search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
LETTER FROM


LETTER FROM THE CE


CEO


Thoughts on COVID-19, Being Essential and Lessons Learned


WHEN YOU START A PIECE ABOUT CORONAVIRUS, YOU are easily tempted to use phrases like “These are unprecedented times…” or “Never in human history…”. I prefer to take the tact that we have a big situation we are having to deal with, and so far, our industry has been more than up to the task. As a new member of this industry I have been fortunate to observe the COVID-19 crisis as both an insider on the front lines, but also as an outsider who has only been in the industry for a few months. I can tell you one thing I have gathered from both of those perspectives: this industry is going to be fine, moreover it may excel from the lessons we have all learned over the past several weeks.


One thing we have learned over the past several weeks is that our industry is essential. I know this is something that we have always believed, but in mid to late March the Department of Homeland Security verified it. So, what does it mean to be essential, and how can we live up to being essential? Well it


means that the work you do is very important, but I believe in this time it is more about how you do the work that makes this industry essential. You have to be professionals, which means being safe, making the neces- sary changes to keep our team members and our customers out of harm’s way and being overly cautious with the health and well-being of everyone we come into contact with. Now having spent a good deal of time with this industry’s leaders, I know this comes naturally to all of you, however you must remain vigilant and stay safe. Speaking of the industry’s leaders, I have been fortunate the past several weeks to host the new “Big Green Podcast,” where I get to spend about 15 to 20 minutes talking to some of this industry’s best and brightest leaders about how they are handling the COVID-19 situation. I have also spent time with other industry


leaders in less formal settings, again hearing how they are handling the situation. What I have captured from those con- versations I have boiled down to a few lessons learned for you to consider:


Most of the leaders are sce- nario planning on a regular ba- sis, always planning for different scenarios that might occur and how they will react to them. Many have cited the time that they have paid prior to this crisis where they developed their people as some of the most valuable time they spent. They have seen their team members rise to new heights and were glad that they had invested in them prior to this crisis.


Nearly all have spoken of new ideas they can use in the future such as having teams show up in small shifts, instead of all once, new ways of teleworking and the critical need to always be planning for the unexpected. Let me leave you with this, you are part of an essential in- dustry that is going to continue to grow and change. Make sure you are preparing, staying pro- fessional and most importantly, staying safe.


Britt Wood, CEO


6 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2020


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36