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Holiday greetings Landscape Industry Certified professionals! Kick off 2012 with your latest issue of Inside Certification. New Year goals:
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New Honor Wall of Landscape Industry Certified
Look for your name online. PLANET now lists active Landscape Industry Certified individuals on its Web site. Located in the certification section of LandCareNetwork.org, the Honor Wall of Landscape Industry Certified features active certificants throughout the world. If your name is missing from the Honor Wall, contact PLANET regarding your recertification.
Good-through date December 2011?
If your PLANET certification good-through date on your wallet card is December 31, 2011, you are due to recertify. Please submit your CEU Submission Form to PLANET today to maintain your certification and listing on the new Honor Wall of Landscape Industry Certified.
To recertify, you’ll need to report 24 CEUs from 2010 and 2011. CEUs can be earned in a number of ways, from reading books and magazines, listening to live recordings of Green Industry Conference (GIC) educational sessions, to attending in-house training, events, and webinars that are green industry or job related. Use the Recertification Requirements Sheet as your guide to filling out your CEU Submission Form.
For more information, visit the Recertification Center, contact PLANET’s certification team at certification@landcarenetwork.org, or call (800) 395-2522. Please note that if your good-through date is 2010 or earlier, contact the certification team immediately to reinstate your certification.
Certification makes a “big” difference
 YardApes sports five Landscape Industry Certified professionals. They are (L-R) Shayne Newman, Landscape Industry Certified Manager & Technician, and Roberto Angulo, Greg Malmberg, Greg Kaiser, and Isauro Vargas, all Landscape Industry Certified Technicians. |
Ten years ago, Shayne Newman, Landscape Industry Certified Manager & Technician, decided he needed more career-minded employees to facilitate growth. To find them, the owner of YardApes in New Milford, Connecticut, pinned his hopes on PLANET’s certification program. Since then, four of his employees have become certified and 10 others are in various stages of the certification process.
“Certification is something that allows me to define and set the standard for what I want from employees,” says Newman. “To be certified means unequivocally that we are safer, more knowledgeable, more efficient, and more productive. I can say with confidence that once they become certified, our employees are professionals who absolutely understand the proper management and care of property, execute quality work, and are dedicated to safe practices.
“Internally, the certification is a great motivator. It’s an incentive for growth and development that benefits the individual employee, the company as a whole, and, of course, the client.”
Making it happen
How does Newman encourage his employees to become certified? As he explains, YardApes promotes a learning culture. It takes advantage of systems that provide focus and help employees with personal goal setting, the foundation of which is Ape Achievements. Landscape Industry Certified Testing makes up approximately 75 percent of the Ape Achievements program; the rest derives from learning a second language, passing a truck and trailer test, and gaining various state licenses, among reaching other defined goals.
“Becoming certified takes an average of two years of education and testing,” Newman relates. “That can be daunting. Employees are rewarded a 10 cents per hour raise for passing a module and a 75 cents per hour raise when they successfully complete a certification category.
“We chart every employee’s Achievements program standing on a grid in our shop. Having the grid in plain view creates healthy competition. Because a monetary incentive is associated with every achievement, employees are in charge of their own paychecks. As a result, we see improved self-esteem, healthy competition, and pride in those who continue to master the tests and certifications.”
Employees also have a “literal” investment, he notes. They pay for their exams, but are reimbursed in full upon completion. In support of their efforts, YardApes arranges transportation to the New Jersey testing site, and the company owner attends the testing when work permits.
Difference maker
Newman is convinced the Landscape Industry Certified Technician and Manager classifications build client trust and help set his company apart from the other landscape firms in his market. Even though not every client understands the time and commitment requirements for becoming certified, he believes that most realize there is value in hiring a landscape firm that has credentialed employees on board.
To increase awareness about the certification program, the PLANET certification logo appears on his company marketing pieces, Web site, invoices, and client proposals. Also, he includes a customized Landscape Industry Certified tri-fold brochure in presentation folders used when presenting bids to prospective clients. In addition, as each employee becomes certified, the company sends out a news release to area newspapers in recognition of the achievement.
Certification has even more internal value for his company, Newman emphasizes. “Yes, it provides structure for career-minded employees, but it also allows management to see which employees struggle with aspects of the test modules. That information helps define employees’ strengths and determine if they are in the right niche within the company.”
Even though this owner sees certification as a point of difference, it doesn’t deter him from wanting other landscape contractors, including competitors, from joining the certification ranks. “One of my real passions is to help elevate our industry’s perception, says Newman. “The surest means to that end is in raising the level of professionalism. PLANET’s certification program provides this framework. I would love to see certified and credentialed landscape professionals be the norm within our industry rather than the exception to the rule.” As he attests, certification makes a big difference in many, many ways.
Certification highlights at GIC
- Landscape Industry Certified was highly visible at the recent Green Industry Conference (GIC) in Louisville, Kentucky. From display banners at the headquarters hotel and the expo center to the back of room key cards, the certified logo and messaging was loud and clear. New apparel on display at the PLANET booth continues to be available for purchase and can be customized with the Landscape Industry Certified logo. To order your apparel with certified logo and take advantage of a special discount through January 31, 2012, contact PLANET at (800) 395-2522 and mention discount code INC12, or download the order form.
- GIC and GIE+EXPO attendees were treated to the new video about the Landscape Industry Certified Technician-Exterior program. The video, which was featured in the summer issue of Inside Certification, drew a constant stream of onlookers. As a certified professional, don’t miss the opportunity to talk up the program to your colleagues and customers with the contractor and consumer version of this video produced by the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) and supported by PLANET.
- Congratulations to Martha Hill, Hinds Community College, Raymond, Mississippi, who received recognition and a plaque at GIC during the International Certification Council (ICC) meeting for her long-running role as its Exam Development Subcommittee chair.
- At the ICC meeting during GIC, David F. Hupman, Jr., Landscape Industry Certified Manager & Technician, chair-elect of the ICC, recognized and thanked the 12 subject matter experts who worked as item writers on the new Lawn Care Technician-National exam. They are Robert Windish; Skip Thompson, Landscape Industry Certified Manager & Technician; Jeffrey Lowartz, Landscape Industry Certified Technician; Fred Haskett, Landscape Industry Certified Manager; Bill Hoopes; Phyllis Hodge; Tom Bechtel; Rick LaNore; Ted Wales; Bruce Sheppard; Chris Senske; and Robert Mann. Windish, Haskett, Thompson, and Lowartz were on hand to receive their certificates of appreciation.
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Testing opportunities for 2012
Looking to add a certification in 2012 or to encourage your colleagues to become certified? Knowing your testing options is an important part of your certification plan. Check out the testing page on PLANET’s Web site for the latest testing opportunities throughout the country, including computer-based testing. Visit often for frequent updates and new test dates.
Check out former ICC Chair Joel Hafner’s story on GreenIndustryPros.com. “How to Turn Employees into Leaders” was the latest in a series of articles featuring Landscape Industry Certified Managers.
Calling all certification stars
Certification stars can be found in the Certification Center and in the ongoing articles featuring certification achievers like you in Inside Certification. We’re always looking for people and stories to feature in Certification Spotlight, Inside Certification, on Facebook, and in other places.
Share your certification news and experiences with Karen Barnett. We’d like to headline you and your company in upcoming issues.
Promo Tip: Got voice mail? Don’t forget to mention that you or your crew is Landscape Industry Certified on your voice mail or on-hold messaging service. The same goes for email signatures and business cards.
Logos, customer brochure templates and more are included in your online certification toolkit. This link is updated each January for active certificants — if you can’t access the link, contact PLANET’s certification team at certification@landcarenetwork.org.
Congrats to newest Landscape Industry Certified professionals
From September 10, 2011 to December 13, 2011, the following individuals earned their PLANET certification:
Landscape Industry Certified Manager – Exterior (formerly CLP-E)
Jay Archer, Archer Lawn Care, Inc., Saint Joseph, MO
Rob Diaz, Land Care, Inc., North Las Vegas, NV
Darren Haggerty, Fairway Lawns, Olathe, KS
Jay Isola, Gothic Grounds Management, Valencia, CA
Richard John King, Eastern Land Management, Inc., Kent, CT
Andrew Nicholls, Ecoyards Lawn and Landscape, Seattle, WA
Natalie Ortiz, A Plus Property Services, Inc., Kent, WA
Craig D. Owen, Gothic Grounds Management, Glendale, CA
Summer Parks, Parks Lawn & Landscape Service, Inc., Versailles, KY
Jeffrey R. Rak, Land Creations Landscaping, Inc., Columbia Station, OH
Jake Statham, Greenbrier Resort, White Sulphur Springs, WV
Brian J. Steers, U.S. Lawns, Jacksonville, FL
Peter C. Stockett, Jr., Apex, NC
Amy West, Gothic Grounds Management, Valencia, CA
Landscape Industry Certified Technician - Exterior (formerly CLT-E)
Hardscape Installation
John Anderson, South Milwaukee, WI
Derek Bahner, Lawrence, KS
Raymundo Diaz, Evanston, IL
Joe Dietz, Cedarburg, WI
Matt Hiner, Colorado Springs, CO
Brian Ledbetter, Oskaloosa, KS
Kyle Merkling, Itasca, IL
Che Walker, Boise, ID
Irrigation
Josh Apsley, Vancouver, WA
Aaron Atkinson, Garden City, ID
Orland Badley, Garden City, ID
Chris Campbell, Medford, OR
Matthew Carpenter, Cascade, ID
Shawn Culcasi, Antioch, CA
Arthur Garcia, Napa, CA
Chris Garcia, Poway, CA
Eduardo Garcia, Novato, CA
Rob Gregory, Boise, ID
Guillermo Guerrero, Novato, CA
Justin Heilmann, Napa, CA
Jocelyn Kimicata, Pittsburgh, PA
Humberto Machuca, Caldwell, ID
Derrick Moore, Astoria, OR
Juan M. Morales, Meridian, ID
Arturo Perez, Sacramento, CA
Travis Post, Glouster, OH
Mark Reese, Olathe, KS
Carlos Rentas, Napa, CA
Michael Sagehorn, Meridian, ID
Harvey Sandoval, San Juan Bautista, CA
Richard G. Sims, Boise, ID
James Stauter, Poway, CA
Eric Steiner, Nampa, ID
Ornamental Maintenance
John Beckett, Chicago, IL
Thomas Boyle, Seattle, WA
Anthony Brekke, Chicago, IL
Lynn Carter, Cleveland, OH
Andrew Ciammaichella, Lewis Center, OH
Bryan H. Clark, Germantown, WI
Kevin L. Darner, Dayton, OH
Sandra DeFrank, Elk Grove Village, IL
Dave Derouaux, Sunbury, OH
Raymond T. Eager, Lititz, PA
Timothy Gadomski, Vermilion, OH
Arturo Garcia, Escondido, CA
Robert Garcia, Escondido, CA
Patrick Hannon, Waukesha, WI
Bradley L. Kane, Thornton, CO
Brian Kern, Westerville, OH
Michael Knighten, Marietta, OH
Lucas Knowles, Colorado Springs, CO
Christina Kober, Cascade, ID
Salvador Lopez, Escondido, CA
Spears Mallis, Richmond, CA
Jose Mancilla, Jr., Pioneer, CA
Pat Martin, El Dorado Hills, CA
Dennis J. McDonnell, Springfield, VA
Juan C. Meza, Sterling, VA
Doug Petro, Mount Prospect, IL
Nathaniel Phelps, Cable, OH
Luke Pieffer, Barberton, OH
Melissa Pienaar, Hanover, PA
Humberto Robles Rivera, Denver, CO
Andrew Skeels, Vancouver, WA
Gregory Tomlinson, Lancaster, PA
Skyler Westergard, Monroe, WA
Softscape Installation
Mark Baum, Hamilton, OH
Daniel Buck, Astoria, OR
Jarrod Burch, Lexington, KY
Gabriel Camarena, Evanston, IL
Matthew Carpenter, Cascade, ID
Matthew Daly, Kansas City, MO
Doug Davis, Nampa, ID
Matthew Divine, Lexington, KY
Anthony Dottavio, Massillon, OH
Chris Ebner, Montville, NJ
Tim Greer, Rexburg, ID
Amanda Hamilton, Arlington, VA
Drew Hodgson, Pine Grove Mills, PA
Dave Hohman, Canton, OH
John Jonckheere, Holt, MI
Adam Kingsbury, Corunna, MI
Fernando Leyva, Fort Collins, CO
Justin Marko, Petersburg, PA
Mike Meyers, Lewis Center, OH
Tim Morrison, Twinsburg, OH
Aaron Mott, Mansfield, OH
Jacques Ott, Cochranville, PA
Bryant Perez, San Jose, CA
Mike Proctor, Nampa, ID
Derek Proulx, East Lansing, MI
Shawn Rine, Columbus, OH
Michael Sullivan, Paris, OH
Justin Taylor, Vernon Hills, IL
Stephen Tyler, Nampa, ID
Bryon Vincent, Astoria, OR
Matt Virzi, Akron, OH
Jim Vizmeg, Stow, OH
Turf Maintenance
Michael Ahern, Chardon, OH
Everardo I. Arizmendi, Nampa, ID
Stephen Bidgood, Chardon, OH
Jeffrey Bodnar, Cleveland, OH
Thomas Boyle, Seattle, WA
Curt Brown, Neshanic Station, NJ
Bert Center, Chardon, OH
Matt Cravens, Georgetown, KY
Cesar Delgadillo, Hayward, CA
Keith Dickinson, Milton, DE
Scott Douglas, Willow Street, PA
John Dziak, III, Lorain, OH
Scott Feller, Kent, OH
Justin Fleming, Boise, ID
Matthew Froncillo, West Chester, PA
Chad Galles, Appleton, WI
Dustin Grigsby, Robertsville, OH
David Guerrero, Boise, ID
Parker Harm, Astoria, OR
Noel Hinojos, Denver, CO
Joseph R. Holland, III, New City, NY
Linnette M. Kanitz, Hampstead, MD
Josh Kennard, Menomonee Falls, WI
Jennifer King, South Yarmouth, MA
Brad Liggett, Hilliard, OH
Barrington Miller, Colorado Springs, CO
Mario Montoya, Hayward, CA
Timothy Pleskach, Wantage, NJ
Benjamin Rudolph, Littleton, CO
Mike Seilheimer, Kalamazoo, MI
Brendan Silker, Lombard, IL
Glen Steinhofer, Menomonee Falls, WI
Mike Stiffler, Milwaukee, WI
Wayne Stoecker, Neshanic Station, NJ
Mack Stone, Burton, OH
Leo Talikka, Eastlake, OH
Travis Termeer, Lawrence, KS
Alfonso Toledo, Menomonee Falls, WI
Gregory Tomlinson, Lancaster, PA
Robert Wehinger, Powell, OH
Brian Wilcomb, Canal Winchester, OH
Joshua Wooding, Menomonee Falls, WI
Landscape Industry Certified Horticultural Technician (formerly COLP)
Amanda Boggs, Environmental Management Services, Inc., Dublin, OH
Kinji Go, Terravita Landscape & Gardening, Inc., Boise, ID
Richard V. McDevitt, Ocean Woods Landscaping, Hilton Head Island, SC
Landscape Industry Certified Interior Technician (formerly CLT-I)
Molly LyleSanchez, Stepup Decor, Thermal, CA
Lawrence Jay Wondra, David J. Frank Landscape Contracting, Inc., Germantown, WI
Landscape Industry Certified Lawn Care Manager (formerly CTP)
Timothy Daniel Barton, Lakeland, FL
Alex Borges, Rine Landscape Group, Dublin, OH
Robert Bushyhead, Cherokee, NC
David Cimini, Orlando, FL
Jeffrey Erickson, Coeur D’Alene, ID
Paul D. Frederick, Homosassa, FL
Jon Giltinan, GroundFx, Frankfort, KY
Joshua C. Heidt, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA
June Kochensparger, Torre & Bruglio, Inc., Canton, MI
Gustavo Adolfo Madridejos Campos, El Reino Golf, Ciudad Real, Spain
William Meiste, Rockwood, TN
Xabier Pérez Erdozain, Universidad de Zaragoza, San Sebastián, Spain
James Pindell, The Andersons, Inc., New Castle, IN
Julian Tallman, Two Rivers Correctional Institution, Umatilla, OR
Stuart Walling, Tulsa, OK
Landscape Industry Certified Lawn Care Technician (formerly CTP-CSL)
Trevor Halladay, Provo City Parks & Recreation, Provo, UT
Greg Kaiser, YardApes, Inc., New Milford, CT
Mathew Kaufman, Five Seasons Landscape Management, Inc., Reynoldsburg, OH
Landscape Industry Certified Lawn Care Technician – National (New!)
Tony Kacinas, Chalet, Wilmette, IL