The Growing Concern November 2021 by Sandy Munley

Growing Concern

The

NO VEMB ER 2 0 2 1

A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E O H I O L A N D S C A P E A S S O C I AT I O N

OLA Annual Meeting

November 18, 2021 / St. Michael’s Woodside (Broadview Heights, OH) / PAGE 7

Dormant Pruning Clinic

December 7 & 9, 2021 / Premier Plant Solutions (Hilliard, OH) & Willoway (Avon, OH) / PAGE 24

Stone Veneer Clinic

December 16, 2021 / Valley City Supply (Valley City, OH) / PAGE 25

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PR ES I DEN T’S COLUM N

JAMES FUNAI, PhD

Cuyahoga Community College

ADVICE FROM A LANDSCAPER Have you ever seen those silly t-shirts that have “Advice from…” written on them? For example, a shirt that reads “Advice from a Squirrel” might look like this: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Plan ahead. Stay active. Spend time in the woods. Go out on a limb.

While the message displayed on these T-shirts is usually pretty accurate, or at least thought-provoking, I tend to find them a bit too cheesy for my taste. That being said, the other day I found myself in a group of people where only two of us were landscapers – it was obvious everyone else spent a lot of time in front of a computer, performing a very regimented job in planned out time increments – and thought to myself, “Hey, maybe we (landscapers) need a T-shirt of our own?”

I thought this in a moment where something completely unexpected happened, forcing everyone to suddenly change their plans in order to accommodate. It was a moment that required people to think quickly, adjust their plans, and then figure out how to still accomplish everything else on their plate. In this moment – observing people who have become so regimented in their schedule – I couldn’t help but notice how absolutely lost they seemed, with little-to-no ability to adjust to the unexpected. The other landscaper and I just observed, marveling at how lost they were, and mumbling to ourselves, “Go grab what you need from your office. Go home. Get your work done.” I can only imagine that you are reading this and chuckling – like we were – while thinking, “Welcome to everyday life, Pal.” This month, I want you to take a moment and celebrate the fact that YOU can laugh at this. It is truly a gift to be able to deal with the blows we do in this industry, constantly adjust continued on page 6 The Growing Concern | November 2021 | 3

TAB LE OF CON TEN TS N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 1 WWW. OH I OLA N D SCA P E R S. OR G OH I O’ S P R OF E SSI ON A L G REEN I N D U ST R Y A SSOCI AT I O N OHIO LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION 9240 Broadview Road Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147 Phone: 440.717.0002 Toll Free: 1.800.335.6521 Web: www.ohiolandscapers.org and www.myohiolandscape.com DESIGNER / EDITOR Rick Doll, Jr. REGULAR WRITERS Michael J. Donnellan, King Financial, Inc. Dr. Jim Funai, PhD., Cuyahoga Community College Shelley Funai, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens Sandy Munley, Ohio Landscape Association Bobbie Schwartz, FAPLD, Bobbie’s Green Thumb COVER: Landscape Ohio! Merit Award winner, The Bremec Group, for their entry in the category of Landscape Lighting.

FEATURES

3 5 8 12 16 20 26 32 34 35

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Advice From a Landscaper

NEW MEMBERS PERENNIAL FOCUS

In the Shade: Yellow, Chartruese and Lime

FISCAL FITNESS

Know Your Retirement Plan

FOR SAFETY SAKE

The 4 Most Common Winter Safety Concerns For Your Property Managers

PLANT OF THE MONTH

ADVERTISING INFORMATION Submission deadline: 10th of the month, prior to the month of publication. For advertising rates and ad specs, please call 440.717.0002, 1.800.335.6521, or email Rick Doll Jr. at rick@ohiolandscapers.org. DISCLAIMER The Ohio Landscape Association, its board of directors, staff and the editor of The Growing Concern neither endorse any product(s) or attests to the validity of any statements made about products mentioned in this, past or subsequent issues of this publication. Similarly, the opinions expressed in The Growing Concern are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Ohio Landscape Association. OFFICERS President James Funai, PhD

OLA STAFF Executive Director Sandy Munley

President – Elect Brian Maurer, LIC

Communications & Events Manager Rick Doll, Jr.

Parrotia subaequalis: Chinese parrotia

Treasurer Stephanie Gray, LIC

FEATURE ARTICLE

Immediate Past President Domenic Lauria

FEATURE ARTICLE

DIRECTORS Brandon Barker Keith Clapper Ryan Drake Cameron Maneri Rob Morel Jeff Rupp, LIC

They Will Make, or Break You... Managers Streamline Your Snow Operations with These 4 Simple Hacks

DIRECTIONS ADVERTISING INDEX

4 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

C AL ENDAR OF EVEN TS UPCO M I N G OLA MEETINGS , EDUC AT I ON SE MI N A R S, A N D OT H E R G R E E N I N D UST R Y EV ENT S

NOVEMBER

JANUARY 2022

NOVEMBER 18 OLA ANNUAL MEETING (NE OHIO)

JANUARY 20, 2022 OLA MEETING

Heidi Szeltner, Outreach Manager for Cuyahoga Community College and their Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Partnership will discuss Growth Strategies to help accelerate revenue. Held at St. Michael’s Woodside. See page 7 for more information.

Jarrett Herold / CEO of Electric Sheep Held at St. Michael’s Woodside. Sponsorship opportunities still available. For more info call the OLA Office at 440.717.0002. Registration will open in Fall of 2021.

DECEMBER DECEMBER 7 DORMANT PRUNING (Central Ohio) Dormant Pruning of landscape plants is a half-day, handson clinic and a timely training opportunity for you and your crews to learn the proper pruning techniques. Held at Premier Plant Services in Hilliard, Ohio. See page 24 for more information. (Capacity Limited)

DECEMBER 9 DORMANT PRUNING (NE Ohio)

COMING IN 2022 (Tentative) JANUARY: Design Clinic / Sketch Up FEBRUARY: CPR Training MARCH: NE Ohio Evening Meeting MARCH: Foreman Training / NE & Central Ohio

OLA’s NEW MEMBERS The Ohio Landscape Association is delighted to welcome the following new members to the association:

REGULAR MEMBERS

Dormant Pruning of landscape plants is a half-day, handson clinic and a timely training opportunity for you and your crews to learn the proper pruning techniques. Held at Willoway Nurseries in Avon, Ohio. See page 24 for more information. (Capacity Limited)

R.S. DeWeese Landscaping PO Box 292 Chagrin Falls, OH 44022 Shannon DeWeese (440) 289-4268

DECEMBER 16 STONE VENEER CLINIC (NE Ohio)

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

This hands-on clinic will teach the basics of mixing mortar, installing and grouting stone veneer. The techniques you will learn can be applied to both manufactured and natural stone. The demand for veneers has increased and this is a great opportunity to learn how to apply it in house. Sponsored and hosted by Valley City Supply in Valley City, OH. See page 25 for more information. (Capacity Limited)

DECEMBER 17 25th ANNUAL LANDSCAPE OHIO! AWARDS DEADLINE Now is the time to start prepping your entries for this year’s awards program, as the entry deadline is fast approaching. For more information on how to enter, including rules and entry forms, visit www.ohiolandscapers.org/awards-program.

Navy Financial 6155 Park Square Dr, Suite 2 Lorain, OH 44053 Eli De Los Santos (440) 987-4000

STUDENT MEMBERS Gates Mills Horticultural Center Dominic Tutolo Emily O. Ursu Dylan D. Stafford Jonathan Gerland Ian Day AJ Pattison AJ Migliorini Nicholas Cochran Chris Lowe Justin White The Growing Concern | November 2021 | 5

PR E S IDENT’ S C OL UM N continued from page 3

our plans, yet consistently meet – or exceed – our clients’ expectations. I’ve worked at several large landscape companies over the years, and have toured countless others. We all have some form of a job board – though some are digital these days – that allows us to plan out our work as best we can. We all know to leave some “buffer days” on that board because the unexpected IS going to happen. We’ve trained ourselves to have the ability to think on our feet and adjust on the fly. A machine breaks down even though we’ve done our PM and tried to avoid it? OK. We shift gears to a different task and keep on working. The weather app didn’t nail the rain prediction? Shocking. We have some rainyday projects ready to deploy. Shift gears. Keep going. It’s hard to truly appreciate our culture of overcoming obstacles on the fly without observing others who face similar hurdles, yet fail. In the example from above, I’m pretty sure I witnessed all the stages of grief from these people. They started off in Denial. “Well, this isn’t going to last long, we’ll be back to normal in a few minutes.” Their Denial quickly turned to Anger, then Depression, and onto Bargaining. Actually, I’m not sure they ever made it to Acceptance. Meanwhile, I knew my plan in a few minutes, made the adjustments, and still knocked out my list for the day. So, what does our “Advice from a Landscaper” T-shirt look like? I’d like to propose this: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Plan ahead. (Now, forget the plan.) Have plans B thru D ready to deploy. Bring your raincoat. Put gas in it first.

Since it’s November, I thought a simple message of being thankful for the fact that we always seem to overcome the daily “plan wrinkles” was in order. Hopefully this helps carry you and your team through the plowing season and into the new year of landscaping. Psst… it’s just around the corner! One other note: I want to reiterate how thankful I am to the OLA for the opportunities this organization gives us to share our ideas, empathize over the silly things, overcome obstacles, and build our industry up as a team of interconnected professionals. Thank you to all of our great members for making that possible!

6 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

FOR

EVENT INFORMATION

DATE & LOCATION NOVEMBER 18, 2021 ST. MICHAEL’S WOODSIDE 5025 EAST MILL ROAD BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, OH AGENDA REGISTRATION / NETWORKING FOOD / CASH BAR 6:00 PM TO 7:00 PM OLA ANNUAL MEETING 7:00 PM TO 7:30 PM PROGRAM 7:30 PM TO 9:00 PM

S AFETY SAKE

OLA MEETINGS SERIES

OLA ANNUAL MEETING

Growth Strategies to Accelerate Revenue To create a high growth company business owners need the mindset, tools, and resources iconic CEOs use every day to take their corporations to the next level. Achieving high growth is a choice. Once the decision is made a new set of skills, focus and discipline are required to deliver and sustain high growth. In addition to our Annual Business Meeting, Heidi Szeltner, Outreach Manager for Cuyahoga Community College and their Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Partnership will discuss how small business owners can identify their most pressing barriers to growth within their businesses. She will be joined by Rhoni Thompson, CEO of R.L. Cole Enterprise and a Green Industry Business Owner (TBD). You’ll come away with practical hands-on action steps, new tools and resources, and a plan to put into motion that will effect change immediately in your organization.

COST TO ATTEND MEMBERS: NO CHARGE NON MEMBERS: $30

Heidi and her guests will discuss: • The mindset that might be holding your company back. • Why different perspectives are necessary. • How to ensure that you are keeping your best employees. • How to ask your accountant the right questions. • Why negotiation is key.

SPONSORED BY

EMERALD SPONSORS

Join us for our Annual Meeting on November 18, 2021! GUEST SPEAKER

HEIDI SZELTNER / OUTREACH MANAGER FOR CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE - GOLDMAN SACHS 10,000 SMALL BUSINESSES PARTNERSHIP

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Heidi Szeltner is the Outreach Manager for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®). She recruits small business owners that strive to grow their business, create jobs, and provide economic opportunity in Northeast Ohio. The Goldman Sachs 10KSB curriculum focuses on practical skills that business owners can immediately put into action within their company. Over the course of the program, owners gain the skills needed to recognize new opportunities, embrace practices that increase business growth, and ultimately develop a customized growth plan for their business Prior to joining Tri-C, Heidi worked at Cleveland State University managing the CFO’s office and the Supplier Diversity Initiative for the University. Prior to working in higher education, Heidi worked in business development in the insurance industry, as well as a marketing specialist in the non-profit sector. She is a two-time alumna of Cleveland State University, having received her Master’s degree in CSU’s Diversity Management Program, as well as her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing.

PRESENTED BY

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR THIS YEAR’S MEETING SCHEDULE ARE STILL AVAILABLE. CALL 440.717.0002 FOR MORE INFORMATION.

PEREN N I AL FOCUS

BOBBIE SCHWARTZ, FAPLD Bobbie’s Green Thumb

The bright chartreuse of my Aralia ‘Sun King.’

IN THE SHADE: YELLOW, CHARTREUSE, AND LIME In general, I love to use plants with yellow foliage but they are especially invaluable in the shade where they pop against what is usually a sea of green. The problem is that, quite often, yellow becomes chartreuse, or lime in the shade. Many yellow-foliaged plants need sunlight to stay yellow. I have been thrilled with the ability of my Aralia ‘Sun King’ to remain nearly yellow. Mine is in a bed that faces north and east but benefits from those morning hours of strong

light. As such (see picture above), you can see that the bright chartreuse of my Aralia ‘Sun King’ is a stunning contrast to the reddish foliage of the other occupants of this bed, namely an Ensete and Acer palmatum ‘Viridis’. Another option is Hakonechloa macra. While there are several cultivars, when I want yellow, I tend to use ‘All Gold’ rather than ‘Aureo-marginata’. My garage beds face south. In those beds, I have repeated yellow with shrubs, perennials, and continued on page 10

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PEREN N I AL FOCUS

continued from page 8 grasses. Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’ has been so effective in the left bed that this year, I planted some on the right side as well (although the photo was taken last year before I added one to the right side, above). There are two yellow Carex that I design with on a regular basis. Although Carex elata ‘Bowles Golden’ supposedly grows in partial shade, mine died there twice. When I tried again in full sun, it thrived. Therefore, I suggest you use Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’ if you want a shorter yellow grass. I only use it in the shade but very successfully. It also tolerates some drought so can be used under trees.

Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’ doesn’t always grow this large. Mine is irrigated.

Bobbie Schwartz, FAPLD, owner of Bobbie’s Green Thumb in Shaker Hts., Ohio, is a landscape designer, consultant, freelance writer, and lecturer whose specialties are perennial gardens and four season landscapes. In addition to being an Ohio Landscape Association (OLA) member, she is an active member of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA) and Perennial Plant Association (PPA). Bobbie is a Past President of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD).

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Carex ‘Everillo’ will eventually fill in and act as a very effective groundcover.

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The Growing Concern | November 2021 | 11

F I SCAL FI TN ESS

MICHAEL J. DONNELLAN M3 Wealth Management

KNOW YOUR RETIREMENT PLAN Did you know Friday, September 10th, was National 401(k) Day? The Friday after Labor Day was chosen so Americans can celebrate the achievements of the labor movements on Monday and celebrate retirement at the end of the week. – Do you know how your plan is invested? Are your investments balanced? As markets swing, some assets can become a larger (or smaller) percentage of the overall portfolio. It is important to rebalance to keep investments in check.

Whether your employer-sponsored retirement plan is a 401(k), 403(b), 457 Plan, SEP, Simple Plan or other, the purpose of this national holiday is to promote retirement savings education. For business owners, it’s a great opportunity to promote your company’s benefits package and work to increase employee engagement with your business retirement plan offerings.

– Are you in an actively-managed account, or something set up for a targeted retirement date?

While that date has passed – and as we approach the end of the year – now is a good time for anyone to be reviewing their retirement plan. Some things to consider…

– Is your retirement plan meeting your risk comfort level, or is it time to reevaluate your investments as part of your overall portfolio? Are you invested properly according to your goals? continued on page 14

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F ISCAL FI TN ESS

continued from page 12 And your goals should be centered around your risk tolerance and time frame. – Also, are beneficiaries up to date? Choosing who will receive your assets or the payout (called a “death benefit”) from your retirement plan is a decision you should consider carefully, because a beneficiary designation can’t be changed or corrected after you’re gone. It’s important to keep beneficiary designations up to date as your life changes (marriage, children, divorce, etc.). – Are you fully funding your plan, funding it enough to get your employer match, or needing to make changes in your contributions?

In a 401(k) there is an exception to allow withdrawals at age 55 penalty-free if you have separated from service, but many plan administrators allow this with a one-time only withdrawal. If you are interested in pursuing early withdrawals, you’d have to determine what annual income you would need from your 401(k), how many years you’d need it before other incomes may become available (Social Security for example), and if the tax burden on the amount for multiple years is worth the price of the withdrawal.

These are all good questions to consider on National 401(k) Day or anytime throughout the year. For many families, their employer plan is one part of a larger investment and retirement savings plan. It’s important to evaluate your plan both as an individual item and part of your entire financial picture.

When you reach age 72, required minimum distributions (RMDs) come into play. RMDs are on retirement accounts where pre-tax funds are contributed and the investments are allowed to grow tax-deferred. The stipulation is that at age 72, retirees must begin taking annual income (based on life expectancy) out of these accounts. That income is taxed at the current tax rate. Note, RMDs are also required of IRAs, so if you plan to roll your 401(k) over into a traditional IRA when you leave your company, you will still need to plan for RMDs.

Another aspect to consider is strategizing your withdrawals from your retirement plan. Generally, withdrawals are available penalty-free starting after you reach age 59½.

Set up a meeting with your financial professional to review your overall retirement savings plan and be sure to include your 401(k).

14 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

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F OR SAFETY SAK E

THE 4 MOST COMMON WINTER SAFETY CONCERNS FOR YOUR PROPERTY MANAGERS Winter can keep your property managers up at night, and we’re not just talking about howling winds and ice pelting the windows. When you’re in charge of a commercial property and deal directly with the property manager, the safety of everyone who visits their property is also in your hands. What are the top winter safety concerns for your property manager? And how do you help prevent them? Paul Wisniewski, Level Green Landscaping division manager, walks us through the slippery scenarios. SNOW Obviously, this is a no-brainer. Snow drifts over parking lots block loading docks and create pedestrian slick spots. When it starts to pile up, well... you just can’t have it piling up. “We watch the weather constantly, checking multiple websites,” Wisniewski says. “Then, we send frequent updates to our clients about the weather situation, and our plan.”

16 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

You, or your managers should frequently reach out to property managers, he says, to see if they have extra needs as the snow moves in. Property managers get a chance to approve additional attention, he says, even before the snow accumulates to the amount specified in their contract. Everybody stays safe, and no one loses any sleep. continued on page 18

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FOR SAFETY SAKE continued from page 16

ICE

FALLING TREE LIMBS

Another no brainer! When an ice storm hits, sidewalks and parking lots quickly glaze up in a treacherous slick. That means slips, falls, traffic accidents and property damage. The goal should be to create strategic plans that prevent ice before it forms and melt it when it starts to accumulate.

Frail or damaged branches, once coated with heavy snow or ice, could topple, posing a safety hazard on your client’s property. Thus, it’s important to prune and thin tree branches before winter, so remaining branches are sturdy enough to hold up to winter weather.

Melting, Then More Melting Wisniewski’s crews don’t use straight rock salt. Instead, they use an engineered ice melt mixture that’s less corrosive than straight salt and friendlier to the environment. When preapplied, it prevents ice and snow from bonding to the surface area. Because it’s a time-released formula, the ice melt stays on the surface longer, helping to reduce the freeze and thaw cycle. Less ice, safer pavement.

“We let our property managers know throughout the year what trees pose a risk factor,” Wisniewski says. “That way, we can prevent these problems before they happen.”

The Beauty Of Brine Wisniewski’s crews also pretreat surfaces with brine, which helps keep snow from sticking and ice from forming. Brine is a liquid mixture of water and salt that’s sprayed on roads, parking lots and walkways, usually before a snow or ice storm, to prevent snow and ice from sticking. Salt doesn’t work until the snow or ice starts to melt and it mixes with that liquid and activates. But brine is already in solution form, so as soon as we put it down, it starts to work.

LEAVES CLOGGING DRAINS It doesn’t take many wayward leaves, or downed branches to clog a drain. When drains are clogged by leaves and other debris, parking lots can flood, creating an inconvenience and a safety hazard. Crews should be instructed to clean up any debris that has collected, keeping drains clear year round, but especially during the fall and winter months. “That standing water can also freeze,” Wisniewski says, “causing dangerous ice issues. If you take care of a client’s property year round, you’re in a better postion to know where water may puddle up and stand on their property. Pay attention to those areas, as they will likely freeze and need extra ice melt.”

This article courtesy of Level Green Landscaping. Level Green offers reliable commercial landscape maintenance services in the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia areas. Check out more on their blog located at www.levelgreenlandscaping.com/blog

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18 2:13 PM

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The Growing Concern | November 2021 | 19

PL ANT OF TH E M ON TH

JIM FUNAI, PhD

Cuyahoga Community College A staple of the Hendricks’ Experience is learning what tricks he has up his sleeve when it comes to new and underused plants.

SHELLEY FUNAI, LIC

Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens

PARROTIA SUBAEQUALIS

CHINESE PARROTIA

Those of you who are familiar with Parrotia may be thinking, “Great, they changed another botanical name.” Fear not! This is actually a separate species of the much more widely known Parrotia persica (Persian Ironwood). Bill was extremely excited to share this plant in this month’s installment of the Hendricks’ Experience – almost as excited as he was to show off his collection of seed-grown specimens (photo above) – which he intends to be the catalyst towards improved varieties and cultivars. Let’s start with the more familiar Persian Ironwood to help us better understand why Bill has selected the Chinese version as this month’s Plant of the Month (POM). Parrotia persica (Persian Ironwood) is an ornamental tree ranging around 30 feet tall and wide. It is planted for its ornamental peeling bark and incredible fall color display. The Parrotias are in the Hamamelidaceae (Witch Hazel) family, a unique family comprised of plants with odd flowers and ridiculous fall color potential. Parrotia species have leaves that look very similar to Witch Hazel, featuring a rounded base, minimal incision on the margins for the bottom half, and forward pointing dentation on the upper half.

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As it applies to Persian Ironwood, it’s also important for us to discuss a little bit of the plant’s geography. So, where is Persia? Persia is the ancient name for the region that is mostly modern-day Iran. The region is varied with desert, mountains, seas, and everything in between. Here, there are plenty of Parrotia on the market selected from seeds found in lower elevations where winters are typically mild, which is why continued on page 22 they rarely succeed overly cold winters.

Entries for this year’s Landscape Ohio! Awards Program are now being accepted. Help us celebrate your company’s great projects & the 25th Anniversary of the Landscape Ohio! Awards Program. We’re hoping to have record participation this year and NOW is the time to begin preparing your award-worthy projects for consideration The deadline for entries is Friday, December 17, 2021. As always, winning projects will be featured in Landscape Ohio! Magazine, a supplement to Ohio Magazine and Cleveland Magazine. For full details and tips on how to enter, visit www.ohiolandscapers.org/awards-program.r call 440.

PL ANT OF TH E M ON TH

continued from page 20 This brings us to one very important point. Often, we discuss with you the importance of knowing how your plant supplier selects the plants they sell you. Are they just purchasing the cheapest liners they can find and growing them, or are they studying them over time to select the best genes possible? Using our observations of Parrotia as an example, this is exactly why you want to buy from a nursery who has taken the time to select plants from higher elevations where they’ve evolved to survive colder temps and heavy snowfall.

cold we do here, yet these trees seem to express unexpected cold tolerance. In fact, after the Polar Vortex of 2013 - 2014, trees at Brotzman Nursery only exhibited tip-burn, in contrast to some severely injured P. persica specimens.

This is one of Bill’s strong suits. For example, during the winter of 76-77, the coldest on record in Ohio, a devastating number of plants across the state died, most of which were not hardy to prolonged negative temperatures. During the same period, Bill observed a Redbud (Cercis canadensis) in the nursery that not only survived, but had full blooms the following spring. Since then, he has propagated that strain to provide the industry with a bomb-proof Redbud.

First described in 1960, P. subaequalis was initially listed as a species of Hamamelis because the specimen sample was preserved in its fruiting stage, and those fruits resembled Witch Hazel. The plant was assumed extinct after 1960, yet in 1988 researchers from the Jiangsu Institute of Botany found a population of them in Yixing. They returned every spring, thru 1992, when they found the trees blooming and realized this was no Witch Hazel (which have petals). Instead, it was a brand-new species. They named it Shaniodendron subaequalis, and after DNA analysis in 1997, at University of New Hampshire, this plant was placed in Parrotia, as a close cousin to the Persian Ironwood. Finally, it made its American debut in 2004, thus it’s relatively new to our gardens.

Now, let’s talk about this month’s plant – Parrotia subaequalis. As noted prior, this tree is from Eastern China. More specifically, this plant has only been found in a few locations of Yixing county, in the Jiangsu Province, which is an area of China just north of Shanghai. It is a coastally temperate climate that doesn’t see the

So, why do Bill, Jim, and Shelley think you need to plant this tree? (Like, other than it’s cool?) P. subaequalis is more compact than P. persica. Expect the plant to grow to around 25 feet tall and 15 feet wide, making it a candidate for under tall wires. Couple this with a moderate growth rate and it becomes a

22 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

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winner for the urbanized landscape. The bark on this Chinese cousin also tends to have a better peeling effect – think, old school camo – which makes for better winter interest. Sticking with its family’s traits, fall color is a beautiful range of reds, pinks, and burgundies. New growth is a deep-green, often with a purple margin highlighting it. Bloom will take place in very early spring before leaves emerge, but have no petals, just stamens sticking out in a group. Flowers are similar to P. persicia, going virtually unnoticed, but perhaps a true plant nerd might enjoy them. The same goes when it comes to its fruits. We are really suggesting this plant specifically for its striking foliage and great bark. Think about adding this tree to your selection for tighter gardens where you want some bark effect, fall color, and perhaps you don’t want to have too many bees nearby (think patio). Jim Funai, PhD is full-time faculty at Cuyahoga Community College, a NALP accredited associate of applied science in hoticulture degree program. He has a PhD in Landscape Engineering and Forestry and is a Licensed Arborist. Shelley Funai is Grounds Manager at Stan Hywett Hall and Gardens in Akron, Ohio, which offers a historic estate designed by Warren H. Manning and a beautiful manor house museum. She is Landscape Industry Certified in Ornamental Plant Care.

The Growing Concern | November 2021 | 23

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2021 STONE VENEER CLINIC / REGISTRATION CLOSES 12/09/21 (Make checks payable and send to: Ohio Landscape Association, 9240 Broadview Rd, Broadview Hts., OH 44147) Company Contact Address City State Phone (______)

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F EATURE ARTI CLE

THEY WILL MAKE, OR BREAK YOU ...

MANAGERS by Joshua Steven Gamez, CEO East Coast Facilities, Inc.

Your forward-facing first line of defense. The guardians of client satisfaction, employee development, and fulfillment. One of the most difficult roles to recruit for and retain in the chain of command. The Manager. Managers are the reason why your client and employees smile or frown. Their action or inaction will directly impact the bottom line. Recruiting the right managers, training them, and retaining them, is the difference between an owner-operator managing a single location low revenue business, and taking your business to the multi-market multi-million dollar level, or even possibly to the enterprise level (well over 10-Million in sales). If you can’t figure this part out, you’re stuck. You will spin and spin, churn and churn, and my least favorite, burn and burn... cash, and lots of it.

THE CURVE The first thing I want to cover is The Curve. This is the learning curve in becoming a manager of managers. It is the experience gained over years, or perhaps decades, wherein you hone your people skills. It’s the time where you learn innate personality

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traits that drive behaviors, when you learn to identify talent, sense danger, feel when it is going right, and know when something is just wrong. You learn how to present counsel, correction, and commendation with balance. You begin to understand when to be flexible and when to draw rigid lines. Most importantly, it’s the time when you become a teacher, a mentor, a good guy, and sometimes – the bad guy. Product knowledge, understanding exactly how your business works, and the ability to sell and promote will inevitably outpace your development through The Curve. This process can be punishing and is not learned in a classroom. It is all about realworld experience. As you crest and start to put things together, things will start clicking. People will be happier, retention of clients and employees will build, and profit will grows. In fact, continued on page 28 you might even take a vacation!

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F EATURE ARTI CLE continued from page 26 Here is a specific, but likely incomplete list of milestones in your development through The Curve: 1. Understanding what position you need and why you need to fill it. What is the role? What is the market rate on the position? How does the role help the business advance its goals? Where does the role fit into the chain of command? 2. Learning how to advertise for management positions and where to advertise. Understanding how to connect with and target prospects on Linkedin (#1 in my book) 3. Learning how to review resumes and select candidates. 4. Perfecting the art of the interview. My favorite all-time question, especially when the candidate seems perfect, “What is there about you that I do not like?” (no joke, everyone answers it honestly) 5. Developing sustainable offers for career-oriented management selections. Is there a strong compensation plan? Is there upward mobility? What do they have to do in order to move, not sideways, but up? 6. Once hired. Having in place the systems and processes to measure job performance. Have you built your systems? Maybe a consultant can assist. 7. The ability to balance instant coaching by allowing time for development. In other words, sometimes your managers need time to just get better at what they do. Other times you step in and get them on the rails, and fast. 8. And probably my personal favorite. The development in yourself as a leader, “The Art of Teaching.” This means you can skillfully teach your managers, helping them to develop, connect dots, see the big picture, understand the current priorities, and see the path. You will be able to teach, not tell. They will leave a coaching/teaching session, with a clear understanding of the takeaway points. They will not be confused. And if you did all of the other steps above, they will buy-in and deliver. An article could surely be written for each one of these, but we are trying to keep it concise.

TRUST Trust is earned. It is not earned on day one, two, three, or who knows how long. It is earned over time. I am not shy about saying to a new team member, “I trusted you enough to give you this job..... but, my trust and confidence in your ability to deliver in your job consistently will be earned over time.” People want to be trusted. However, we need to earn it, new managers need to earn it. Stay close to them.

From personal experience after being in business for over 27 years. I can tell you plenty of horror stories. As I type I can see their faces. Some outright dishonest, others outright incompetent, lazy, or simply bad energy. Learning over time and making your way through The Curve will start to eliminate bad hires. But no matter what, you must give trust to those who earn it! If you make the good pay for the bad, you will fail! It is important to remember that in many cases, you – the owner – can always do it better, faster, and cheaper. I am fast, efficient, and effective. But there is that old adage: I want to make 1% off of 100 people, instead of 100% off of my own efforts. In other words, you never scale without the help of others, hence a management team. When you trust, you delegate. Delegating tasks and responsibilities is key to growing your business.

DELEGATING WITH TRUST You hand him/her a hammer and nail, and say, “nail this piece of wood to that one.” He/She looks at the wood and the tools, and as they are thinking, you walk up to them and you take the hammer and nail out of their hands, and you hammer the one piece of wood to the other. Sound silly? It is, obviously. The point? We do this all the time. We delegate and then take over. So did we really delegate? No, we did not. Delegate with trust. Spend the time to equip, train, and empower, then walk away. Do not take the hammer and nail out of his or her hand. Let them do it! Even if it is crooked, backward, or not so perfect. Then circle back (inspect what you expect) and help them get it right if needed. Delegate. If you become a very good teacher and can delegate, you will be well on your way to business success. You are becoming a manager of managers.

MANAGEMENT CANCER What if you have determined that you need to rebuild your management team? What if you have gained some experience and now you need to make changes? You have recognized you have some management cancer within your ranks. In other words, some bad managers have to go. Unfortunately, I feel it necessary to write on this, because in many cases this needs to happen when a team is not properly built from the ground up. First of all, what is Management Cancer? Simply put it is a team member who is irreparable. You will know this in your continued on page 30

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F EATURE ARTI CLE continued from page 28 gut. Do not ignore your gut! You will also know based on a history of performance, and feedback from others. We are not talking about a weak manager, we are talking about one who needs to be cut out of your management ecosystem. Sorry, it happens. Step one. Box them up. Start training a parallel manager or prepare for a takeover yourself. Start engaging every client and employee they touch. Re-establish your authority, and do so immediately. Step two. Disconnect. Disconnect them from your network, email, phone, cloud platforms, and terminate. Walk them to the door and show respect. Always keep the peace. It is professional, not emotional. Step three. This is the most important step. Learn from your mistakes. Either you made the mistake when you hired them or enabled their poor performance by mismanagement. You must learn. I have an expression that says “wishful thinking will get you killed.” Simply wishing that a new hire will be the right hire is not enough. You must hire correctly, develop, and train properly, or you will regret it. I am fortunate to have record retention in my management team. I can see positive results in my personal development as a leader, but of course, I still have much to learn.

HAPPINESS, GOOD PAY, AND UPWARD MOBILITY Retention. How do you retain the good ones? They need to enjoy their job, or at least most of it. They need to be paid well or have the outlook of being paid well once trained. Many, not all, need upward mobility, or room to grow. Every comment I make after this will be made with the assumption we are talking about the good ones, because nothing applies to cancer, it is what it is. Managers want to win, they want to be on a winning team. Are you losing customers? Are sales lacking? Is it hard to on-board quality clients? For most companies, one of the above if not all is the case. Your sales programs, the quality, and consistency of your product and service will impact the answers to these questions. If you do not have them in check as a business leader, then you do not have a winning team. In order to retain managers, you need to be a winning team. Just something to think about.

30 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

Managers want to be happy. What kind of culture do you have? Are they just a number in a big machine? Do you know them? Do you know one just had a little girl, or that their son has an engineering mind? Did you know one’s spouse is a great photographer, or that another loves fishing and hunting? You need to know your people. The culture of an organization will determine happiness. At our company one of our core values is “We laugh every single day.” I have to tell you, we really do. Usually, it is at each other, but we do. Give some thought to your culture. Some say if you are not growing you are dying. I think this is mostly true in businesses with management teams. You simply have to grow, because people want to grow. Most managers want upward mobility. It is your job to find out who they are and what they dream about. Develop the ones who really want to grow differently, than those who are quite comfortable in their role.

CONCLUSION For business owners and leaders alike, the fact is, it takes years of experience to understand people. When you really understand people, and you are an expert at your business operations – inside and out – you will have the beginnings of success in building and managing dynamic management teams. Rewarding those who rise above and eliminating those who are cancerous are both equally important. Learning to delegate and trust is critical to business sustainability and growth. Becoming a true teacher is directly connected to success.

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F EATURE ARTI CLE

STREAMLINE YOUR SNOW OPERATIONS WITH THESE 4 SIMPLE HACKS Heavy lifting often starts with the prep work. If you establish the right systems and procedures, you can streamline your snow business’ operations for peak efficiency. These changes can bring the focus back on the actual work at hand, whether it be in the office, in the field or on business development. Implementing some small adjustments in your business can lead to positive changes. Here are some simple hacks that your snow business can adopt in its operations. SNOW BUSINESS HACK #1 Optimize Your Equipment & Materials Know your inventory. The biggest source of waste is waiting, and unbillable hours can easily be cut if you know where to make the fixes. Salt depots are a major timesink, so stock salt at the yard or setup temporary winter yards closer to sites to save on time. The second step is to give each piece of equipment a

32 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

dedicated function rather than trying to stretch everything out to be multi-purposed. There’s no need to run trucks as both plows or salt trucks. Keep the plows on the field covering as much ground as possible, consistently generating revenue, while letting the salt trucks operate knowing that there will be some time sunk into restocking and travel. These two fixes alone will save you a significant amount of labor hours down the road.

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Unbillable hours are the key culprit in the snow business. There’s no avoiding travel time, but being able to mitigate the damage it does to your labor hours is imperative to maintaining a profitable snow business. The sales team should focus efforts on earning contracts by regionality. If a snow business has multiple contracts in a particular geographical region, it would effectively cut travel time, and increase production and revenue generated. Ensuring route density and keeping your customers local can make or break a profitable snow season.

Checklists are an essential procedure to keep on top of the pre and post job functions. Take the time to figure out all of the key steps in every facet of your snow business. Developing checklists can save you valuable time in the field and prevent you from making costly, avoidable mistakes. Eliminate the guessing and begin setting standards and expectations for your team members. It’s really just taking that extra step to set everyone up for success.

SNOW BUSINESS HACK #3 Develop Sales Templates for Snow & Ice Contracts Templates are a quick plug and play that will streamline operations no matter what industry you’re working in. Creating proper sales templates can take the guessing out of the estimate process, offering a baseline the sales team can work from inputting markups and ensuring profit margins are met. Repeatable processes can minimize staff training and eliminate inconsistencies within the business while making sure expectations are clear.

This article was written by Mark Bradley, CEO of LMN Business Management Software, as part of LMN’s blog post. LMN offers business management softawre that allows you to start running your buiness, insted of it running you. Learn more about LMN and read other insdustry related articles at GoLMN.com.

The Growing Concern | November 2021 | 33

D I RECTI ON S

LANDSCAPE OHIO! CELEBRATES 25 YEARS I know it was just a few months ago that I wrote about our Landscape Ohio! Awards Program and Gala, but it is so important and so much fun that I am going to do it again. This year is the 25th anniversary of the OLA’s awards program. It is one of my favorite things that the OLA does, because it celebrates the incredible work of our members. Our industry is often under-appreciated. Most people take for granted the trees, shrubs, and flowers that they get to enjoy every day. But we know what goes into those beautiful landscapes and we love to celebrate your work. Now that the weather is changing, I challenge you to take a little time and think of a few exceptional projects that you have completed in the last 5 years. Look for photos you took before, during and after those projects, then enter a couple of them into the program. With 18 different categories, you can find a good place to enter any type of project – big or small. We have updated the dollar values in some of the categories to reflect changes in the current market. We still have specialty categories for water features, hardscapes, landscape lighting, display gardens, show gardens, maintenance, best use of color and of course, residential and commercial installation. The competition will culminate with a Gala held in June at Windows on the River overlooking the Cuyahoga River. It is a beautiful night with paparazzi, a red carpet entrance, networking, dinner, and an Academy Awards-style presentation. It really is a can’t miss event. We will have tickets available for purchase for those who haven’t entered a project, but want to join in the fun!

34 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

SANDY MUNLEY

Executive Director / OLA

We do not announce the award-winning projects before the Gala, so the event is full of excitement. Some companies have used this event as a creative way to reward their employees and have arrived in style in a limousine or limo bus. They have told us that it helped to springboard everyone into working a little harder and being a little more detail conscience. How could you leverage this within your company? Don’t be intimidated to enter. Rick and I are always happy to help by answering your questions – even if you need to call multiple times while you complete the entry form. Entries are pretty straightforward, but they do take some time to complete. For this reason, try not to wait until the last minute! Start planning your entries now. We will accept entries now through 5 pm on December 17, 2021. You can find details and entry forms on our website under the events tab, or more specifically www.ohiolandscapers.org/awards-program. Let’s make the 25th Annual Landscape Ohio! Awards Program and Gala the best ever! Together, we can celebrate the Green Industry, the great people who work in it, and the amazing landscapes you all create! Plan now to enter and/or to join us at the Gala! Or, more accurately, help us celebrate you!

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The Growing Concern November 2021

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November 18, 2021 / St. Michael’s Woodside (Broadview Heights, OH