Down on the farm

Retirement is creeping up on Brad Johnson. He’s been in the lawn care business 30 years, and is thinking about life after the green industry.

“We’re looking at our exit strategy, sooner than later, says the 61-year-old owner of Lawn America in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “I’m not going to be killing weeds when I’m 80 years old, hopefully.” But Johnson also doesn’t plan on playing golf all day or relaxing on the beach.

Instead, he wants to oversee the Oh Be Joyful Farm, a nonprofit set on a 38-acre farm he bought three years ago with two foster homes to help at-risk youths. Johnson and his family moved out to the farm 30 minutes outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma, to get away from city life.

The property was setup for horses, but Johnson and his wife, Becky, didn’t know how to raise them.

Instead of scrapping the setup, they invited kids from an emergency foster care system in Tulsa to the farm to learn about business and the outdoors.

“We hope to plant some seeds with some kids,” he says. “Some of them will germinate; some of them will lead to bigger and better things. “Not all of them, maybe not even most of them, but there will be some victories that come out of this.

“The end game is to get these kids that have been from abusive situations into a caring, Christian home.”

Teacher at heart. Before he was in the lawn care business, Johnson was a Sunday school and seventh grade science teacher, and a coach, so using the property to help children was a natural progression for Johnson.

“We wanted to share that with other people that don’t have an opportunity to get out in the country, and especially kids,” he says.

The couple bought dogs, goats, cattle and chickens, planted blackberry and blueberry patches, and over the past three years the program evolved so much that they made it an official 501(c)(3) non-profit in December.

“We would have them come out for three or four hours and do various activities and go fishing and run around – just interact with the animals and play games,” he says. “They love it. These kids have behavior problems when they’re in a shelter, many of them, but you get out in the country, you get them with caring adults and they’re fine. They’re just kids.” Johnson then invited kids from an inner-city school he volunteers at to the farm to experience country living.

“These are sixth graders and half of the kids have never even caught a fish or been around farm animals,” he says.

However, Johnson really wants the property to house foster families.

The land had two houses on it, so two foster families moved in and the organization is subsidizing their rent.

“The foster kids that are living there ... they come and help feed the animals and work on the farm,” he says.

“That’s part of what we’re doing too is providing two homes, and maybe more eventually, to families that normally wouldn’t have the means to have a lot of foster kids, but can do so because of the support that we provide for them.”

Funding the farm. Johnson says he uses LawnAmerica’s profits to support 95 percent of the farm, with the other 5 percent coming from donations.

Legally, he has to get LawnAmerica’s support down to approximately 30 percent in the next couple of years. He would like to add more homes and financial assistance for foster families since there is property available.

“There’s a lot of families that would like to do this but they just don’t have the financial means to do so, so any help at all is great,” he says.

Since Johnson is still learning the ropes of running a 501(c)(3), he hasn’t really aggressively approached customers about donating.

Eventually he would like to do so, and invite people to visit the farm and meet the kids in hopes of finding a fit for a foster family.

“We hope that they get out and rub shoulders with these kids and see that they’re not bad kids. They’re just kids that need some care and need a good home, and that they’ll decide to be foster families,” he says,

Johnson says many of the children who visit the farm are good kids, but have come from rough situations at home and are hoping for a change.

“These kids will come up to you, you’re out in a pasture doing stuff or you’re on a tractor or you’re fishing, they’ll come up, pull your pants leg and say ‘Oh, can you adopt me? I’d give anything to live here,’” he says.

“There’s just several, after they come out and they just look around and say, ‘Man, I’d give anything to be able to live out here at this place.’ What do you with that? You can’t take in 24 kids at once, but you can maybe help a few of them find a family that wants them.”

Outside the bubble. Johnson also took the kids down to the farmer’s market, set up a stand and taught them how to sell blackberries and blueberries, which also helped them learn people skills.

“We wanted to give them a little taste of what it’s like to be in business, and what it’s like to work on a farm because it’s not Disneyland out there,” he says.

“It’s not just all fun and games. They’ll have fun but they’re going to work too. I mean, clean out the horse stalls, work on the berry patches, and feed the chickens, all the animals. We’ve got chickens and goats and cows and all kinds of animals out there.”

Johnson is currently looking for a farm manager, and would like to earn enough money from food harvested on the farm to help support it.

Aside from learning basic life skills, Johnson says the farm will also help kids appreciate the outdoors.

“We want them out from under the TV screens and out from under the computers, away from the iPads and get outside, and get dirty and work,” he says. “That’s not just foster kids, but all kids need more of that.” To donate, visit bit.ly/ohbejoy .

PHOTO BY KATE SPIRGEN

Wacker neuson Makes moves into landscaping

The company launched a rebranding initiative in 2014, and recently released a new line of excavators, wheel dumpers, wheel loaders and more.

MILWAUKEE – Wacker Neuson is making moves in the landscaping industry, releasing new lines of excavators, wheel dumpers, wheel loaders and more.

The company, based in Munich, Germany, launched a rebranding initiative in 2014 and now markets under the slogan “All it takes.”

From 2004 to 2014, the company has tripled its revenue, and on Oct. 14 it hosted a release of its newest product lines at the plant, and training and visitors’ center in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.

“We don’t want to be the heavy equipment guy,” said Johannes Schutze Vohren, regional president, North America. “We want to be the small to medium construction guy.”

ET65 and ET90 Excavators. “They’re heavier; they’re stronger, but they’re more compact than they used to be,” said Marcus Auerbach, director of market development. The lower center of gravity and compact size allows the excavators to get into tighter spots. Both are equipped with Tier 4 Final turbo-charged engines that save 20 percent on fuel while increasing performance by 30 percent.

Engineers moved the arm to the right side of the cab to increase visibility into the trench and bucket from the cab.

The newly-designed controls allow the operator to change the control pattern with one switch.

Arms now have 20 percent more breakout force. “The breakout force is where it really, really counts,” Auerbach says.

The three-pin linkage on the bucket and 200-degree expanded angle of rotation allow for more rotation and deeper digs.

Cabs now come standard with air conditioning, cell phone chargers and holders and air-cushioned operator seats.

A standard hydraulic quick-attach makes changing attachments easier and a standard diverter valve on the auxiliary hydraulic line allows to switch between hydraulic thumb and a hydraulic breaker without disconnecting hoses.

The 6.5-ton ET65 model has a breakout force of 11,398 pounds of force, maximum digging depth of 13 feet, 9 inches.

The 9-ton ET90 has a breakout force of 15,829 pounds of force and a maximum digging depth of 15 feet, 2 inches.

EW65 and EW100 Excavators. The new generation of wheeled excavators can just pack up and go without needing a truck and trailer, allowing for faster transport. The 6.5-ton EW65 is powered by a 48.5-horsepower Perkins Tier 4 Final engine, offering excellent power and low fuel consumption, and a top speed of 18.6 mph.

A new three-pin bucket linkage system provides a breakout force of 12,152 pounds. The linkage system also optimizes the bucket’s angle of rotation to keep the load secure in the bucket before dumping.

The new front and rear stabilizer blades are designed to provide stable operation.

To provide a clear view of the attachment and jobsite, the boom has been shifted to the right, allowing the operator a better view through the large windows.

The 10-ton EW100 is powered by a 117-horsepower Perkins Tier 4 interim turbo diesel engine that delivers 15 percent more power and 17 percent lower fuel consumption than its predecessor. The four-cylinder, 3.4-liter engine incorporates a common rail fuel injection system, charge-air cooler and diesel particulate filter.

With a top speed of 25 mph, the EW100 can also maneuver in tight spaces with a new all-wheel steer system that reduces the turning radius by 5 feet compared to the previous model. A turning radius of 13 feet may make it easy to maneuver in confined areas.

The new EW100 can dig deeper and reach farther, improving overall productivity. Other updates include a new boom that allows it to dig more than 14 feet deep with a 24-foot reach.

Visit bit.ly/llwacker , for more on our visit with Wacker Neuson.

Reliable Property Services, T.R. Gear Landscaping acquired

A 33-year Brickman veteran will lead the newly formed Five Seasons Property Management.

PHILADELPHIA – Five Seasons Property Management, a newly formed, privately held company based in Pennsylvania, has acquired two of the industry’s largest companies.

In late July, Reliable Property Services, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, was acquired, and the purchase of T.R. Gear Landscaping in Fairfield, Ohio, was completed in late September.

Combined, the two companies had 2014 revenue of approximately $45 million. Reliable was listed at 42nd on the 2015 Lawn & Landscape Top 100 list with $30,300,000 in revenue and 385 employees.

Greg Odhner, director of operations for Five Seasons Property Management, says the current management teams of both companies will stay in place.

“I think their business processes, the people within the company – we’re very excited about working with them – and their business systems,” Odhner says about what made Reliable and T.R. Gear good acquisition targets.

“We’re out looking at some quality companies across the country we believe we can acquire and add value to, and help them grow and give them better opportunity,” says Odhner, who spent 33 years with Brickman before retiring in 2013 as division vice president.

Five Seasons, which was founded this summer, serves commercial, industrial and golf course maintenance clients throughout the Midwest. Reliable and T.R. Gear had operations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and Kentucky. – Chuck Bowen

Ask the experts

Maintenance malaise

Q: Our company has historically had good luck with team member motivation and participation within our design/build and installation divisions. Our problems seem to stem from our maintenance division. Our leadership team is motivated to push landscape maintenance as one of our three primary business avenues. This obviously poses a problem considering our maintenance team member buy-in has been a large issue with my company since its formation.

We are looking for methods or ideas to convince our maintenance teams that they are not just “cutting grass” and that what they are doing is of high value. In doing this, I hope to generate higher quality and company buy-in and commitment. How can we go about getting better buy-in from our maintenance team?

A: The maintenance people aren’t feeling the love. As with most everything else in an organization, most challenges like this start and stop with the leadership.

The owner of this organization and its leaders are from the install part of the business, and as such, need to recognize that not all landscapers respond the same to leadership styles, especially when it comes to the install and the maintenance parts of a company. Here are a few ideas to get buy-in from the maintenance division.

Build a great culture

• Review your vision, mission, core values and success behaviors statements.
• Get these into easily defined and understood terminology and have them embraced by all, starting with the leaders.
• Know all of your key players by name at least through the foremen level, and for smaller companies, know everyone’s names and use them when interacting with them.
• Find some heroes out there and build some great stories about those folks and how they have succeeded and helped the company achieve its vision and mission.
• Establish the ground rules for behaviors. Recognize and reward the right behaviors and results.
• Celebrate successes from all departments.
• Have people buy in somewhere else when they don’t or won’t buy in originally.

Be present and be positive

• Where you spend your time is what is perceived as important. Spend 50 percent of it either with your people or with your customers.
• Be present and focused when talking with your team, and balance your time with the different departments within the organization.
• Get out in the field, and observe and ask many questions like: How are you doing? What are your goals? How can I help you with achieving your goals?
• Be enthusiastic, energetic and real.
• Take a good look at yourself and your leaders, and see where they are spending their time and attention.
• Practice active listening skills.
• Observe others carefully, under both good conditions and not so good conditions.

Over-communicate

• Communicate and then communicate some more.
• Hold town hall meetings to give out a company status on a regular basis.
• Take some small groups out to a meal and break bread.
• Conduct employee surveys by an outside party.
• Let them have a voice on matters – issues, program development, etc.
• Meet one-on-one with a simple "touch base" regularly.

Find and help build champions

• After you have your top leaders, align with them, then seek out and build champions within the ranks.
• Make certain they know, understand, actively embrace and live the culture.

Clearly define roles and expectations

• Be certain everyone knows individual expectations.
• Define the results that are expected.
• Track key measurables.
• Provide the needed tools and resources to achieve the results.
• Give feedback regularly.

There’s quite a bit of territory here to cover, but once in place, I truly believe there will be better buy-in from the maintenance team. I am certain that you are not the only company that has faced this challenge.

Ask the Experts is brought to you in partnership with NALP, the national association of landscape professionals. Questions are fielded through NALP’s Trailblazers, the industry’s leading company mentoring program. For more questions, visit Landscapeprofessionals.org.