FD2B Talk Radio Insight of the Night: Brad Groff

This week on FD2B Talk Radio Brad Groff, co-owner of River Valley Landscape and Pools in Wrightsville, Pa., shared how he uses technology in several different ways to keep his clients involved and engaged in the design process, while minimizing the amount of time that he wastes driving back and forth to their home.

Depending on the project, Groff will create a 2D concept plan in DynaSCAPE and/or a 3D model in Google SketchUp to make sure he's going in the right direction and to get some initial feedback on the design. However, instead of doing a presentation in person as most contractors do, he schedules an appointment with the homeowners using GoToMeeting and conducts an online presentation to review the drawings. Not only does this save him travel time but he can "meet" with both the husband and wife even if they're at two different locations. Another big benefit is he can schedule his meetings during regular business hours and not at night or on the weekends.

Show: It's all in the details. Or is it?
Guest: Brad Groff, co-owner of River Valley Landscape and Pools, Wrightsville, Pa.
Date: Dec. 26, 2012
To listen to the full show, CLICK HERE.

Editor's note: As part of a new partnership between Landscape Management and FD2B Talk Radio, we'll be posting an "Insight of the Night" every Thursday from the previous night's radio show. FD2B Talk Radio is a Green Industry radio show that broadcasts live every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Eastern. Its host and founder is LM columnist Jody Shilan, who's also the editor and founder of FromDesign2Build.com.

FD2B Talk Radio Insight of the Night: Tom Canete

Editor's note: As part of a new partnership between Landscape Management and FD2B Talk Radio, we'll be posting an "Insight of the Night" every Thursday from the previous night's radio show. FD2B Talk Radio is a Green Industry radio show that broadcasts live every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Eastern. Its host and founder is LM columnist Jody Shilan, who's also the editor and founder of FromDesign2Build.com.

Just like an investment portfolio, snow contractors need to have a diversified portfolio that fits your business' short-term and long-term goals and objectives, according to Tom Canete, CEO of Canete Snow Management. He says you should not only have a proper mix of residential and commercial accounts but also a proper mix of contract types. Canete recommends against having just one type of contract in favor of a mixture of contracts that are per push, per event and per season, so you can better manage your risk. This way, no matter what type of winter you have, above average, below average or average, you will be generating revenue.

In addition, Canete suggests having a diversified mix of clients. Not just residential vs commercial but a portfolio of clients with properties that need to be open 24/7, others that might be able to wait a few days (i.e churches) and everything in between.
Show: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
Guest: Tom Canete, CEO of Canete Snow Management, Wayne, N.J.
Date: Dec. 19, 2012
To listen to the full show, click here.

Heartbreak and hope

Today we're thinking about all those impacted by the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The shooting will no doubt  make parents go home and hug their kids a little more tightly today. At a time of year fabled to be full of cheer and good will to men, it's all the more heartbreaking to think about the enormous void it will leave in these families' lives at the holidays and every other time of year.

Instances like this are becoming all the more frequent. But on a day with such tragedy, it was nice to hear about a landscaping company that's taken steps to help kids lately, Ruppert Landscape. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Brandon Simmons, an area manager in Ruppert’s Baltimore Landscape Management Branch, and his girlfriend, Teresa Hiebler, took a trip to Point Pleasant, N.J. to help with relief efforts. They returned a week later with 14 additional recruits, bringing food and monetary donations.

“Through our work with St. Mary’s By the Sea Parish and their food pantry in Point Pleasant, we learned of the additional need for toys for the upcoming holiday season,” said Simmons. “I enlisted the help of my company and we put the word out internally for toy donations at each of our branches and Teresa put the word out at her son’s school, St. Casimir’s in Canton. Before we knew it, this toy drive had grown exponentially."

Helping the effort was 5-year-old Sadie Mirjafary. In addition to donating her own birthday toys she’d received a few weeks earlier, Sadie and her mom posted her request for toy donations on Facebook. 

Together, all of those involved in the effort collected nearly 2,000 toys. Let's hope we continue a lot more efforts like this. Enough with the wrath that we saw today.

Lawn Care Forum launches at Reunion!

This week we're at beautiful Reunion Resort near Orlando for our inaugural Lawn Care Forum. So far, it's been a great meeting. Thanks to our first round of attendees for taking time away from their businesses to join us and thanks to our sponsors for their support.

The Lawn Care Forum is a new concept in our market. We've brought together some of the industry's leading lawn care operators to network with each other, learn from top presenters and visit with suppliers in a one-on-one format. Here are some highlights from the first two days' events.

Pat Roberts, Tom Lynch, Matt Owens & Craig MacGregor play Reunion Resort's Palmer Course on day one of the Lawn Care Forum. Reunion is the only golf resort to boast Signature courses designed by legends Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus.

On Monday night, RISE's Karen Reardon encouraged Lawn Care Forum attendees to stay on top of local and state regulations and engage with officials on a proactive, rather than defensive, basis. 

Chris Heiler, Tuesday's breakfast speaker, addressed attendees about inbound marketing. He said 70 percent to 90 percent of people visiting your website aren't ready to buy. They're in fact-finding mode, and it's important to provide them with education content and get them into your sales funnel.

Thank you to our sponsors: Dow AgroSciences, Direct Solutions, FMC, PermaGreen and Lebanon Turf.

Interested in joining us next year, at a location TBA? Email me if you're an LCO or contact LM Publisher Jason DeSarle to be a sponsor.