SOI takeaways

I once again had the chance to moderate our annual State of the Industry webinar, where a few smart owners and executives spent an hour discussing what is happening in the industry. Here are a few takeaways:

Overall, the panelists said the market ranges from flat to good, depending on the service. Design/build has slowed down a bit compared to the ride the service was on since the COVID-19 boom. “We’re cautiously optimistic, but I’m not going say we’re bullish,” says Krisjan Berzins, president of Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape in Alexandria, Virginia, of the industry as a whole.

Remember that not everyone wants to be promoted. That was hard for Berzins to digest at first because he thinks like an entrepreneur who always wants more. What can be worse is promoting someone who isn’t ready or just isn’t the right fit. Lee Edwards, CEO of The Greenery in Hilton Head, South Carolina, says handling those situations can be tricky.

“Sometimes you can move somebody back. Other times, people have it in their head that they need to be a manager, even though they’re not good at it,” he says. That doesn’t mean the person can’t go back to their old position, but it may take a difficult discussion, which could include agreeing to help the employee find a job elsewhere and writing them a nice recommendation.

Market to your employees like you do to get customers. You must make potential employees think that your company is a great place to work.

However, once you create that perception, you obviously have to follow through and make it a reality. Donna Delany, owner of DowCo Enterprises in St. Louis, Missouri, says they have a photo contest with their production team each week, where they vote as a team on the best work.

Each member of the winning crew receives a $20 Amazon gift card. “There’s a lot of pride amongst the team of their work, and we share and see what everybody’s doing, and it’s great,” she says.

Visit bit.ly/lawnsoi2024, if you want to watch the full discussion.