Thanks to Heritage Landscape Supply Group for sponsoring this year’s program


One of the big differences he saw between smaller


and larger landscaping companies is the effort the own- er made in keeping conversation open with management and crews. With a team of about 20 employees, he needed to learn from larger companies if he wanted to continue growing.


“Once you get to a certain size, the owner can’t be the


“It was really interesting to me to see these guys for the first time take interest and pride in what they were doing.”


– Bradley Hill, Par 3 Landscape Management


operator,” he says. “It’s difficult when you have to take that step away to be the owner. You’ve got to communicate your intentions to the operator. I’m really big on having a chain of command.” Tat started with making changes to the way Walker


hired for upper-level management. Instead of just looking for industry experience, he made it a point to look for people who had a past in management and who shared his priorities as a manager. Creating that kind of a company culture challenges


the way that many owners see themselves as leaders, he says. He gives the example of a rock band, where it’s easy for many leaders to think of themselves as the person in front, singing to the crowd. But the reality is actually the opposite, he says. “If we’re a rock group, I’m the drummer; I’m not the


lead singer,” Walker says. “I keep the beat. I set the tone and the rhythm.” It doesn’t always feel as flashy, but being the person who’s available to make sure the teams have what they need both in terms of equipment and office support gives crews the best chance to give their best per- formance. Once he’s shown his team how to do things, he does his best to step back and trust them to do the work. “I allow them to make decisions and make mistakes,


and we’ll learn from them,” Walker says. “I can’t be the one making all the decisions, because I’ll never get any- thing done.” Part of the communication work he does is sharing the


company’s victories, such as letting the whole team know when Pate has been selected for a project even when it’s not the lowest bidder. For Walker, that shows the payoff of hard work that builds a reputation in the community. “I want to share that what they’re doing matters,” he says. When there are mistakes in the field, he tries to look at them as teachable moments. Rather than a yelling match, he and a manager will work with the crew to talk about what went wrong in a situation and how it should be re- solved differently the next time around. For Walker, it comes down to trying to keep in mind


that sometimes his crews might not have the same life experience that he’s had in his career. “As long as they’re honest and nobody was doing things maliciously, we can grow from that,” he says. “I’ve seen those employees that make those early mistakes, and when you let them know, they fix it. Some of those guys have been with me for years.”


The Career Counselor


Kevin Tucker, owner of Aqua-Bright Irrigation & Illu- mination LLC in Sykesville, Maryland, started his career in irrigation as a crew member using a trencher, which is why he feels confident in telling his team that he under- stands their day-to-day work.


34 Irrigation & Lighting Summer 2022


“My first job was to level out the trenches and dig un- der the sidewalk all day,” he says. “Whenever I ask my guys to do something, it’s not something I’ve never done myself.” Tucker began working on developing career paths for


his employees as one initiative to help bring on and main- tain new help in the past few years to mitigate the over- whelming amount of new work in the market. Finding experienced irrigation and lighting technicians seemed impossible without poaching from other


established


companies. He hired a business coach to help develop strategies and made the decision to start hiring for atti- tude and work ethic rather than experience. “Our whole ethos is that we’re here to help,” he says.


“So we’re looking for people with that personality type.” Once a potential employee makes it past that check-


point, the field opens up even more. During the onboard- ing process, Tucker talks with employees about joining one of two main tracks that are available: customer ser- vice or technician. Both learn about installation and trou- bleshooting techniques, but each path is set up to meet employees’ different work styles. Some employees thrive in connecting with customers, while others want to just focus on fixing the issue in front of them. Both are im- portant to the company’s success as a whole, he says. “We lay out the possible career paths and the salaries


and different bonus programs we have available,” he says. “We put the steps in front of them and say, ‘Here’s the opportunity. What do you think?’ And we’ve had a really good response to this.” Te employee turnover at Aqua-Bright has gone down


considerably since building in the career path program. In the past, employees would sometimes jump to another position at a competitor for an addition 50 cents an hour. “If the employee felt like there was nowhere for them to grow in our company, 50 cents just seems like a good deal,” he says. But now there’s a clear path forward to make crew work into more than just showing up for a job. His team does a quarterly check-in with each employee to make certain they’re staying engaged and on track with goals. “It’s been a big catalyst for us. Everybody’s on board and the quality of work has gone up.” Te quarterly reviews have also helped Tucker find


new ways for his employees to expand their training and learn what they’re interested in. As his crew members started to see that there was more opportunity for a full career in the field, they requested additional education, he says. It’s also clarified team roles and helped each member understand what their particular role supports and why it matters.


“Everybody wants to know where they stand. Everybody wants to know what they can do to grow and progress.”


– Kevin Tucker, Aqua-Bright Irrigation & Illumination LLC


irrigationandlighting.org


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