L&L Insider

A snow storm that slammed some parts of the country didn’t stop landscape contractors from attending Marty Grunder’s GROW! 2014 in Atlanta (which avoided the snow and ice this time around, but got it again a week later).

Approximately 175 contractors joined Grunder and his host of speakers to learn better ways to do business, while also being able to share ideas with companies across the country. Here’s our coverage from the event, which included a half-day spent at HighGrove Partners.
 

Up close and personal

Contractors at GROW! 2014 saw what it’s like to be a $16 million company.

By Brian Horn

It was an early wake-up call for L&L and the GROW! attendees, but rising and shining at 4:30 a.m. was worth it to get a peek at how HighGrove Partners does business. As part of Marty Grunder’s GROW! 2014 in Atlanta, the 175 attendees of the event spent half the day at the company’s headquarters.

During the visit, contractors witnessed owner Jim McCutcheon’s team roll-out in the morning, and then were able to meet in small groups with different members of the HighGrove team, including McCutcheon. The company employs 200 workers and has grown 10-20 percent during the past seven years. While many landscaping companies won’t hit $16 million, Grunder was quick to remind everyone that there are always ideas that smaller companies can use from larger companies.

L&L tagged along and pulled these tips from the half-day spent at HighGrove.
 

Circle marks the spot. If it’s difficult getting your team to gather around before heading to job sites, then just paint a circle on the floor. At HighGrove, one of the operations managers yelled “stretch” and workers from all directions worked their way through the attendees to stand on the circle. From there, the operations manager stood in the middle of the circle and led the meeting.

The group does a safety chant and the results of a random three-truck check from the night before are read. Supervisors check to make sure the truck is in order, and if it checks out perfectly, the group applauds. If not, the announcement is met with a dull boo. Once the trucks leave the garage, the trucks are inspected by managers to double check the trucks meet requirements to go to jobsites.
 

Do not enter. Mechanic Greg Nelson doesn’t want any loitering in his wing of the building. If you need something fixed, or are picking up something, then you are more than welcomed into his area. “It’s a friendly environment, if you’ve got a problem,” he says.

Just one person from a crew is allowed to pick up a piece of equipment because he doesn’t want the whole crew in the area just hanging out. Equipment has to be signed out by a manager, “so we have a record of it going out the door.”

Other tips from Nelson: He and his team start servicing seasonal equipment five weeks before the season starts. And when it comes to oil, they change the oil in mowers once every three months. The oil tank must always be full because Nelson says that is the key to a longer change period. If he sees a mower consistently at the quarter tank level, he’ll talk to a manager.
 

Color coded. When field workers start at HighGrove, they have to wear an orange vest for the first 30 days, while everyone else wears yellow. If they commit a safety violation, they have to wear it longer than 30 days. The idea behind the orange vest is so other workers know who the new guy is, but it’s also serves as motivation. “They want out of the orange vest so fast, they can’t stand it,” says Gary Tomlinson, vice president of operations. Color also comes into play when it comes to equipment. All spare equipment is painted hot pink. So if someone had to use spare equipment because they lost or damaged their crews’, they have to take the pink-painted equipment on the job and use it. “No one wants to walk around with hot pink on their equipment,” Tomlinson says.
 

Come prepared. Crews are not permitted to stop on the way to a job site or on the way back to the office without a manager’s permission. Crews also have to bring their own food to a job because they are not allowed to go to a restaurant for lunch. If a field employee is caught out to lunch during work hours, he can be fired.

Pay now. Sales people are paid their commission up front, says Mark Knaggs, vice president of sales and client services. If the contract cancels, the remaining amount of the cancelled sale is taken out of the next check. “Their responsibility is to take care of that client,” Knaggs says. “They’re disappointed, but they work hard to keep that account.”

Plant knowledge not needed. HighGrove employs client relationship managers (CRM) who make sales and serve as a liaison between the client and the employees doing the work.

Knaggs says when hiring CRMs, horticultural experience isn’t necessarily needed. They want someone who relates to people and who can sell. “We have plenty of people here with a horticultural background to answer those questions,” he says.

For more photos inside HighGrove, download our app at bit.ly/lawnandlandscapeapp

The importance of the finer points

Scott Fay ignored a couple of small details before a flight and was left in an awkward position in front of a plane full of people.

By Brian Horn

Scott Fay was that guy. He got so wrapped up on a phone call that he missed numerous calls for him to board a plane. Finally realizing he had completely zoned out, Fay, who told this story at GROW! 2014, made a mad rush down the bridge to the plane, only to be greeted by a full house of unhappy passengers glaring at him.

Furiously sweating, he made his way to his seat, and began to load his luggage in the overhead compartment like he had done a hundred times before. But this time it wasn’t fitting.

As he continued to shove the bag in he realized why it didn’t fit. He bought a gift for his daughter that was causing his luggage to bulge just enough where it didn’t fit.

“It’s just a detail that really, really matters,” says Fay, explaining that a small gift was now escalating his problem.

While he was trying to squeeze the luggage in, he realized he overlooked another detail before leaving the house.

He forgot his belt. As he continued to struggle with getting his bag loaded, his pants slipped, and slipped and slipped some more leaving him with his pants around his ankles.

Eventually, he got his bag loaded, pulled his pants up and was greeted with applause by the passengers. He learned ignoring the small details can leave you looking like a fool.

“I sit down in 2B and the guy in 2A doesn’t say a word to me the whole time,” he said. “That’s never happened before and will never happen again.”
 

Other highlights from GROW! Fay spoke about how business owners can grow their business by knowing their purpose. He gave these tips on being able to better decipher your purpose.

• Make a list of your success. And also make a list of worse failures. Then study those lists and look for the commonality in your successes and failures. “I promise you will begin to unpack this thing called purpose,” he says.
• Ask people you know what their first impression was of you.
• How do people who really know you describe you?
• Passions – what would you sacrifice to do? What do you love to hate? What are you willing to pay, what are you willing to do to keep it?
   

“Purpose is a DNA kind of thing,” he says. “Landscaping isn’t your purpose, it’s what you do.”
 

Danger zone. Matt Caruso, owner of Decra-Scape in Sterling Heights Mich., talked about avoiding the “danger zone,” which is an area where your expenses exceed your revenue. Caruso said entrepreneurs have to let go of some responsibilities in order to focus on the mission, vision and core values of the company. That focus will help them run a profitable business. 

Caruso said the owner of the company has to truly believe in the vision of the company because if things go wrong, “entrepreneurs will get left holding the bag” so it’s important you’re handling situations the way you see fit. Core values are also important to a company, and, “the moves you make are driven by your core values.” 

Other important points from Caruso:

• If you don’t begin to develop team leaders, you will be stuck doing work you should trust your employees to do. While completing these tasks will satisfy you now, your company will suffer in the future. “We need to stop looking at things in the short term and look at them in the long term,” he said. 
• When you have a vision, mission and core values that employees genuinely understand and use as a guide when on the job, then “You’re going to be able to focus on things to get you to the next level,” he said.
  
   

Getting better. Grunder shared his five steps to improving as a leader.

• Lead by example. It’s fine to talk about your core values, but you better model your behavior after them if you want employee buy-in, Grunder said. “People see better than they hear,” he said.
• Integrity. You have to tell the truth. Otherwise no one will believe you have the integrity needed to lead.
•  Be enthusiastic. You don’t need to come in to work every day and do a dance, but you have to show you have a genuine interest in helping others. “Enthusiasm is about how we work, and about how fast you get back to a client or employee,” he said.
• Communicate. Grunder has signs posted at his company that say “no surprises.” “That’s our mantra for good communication,” he said.
• Do a little bit more. You are at the top of your company, so when employees see you doing more, they will follow your example. “Engagement comes from the top, not from the bottom,” he said.
   

Shiny and new

John Deere showed off its newest tractors at a dealer event in Orlando.

By Katie Tuttle

Dealers took a chance to escape reality with a trip down to Orlando to test out new products and models John Deere has been working on.

John Deere’s 2014 Ride and Drive event is a two and a half day event that gives dealers a chance to test out the equipment and speak face-to-face with the Marketing and Training teams at John Deere.

The main announcement at this year’s event was the release of six new compact utility tractors: the 4044M, 4052M, 4066M, 4044R, 4052R and 4066R. These tractors were built after six years of customer research on what operators liked and didn’t like of both John Deere and competitors’ tractors.

At the event, dealers were also able to hop up on these tractors and test them out against competitors’ models on obstacle courses, and doing normal tasks such as lifting logs and moving dirt. Tuesday morning, attendees tried out John Deere’s newest feature – the Hitch Assist, which comes standard on the 4R Series.

The Hitch Assist allows operators to control the tractor from the ground as they go through the process of hooking up an attachment.

It’s designed to cut down on the time required by eliminating the need for operators to go back and forth to line up the tractor to the attachment.

As an optional kit, customers can also get the Hitch Downforce on the 4R, which provides additional downward force to the 3-point hitch and rear elements.

For more coverage from the event, visit lawnandlandscape.com and search “John Deere’s Ride & Drive.”
 

Correction

Rocked by snow

In our September America in Bloom supplement, we incorrectly labeled one of the projects as being from Castle Rock, Ore., (where the classic film “Stand By Me” takes place) when it actually was from Castle Rock Wash. As punishment, the L&L offices in Cleveland have been hit with never ending snow and freezing temperatures. We promise, we’ll never make that mistake again.
 

Letters

Ask, and you shall receive

In his January column, which you can read at bit.ly/bowenadvice, Editor Chuck Bowen requested your advice to pass on to Dylan Stapp, a high school student/landscaping company owner who wanted to know more about the business. Below are a couple of responses from readers.

Hey Chuck,

Here’s my advice:

1. Read Lawn & Landscape every month to get a broad view of what’s going on in the industry. But don’t stop there. Study the area you live in and the companies operating in that market. Identify what a successful landscape looks like and who did it. Watch a landscape installation or maintenance service in action.

2. Definitely attend your state’s annual trade show/turf conference. But better yet, join the state trade association of whichever segment of the green industry you want to pursue. Join a similar local or regional organization as well (if you have one) and volunteer.

3. The biggest benefit of joining an association is the opportunity to network through personal relationships. Again, get to know other contractors through the local, regional and state associations. People that join associations are much more likely to mentor someone who is enthusiastic and involved. Cold calling for advice probably won’t get you very far.

4. “Just get started” is poor advice. Basic skills and knowledge are absolutely needed. If you don’t want to get a formal education at a two-year community college or a four-year degree, the next best thing is going to work for a reputable company. Find out who the best company in your area is and try to get a position with them. Be humble and be clear about your goals and make a commitment to work for at least two years. Work on a crew, learn through experience.

5. Don’t ever work cheap. Everything you do defines who you are and what you do. Set the bar high and reach for success through experience and hard work not by “practicing” on friends and neighbors.

6. Definitely focus on learning the business end. This is where some night classes might prove invaluable.

Mark Peters, president, Piedmont Carolina Nursery and Landscaping Colfax, North Carolina

Hi Chuck,

I have some advice for the young man that is 17 and is getting started. I would suggest him calling or emailing a company that is in a different state that is close by and maybe going to visit that facility. Another thing that’s really important is the right equipment. I feel it’s best to purchase what you need and purchase something that’s newer and not beat up.

Maybe take a friend that’s handy with mechanics if you go purchase something used, remember the time you spend working on someone else’s issue is the time you could spend making yourself more money. I would also suggest come out swinging. Be aggressive, professional and sincere.

I would suggest dividing his company into four different areas – sales: 35 percent; operations: 35 percent; administration: 35 percent and organization: 5 percent.

I have found organization to be extremely helpful and very tactical when it comes to facing the local hitters and the other major companies that control our industry. As you grow, try and set goals and small figures that you would like to accomplish over the short and long term.
 

Frankie Valentin, president, Final Cut Landscaping, Middle River, Md.