PR ES I DEN T’S COLUM N continued from page 3 Taking the time to know every one of your employees, personally and professionally, and giving them the opportunity to attend classes, or evening meetings, or facility tours can help keep your company psychologically fit! These opportunities shouldn’t be limited to management only, either. Isn’t the person doing the labor just as important to your company as the accountant – perhaps more? He/She is the face of who you are to your clients, and with access to the proper training – and an understanding that you care about their needs – you may be able to attract their children and friends into the green profession, if not as an employee, at least as a client. In closing, we need to make our jobs look like careers and our industry look like a profession – make our lifestyles more desirable. That starts with all of us treating it as such, and often begins with a clear path to professional development for those we intend to hire. It’s a shame that, in general, people look down on what we do for a living. No one can change that perception, but us.
On a side note, in 1964, February was proclaimed American Heart Month by Lyndon Johnson. The goal of which is to bring more awareness to heart-related diseases. Heart disease remains the number one killer in the world – yes, the world. We are an active group of people, but our lifestyles are very stressful; poor eating habits, lack of sleep, and the list goes on. Please, take the time to promote a less stressful lifestyle to your employees. Just one hour of extra exercise can reduce their – and your – risk of heart disease. Also, think about becoming a tissue/organ donor. My late husband, Darrell, gave everything he could when he was alive to better others’ lives, so it only seemed appropriate that, in the end, he would be a tissue/organ donor. He was able to better over 100 lives with this thoughtful act. I encourage you to think about doing the same.
Always, Marie McConnell
All Organic Mulch, LLC A VanCuren Services, Inc. Company
100% Organic
10555 Kinsmand Road Newbury, Ohio 44065 440.338.5005
Our double and triple ground premium mulch is made from only bark, wood fiber, and leaf humus. Adding leaf humus helps improve drainage and aeration of the soil. The humus in our product produces an extremely high mineral content and delivers beneficial microbes and nitrogen to provide noticable benefits to your plants, making your plants and gardens come alive!
6 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association