Landscape Live's tracks

At the 2017 Irrigation Show, Rain Bird had a whopping seven new products on display. Here Alex Nathanson, corporate marketing brand manager, explains what three of them have in common.

Combining Rain Bird's Copper Shield Technology and a new 4.3-psi check valve, the XFS-CV dripline can be used in areas with up to 10 feet in elevation changes, says corporate marketing brand manager Alex Nathanson at the 2017 Irrigation Show.

Speaking at the 2017 Irrigation Show, corporate marketing brand manager Alex Nathanson describes what makes the new product so reliable--and so useful to contractors.

Erica Vine, COO of K-Rain, says the new device-agnostic Bluetooth controller exhibited at the 2017 Irrigation Show makes mass changes like those needed for managing municipal and school facilities so affordable and efficient "you don't even have to put down your donut" to reset your timers.

The B-hyve Smart Hose Faucet Controller was one of two Hydro-Rain products now in limited release that was exhibited as part of the 2017 Irrigation Show's New Product Contest.

Orion Goe, marketing manager for residential & commercial irrigation at Toro, talks about the differentiating value of the PCV-500, which was a nominee in the New Product Contest at the 2017 Irrigation Show.

Steve Schneiter, channel manager for Rachio Pro, talks at Irrigation Show 2017 about how the controller startup uses customer service (and Amazon reviews) to stand out in a crowded market.

Brad Wardle, director of B-hyve, describes why the institutional controller is a good fit for landscape contractors at the 2017 Irrigation Show.

At the 2017 Irrigation Show, Daniel Pruessner, co-founder of Sprinkl, describes why he his co-founder Noel Geren got into the irrigation business 3 years ago. The Texas-based startup dedicated to adding advanced conservation and cloud connectivity to sprinkler systems at an affordable price.

In this episode, Drew Tedford, Midwest sales manager for FX Luminaire, talks about how LED technology has created new opportunities in landscape lighting. He also discusses the difference between LED and traditional landscape lighting, including the advantages and disadvantages of LED lighting. Finally, he explains fixture types and applications, installation, maintenance costs and material types.

In this episode, George Irwin, president and founder of Green Living Technologies, discusses why vertical farming is becoming a growing industry. He also covers what types of crops perform well in a vertical environment, the advantages and disadvantages of vertical farming, and where we can soon expect to see vertical farms.

In all highly competitive industries, there are companies that somehow overcome all odds to rise above the competition. What is different about them and how can you become the company that leads your market in profitability, customer loyalty and employee retention? Ken Thomas, co-founder of Envisor Consulting, believes the formula for success is in understanding and delivering the "4 Ps of Differentiation."

In this episode of Landscape Live, Joe Salemi, product marketing manager at DynaSCAPE, discusses the importance of following a defined sales process and tracking leads to maximize your company’s sales opportunities.

Tonight we will be talking to Kathleen Gagan, Owner of Peony's Envy and discussing peonies, including such topics as how to properly care for your peonies, the best ways to make your peonies grow, different shapes and sizes of peonies, and common mistakes people make with their peonies.

In this episode, Jane Beggs-Joles, licensing analyst and marketing specialist for Spring Meadow Nursery, talks about what consumers are looking for in plant material. She also covers what Proven Winners represent, as well as the most popular and latest Proven Winner plants.

In this episode, Chris Markham, wildlife biologist and president of New Jersey Deer Control, talks about the behavior of deer, including their habitats, lifestyles, typical diet and natural migration patterns. He explains solutions to deer damage, including using proper plant selections, topical treatments and physical barriers.

In this episode, Cary Shepherd, chainsaw applications expert for Husqvarna, discusses chainsaw safety and maintenance. He explains how to choose the right chainsaw for your application and the correct personal protective equipment needed, as well as the importance of having an emergency plan in case something goes wrong.

In this episode, Justin Flatow, director of landscape maintenance for Green Meadows Landscaping, talks about his position at the company, their business mix and the processes he uses each day to make Green Meadows run smoothly. He also discusses his responsibilities, how the company converts design/build into maintenance contracts, as well as how snow and ice management fit into the mix.

In this episode, Ron Edmonds, president of The Principium Group, talks about the current state of the landscape market. He also discusses business acquisitions in the lawn and landscape space, the impact of the Brickman/ ValleyCrest deal (BrightView) and the impact of private equity. Finally, Edmonds covers who's buying and who's selling, along with how to make your business more attractive.

In this episode, Diana Brown, sales and marketing coordinator of Consolidated Human Resources, discusses payroll and workers' compensation as it pertains to the landscaping industry. She explains how to save money with pay-as-you-go workers' compensation. In addition, she teaches the importance of outsourcing certain human resource functions in order to resolve issues and get back to what you do best.

Whether you're a high school graduate, a college graduate or have a masters degree, you should never stop learning. For many of us, this means on-the-job training or a painful education from the school of hard knocks.You can also learn how to improve your knowledge base from trade magazines, trade shows, landscape associations and continuing education programs. Many of these short courses are geared towards the landscape professional. They focus on everything from landscape design to budgeting and estimating to turf grass management.In this episode, Joe Canzano, program coordinator of the landscape and grounds management program at Rutgers University, discusses the importance of continuing your education.

In this episode, Kristen Edens, or Kris the Scribbler, discusses how networking can be the key to business growth. It’s not as hard as you think—and you never know where your lead of the year will come from.

Have you ever wondered what your clients experience during a construction project? In this episode, we talk to my clients, Don and Donna Hammer, about their current backyard renovation project.

In this episode, we are going back to design school with Susan Cohan, Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) landscape designer and adjunct professor. We are broadcasting live from the design studio at the Gold LEED Certified Landscape Horticultural Technology Building at the County College of Morris (CCM) in Randolph, NJ. Listen in as Cohan, principal of Susan Cohan Gardens, voices her opinions on landscape design programs and the landscape design process, along with some innovative projects she is working on at CCM.

In this episode, Karen Rivera, owner of Dynamic Push, talks about how to properly manage your landscaping company using QuickBooks.

In this episode, Bill Vogel, president of Project EverGreen, talks about the "GreenCare for Troops" and "SnowCare for Troops" programs and how you can get involved.

In this episode, Dave Hunter of Crown Bees discusses the difference between native bees and honey bees; how mason bees help reduce stress on the troubled honey bee; raising mason bees; and how landscape contractors can use bee houses in their designs. In addition, he talks about the decline in bees and what we can do about it.

In this episode, Jeffrey Scott, MBA and author, discusses what a company vision is and how to create one. He also explains who should participate in developing a vision and how this vision can motivate current employees as well as attract new ones.

In this episode, Danny Kindergan, president of Kindergan Landscaping, talks about how he transitions his company from snow and ice management to landscape maintenance and design/build. He also discusses staffing, equipment and scheduling issues as makes the transition from one season to the next.

Last week, we spoke to Arnulfo Hinojosa, vice president of the Federation of Employees & Workers of America (FEWA), and Jarrod Sharp, general counsel at FEWA, about the H-2B issue. Since that time, the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement saying they are working to issue a joint Interim Final Rule (IFR), which would update the 2008 processing rules by April 30, 2015. They also announced they are trying to determine whether processing can continue during the period of time before an Interim Final Rule.In this episode, Jody Shilan and Gail Woolcott discuss recent updates regarding the DOL and UCSIS's decision to temporarily suspend the H-2B guest worker program. Plus listen for breaking news!

If you have not heard by now, as of March 5, 2015, the H-2B program has been temporarily shut down at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) level.In this episode, Arnulfo Hinojosa, vice president of the Federation of Employees & Workers of America (FEWA), discusses why the DOL and USCIS have temporarily shut down the H-2B program and what it means for those using H-2B workers as well as the entire landscaping industry. He also explains how the shutdown happened and what you must do about it right now.

In this episode, Patrick DuChene of DuChene Design Solutions and Jody Shilan discuss the pros and cons of working with an independent designer for your company. They'll also talk about how to integrate an independent designer into your workflow, as well what the process looks like, including payments.

In this episode, Ron Mondello, a foreign national criminal defense lawyer in New Jersey, discusses how landscape business owners and Hispanic workers can protect themselves in 2015. He also explains changes in and enforcement of immigration law, as well as a concept called "crimmigration."

In this episode, Jeremy Wishart, deputy director of business development for the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), discusses why propane continues to grow in popularity as an alternative fuel source for landscape contractors. He explains what equipment uses propane, grades of propane and how propane compares to gasoline. He also talks about modifications that can be made to current equipment in order to accept propane as well as pricing incentives for switching to propane.

In this episode, Dave Marciniak of Describeit discusses the importance of sales cycles and evaluates on why they should be kept short. He also explains some excellent do's and don'ts when it comes to your overall sales process. Finally, he talks about reasonable time frames for getting back to clients with a design or proposal.

In this episode, Dan Pestretto, founder of Sales People on Demand, discusses why the landscaping business is part art, part science and all heart. He also touches on the four core functions of every business, the importance of business systemization plans and how to create processes. Pestretto also explains organizational charts and job descriptions.

In this episode, Kevin Kehoe of Aspire, LLC, discusses what numbers in your financial reports matter most. He also explains performance ratios and how company size can affect these ratios. Finally, he talks about net profit drivers and reveals eight of his best management practices.

Chris Spain, co-founder of HydroPoint, explains how this next generation of smart irrigation systems will make it possible for an irrigation contractor to respond to a high flow alert, remotely verify when the master valve is closed down and send a status report to the property manager.

In this episode, Danny Wood of Sandler Training discusses how to engage a potential client in 30 seconds or less to determine if there is a good fit. This is not some canned sales pitch, but a short and intentional process that is engaging, easy to do and sounds completely natural, no matter how many times you repeat it.

In this episode, John Migliaccio, president of NESPA and owner of The Pool & Spa Place, gives us a history lesson on how the pool industry has changed over the last 40 years along with the opportunities, issues and trends he sees moving forward. He also discusses some general design principles along with the pros and cons of doing your own installations vs. working with a professional pool contractor.

In this episode, Ken Thomas of Envisor Consulting discusses why some landscape companies achieve their dreams, while others struggle to get by. He also talks about each stage of growth and how you can define your landscape business strategy to thrive!

In this episode, Bob Smart of Smart Scapes, Rich Arlington & Associates and SIMA discusses why snow plowing is now referred to as risk management. He will also review common mistakes contractors make when signing a contract, ways to plan for upcoming snow events and much more!

In this episode, Kirk Gibson, sales manager of Bobcat and Doosan, discusses selling professionally. Some of the topics covered include the "projection is perception" theory, the sales process and the 2 C's: confidence and competence. In addition, he explains how to get a client to commit and how to make sales fun!

In this episode, Rob Swanekamp of KubePak discusses how you can customize your plant material by working closely with your grower. You may not realize it, but growers need to be at least six months ahead of the season. By planning ahead and working with your grower, you can have plant material grown to your specifications and quantities, guaranteeing that they’ll be ready when you need them.

In this episode, Shaun Kanary, director of marketing for Weed Pro, discusses the best social media channels for the green industry. He also explains how to grow your social channels and improve their effectiveness, as well as where social media fits into the consumer decision process. In addition, Kanary analyzes the 4E social media model and describes how to manage and measure social media effectiveness.

In this episode, Alan Brandfon, managing partner of Priority Payment Systems Atlantic, discusses the past, present and future of credit card processing, as well as where the fees are and how you can save money. In addition, he talks about your options in terminals, mobile readers and gateways. He also defines PCI compliance and describes why it is important. Finally, Alan explains how you can get capital within five days without needing a bank or signing personal guarantees.

Dr. Bruce Clarke, director of turfgrass pathology at Rutgers professional golf turf management school, discusses the Rutgers turfgrass program, from its early history to its present day format. He will talk how the turfgrass industry has evolved over the years as well as where he sees future growth opportunities. He will also discuss the difficult challenges that the turfgrass industry faces and how programs like the one at Rutgers are responding to these challenges on a daily basis.

Tony Lobello, design director at Mariani Landscape, discusses some of the educational aspects of the green industry. For example, Lobello explains what types of job opportunities there are or will be in the future and what high school and college students should be looking for if they want a career in the green industry. He also provides advice and suggestions for colleges and universities that have landscape architecture, landscape management or horticultural programs.