Press

Over the last several years, I have spent extensive time talking with landscape industry leaders, networking at conferences and attending educational events. I have discovered there is one metric that every highly profitable company tracks, and that’s labor hour variance. Payroll, and direct production payroll, is the number one expense on most of our P&Ls, (with the exception of some subcontractor-heavy companies). Labor variance is critical; it’s going to tell you how well you’re doing or how poorly you’re operating.

Communities and residents are paying attention to their
landscapes now more than ever. California’s persistent
drought and the desire to be more sustainable are key
factors when changes need to be made. Climate change has
accentuated landscape challenges by creating dramatic and
forceful swings in weather events including, most recently,
destructive climatic rivers wreaking havoc throughout much of
California and the western states.

Do you ever find yourself reaching the end of the day and wondering where all the time went? If you said yes, you are not alone. It is a constant battle in our life; how do we get more done in less time and still achieve the results we desire in our business and personal life? If you can spare six minutes to read this article and implement a few strategies, I guarantee you will see an improvement in your time management this year.

Sometimes mandatory safety training can feel like just going through the motions, says Justin White, CEO of K&D Landscaping in Santa Cruz, Calif.

As part of his company’s efforts to change that sentiment, White and his team give employees interactive training at an event he calls Raise the Bar.

In last month’s article, I hit briefly on the idea of having a vision for your company and how beneficial that can be. Now let’s dive into what a vision entails and how to create one. The start of a new year is a great opportunity to refresh and define your company vision. Some of the benefits of a strong vision include improved employee recruitment and retention, reduced team stress, increased productivity and better decision making. A clear path helps to motivate and inspire your team. This vision may also be shared outside your company to candidates, vendors, suppliers, clients and the general community. The more your stakeholders understand where your company is going, the better. This way, they can assist you in getting there.

As a leader, I strive to provide positive feedback for my team to inspire and motivate, but sometimes reality ends up the opposite. Demanding deadlines and busy schedules can often limit us to spot-checking work and only pointing out the problems. This perception of constant focus on obstacles and issues can lead your team to burnout, feeling unappreciated and a sense of defeat. Is it not your intent to have them feel like their work is never good enough? Neither is mine. I’d like to share beneficial ways to boost positive employee engagement and improve your chances of success for the future.

Firstly, I want to thank Brian Horn, editor of Lawn & Landscape, for presenting the opportunity to share my story through this monthly column and bring my dream to a reality. I remember as a kid reading this magazine in my father’s office and imagining how awesome it would be if I could one day be a columnist. I think it’s important to explain why I have committed to writing this column, as it all ties back to our purpose at my company K&D Landscaping, which is to raise the bar in the landscape industry.

Juan Herrera has been busy since he graduated from Watsonville High School in 2021.

After landing a job with K&D Landscaping while still in school, Herrera rose through the ranks, starting in the maintenance crew and working on larger residential and commercial projects. During his time at K&D, he discovered his love of construction management, which he is now pursuing through an internship with Granite Construction.