s market. 

Do you need to be certified at all? Absolutely not. However, certification says something about who you are. Beyond credibility, it tells the marketplace what you value. It’s important to consider what’s important to you because you will invest a significant amount of time and money to achieve your certification. It’s difficult to name an average cost for earning a designation because the initial costs vary so much, but they range from $50 to several hundred dollars. The greater investment, though, comes with maintaining a certification – your time spent, annual association costs and the cost to attend seminars for continuing education units. That’s why it’s important not to view achieving a designation as an end of the education road, but as more of a beginning.

The author is founder of Treemendous Landscape Co., Plainfield, Ill. Among several other designations, he’s a Registered Landscape Architect, Certified Arborist and Certified Landscape Professional.