The Edge March/April/May 2026

The official magazine of the National Association of Landscape Professionals March/April/May 2026

The

For Lawn Care, Landscape Maintenance, Design-Build, Tree Care, Nursery, and Irrigation Professionals The STATE of RECRUITING

What It Takes to Find and Attract Today’s Workforce

PLUS: From Paperwork to People: How to Upgrade Your Onboarding Experience Closing the Gap on Safety

Risks for New Hires Talking with Titans: Jerry Schill

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS

Beth Berry Advanced Turf Solutions Steve Bromell Pro Cutters Lawnscapes Nick Brummel, LIC Landscape Workshop, LLC Jennifer Burnett LandCare Dan Carrothers SiteOne Landscape Supply Ivan Giraldo Chair Pam Dooley , Plants Creative Landscapes Vice Chair Roscoe Klausing , LIC, Klausing Group, PBC

Landscape Technician Bootcamp Your complete guide to classroom and hands-on training for your crews. landscapeprofessionals.org/bootcamp

DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE

Upcoming Events FIELD TRIP COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO | JUNE 17-18, 2026

Clean Scapes LP Claire Goldman R&R Landscaping Warren Gorowitz Hunter Industries David Hanny Virginia Green Angela Hieronimus

Go behind-the-scenes at Timberline Landscaping with an interactive facility tour and education sessions. NALP Field Trip is an event that’ll give you actionable takeaways to implement in your business and take it to the next level. landscapeprofessionals.org/fieldtrip

RENEWAL & REMEMBRANCE ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA | JULY 19-20, 2026

Blades of Green Jennifer Jorge King Green Chris Lee EarthWorks, Inc. Doug McDuff Landscape America Will Pereira Russell Landscape Group Tim Portland , LIC Yellowstone Landscape J.T. Price Landscape Workshop, LLC Teddy Russell Russell Landsape Group Brandon Sheppard Weed Man

For more than 25 years, lawn care and landscape professionals have traveled across the country to donate their time and expertise to enhance the grounds at Arlington National Cemetery. Families and team members welcome. Powered by Hustler and DeWalt. landscapeprofessionals.org/RR ELEVATE TAMPA, FLORIDA | NOVEMBER 8-11, 2026 Don’t miss NALP’s annual conference and expo, ELEVATE, at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. With education touching on all facets of industry business and the best networking and peer-learning in the industry, this is the one event you and your team members really don’t want to miss. Powered by Cat. nalpelevate.org Immerse yourself in a transformative experience at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Through compelling case studies, dynamic discussions, and insights from world renowned faculty, hone your strategic vision and sharpen leadership skills fit for the industry’s elite. landscapeprofessionals.org/Executive-Leadership-Program LEADERS FORUM FAJARDO, PUERTO RICO | FEBRUARY 3-6, 2027 Join us at Leaders Forum, NALP’s premier member-only gathering for landscape and lawn care CEOs and top executives who are driving growth and shaping the future. Through a powerful mix of executive-level business and leadership sessions, candid peer-to-peer discussions, and both structured and relaxed networking at one of Puerto Rico’s most exclusive and destinations, you’ll gain fresh perspectives, forge valuable partnerships, and return recharged and ready to lead at a higher level. Powered by Aspire. landscapeprofessionals.org/leadersforum NALP EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA | JANUARY 11-14, 2027

National Association of Landscape Professionals landscapeprofessionals.org NALP is the national trade association representing the landscape and lawn care industry that continuously strives for the highest level of professionalism through education, best practices

and certification. Jill Odom, Editor Lisa Stryker, Managing Editor Shane Boyle, Advertising Rob Ghosh, Design Heather Parker, Copy Editor 12500 Fair Lakes Circle, Suite 200 Fairfax, VA 22033 800-395-2522 | 703-736-9666 Fax 703-736-9668 © 2026 The Edge is published

quarterly by the National Association of Landscape Professionals expressly as a member service.

National Association of Landscape Professionals 3

The

22

The The State of Recruiting: What It Takes to Find and Attract Today’s Workforce

8

DEPARTMENTS 6

From the CEO: Evolution Versus Revolution

8

Faces of the Industry: Josh Nieuwsma

BUSINESS SMARTS 14 Protecting Your Business: Closing the Gap on Safety Risks for New Hires 20 Building Your Team: From Paperwork to People: How to Upgrade Your Onboarding Experience 32 Boosting Your Business: Selling Smarter: How Enhancements Can Drive Growth and Retention THE NALP EXPERIENCE 10 Leaders Forum Provides Attendees with Key Insights For Coming Changes 12 Secure Your Seat at the NALP Executive Leadership Program 26 How NALP Is Helping Grow the Workforce 35 New Members

The

28

Talking with Titans: Jerry Schill

without Burning Out Your Team 16

27

Peer Perspectives: How to Scale Up

Conquering Challenges: 2025

Judges’Award: Creating an Elevated Retreat in the Heart of Dallas

Advertiser Index Bartlett Tree Experts................................................................................15 Billy Goat...........................................................................................................9 Caterpillar..................................................................Inside Front Cover Cetane Associates.......................................................................................5 ColorBlends................................................................................................. 18

NALP Awards of Excellence...............................................................31 NALP Bootcamp..........................................................................................3 NALP ELEVATE 2026.............................................................Back Cover NALP Field Trip...........................................................................................12 NALP Free Training..................................................................................13

NALP Sample Production Rates......................................................19 NALP & Rancho Mesa Insurance Services.................................30 Nufarm...............................................................................................................7

4 The Edge // March/April/May 2026

LETTER FROM THE CEO

Evolution Versus Revolution AN ASSOCIATION CAN EASILY BECOME COMPLACENT IF IT only lives in the day-to-day. Thankfully, the NALP board of directors decided to take the time to conduct strategic planning and think about where we want the association to be in the next three to five years.

rather than trying to brute force everything yourself. For me, this means turning to the ever-talented Amee Patel from our team to assist me with organization and allow me to serve our membership at a higher level. Additionally, this is the last column I will write on my own. NALP has an amazingly talented writer in Jill Odom, and my stub bornness has prevented me from collaborating with her on this column, but that all ends today. Moving forward, this column will be co-authored and will get ex ponentially better with Jill’s help. For all you hard-charging lead ers out there, take a tip from me: What worked in the past will not always work today. Make some changes and ask for some help. It’s okay, and it will make you a better leader in the long run.

down on our efforts to attract more workers to join our industry. Part of this will hopefully be addressed through advocacy and finding better solutions for the H-2B issue. Beyond that, we are looking to help you grow your teams by equipping you with ma terials to help you persuade new workers that this industry is the industry for them. Further, we are going to commit more resources to improving our relationships with education entities through out the country. This will be felt most at our National Collegiate Landscape Competition, which we plan to grow by 25% or more over the next three years. We know this industry needs more talented people, in all roles, if we are to continue to grow. And we are committed to making a difference. Now, none of these pillars are revolutionary ideas, but they are evolutionary, as we have found what we need to focus on, and we will only improve from there. LEADERSHIP LESSON The last thing I want to leave you with is a lesson I recently learned personally. And that is the importance of leaning on the talented staff surrounding you,

Part of this process included gathering feedback from you, our members. With this insight into what matters to the industry, we have crafted a path forward for the organization, and in essence, for the industry. This plan will focus the association on three key areas. First, we will get even better at advocating on the industry’s behalf. In my six years at NALP, we have doubled the size and the budget of our government rela tions team, and they have done amazing work on behalf of the industry. To continue to be able to advocate relentlessly for the industry, we will be working to nearly double that budget again. With these additional resources, the government relations team will be able to provide the indus try with better representation in Washington, D.C. and the state capitals. Second, NALP will become your first stop for information on the industry, how to improve your business, and ways to make your life easier as a landscape or lawn care company. This may come in the form of new events, new studies, new surveys and much more. Third, we are going to double

Britt Wood

6 The Edge // March/April/May 2026

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Faces of the Industry: Josh Nieuwsma

By Jill Odom

WHAT STARTED AS A SUMMER JOB IN HIGH SCHOOL WORKING ON A mowing crew eventually turned into a full-time job and career for Josh Nieuwsma. He says there wasn’t one specific moment he realized he could make a career out of landscaping but once he started the landscape management program at Michigan State University, Nieuwsma knew this is what he wanted to keep doing.

Nieuwsma now handles landscape design and sales for the company, where he meets with potential clients, designs and estimates projects, as well as sched ules projects for the installation crews. “One thing I’ve had to learn, and continue learning, is the selling part,” Nieuwsma says. “I didn’t start working at a landscape company because I love selling to people, so it’s taken practice to be a successful salesperson.” In the winter, he helps manage snow removal and salting work. He says his favorite aspect of the industry is still driving trucks and equipment. In five years, Nieuwsma hopes to be in the same position he is now with more experience and knowledge. Nieuwsma continues to enjoy volun teering as he served as the president of the Association of Grand Rapids Land scape Professionals in 2024. “I really enjoyed the networking and camaraderie with the board members, along with the work we did to educate and promote our industry,”Nieuwsma says. He says he wishes the general public understood that landscaping is more than mowing lawns and planting bush es, and the importance of working with a professional and experienced company to install or maintain a landscape. TE

2016 and 2017 where he competed in events including construction cost esti mating, backhoe operation, and wood construction. “NCLC was a great way to see the range of the industry and helped to reinforce my interest in landscape design and install work,” he says. “Companies should support NCLC because it pro motes the green industry to students who are interested in making it a career.” In 2016, Nieuwsma volunteered as an NALP Student Ambassador. “As a Student Ambassador, I was able to participate in some of the education sessions and saw the importance of continuing education in the industry,” he says. After working for Kloosterman Land scaping, based in Caledonia, Michigan, throughout high school and college, Nieuwsma was offered a full-time role in 2017. “My favorite thing is the variety of work I do day to day, and with the different seasons,” he says.

After completing that two-year program, Nieuwsma went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in horticulture at Michigan State. While studying at MSU, Nieuwsma served as the president of the Student Horticulture Association in 2016-17. He also competed in the National Collegiate Landscape Competition in

“NCLC was a great way to see the range of the industry and helped to reinforce my interest in landscape design and install work. Companies should support NCLC because it promotes the green industry to students that are interested in making it a career.”

8 The Edge // March/April/May 2026

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THE NALP EXPERIENCE

Leaders Forum Provides Attendees with Key Insights For Coming Changes

By Jill Odom

IN AN INDUSTRY RIDDLED WITH UNPREDICTABILITY, ATTENDEES WERE equipped with takeaways to better navigate the coming years during Leaders Forum, presented by NALP and powered by Aspire, in Santa Barbara, California, on Feb. 4-7, 2026.

challenged to think more critically about the nature of the meetings they have. She pointed out the value of divergent thinking and in order to achieve that teams need to make sure they aren’t silencing those different voices. “Too often as groups, we prefer agree ment versus productive conflict,” Adams says. Adams explained there is a differ ence between task-related conflict and interpersonal conflict. Often there is a fear that going against the grain will be viewed as a personal disagreement. However, this conflict avoidance can

He also encouraged attendees to join NALP’s rebranded Advocacy Ambassador program, which is designed to strength en the industry’s voice. “These issues may not be in your state right now, but they’re coming, especially as you grow and expand,” Bray says. In a session led by Gabe Adams, a behavioral scientist with UVA Darden School of Business, participants were

This event included a mixture of big-picture education and networking with new and old industry peers. On the first day of the event, Andrew Bray, senior vice president of govern ment relations and membership for NALP, shared how NALP’s government affairs team is working to secure H-2B visas and protect pesticides usage for landscape professionals.

Photos: Kyle London Photography

10 The Edge // March/April/May 2026

opportunity to explore topics like how their definition of success has evolved, how they measure culture and engage ment, and how they know when to invest in additional hiring and technol ogy during the hot topic roundtable discussions. Groups shared about having to make the hard decision to part ways with long-time employees, how they are nav igating implementing multiple software solutions and when it’s better to simplify. They also covered the importance of leveling up their team members as they scale and the power of surveys for gain ing employee opinions and needs. The event also featured a fundraiser for NALP-PAC where attendees raised $151,000. Leaders Forum was wrapped up with an elegant multi-course wine-pairing dinner led by a certified sommelier. Thank you to our title sponsor, Aspire; our Elite partners, Cat, Stanley Black & Decker and STIHL, as well as our additional partners, Rancho Mesa, 3PG Advisors, Bobyard, Boss by Integra, Kress, Vermeer and Wilson360. TE

on how to approach the impending Great Depression predicted in the 2030s. St. Germain explained that despite some media reports, the economy will grow over the coming years, yet inflation will impact landscape companies’ profit margins unless they are strategic about improving their overall efficiencies. Across the country, population growth is also strong, particularly in Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Idaho, and Utah. He recommended landscape compa nies target these growing regions when considering expansions. St. Germain noted that businesses that have cash on hand in the 2030s will be in a prime position to capitalize on acquir ing businesses that were not prepared for the downturn. Landscape professionals also had the

ð Save the Date Save the date for next year’s Leaders Forum at El Conquistador Resort in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, on Feb. 3-6, 2027.

lead to stagnation. She suggested teams have someone to serve as their devil’s advocate in meetings just to stretch the group’s perspective. The following day, Taylor St. Germain, an economist with ITR Economics, provided an economic outlook for the coming four years as well as his advice

National Association of Landscape Professionals 11

THE NALP EXPERIENCE

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A HIGHER LEVEL OF LEARNING FOR YOUR leadership team, you don’t want to miss out on the NALP Executive Leadership Program, in partnership with UVA Darden School of Business. By Jill Odom Secure Your Seat at the NALP Executive Leadership Program

Leadership Program completed their training in January and left with tangible takeaways and fresh insights on leadership. “The keys to successful negotiations were extremely beneficial and applicable on so many levels,” says Drew Wilson, interim COO and regional vice president for Ryan Lawn & Tree, based in Merriam, Kansas. The Executive Leadership Program is designed to benefit both industry veter ans and rising stars in your organization. “It already made me more confident that I was further along than I thought I was, but it also showed me that I need to continue looking for ways to improve as a leader,” says Eddie Tweedie, branch manager for DLC Resources, based in Phoenix, Arizona. “Remember, it’s an ever-evolving process.” TE

This highly rated program is a trans formative three-day experience that features interactive learning sessions led by Darden’s faculty and peer-to-peer conversations held in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Jan. 11-14, 2027. Session topics include understand ing employee motivation, evaluating financial performance, and exploring incentives and organizational design. Participants enjoy a quality combination of learning from faculty and industry peers. The program is also meant to prompt critical thinking and challenge com monly accepted ideas. Attendees have praised this sold-out program for its thoughtful design, engaging professors, and real-world applications. The second cohort of the Executive

ð Spots are limited! Next year’s program will take place Jan. 11-14, 2027. Register today.

LEARN MORE & REGISTER NOW! landscapeprofessionals.org/fieldtrip

NALP FIELD TRIP AT TIMBERLINE LANDSCAPING > June 17-18, 2026 Colorado Springs, Colorado In partnership with the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado

12 The Edge // March/April/May 2026 5788 NALP Field Trip 2026 8.625x5.625.indd 1

2/2/26 7:26 PM

DID YOU KNOW YOUR MEMBERSHIP COMES WITH FREE ONLINE TRAINING? Every NALP contractor member now has access to the Learning Hub—on-demand courses created by landscape industry experts, built specifically for our industry.

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PROTECTING YOUR BUSINESS

Closing the Gap on Safety Risks for New Hires By Jill Odom

ROUGHLY 35% OF WORK-RELATED INJURIES HAPPEN WITHIN A WORKER’S first year on the job, according to OSHA. There are numerous factors at play as to why new hires are far more likely to get hurt. One is that new employees often have no experience working in the landscape industry and are unfamiliar with the different machinery used on the job.

clear checklist of what constitutes ‘safe work’within your organization, including PPE requirements, proper tool handling, and communication standards,”Clifford says. “Complement this with brief, targeted skill practice and demonstrated safe perfor mance before allowing independent work.” Clifford and Steel agree that supervisors and managers should observe new hires working on a daily basis to guarantee they are working in a safe manner and coach them consistently. There is no one set amount of time it takes before new employees will be able to become comfortable operating safely. Clif ford says while they may start to establish effective habits in two to four weeks, full confidence will take longer. “Timelines vary depending on the complexity of the tasks and the individual’s previous experience,” Clifford says. “Confi dence builds through consistent exposure, constructive feedback, and familiarity with both equipment and workflow.” Steel notes that those who have been trained on various pieces of equipment and have demonstrated their safe oper ation of the equipment will adapt more quickly based on their newly obtained knowledge and skills “It should be remembered that a one time demonstration of safe work habits is not the ‘end all’ solution,” Steel says. “Work ing safely on the job is a daily responsibility for all new hires and their fellow crew members.” Because there is so much for new hires to learn and retain when it comes to working safely, monitor for signs that may indicate an individual needs additional support. This includes making the same mistakes repeatedly despite being coached, proceeding through tasks too quickly, forgetting or not wearing PPE, or exhibiting discomfort or hesitation when operating equipment. “Some new hires may express concern about forgetting the safety procedures they have been trained on, but others are not comfortable admitting that to their supervisors,”Steel says. “Observing them while working will often dictate the need for updated and reinforced safety training.”

COMMON INJURIES AMONG NEW HIRES The most frequent causes of accidents and injuries among new hires stem from a failure to use personal protective equipment or from improper technique/ lack of situational awareness. Steel says eye injuries, permanent hearing loss, and laceration injuries are common as employees fail to protect themselves from excessive noise, flying debris, or objects that can result in head injuries. Clifford notes that for their company, some of the most common injuries among new hires fall into the categories of soft-tis sue injuries, slip, trip and fall accidents and heat-related illnesses. He says the fall incidents are more common in unfamiliar terrain or wet conditions, while heat-relat ed illnesses occur when new hires haven’t learned how to pace themselves, hydrate and recognize early symptoms. Steel adds that recent research on heat illnesses has found that some mental health and cardiac medications increase susceptibility to heat stress. “Leg and back injuries resulting from improper lifting techniques are common when crew members attempt to lift heavy and bulky equipment and materials without proper training and assistance,” Steel says. BUILDING A STRONG FOUNDATION Ensuring new hires know how to work safely starts on day one. “Start with sharing information on company safety policies, safety procedures, and safety practices that are designed to reduce or eliminate hazards in the workplace,”Steel says. “Make sure that new hires have participated in safety awareness training prior to exposures from identified hazardous conditions.” Clifford says during their onboarding, new hires should be taught not only task skills but risk awareness. “Provide new team members with a

“While a new hire may have indicated that they have operated mowers or mate rials handling equipment in the past, the diversity and commercial size differences in machinery and materials may be well past their level of expertise,” says Sam Steel, NALP’s safety advisor. Steel adds some new hires may not place a high priority on safe work practices, while others may be seeking a post-retire ment occupation and their health issues related to aging and existing dependency on medications may negatively impact their ability to safely operate machinery. New employees can also be unaccus tomed to the physical demands and pace of the work. “Even after completing initial training, they often don’t yet have the situation al awareness that experienced team members develop over time, such as the ability to anticipate hazards, recognize risk patterns, and adjust their behavior,”Sean Clifford, senior director of learning & devel opment for Massey Services, Inc., based in Orlando, Florida. “Further, new team mem bers are also reluctant to speak up when unsure, which leads them to push through tasks they don’t fully understand. When you combine inexperience, hesitation to ask questions, and the fast pace of field work, the risk of injury naturally increases.”

14 The Edge // March/April/May 2026

WE’RE FOR EVERY TREE.

SAFETY TRAINING THAT STICKS While safety training is

be mentored on the safe way to perform their work. “The mentor shares and demonstrates work habits on the importance of using proper PPE, operating equipment and tools in a safe manner, and be ing a positive and contributing member of the crew,”Steel says. “It is important for the mentor participanting in a buddy system to set good examples of safe work behaviors at all times.” ADVICE FOR OTHERS Clifford stresses that safety should be a foundational aspect of your culture, not just a checklist. Steel adds that new hires should be aware of and trained on safety interventions before being exposed to any workplace hazards. “It is important that the safety policy statements and safety training be fully docu mented by the company’s HR department and the new hire with a description of the shared information, date of hire/date of training, employee signature, and company representative/ trainer identification,” Steel says. Clifford recommends setting clear expectations and not assuming new employees al ready know certain procedures. “Verify understanding through demonstrations and hands-on practice,” Clifford says. “When organizations consistently implement these practices, new team members become confident, competent, and significantly less likely to experience injuries.” TE

important, it does your new team members no good if it isn’t memorable and engaging. “We avoid lengthy lectures and instead focus on hands-on demonstrations, brief scenar io-based activities, and peer-led discussions,” Clifford says. “New employees tend to engage more effectively when they can see, try, and discuss situations rather than just listening to instructions.” Steel advises having trainers ask trainees to demonstrate the safe work skills, as this often results in long-term adoption of safe work behaviors. Clifford says sharing real, an onymized examples from past incidents also helps make risks more tangible. They also utilize web-based training to intro duce the concepts and define the risks. He says this format is scalable and repeatable across their multiple locations. “Finally, we keep safety messages concise, frequent, and relevant to the day’s tasks,” Clifford says. “When delivered in small, repeated doses, this approach helps reinforce learn ing without overwhelming participants.” Clifford says that rather than relying on a single event, short, focused safety sessions help reinforce habits over time. Another effective training method is to implement the buddy system, where new hires can work alongside a well-ex perienced crew member and

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National Association of Landscape Professionals 15

PEER PERSPECTIVE

Growth with Guardrails: How to Scale Up without Burning Out Your Team

By Jill Odom

RAPID GROWTH CAN BE EXCITING, BUT WITHOUT INTENTIONAL PLANNING and systems in place, you run the risk of eroding your company culture and your quality standards. “Don’t grow for the sake of growing,”Rick Sartori, vice president of East Coast and arbor for Monarch Landscape Companies, based in Los Angeles, California. “Be intentional. Align your client mix, your staffing and processes before you add volume. Listen to the frontline teams.”

back, or uncharacteristic mistakes are all changes they watch for. “We also monitor overtime, turnover patterns, and the overall ‘feel’ of the branch,” Snyder says. “Our managers stay close to their teams, so they often sense strain before it shows up in metrics.” Ian McCarthy, owner of Blue Claw Asso ciates, Inc., based in Osterville, Massachu setts, also recommends keeping a close eye on your team’s work hours. He says they typically work 45 to 55 hours a week in the busy season, but if they hit 60 hours a week, they know everyone is becoming maxed out. ADJUSTING CLIENT MIXES AND SERVICES One way to implement more sustainable growth is to be intentional about your client or service mix. Salsbery says this is something their company is in the process of doing right now. “We are beginning to realize that we need to focus our efforts on a specific cli ent that requires a specific level of service – and tailoring our services to meet those needs,” Salsbery says. Sweeney says once they began scaling, they focused on commercial maintenance services and will continue to do so in the future. Sartori says they are regularly evaluating their client base to ensure they are focused on accounts that align with their team, their capacity, geographic footprint and services. “In some cases, we’ve even looked at low-performing, low-margin work or work that’s maybe out of the geographic foot print that we maybe took on at some point just to build some volume,”Sartori says. “We look at is that disrupting the team’s ability to deliver on scope? We’ll look at maybe moving on from those opportunities just to protect the team and free up some capacity for more strategic type clients that they can focus on.” Snyder says when one of their branches reaches a size or geographic footprint that starts to stretch the team’s bandwidth or

EARLY WARNING SIGNS Sartori notes it’s critical to protect your culture because once burnout sets in, it’s hard to undo. Paying attention to behavioral and emotional indicators from your team members can serve as an early warning sign of burnout. “If we notice a team member who may seem more stressed, frustrated, or possessing a different tone than normal, we ask difficult questions to determine what’s going on,”says Allen Sweeney, CEO of APHIX, LLC, based in Frankfort, Kentucky. “Everyone has a life outside of APHIX and sometimes that causes stress at work, and sometimes it’s the other way around. We genuinely try to foster an environment that allows both to flourish.” Snyder says decreased engagement, gaps in communication, customer feed

Teams can become stressed when pushed to meet challenging client de mands and schedules without the proper amount of staffing. Amy Snyder, director of public relations for Ruppert Landscape, based in Laytonsville, Maryland, says rapid growth can put pressure on the team to maintain their high standards of quality while training team members. “We pride ourselves on delivering con sistent service to our customers, so when new work comes in quickly, the team feels the responsibility of keeping that promise while onboarding new employees and integrating new customers.” Austin Salsbery, branch manager for Milosi, based in Hendersonville, Tennessee, says finding the right people to continue to fill their accountability chart is one of their biggest stressors.

Photos: Monarch Landscape Companies

16 The Edge // March/April/May 2026

managing, we can act accordingly and get somebody in the door to help build out that capacity.” Milosi fills seats in relation to their rev enue goals. Salsbery says this allows their finance department to approve budgets and help them prioritize what seats are most important to fill first. McCarthy says one strategy they use is if they have a project where they don’t have a crew that can take it on, but they have applicants who want to work with them, they will split up the top two employees on one crew and put them on their own crews, and then add additional labor for them to spread the load across their crews. Work can become even more over whelming for employees if burnout causes some of your top performers to leave. When growth creates opportunity, it is key to reward these individuals by allowing them to rise through the ranks. “We find that top performers love an environment that is rapidly changing and growing,”Salsbery says. “The key is delegat ing responsibilities to our top performers at the right time. This acts like fuel and helps them learn a new skill or grow in another area of the business.” Sartori says providing stretch oppor tunities without overwhelming team members is one way to continue to help top performers feel valued. “Many of our leaders started in the field and grew with us,”Snyder says. “We also emphasize pay transparency, competitive benefits, performance bonuses, and an environment where people feel connected to the culture.” Sweeney adds that while competitive pay and benefits are necessary, you need to live out a company culture people want to be a part of. IMPLEMENTING SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES Before you start growing rapidly, make sure

impact response times they will proactively split it to create a new branch. “This helps maintain our culture, preserve strong customer relationships, and give emerging leaders room to grow,” Snyder says. For more short-term challenges, Mc Carthy says they’ll move teams around to support crews that are already overworked. PROACTIVE HIRING AND RETAINING TOP PERFORMERS If you want to protect your team from burnout, you can’t wait until workloads are unsustainable for your current crews. Sweeney says previously, they would hire once a role was needed, and the team was stretched thin. Now, they’ve started to hire for where the business will be in the next six to 12 months. Snyder says they monitor labor ratios, overtime trends, job costing, and customer needs closely so they hire proactively and meet those demands before the strain is too much for their teams. “Our field leaders play a big role in that process, providing real-time feedback on crew capacity and are quick to flag when their teams are nearing their limits,” Snyder says. “By combining data with on the-ground insight, we can plan staffing needs ahead of time and avoid the cycle of over-hiring and seasonal layoffs that’s common in our industry.” Sartori says some of their leading indi cators include backlog growth, overtime trends with hourly employees, crew utiliza tion, onboarding timelines and overall cli ent demands. He says they start backfilling additional capacity before employees get overwhelmed. “We’re always building a bench strength of A-player type candidates,” Sartori says. “That way, we’re ahead of the curve. If our leading indicators are telling us that this individual is getting a little bit overloaded in the amount of revenue that they’re

Photos: (Top left) Milosi (Top right and bottom) Ruppert Landscape

you have a strong organizational structure with clear roles and responsibilities. “In order to successfully scale, team members need to be trusted to do their part so that the entire business can move forward,”Sweeney says. “We find that when there is a weak or missing link and others have to fill dual roles, that’s when people get frustrated and burned out.” Sartori agrees that burnout often occurs when individuals are wearing too many hats. “We’re continually making sure that each person owns a piece of that business, whether it’s operations, sales or management, so that everybody has a key piece in that role, and there’s not too much overlap,” Sartori says. “The more overlap we have and people managing through those three key components of the business, the more people are spin ning out of control.” Snyder says consistent communication rhythms like daily huddles, weekly staff meetings, and monthly reviews keep everyone informed and connected. Mean while, their strong onboarding and training

National Association of Landscape Professionals 17

PEER PERSPECTIVE

from working from daylight to dark like many landscape companies do in the early days. “We adopted a 4-day work week many years ago and have found that it really helps to mitigate burnout,”Sweeney says. “Weather plays an impact from week to week, but this schedule really helps man agers and crews manage burnout.” Additionally, when managers take the time to express their appreciation in vari ous ways, this can boost employee morale. Salsbery says their management team will organize events throughout the summer months to break up the grind. “We might end the day early and meet back at our shop to grill out for dinner or have a food truck stop by,”Salsbery says. “This gives our team something to look forward to and gets their minds off of their work for a bit.” At Ruppert, one branch level event they host is ‘Branchgiving,’where teams gather for food and fun and receive a turkey to take home to their family. “Building these strong relationships ensures that when challenges arise, team members have a supportive network to rely on,” Snyder says. TE

setting realistic expectations and fostering a team environment where employees feel supported. “I coach the managers to stay hands-on with their people, not micromanaging, but just be engaged,” Sartori says. “That means monitoring their workloads week ly. And that can come up through branch meetings or their one-on-ones, knowing when to jump into support crews during peak periods. I want my managers to reassure their teams that if they need to jump in to help out and support the team, that it’s a team effort, and they feel like they’ve got the support from upper management.” Sartori recommends managers review employee PTO balances to see who is banking them up. “I want to make sure that we’re keeping our ax sharpened and if someone’s got 200 PTO hours, their ax is probably not too sharp,”Sartori says. “We’re encouraging people to take PTO.” Snyder agrees that managers should redistribute workloads when needed and encourage employees to take time off during slower periods. Sweeney says they’ve moved away

programs allow new hires to acclimate and become productive quickly. Salsbery says optimizing your technol ogy stack can also take care of simple and mundane processes, allowing your team to do more of what they love.

MANAGERS’ ROLE IN MITIGATING STRESS

Managers can also make a major difference when it comes to preventing burnout by

 KEY TAKEAWAYS ■ Watch for behavior shifts,

print work, and consider structural moves like splitting branches when teams are stretched too thin. ■ Proactive staffing, strong organizational charts and involved managers call all reduce burnout risk and make scaling up smoother.

tone, mistakes and a lack of engagement for early warning signs of burnout. Also monitor hard metrics like overtime and weekly hours. ■ Protect your capacity by being more selec tive. Tighten your ideal client/service mix, drop low-margin/out-of-foot

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Pinkster™

18 The Edge // March/April/May 2026

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BUILDING YOUR TEAM

From Paperwork to People: How to Upgrade Your Onboarding Experience

By Jill Odom

ONBOARDING NEW HIRES IS A TIME-CONSUMING TASK, BUT IT IS ALSO ONE of the most critical aspects of new hire engagement and satisfaction. “New hires will decide whether to stay or leave a company within the first 30-90 days, and we realized that onboarding is one of the few moments in the employee life cycle where we could make a disproportionate impact – quickly,” says Jennifer Jones, director of national recruiting for Mariani Premier Group, headquartered in Lake Bluff, Illinois.

some help getting this done,” Haugen says. “We collect their I-9 documents, review their job descriptions, and then go through some history about the com pany, our core values, mission, and vision statements, and how they relate to their specific role.” In the past, when new hires came to the office to fill out their paperwork, Haugen would show them around, then they’d meet with the operations manager before going out with the crews the next day. Now, on the first day they’re introduced to team members and trained to use the HRIS and Aspire. “We found that having the employee come in and complete their paperwork as part of the orientation was not only bor ing for all involved, but it also created an environment where our recruiter or other HR employee sat and watched the new hire complete their paperwork rather than creating an opportunity for engagement,” Haugen says. “Unless a new hire needs assistance completing this paperwork, we want them to complete it at home so we can make the process more conversation al when they are in person.” Jones says they’ve integrated their benefits, payroll, recruiting and onboard

“That showed me that even with a solid, traditional foundation, we were missing some early clarity and connec tion,” Perez says. “That was my cue to redesign onboarding to be more human and clearer from day one.”

Carly Haugen, CPO for Prescription Landscape, based in Saint Paul, Minneso ta, says they restructured their onboarding after she found in their data on employee turnover rates and exit interviews that they were having problems during the first 30 to 45 days of employment. “I determined that the handoff from HR to production is where a lot of communi cation breakdown occurred, so I decided to streamline our processes across man agers and each of our branch locations,” Haugen says. Shantel Perez, employee success spe cialist with K&D Landscaping, Inc., based in Watsonville, California, says it became apparent they needed to improve their onboarding experience when she noticed many new hires were asking the same types of questions in their first few weeks, such as how things worked, who to go to, and what their opportunities were with the company.

STREAMLINE THE PAPERWORK PROCESS

One of the time-intensive aspects of the traditional onboarding process is handling the necessary paperwork. Standardizing and digitizing this experience allows orientation to focus more on the human aspect of onboarding. Haugen says they’ve switched entirely to paperless in their human resources information system and send a link to new hires to complete all their paperwork prior to their orientation day. “Typically, when a new hire comes in, they have completed their paperwork or have communicated that they need

Photo: Mariani Premier Group

20 The Edge // March/April/May 2026

their job. We have an extraordinary story to share at The Mariani Premier Group.” Mariani Premier Group’s new hires start learning their technical skills within the first week. Jones says they utilize short videos and reference guides to help expedite learning, while they hold larger training sessions for labor roles on safety and proper equipment operation. Haugen says because they want their new hires to love working at Prescription Landscape as much as they do, they strive to avoid information overload on the first day and break things down into smaller sessions. “Rather than having the new team member go out with the crews the next day, we assign them paid safety training modules that must be completed before they come back,” Haugen says. Haugen says the new hire completes these models at home via Greenius mod ules and contacts their supervisor once they are finished. “The supervisor then schedules time with the new hire to come in and complete field checklists on the training they just completed online,” Haugen says. “This ensures that the new team member is comfortable operating our specific equipment and following safety standards specific to Prescription Landscape.” By having the employee complete the modules first, Haugen says they learn more about the employee and how they learn best. “Not everyone learns from mod ule-based trainings, so some people need more hands-on training than others,” Haugen says. “By making the process tai lored to the individual, we can make sure that each employee gets what they need during their first few days with us.” TE

ing process. “Onboarding is not just about HR, vid eos, benefits, and checklists; it is about manager connection and role clarity,” Jones says. “Employees of ten leave a company because they do not feel connected to their manager or job. Managers should have regular check-ins, provide feedback, set clear job expectations and first 30-day goals, and celebrate early progress. It is important for HR to collaborate with managers to set expectations and provide training.” Perez says they pair their new hires with strong team members, encourage open communication and conduct regular check-ins. Mariani Premier Group also helps new hires feel connected by partnering them with a buddy. “As a new hire, people do not al ways feel comfortable going to their manager with small questions, and a peer mentor can be a great resource for new employees,” Jones says. “It also re duces isolation, creates personal connec tion, and can lead to faster ramp up.” Additionally, new hires with Mariani Premier Group can access their intranet site, which includes links to Mariani Uni versity, company blogs, podcasts, and NALP membership. They can also explore peer groups like plant buyers or design round tables, so they feel more connected. BALANCE CULTURE AND TECHNICAL TRAINING Another aspect that should be fine-tuned with your onboarding is striking the right balance between providing the necessary technical training and helping new hires understand your company culture. “We introduce technology and software systems, like Greenius, right alongside our core values and 30 Funda mentals,” Perez says. “From day one, we also talk about growth programs and training opportunities. We want new hires to understand that we work hard here but we value our people just as much. Skills can be taught. Culture comes first.” Jones agrees that culture should be introduced early on. “It is important for new hires to un derstand the legacy of Frank Mariani and how we are all sitting here today,” Jones says. “It is also equally important to un derstand the journey we are on and the leaders and associates that are making this possible. Employees, more than ever, need to feel a deeper connection beyond

ing to Workday, which has allowed them to manage the employee experience all from one place. Previously, the onboard ing process varied among their partner companies. “We collaborated with our HR depart ments to evaluate all onboarding process es and selected those we felt would drive the best candidate experience,” Jones says. “We implemented best practices by creating an onboarding playbook for each hire scenario: rehire, promotion, new hire hourly or salary, intern. This was a big starting point for us to ensure candidates receive the right onboarding and training support for their role.” Jones adds that standardizing has allowed them to minimize their paper and manual processes, going from nearly 100% manual in the beginning to almost 100% digital today. “We have seen significant improve ments in our month-over-month turn over as well as a decrease in the time required to onboard a new employee,” Jones says. CREATE CONNECTIONS FOR NEW HIRES Perez says their previous onboarding process covered the essentials and served as a strong foundation, but now it is more people-focused. “It includes a genuine get to know you questionnaire, introduction to our culture and 30 fundamentals, team introductions, system trainings, ride-alongs, scheduled check-ins,” Perez says. “It’s no longer ‘sign your paperwork and good luck’ it’s a guid ed and supported experience.” Perez says they’ve seen stronger reten tion past the 90-day mark, a decrease in turnover and higher confidence among their new hires, who feel supported rather than thrown into the fire. Haugen says that spending time with the new hires and getting to know them during the orientation process has had the greatest impact on their employee retention. “When you hire 50 or more new people in a season, it can be challenging to make sure you remember everyone and something about them, but it truly makes a difference,” Haugen says. Prescription Landscape’s managers reach out to new hires on the first day with a welcome message as well as their contact information so they know who to contact when they are done with their training. Jones says it’s extremely important for managers to be engaged in the onboard

 KEY TAKEAWAYS ■ The first 30 to 90 days make or break retention, which is why your on boarding process should be strong, structured

■ Consistent check-ins,

clear role expectations, and buddy systems have the greatest impact on engagement. duce culture early while pacing technical training see stronger confidence and performance from new hires.

■ Companies that intro

and help employees feel welcome from day one. ■ Moving administrative

tasks to digital formats allows onboarding to focus on people, not paperwork.

National Association of Landscape Professionals 21