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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                  Contact:  Vicki Bendure, APR
                                                                                                                   (540) 687-3360 or
                                                                                                                    Lisa Schaumann 
                                                                                                                    (540) 687-5099

                              PLANET’S 32nd STUDENT CAREER DAYS WAS BIGGEST EVER
                           — Nearly 1,000 students attended the competition outside Atlanta —

HERNDON, Va., April 7, 2008 — This year’s PLANET Student Career Days (SCD) in Acworth, Georgia, March 27–30, 2008, boasts the highest number of teams in the event’s history. Sixty-five college teams, including a total of 950 students, participated in 25 individual and team competitions including tree climbing, paver installation, wood construction, plant identification, sales presentation, exterior/interior design, irrigation troubleshooting, skid steer and equipment operation, to name a few.

The competition, held by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) included awards to individual winners as well as to teams. The individual winners, called “Superstars,” were, in first place, Matthew Early of North Metro Technical College (Acworth, Georgia), Ken Kwait of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, Illinois), in second place, and Ken Beasley of Hinds Community College (Jackson, Mississippi), in third place.

In an exciting turn, the host school, North Metro Technical College, unseated Brigham Young University-Idaho to take first place in the overall competitive events. However, Brigham Young University (BYU) still made a strong showing, with the Provo campus placing second and the Idaho campus placing third.

North Metro Tech student Matthew Early seemed more excited about his team’s win than his own personal first-place finish.“We just wanted to place in the top 10,” said Early. When asked about unseating BYU, he said, “Man, that’s an indescribable feeling. We thought that if the whole team came together we might be able to pull it off.”

This was the first time the event was held at North Metro Technical College.

“Our campus is smaller than others,” said Early. “But students from other schools said they liked having the events close together so they could watch their teammates compete in the different events.”

Aside from the bragging rights, students also received scholarships and award money. This year PLANET gave away more than $70,000 in scholarships through its PLANET Academic Excellence Foundation. In addition, the on-site Career Fair offered students the opportunity to interview with green industry companies for full-time positions and internships. Many students received job offers on site.

The event was equally successful for more than 100 companies who participated. Hemlocks Landscaping of Jasper, Georgia, sponsored a booth at the Career Fair.

“Overall it was a fantastic experience,” said Ross Fletcher, CLP, president and owner of Hemlocks Landscaping. “Seeing the level of talent coming into the field made me really proud to be a part of the industry.” He continued, “We had 150 kids who where interested in interviewing with us and wanting more information about our company. You can’t do better than that.”

STIHL Inc., the platinum sponsor of the event, entertained students between competitions with their world-champion STIHL Ironjacks who performed shows of logrolling, tree climbing, sawing and chopping events. Ariens, Gravely & Stens, Brickman, Caterpillar, Inc., Husqvarna, John Deere, Outside Unlimited, Inc., Pavestone Company, The TORO Company, and Vermeer Corporation were also major sponsors of the event.

For a complete list of winners, please visit the Web at StudentCareerDays.org.

PLANET is the association of members who create and maintain the QUALITY OF LIFE in communities across America. With more than 4,200 member companies and affiliates, these firms and their employees represent more than 100,000 green industry professionals. For more information on PLANET visit LandcareNetwork.org or call the PLANET office at (800) 395-2522.