CultivatingLoyalty COVERSTORY


Recruiting


and Retaining Long-Term Employees By Jill Odom


QUALITY EMPLOYEES ARE FANTASTIC, BUT THOSE WHO STAY WITH YOUR lawn or landscape company long-term are the Holy Grail of team members. These individuals can provide operational consistency to your clients and develop a wealth of knowledge and experience.


Misty Gil, recruiting specialist and com- pany ambassador for Myatt Landscaping & Construction, based in Fuquay-Varina,


specialis yatt L


onstr in Fuquay-V ina,


Misty G y am


North Carolina, notes some of their main- tenance managers have been overseeing the same properties for their entire careers at Myatt. “They know the location of irrigation valves, can anticipate recurring insect pop- ulations and seasonal challenges, and have established strong relationships with our clients,” Gil says.


valv , can anticipate rec


ulations and seasonal ch established str


Chad Sikes,


CEO/partner at CityGreen Services, based in Chatta- nooga, Tennessee, notes their spring ramp-up period is faster with the same


C b no no


ram faste


of their routes. 22 The Edge //March/April 2025


crew leaders and labor staff year over year, and crews off the


crew staff yff


ews take ownership


Chris Joyce, president of Joyce Landscaping, Inc., based in Marstons Mills, Massachusetts, adds that adds that everything is firing on all cylinders when you have great players on the team for a long time. Joyce says 50% of his workforce has been with the company for 10 years or more, and 18% have been with him for 20 years or more. “Instead of bringing a new candidate


in and trying to bring them up to speed with our mission and our goal, it’s just like a marriage,” says Nick Klotz, president of Exec- utive Property Management of Michigan, LLC, based in Jackson, Michigan. “You just build on it over time, and it just gets stron- ger and stronger if done correctly.” Tim Lake, president of T. Lake Environ- mental Design, based in Dublin, Georgia, says their long-term employees can also pass on institutional knowledge to younger employees who have joined the organization. “From the tactical to the stuff that’s just


in heart, it’s super valuable,” Lake says. “It’s priceless.”


Myatt Landscaping & Construction celebrates employees who have reached significant anniversaries.


Myatt also has a wall of fame featuring their loyal employees.


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  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40