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It’s 2015…

But let’s look back at 2014 one more time. Below is a list of our most viewed stories on lawnandlandscape.com that we produced in 2014. By far the most popular stories were those that involved the big Brickman/ValleyCrest merger (more on that on page 16) that was announced in April and made official in June. Other stories on the list dealt with topics on company culture, communication and contractors who took risks. Check them out!

Brickman and ValleyCrest merge
The rumors, announcement and aftermath of two of the largest companies in the industry merging were by far the most clicked on links in 2014. The merger took the top five spots on our list, which we’ve condense to one link.
bit.ly/llbrickvalley

Motivate without money
Cash is great, but employee appreciation takes the cake. Here are the five ways to show them some love.
bit.ly/llmotivate

Ready to download
Face-to-face communication is ideal, but sometimes you need to work remotely. These apps help you do that.
bit.ly/llremote

Branded by a smile
Your Green Team grew 200 percent by winning over your neighbors.
bit.ly/brandedsmile

Fearless
Mark Tomko admits he’s a risk-taker. But after weathering the storm and surviving a serious revenue hit, Metco Landscape’s rebound is more balanced.
bit.ly/llfearless

Risky business
McGill Landscaping dropped its maintenance division after a key person left and focused on new construction design/build.
bit.ly/llmcgill

Toro to acquire Boss
The $227 million-deal is expected to close in early 2015.
bit.ly/bosstoro

Timeless treasures

Some articles keep on giving, and the list below showcases stories we did before 2014 that were still getting a high amount of clicks from January to December last year. So, if you missed these before, check them out because our readers are still finding value in them.

2010 Top 100
An A-to-Z guide of the best ideas from the industry's biggest companies.
bit.ly/top100az

The liquid vs. dry debate
Striking a balance between consistency and cost can be difficult when choosing and applying fertilizers.
bit.ly/dryliquid

How much do you make?
If you answered "whatever's leftover after expenses," read on to determine how you can start paying yourself a fair wage.
bit.ly/llhowmuch

There's an app for that!
We review the top apps for landscape contractors.
bit.ly/llapp4that

2013 Top 100: Get the bosses’ perspective
L&L spends a day inside landscaping’s biggest companies.
bit.ly/llboss

Info for your ears

We also gathered up some of the most downloaded podcasts on our Lawn Care Radio Network. You can subscribe for free on iTunes. bit.ly/lcrnetwork

Rock 'n' roll lessons
Author and speaker Steve Jones talks about how business owners can learn from KISS how to be different and what to learn from U2 about sticking to your core values as a company.
bit.ly/kisslawn

Passing the baton
Diana Grundeen only works with subcontractors for her installs. Find out what that's like and what you should keep in mind next time you serve as a sub.
bit.ly/Grundeen

Toot your horn
Author Fred Burns talks with us about why the word “only” is important in the selling process.
bit.ly/toothorn