NCLC wraps up in Raleigh

The National Collegiate Landscape Competition final results are in.


Posted by Posted by Jimmy Miller

Published March 17, 2022

For Britt Wood, it’s not so much that it’s good to be back – it’s good to get started.

Wood, CEO of the National Association of Landscape Professionals, took over NALP in Fall 2019. By the time NCLC rolled around, event organizers postponed the event originally slated to be at Michigan State – COVID-19 forced the event to an online format for the last two years. Wood said he was disappointed when they had to cancel in 2020, and then he was just as disappointed last year when they couldn’t host at Virginia Tech, his undergraduate alma mater.

So, Wood’s first in-person trip to NCLC is at North Carolina State University, where competition began in full force following Thursday morning’s opening ceremony.

READ MORE: Britt Wood was named CEO in 2019 | NCLC was moved to a virtual platform for the last two years | Listen to our podcast about how the online platform worked in 2021

“I heard about this event when I was working in another industry in another association, how awesome it was,” Wood said. “I’m going to be here the whole time. I’m going to check out as many events as I can. I’m loving the enthusiasm from the kids.”

Wood said the competition is currently hovering around 500 attendees, down from where NCLC has peaked at 800. Some schools couldn’t commit back in the winter when registration and hotel housing opened up for the event. Even still, he said it was refreshing to see so many schools back at the event.

“We had a few schools that just weren’t going to be able to come because of COVID...but we’ve got two schools that came that made such a great effort to get here that they literally are having to stay in Virginia and then come to North Carolina," Wood said. "You talk about dedication? It’s about an hour (drive). It’s just awesome. I think it shows how much the schools love this event. It’s so important to them.”

ONE CRITICAL ELEMENT? NETWORKING (updated 3/17 at 12 p.m. EST): The event continued Thursday with the career fair in the morning. Wood commended the NALP team for assembling two good virtual programs for the last two NCLC events, but "you just can't replace in person."

The opportunity to meet with potential employers face-to-face is a huge element to the event, Wood said. With 31 competitive events, there's plenty of opportunities to win big, but he believes connecting with someone who could be a resource down the road in the industry is huge, especially for underclassmen or juniors.

“It’s fun to go to a competition, but at the end of the day…when you make connections with potential employers, now you get a chance to build relationships with people that may harbor themselves over time," Wood said. "I think it’s a critical part of it.”

Wood added that the career fair is exciting for the companies that are attending, too. With so much work to do back home, he said it's easy for employers to get bogged down with the nuances of day-to-day work. This gives them an opportunity to disconnect from the day-to-day and talk more big picture about their company with prospective employees.

“They get energized by seeing these young people," Wood said. "They get excited. I think it’s a great refresher for them.” 

NETWORKING AFTER NCLC (updated 3/17 at 2:30 EST): Jackie Hales has been on both sides of the table at the NCLC career fair — she was a student attendee at one point, but now works in human resources at Brookstone Landscape & Design, which is based out of Lynnwood, Washington.

She said she understands the value of the networking component now but wishes she would've known how to keep in contact with people after the event ended. She hopes students will stay in touch for the months to follow.

READ MORE: What do students want from employers? "The opportunity to be creative."

"I wish I would have done better at networking and staying in contact with some of the people I had met at the competition," Hales said. "Networking got me my last job and it got me my current job. I think it's important to find people in the industry you connect with and stay in touch with as you go through your career."

Hales recommends sending follow-up emails once every few months or even once or twice a year to strong connections from the career fair. 

HARD WORK PAYING OFF (updated 3/17 at 2:30 p.m. EST): Many landscape contractors tell Roger Phelps that they can't get their guys to report for work. Here at NCLC, Phelps — the corporate communications manager at STIHL, the platinum sponsor for the event — is blown away that students could be out partying for St. Patrick's Day or laying on a beach for spring break. 

Instead, they're at NCLC, competing and networking with others in the green industry.

"What does that say about our industry and the future of our industry?" Phelps said. "How cool is that where we get to be in an industry that is so invested in its future where we get to have this event?"

This is the 19th NCLC event for Phelps, who said the virtual offerings were good stopgaps but couldn't possibly replace the experience of an in-person event. Take the small engine event that STIHL hosts for example: No, some students may not ever need to repair an engine, but if they become managers, they should know the value of a trained technician and what they do.

Phelps also specifically mentioned the plant ID events and Truck & Trailer Operation, where two-person tandems are tasked with a written test and maneuvering a truck and trailer through an obstacle course. Plus, there's the "Super Bowl" of events — Landscape Plant Installation, where all teams are shouting and cheering on their teammates as they place a variety of sod, mulch, plants and more into the landscape.

The experiences mimic those they'll have in the real workforce, and Phelps said it's impressive for employers to see this. 

"Let's face it: The hands-on element is so important," Phelps said. "If (students) can say that they competed in this event, most of the employers out there understand what that means. Not only do they have the academic intelligence but they have the hands-on intelligence in the pressure cooker that is this event. The fact they managed to get through this event says something about them."

DIVERSIFYING THE FIELD (updated 3/17 at 5:30 p.m. EST): Wood noticed when the all-women team from North Dakota State University won the cheer competition during the opening ceremony.

Following the ceremony, Wood said it's been a NALP priority to highlight more women in the industry. He cited one of NALP's recent studies that suggested only 8% of the landscaping workforce was comprised of women, while 47% of the available workforce are women. 

It's a jarring juxtaposition, and Wood hopes NALP can continue to change that. 

He also mentioned engaging more Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which Wood said NALP needs to work on to help increase diversity in the industry.

“Part of it is communicating with our members is to say, ‘Hey, where did you go to school? Are they on our NCLC list?" Wood said. "It’s going to require effort.”

COME FROM AWAY (updated 3/18): Some 4,300 miles away from its headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska, Arctic Terra attended the NCLC career fair hoping for its next employees.

The company does anything from septic and foundation repairs to hardscapes, landscapes and fencing. For the last three years, they've even done some earthquake repairs.

Sure, Flora Springer works in Idaho — just a bit closer than Alaska — but the recruiter knew she'd find some candidates among the experienced students at the competition. It's hard enough to find possible employees willing to relocate to Alaska, but it's even more difficult to find the skilled labor that fits even some of those needs. 

"It's very hard to find people who have any experience at all," Springer said. "Like anywhere, COVID hit, and now we can't get employees. We're booked solid for the summer and we're trying to find people driven to work, people who are reliable and show up to work every day."

LOOKING AHEAD: Renewal & Remembrance (updated 3/18): In November, Wood took his youngest daughter by the National Mall to stop for a bite to eat. While there, she said that she wanted to see the Washington Monument.

“Sure enough, the project that we worked on was right there and we got to see it,” Wood said. “I said to her, ‘That was our folks creating a more forest-like ecosystem for those cherry trees so they’ll continue to flourish and grow.’”

Of course, Wood was referencing Renewal & Remembrance, scheduled this year for July 18. He believes the event will forever be changed by COVID-19. The event always focused on Arlington National Cemetery, and while it will still be the focal point of what they do, they plan to continue expanding the work all the way through the National Mall. Last year, the landscapers also helped preserve the cherry trees near the Washington Monument.

For its effort in coordinating the event, the National Mall and Memorial Parks organization named NALP its Partner of the Year.

READ MORE: NALP hosted its Renewal & Remembrance last summer | NALP is named partner of the year

“(The changes have) offered us an opportunity to get more people engaged with helping out in, candidly, America’s backyard," Wood said.

LOOKING AHEAD: ELEVATE (updated 3/18): The other major event NALP is set to host this year is its ELEVATE show, previously called LANDSCAPES and hosted in conjunction with GIE+EXPO in Louisville.

This year, ELEVATE is set for Sept. 18-21 in Orlando, while Equip Exposition (formerly GIE+EXPO) is scheduled for Oct. 18-21. Exactly one month apart, the two events will operate as separate entities. While Equip Expo returns to Louisville, ELEVATE will bounce between cities in the east and west.

“Part of the decision that was made to break away from GIE was the fact that we were in Louisville all the time,” Wood said. “Even early on in my tenure, I became aware that a lot of our West Coast folks felt like we were an East Coast organization.”

Wood said Orlando was selected because it’s easy and affordable to get to for contractors, plus there's lots of stuff going on in the city, too. For their part, NALP reserved The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Hogsmeade) at Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park.

“You really can’t do that in too many other cities,” Wood said.

The trade show floor won't feature a "sea of steel," Wood said, adding that they've opted for smaller 10x10 and 20x20 booth sizes to help suppliers engage with the audience. He said they also intend on creating more deliberate networking opportunities during the show.

Moving forward, the show will be in Dallas (2023), Charlotte (2024) and Phoenix (2025).

“(For 2023), we desperately wanted to get west of the Mississippi. That’s when we went to Dallas," Wood said. “We’re always looking for new cities because we want to get the opportunity to drive folks who might not have given us a try.”

THE RESULTS ARE IN (updated 3/19): With a team score of 4739.68, Brigham Young University (Provo) is this year's NCLC champion.

Cuyahoga Community College finished second, while North Carolina State University — the competition's host — placed third. 

For all results, click here.

 

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