News

Memorial to Air Advisers Under Construction at Joint Base

May 3, 2012

From the top of the new World Trade Center, a group of Air Force men transported nine engraved bricks to the joint base last weekend. They will be placed in a new memorial being built here. The memorial will honor nine NATO air advisers killed by a member of the Afghan military April 27, 2011, during a meeting in Kabul. The advisers had trained at the joint base in a new program the Air Force has incorporated into the Air Adviser Academy here. Col. J. Olaf Holm, commandant of th...

Ahead of the Curve with QR Codes

March 20, 2012

Source: Turf Magazine.com Whether you've used them or not, you've almost certainly seen QR (quick response) codes, those oddly patterned square barcodes on products, billboards, advertising messages and even within the pages of Turf magazine. These strange-looking two-dimensional symbols are links to an incredible variety of information. Point your smartphone, fire up one of the numerous apps meant to decipher the code and take a picture, and you're whisked to a specific URL. ...

EP Henry Announces Annual Contractors’ Choice Awards Winners

February 21, 2012

Awards honoring industry's best outdoor design projects presented during Mid-Atlantic Hardscaping Trade Show Woodbury, NJ-February 21, 2012-EP Henry announced the winners of the second annual Contractors' Choice Awards, honoring the outstanding Hardscaping professionals and projects of 2011.  Hosted by EP Henry, a leading manufacturer of unit concrete pavers, the Contractors' Choice Awards are designed for and voted on by contractors across seven states in the Mid-Atlantic region. The...

ICPI Offers New Course

February 14, 2012

HERNDON, Va. - The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) is offering a new course for concrete paver contractors who specialize in installing advanced segmental concrete pavement systems in the residential market. The first course will be held on March 1-2 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando, Fla. The Residential Paver Technician Course provides advanced training in residential paver installations and covers some of the hottest topics in outdoor living space design and con...

PLANET and NJLCA announce partnership

February 8, 2012

Recognizing the importance of unifying the green industry at both the local and national level, PLANET and New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association entered into an agreement that will use the strengths of both organizations to enhance the value delivered to both membership groups through education and networking, legislative advocacy, and consumer awareness programs. "PLANET has valued our informal partnership and efforts with NJLCA over the last several years," said PLANET CEO Sabeena ...

Facebook 'Likes" Small Businesses

September 30, 2011

Source: online.wsj.com   In a push to gain more small-business users, Facebook Inc. is expected on Monday to reveal plans to launch a new program that includes giving away $10 million of advertising credits. The initiative is being launched in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Federation of Independent Business, a small-business group. It is intended to educate small businesses on how to promote themselves on the social-networking site, like buying display ad...

H-2B wage increase set for Sept. 30

August 8, 2011

Associations are calling for landscapers to contact their legislators in efforts to block the measure. The Department of Labor has announced that the effective date of the H-2B wage methodology rule is Sept. 30. Originally, the effective date was set for Jan. 1, 2012. The final rule will increase H-2B hourly wages for landscaping services by about $3.60 per hour. Read the notice published in the Federal Register here. Associations like PLANET and ANLA are trying to block the rule, sayin...

Value Employees, Keep Your Talent

July 29, 2011

The tough economy has taken its toll on staff. Now, with a rebound on the horizon, stretched employees may get restless. Here's how to re-energize workers, build trust and keep turnover low as the turnaround hits. As a result of the worst economic scenario in recent history, workers across the country have, undoubtedly, been shaken. When layoffs, pay and benefit reductions, salary freezes and restructuring first began to occur, employees everywhere were happy to just have a job. Indeed, th...

Tips for Working in Hot Weather

June 22, 2011

Heat related illness often does not receive as much attention as other workplace hazards and is often under reported. A high profile case of heat stroke was that of Korey Stringer, a 27-year-old member of the Minnesota Vikings football team. On Aug. 1, 2001, he collapsed after two and a half hours of practice in 90 degree heat. At the hospital, his core body temperature was recorded at 108 degrees. He died shortly thereafter of major organ failure. Many were shocked at how sudden and serious...

Passing along increasing costs

May 23, 2011

Source: Lawnandlandscape.com Joe Yedowitz looked at his bill. His eyes scanned the list of items, tallying up each cost to ensure the correct total. Four tires at $150 a pop. Tax, well, of course. A $10 environmental fee - interesting, he thought. "Mechanics can charge to throw away your tires. Mechanics can charge to throw away oil, anti freeze, all environmental things," he says. "The landscaper, while we may not have disposal fees that we are subjected to with hazmat-type material, I...

How to get a loan

May 6, 2011

Source: Financial Edge May 6, 2011 The loan underwriting process is becoming more demanding for small businesses, and it's essential for any start-up or those wishing to expand to be diligent in knowing all the ins and outs of getting a loan. Heading into 2011, there are some expert tips that can give any small company an advantage in the lending market. Here are the top six suggestions from industry professionals for getting access to the cash you need to fund your small business. (Incorpo...

Economic Conditions Improve for Landscape Architects

May 3, 2011

WASHINGTON - Market conditions continued to improve for landscape architecture firms, with firm leaders reporting renewed optimism for billable hours, inquiries and hiring in the first quarter of 2011, according to an American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Business Quarterly survey. More than two thirds of firm leaders (67.9 percent) reported stable or higher billable hours in the first quarter of 2011, an increase from 59.6 percent last quarter and 56.4 percent this time last year...

Ideas for conserving water with style

May 3, 2011

Talking about residential landscape water conservation is, as Green View Companies Division Manager David Pence says, "a hard sell. We've had three years of almost double the normal annual precipitation rate in central Illinois. "But, with the increase in urban development and roads, more of that water is making its way into storm drains, which flow into tributaries," Pence said. "And, then it's a race down to the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico - not recharging our undergrou...