ORLANDO – The Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association has released its newest industry professional certification: the Certified Landscape Irrigation Service Technician (FCLIST).

FCLIST is FNGLA’s sixth industry certification developed for Florida’s nursery, landscape and irrigation professionals. This new hands-on training certification measures skills specific to technicians servicing landscape irrigation systems. The process includes a 400-page manual, nine physical exam stations and one written exam section. 

"Florida's landscape and irrigation professionals are educated, trained and certified to put the right plants in the right places and to deliver the right amounts of water in the right ways,” said Phillip Hisey, chair of FNGLA’s Landscape Division and Director of Landscape Operations at Colen Built Development in Ocala, Florida. "Professionally designed, installed and maintained landscapes can achieve significant water efficiencies and savings without sacrificing beautiful landscapes on residential and commercial properties."

Rollout of the new FCLIST training and exams began in late January and will be conducted at many of FNGLA’s six certification exam sites throughout Florida. FNGLA can also bring the FCLIST directly to landscape irrigation firms to train their personnel. More than 3,000 FNGLA certifications are currently held by Florida nursery and landscape professionals.

The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute recently released its 2020 annual report, analyzing the overall health of the hardscaping industry and updating readers on the latest ICPI strategic goals.

The report can be found by clicking here.

Jobber recently released the full agenda for Professional Development Day, its free virtual conference, presented by Visa, taking place on March 24 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST.

Joining the speaker lineup, which includes keynote presenter Gary Vaynerchuk, are Julie Ertz, Olympian and two-time World Cup champion for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, and husband Zach Ertz, Super Bowl LII Champion and NFL Pro Bowler. Six-time best-selling author of “Fix This Next” and “Profit First,” Mike Michalowicz, and futurist and marketing expert, Crystal Washington, were also added to the event agenda. The event will provide small business owners and their management teams with lessons around people, profit and process.

Additional sessions include the following:

Balancing Work, Family and Mental Health

Entrepreneurs in the landscaping and other home service industries will discuss the challenges and rewards of running a small business. This panel includes Chant Singvongsa, owner of Singvongsa Landscaping; Keith Kalfas, landscaping business owner and influencer; and Kurt Stenberg, owner of Cochrane Tree Care.

Redefining Leadership: Live with Gary Vee

Gary Vee, entrepreneur and five-time New York Times best-selling author, will share his point of view on what makes a great leader, how to set up a better definition of success and what it will take to succeed in 2021.

Diverse and Recurring Revenue: The Drivers of Small Business Growth

In this presentation Steven Knight, partner of Mosaic Homes, will teach you how to identify your key profit drivers, how to make your existing customers more valuable, and how to build recurring revenue into your business.

Registration for the free event is now open. All registrants are automatically entered to win a set of team tablets, an iPhone 12, new team uniforms and custom vehicle graphics. Attendees who sign up before March 5 will also qualify to win the early bird prize—a new MacBook Pro laptop.

“Jobber PD Day’s roster of speakers, from prolific authors to world-class athletes, know what it takes to reach the top of their respective fields,” said Sam Pillar, CEO and co-founder of Jobber. “We’ve worked one-on-one with speakers to customize their training to the specific challenges home service entrepreneurs face, to ensure the time they spend at Jobber PD Day will give them immediately useful takeaways.”

To learn more and to register for Jobber PD Day, click here.

DEERFIELD, Ill. – Caterpillar Inc. has announced that Gerald Johnson has been elected to the Caterpillar board of directors effective March 1, 2021.

Johnson, 58, is executive vice president of Global Manufacturing at General Motors (GM) Company, a role he has held since 2019. Johnson joined GM as part of a co-op program in 1980 and has held roles of increasing responsibility, including several manufacturing and quality roles in North America and abroad. Prior to his current position, he most recently served as vice president of North America Manufacturing and Labor Relations and vice president of Operational Excellence. Johnson serves on the Kettering University Board of Trustees.

"Gerald has extensive manufacturing and technical expertise as well as a broad range of global experiences," said Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby. "He is recognized for his leadership in sustainability and commitment to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. His skills and insight will complement our board, and I look forward to working with him."

READ MORE: Caterpillar revives Trial Series | Caterpillar Foundation donates to anti-racism, social justice efforts

Johnson joins 11 other members on Caterpillar's board of directors and will serve on the Public Policy and Governance Committee.