THE NALPEXPERIENCE
Meet Brandon Sheppard, 2021 Advocacy Award Winner
By Jill Odom
THE 2021 ADVOCACY AWARD was presented to Brandon Sheppard at NALP’s final LANDSCAPES event on Wednesday, Oct. 20. This award is presented to an individual who has dedicated their time and efforts to go above and beyond to help represent and defend the inter- ests of our industry at the local, state and national levels. “I was really touched and honored,” Sheppard says. “It was great to have my parents be there and my wife.” He says he was thoroughly surprised when he received the award, as people who are working in the advocacy space are really passionate about what they do and they’re not doing it with an award in mind. Sheppard is a Weed Man franchisor in the Mid-Atlantic and served as Chair of NALP’s Government Affairs Council from 2018-2020. The Government Af- fairs Council advances and defends the business interests and reputation of the industry in the government affairs and public affairs channels, working collaboratively with allied individuals and groups. Sheppard is also a current
36 The Edge //January/February 2022 NALP Board Member.
Sheppard says that advocacy is im- portant because it protects landscape professionals’ ability to operate their businesses the way they need to. “Advocacy isn’t just about regula-
tions,” Sheppard says. “It’s also about public perception, helping people to better understand the real value that our work brings to human health, in air and water quality, abating some of the challenges of climate change, and helping to absorb carbon near where it’s generated.”
Originally from Ontario, Canada, Sheppard started working for Weed Man part-time in 2000 with his family and then joined full-time in 2004. With his father and brother, they have cre- ated one of the largest, ‘small market’ offices in the Weed Man system. Since joining the Weed Man team, he has helped develop the brand strategy for the franchise, promoting the company throughout the Southeastern United States. Prior to joining Weed Man full-time, Sheppard earned his Juris Doctor- ate from the West Virginia University
College of Law. Sheppard says his law background has helped him articulate, advocate and not be intimidated when he’s sitting in a Senate office. “It helps, but it’s not critical,” he says.
“There are some super effective advo- cates in our industry who don’t have law degrees.” Sheppard is extremely active when it comes to advocacy, defending programs like H-2B, even when his company doesn’t participate in the program. He says this is because landscape professionals are all in the same boat and he needs H-2B users’ voices to support lawn care companies on fertilizer and pesticide issues. “If I want to call on them for their support I need to give my energies to their initiatives as well,” Sheppard says. He adds that with the current labor climate, the lack of guest workers is impacting the broader labor pool in a far more acute manner than it ever has before. “While I may not be an H-2B user, I benefit from those H-2B workers being in America because it allows us to hire other people, and not compete with our
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