As a landscape professional, part of your business is utilizing your knowledge and educating your clients on opportunities on their property. One of these opportunities is implementing water conservation initiatives.

“I feel in our industry our role is to create demand,” says Chad Sutton, a water resource manager with Gachina Landscape Management, based in Menlo Park, California. “There’s not going to be an immediate request from most of our clients. They rely on us as we develop that interpersonal relationship with our clients. We have to go in there and inspire them and show them what’s possible in order to create that demand. Rarely do we see clients just proactively reaching out and requesting it.”

You might think a lack of requests from commercial clients for work related to water conservation means a lack of interest, but this often isn’t the case.

PhD candidate seeks participants for a research project exploring the role of the manager in the business model innovation process.

To participate in this study, you must have at least 5 years of experience, be at least 18 years of age, and have a direct supervisory role of some staff in your department or the ability to impact the business model (BM) directly.

Qualified participants may work in sectors of the landscape industry such as:

• Landscape contractors; design, construction, install, or maintenance
• Nursery
• Irrigation and water management specialists
• Tree service providers
• Pest management

Participants are disqualified if they have a personal or professional relationship with the researcher, Chaz Perea.

In exchange for a 90-minute interview (can be done remotely), qualified participants will receive a $25 In N Out gift card.

The interview will focus on how the participant interacts and experiences the business model innovation process: how participants define their value proposition to the customer, what role they play in delivering customer value, how they grow the business while sustaining the existing services, and other related questions.

If you know someone that may meet this criteria, please email: perea_dissertation_email@yahoo.com

As meteorologists can attest, predicting the future is challenging. With data and feedback from the field, forecasting can be reasonably accurate and provide critical insights for maximizing sunny conditions and preparing to hunker down for a storm.

Green industry experts predict a fairly sunny 2023 season despite concerns about a potential recession, inflation, and lending rates. IBISWorld forecasts the landscape services industry will increase by 3.1% in the coming year. That builds on the average 8.1% increase seen between 2018 and 2022.

Lingering cloudy conditions related to labor shortages, supply chain uncertainty, and gas prices have impacted the perception of the overall health of the industry. In the most recent Landscape Management State of the Industry Report, 68% of respondents described the market as “very or relatively healthy,” a 10-point decline from the previous year.

Here’s what you need to know about predictions for the coming year to develop a strategic plan that allows you to maximize the bright spots and prepare for any storms on the horizon.

The Annual Beautification Awards Entry Form is now available. A prestigious Beautification Award reassures your clients that they have made the right choice in choosing you for their landscape installation or maintenance project and sets you apart from other companies as an expert in the field.

Download the Call for Entries today!