BUSINESS FORECAST
to deal with labor shortages. And, moving into the 2019 spring and summer seasons, some are fine-tuning those practices to continue improving efficiencies so they can do more work with less manpower. Keith Hitch, account manager and supervisor, Bella Terra Landscapes, Dover, Delaware, oversees the company’s maintenance division, which includes 25 employees. The business reduced crew size down from three to two workers, and Hitch says the smaller teams are actually more productive. “This has worked out well when we compare the time and man-hours,” he says, noting that careful routing also helps keep production profitable. “It’s nice to get the full potential out of your employees, especially when you are having to pay them higher wages even compared to last year’s pay,” Hitch adds. “We want to be a well-oiled machine so we can continue to grow, so that involves tightening up our systems—looking at our estimated man-hours vs. actual and making adjustments,” Hitch continues, relating that customers received price increases if necessary. “We need to be sure we are actually profitable with all of our accounts. We can’t afford to work for free.” At HighGrove Partners in Austell, Georgia, CEO Jim McCutcheon says his business is building its own routing
solution. “If I can find ways to save labor where I don’t have to take [workers] off of properties, I do,” he says. “This is a big move for us, along with deploying different
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NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONALS
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CONNECTING WITH SCHOOLS
“WE ARE WORKING WITH COLLEGES AND HIGH SCHOOLS TO MAKE SURE STUDENTS ARE AWARE OF
OPPORTUNITIES IN THE LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY SO THEY REALIZE THEY CAN HAVE A CAREER IF THEY WORK HARD.”
—FRANK MARIANI JR., MARIANI LANDSCAPE
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