NALP changes leadership

LOS CABOS, Mexico – As the landscape industry continues to promote itself to the incoming generation of leaders and laborers, the National Association of Landscape Professionals named one of its youngest presidents ever at its annual Leaders Forum event in February.

Brett Lemcke, vice president of New York-based R.M. Landscape, has taken over as president from Scott Jamieson, a vice president at Bartlett Tree Experts, and is a few months shy of 36 years old.

“I’m excited to take on the opportunity, and nervous as all get out,” Lemcke said. “That’s a really motivating group and place to be, and a huge opportunity for me.”

L&L caught up with Lemcke to ask him about his goals for the association – and the industry – as he prepares for his year-long term.

L&L: Why did you get involved with NALP?

Lemcke: I did two terms on the board and spent at least three or four years as a director. As you start in committees and listen and then you chair, I started to enjoy that level of conversation. We were moving the needle and always wanted to be a part of that. I really enjoy it. I do some of that in my business, but it’s elevated to a higher level with the association.

L&L: You’re taking the helm as the association continues its rebranding efforts. Where do you want to take NALP in the next year?

Lemcke: I want to promote the change. I’m all for it. I’ve always been an advocate of the association. We’re not casting a big net and trying to be something for everyone. We’re focusing on how we can be most effective for the members.

L&L: What do you hope to achieve in your year as president?

Lemcke: I want to get the young people excited, give them more awareness of the association. We’ve heard it before, students think the association is the National Collegiate Landscape Competition event. We are a national association. I’d like to make that more clear. I’ve always wanted to engage the young people at some level.

This year, SiteOne and BrightView came back on. We need to get a lot more member companies. I realized early on it takes a little bit of money to do these things. We need to reinvest this and give it back to the people.

L&L: What makes you most hopeful as you look at the future?

Lemcke: It’s the positive talk and the feeling that we will overcome. We are not worried that we will achieve our goals and the industry will grow. You go to NCLC and you say, “There’s going to be 800 – 1,000 students ultimately going to come into the industry. If they carry that enthusiasm into their jobs, we’re going to be fine.” The people give me faith. We have good programs teaching the right pieces, and just the community. Those that get involved will grow their business. Not just in the association, but just beyond their office and their employees, but reach out to other contractors.

Also at Leaders Forum, NALP named its Lifetime Leadership and Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award winners.

Phil Allen, a professor at Brigham Young University-Provo, won the Lifetime Leadership Award for his years of service to the association and broader industry. He is a former member of the NALP board of directors, currently serves on the foundation board and the education advisory council and is an NALP Trailblazer.

“Phil’s contributions to NALP and this industry are immeasurable,” said Sabeena Hickman, CEO of NALP. “His love for the industry, but most of all his love for the young people that make up the future of our industry, is what makes Phil so special. His leadership, friendship and knowledge have enhanced our industry, and we are grateful for his contributions.”

The Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award was presented to Crystal Arlington, owner and president of Affiliated Grounds Maintenance Group. Arlington founded her company in 1999 and has grown the company to do work in 31 states with more than 4,500 affiliate partners.

Q: We are located out of Maine. Each truck/trailer combo carries 15 to 20 gallons of fuel with them per day ... yes, in safety cans. I was wondering if we run enclosed mowing trailers, if we should have placards for gas or diesel cans. And would we need the drivers to be required to have a hazardous materials endorsement on their licenses?

A: Based on information provided through the Internet for the U.S. Department of Transportation, the quantities carried in your enclosed trailers do not require placards indicating gasoline or diesel fuel. That being the case however, I would still ensure the following through inspections and training:

1. Make sure all safety cans are leak-proof and not damaged.
2. Make sure all safety cans are secured against shifting during the ride time between the firm’s office and shops and job sites.
3. Replace any safety cans that have been damaged or begin to leak immediately and place the compromised containers “out of service” for disposal.
4. Clearly mark the individual containers with either gasoline or diesel tags, or train workers on the proper selection of fuel for the equipment they will be refueling and operating.
5. Prohibit all smoking within and near the transport trailers.
6. Place ‘No Smoking’ signs on the side of the trailer in a prominent location.
7. Securely mount fully charged fire extinguishers in a location where they will be clearly visible to all workers and potential responders to an emergency incident near or in your trailers.
8. Train your workers periodically on the proper use of a fire extinguisher.

Q: We had an employee have a heart attack this morning while working. He was standing in the back of a trailer when this occurred before the crews went out to jobsites. Is this something I need to call OSHA to report?

A: I am assuming that the victim was transported and is currently hospitalized, and the key element is that it occurred “while working.” The OSHA Standard that applies is Standard 29 CFR - Part 1904, entitled “Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and illnesses.” This standard can be easily accessed over the internet.

The portions that apply include:

Part 1904.39(a)(2) – Within 24 hours after the in-patient hospitalization of one or more employees, you must report the in-patient hospitalization to your OSHA Area Office by telephone.

Part 1904, 39(b)(5) – Do I have to report a work-related, in-patient hospitalization caused by a heart attack? Yes, by telephone to the local OSHA Area Office where the director will decide whether to investigate the event, depending on the circumstances of the heart attack.

Please note: Record all details of the event ASAP – your establishment's name, worker's full name, time of event, location, what the worker was doing, witnesses, how patient was transported, where patient was transported and other relevant or related info for your records.

Q: Would you be able to help me find any available information on driver training and driver safety? I am working on revamping our driver training to make it more systematized and thorough with specific requirements that each new driver must complete before being authorized to drive a company vehicle (e.g., drug test and DOT card, drive with a supervisor on the road for a total of 24 man-hours, back the truck and trailer into a parking spot, complete a circle check, etc.) A guideline would be helpful.

A: One option for you and the firm would be to check with the National Safety Council on their defensive driving programs. There are various programs customized to the type of vehicle fleet that your business utilizes. The council’s website should have a complete description of the various programs and a listing of available trainers in your region.

Your approach with ride time of 24 hours minimum with a supervisor is a very good idea as long as the supervisor is well trained. Perhaps the driver training supervisors could be enrolled in a formal driver-training program and then provide the ride time supervision of new drivers for the firm.

Please keep in mind that your drivers (and crew members) may be parking along roadways where they need to be visible to passing vehicles. Under these conditions, I would access information on safety vests and traffic cones to clearly mark and identify the work areas where your employees are present. OSHA has recommendations on their website about this topic.

And if your firm performs snow removal during the winter months, you should consider specialized training for your plow, sanding and salting vehicles.

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.

Have a question for Ask the Experts? Send it to lleditors@gie.net

While answering a question about the next generation of the green industry, Roger Phelps stopped mid-sentence and mentioned Jessica Watters.

Watters, who is employed by Boston-based Irrigation Consultants, was part of a team who worked on the National Mall soon after she graduated from Chattahoochee Technical College in Georgia.

“There’s someone a year out of college and she’s working on the National Mall,” said Phelps, corporate communications manager with STIHL, which is the platinum sponsor of the National Collegiate Landscape Competition.

His point was those who want to make a splash in the industry, like Watters did have a great opportunity to, especially when they take part in events like the NCLC, formerly Student Career Days.

The NCLC, which took place at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, featured approximately 800 horticulture and landscape students from more than 60 schools testing their skills in real-world, competitive events, and interviewing with industry companies at a career fair. It ran from Wednesday to Saturday with official winners of the competitive events announced in the next few weeks.

For students, it gives them a chance to meet potential employers and to get a feel of who they are competing with for jobs. Nate Parker, a student from Alamance Community College in North Carolina said he’s looking for a company he can trust because, “you have to be able to trust who you work for.”

This is his third career fair and his first with the NCLC, and he said the networking is great, but it’s also eye-opening to see all the competition there is in the industry.

“It’s a whole different ball game here than it is at home,” Parker said.

The wrong perception: One common misconception from those outside the industry is it’s not something you can turn into a career. But that’s not the sentiment at this event.

“It’s much more of a professional industry than people give it credit for,” said Michael Hummel, founder of Designs by Sundown in Englewood, Colorado.

Hummel’s company not only gave a scholarship to a student through the NALP Foundation’s Scholarship program, but Hummel also speaks at high schools to inform students about the opportunities in the industry.

“I tell kids in high school and college to learn a trade because you can always fall back on a trade,” he said.

Phelps said one way to change the perception of the industry is to focus on why people want to make a career in landscaping.

“How many people go to a park or a greenspace and comment how beautiful it is?” Phelps said. “They don’t stop and think who made that happen. It’s a profitable career path. You can work in a large company or a small company or you can start your own company. There’s a lot of hard work, but the rewards far outweigh that.”

Martha Hill, the department chair of landscape management technology at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi, said one way to improve the promotion of the industry is to alert local media when students do a project or win awards or scholarships.

“Let our local media interview our students,” Hill said. “You can’t buy that kind of advertising. Everybody needs a pat on the back.”

Now hiring.

The more than 50 companies that travelled to Starkville for the career fair were on the lookout for young talent they can bring in either as an intern or as a full-time employee.

Miles Graves, branch manager at the South Carolina-based The Greenery came back a second year because of the success he had last year. “We met some really cool kids last year,” he said. Graves found someone for an internship, which eventually turned into a full-time job. “Finding someone with passion for the industry, that’s what creates great managers.”

Alan Richmond, who is vice president of people and culture, for Dallas-based Southern Botanical said he pays more attention to the students of schools that attend the NCLC than to those who don’t. It’s Richmond’s second year at the event and the company’s 10th year in attendance. He said horticulture students coming out of school look for more than a pay check. “It seems they are more focused on a career that’s not just about money,” he said.

“We met some really cool kids last year. Finding someone with passion for the industry, that’s what creates great managers.” Miles Graves, The Greenery

The newly branded BrightView was also in attendance, and the company’s vice president of irrigation services, Eric Santos, called the NCLC his “biggest recruiting event of the year.” One thing he’s noticed attending career fairs is the professionalism of the students.

“They are coming to these events very well prepared – business cards, things like that,” he said.

Right down the road from the University, Michael Everett, general manager at SGK in Starkville, said it’s clear even in his first year attending the NCLC that the students here have already invested in the industry.

He’s hired two students through an internship program with Mississippi State, and said when you get employees from horticulture programs, it’s a huge advantage for your company. “You get more effort from them from day one,” he said. Obviously, this generation adapts to technology better than previous generations, but Everett added that fact leads to a change in how they approach a job. “They want to work smarter, not harder,” he said.