Login

USERNAME
PASSWORD

Become a Registered Guest Login Help Lost Password?

 

This year’s PLANET Student Career Days (SCD) in Atlanta, Georgia, saw the highest number of school teams in the event’s 32-year history. A record-breaking 950 students from 66 colleges and universities across the country competed in 25 individual and team competitions, such as arboriculture techniques, irrigation design, sales presentation, paver installation, skid-steer operation, wood construction, plant identification, and exterior/interior design.

Many attendees at the event echoed the sentiments of Miles Kuperus Jr., CLP, of Farmside Landscape & Design, Inc. “This industry is growing, and schools want to be part of it. The event is great for students and the industry, alike.”

The competition included awards to individual winners as well as to school teams. The individual winners, called “Superstars,” were:
First Place: Matthew Early, North Metro Technical College
Second Place: Ken Kwait, University of Illinois–Champaign
Third Place: Ken Beasley, Hinds Community College

Matthew Early seemed more excited about his team’s win than his own first-place finish. “We just wanted to place in the top 10,” says Early. When asked about unseating last year’s first-place team Brigham Young University–Idaho, he exclaims, “Man, that’s an indescribable feeling. We thought that if the whole team came together we might be able to pull it off.”

The top-ranking schools are:
First Place: North Metro Technical College
Second Place: Brigham Young University–Provo
Third Place: Brigham Young University–Idaho
Fourth Place: Cal Poly–San Luis Obispo
Fifth Place: Cal Poly–Pomona
Sixth Place: Penn State
Seventh Place: North Carolina State University
Eighth Place: Mississippi State University
Ninth Place: Michigan State University
Tenth Place: Columbus State Community College
In addition to the competitive events, the four-day event included a first-ever industry workshop; Career Fair; Faculty Forum; student workshops; tours of the Georgia Aquarium, Pike Family Nurseries, and the Smith-Gilbert Arboretum; and networking receptions.
Cal Poly–Pomona, in Pomona, California, will host next year’s SCD on March 26–29, 2009.

PLANET thanks the following event sponsors for their generous support:

Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsors
BRICKMAN
Caterpillar Inc.
Husqvarna
John Deere

Bronze Sponsors
Outside Unlimited, Inc.
Pavestone Company
The Toro Company
Vermeer Corporation

Media Sponsor
Lawn & Landscape Magazine/GIE Media

 

Radisson Fort McDowell Resort & Casino
Scottsdale/Fountain Hills, Arizona

PLANET’s Executive Forum has a rich tradition as the event for green industry owners and senior managers. The powerful networking opportunities with key leaders in the industry, along with insightful education sessions in a warm resort environment, are the reasons many members return year after year. Long-time industry leader and PLANET member Rod Bailey, CCLP, of Alder Springs Enterprises, LLC, is no stranger to the event. “This is the premier networking opportunity with peers in the industry,” says Bailey. 

First-time attendees were impressed and pleased with what the event provided to them. “Everyone I met was so encouraging and supportive,” says Gerry Bower, TLC Total Lawn Care, LLC. He took back excellent ideas to better his business and plans to attend again next year.

If you did not attend this year, Jerry Schill of Schill Landscaping and Lawncare Services, Inc., has this advice: “Get out in front of the learning curve! The opportunities at this event to network with some of the best minds of our industry are priceless.”

Mark your calendar for next year’s Executive Forum, February 19–22, 2009, at the Beach Club Resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Not only is PLANET planning a dynamic event, you can also experience the magic of Disney while there.

PLANET thanks the following event sponsors for their generous support:


EXECUTIVE FORUM STRATEGIC PARTNER



ADDITIONAL SPONSORS
Golf Tournament: CNA
Tour Sponsors: Ewing Irrigation Products, Inc., and Hunter Industries
Reception Sponsor: EverGreen Software by Marathon Data Systems
Breakfast Sponsor: Syngenta
Hospitality Suite Sponsors: Christmas Decor, Directo, and LandOpt

 

The only thing that attendees at this year’s Green Industry Conference (GIC) lacked was time. Education, products, equipment, networking, and receptions monopolized the four-day Green Industry Conference (GIC) held in conjunction with GIE+EXPO. In between the dozens of GIC concurrent educational sessions, attendees could visit the spacious 20-acre outdoor demonstration area and check out GIE+EXPO’s 600-plus exhibitors in the huge indoor exhibit hall. Facility tours, a live auction, and two outdoor evening concerts also added to the busy schedule of events.

Conference goers had a better chance than ever before to attend desired sessions, according to Yardmaster’s Kurt Kluznik, CCLP. “The concurrent sessions and the exhibit floors are open all day long, giving people the opportunity to attend almost any session they want without missing the trade show.”


The ever-popular Breakfast With Champions event never disappoints attendees. Eric Cross, CLP, CLT, president of Duke’s Landscape Management in Hackettstown, New Jersey, says, “After all these years, I would never miss the Breakfast With Champions. I see old friends and acquaintances there, make new ones, and take a lot of notes.”

Save the date — October 22–25, 2008 — for next year’s GIC and GIE+EXPO in Louisville. You won’t be disappointed.

GIC PLATINUM SPONSOR

GIC GOLD SPONSOR

 

Members from across the country came to Washington, D.C., to be a part of a very special PLANET event — Legislative Day on the Hill and Renewal & Remembrance at Arlington National and Historic Congressional Cemeteries.

PLANET held its most successful Renewal & Remembrance project ever on Monday, July 16. More than 400 volunteers from across the nation brought their crews to Arlington National and Historic Congressional cemeteries and spent the day mulching, cabling trees with lightning protection, pruning, liming, planting, and aerating as well as auditing an irrigation system at Arlington National Cemetery. “It was a pleasure and an honor to be able to attend such a wonderful event,” says Robert Walker of Dependable Lawn Care. “We made this a family vacation, and it was the highlight of the trip.” This gift is valued at more than $300,000 in services and work.

Also, as part of Renewal & Remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery, twenty children of PLANET members and staff watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and looked on as a wreath was presented to the honor guard on behalf of PLANET. The children then enjoyed a rare tour of the guard barracks and planted flowers near the tomb.

On Tuesday, July 17, PLANET and Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) members visited their congressional leaders on Capitol Hill and spoke with them about issues facing the green industry, including a lasting fix to the H-2B program. “Everyone should spend a day on the Hill,” says Jeff Rak of Land Creations Landscaping. “It’s a great chance to be a part of what makes this country work.”

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors Silver Sponsors Bronze Sponsors Dow AgroSciences IMERYS John Deere John Deere Landscapes/    LESCO Nufarm Turf & Speciality BASF Corporation FMC Corporation Project EverGreen The Scotts Miracle-Gro    Company Vermeer Manufacturing The Andersons, Inc. Helena Chemical Company MAS Labor (Mid-Atlantic     Solutions, Inc.) PBI/Gordon Corporation Workforce Advantage

 

Rod Bailey, CCLP, of Alder Springs Enterprises, Inc., probably spoke for many attendees when he summarized his experience at this year’s PLANET Summer Leadership Meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. “Like all PLANET events, coming to leadership gives me a chance to connect with friends and stay on top of key issues in the industry,” says Bailey. “It’s amazing, though, how many new attendees I met, and how many new faces I saw in the meetings.”

“This is one of my favorite events, because it gives me a chance to interact with industry leaders,” says Bill Horn, CLP, CLT, of American Civil Constructors. “I attended several meetings and contributed when I could, but I always seem to walk away with more than I give.”

As part of the Summer Leadership agenda, participants met for a Town Hall Meeting to address issues and ask questions on topics of importance to PLANET and the industry. Bruce Moore Sr., CLP, of Eastern Land Management, Inc., liked the format of the Town Hall Meeting. “It gave membership an opportunity to speak up on a variety of issues, and it demonstrated that you can go to an event like this and be heard and make a difference,” says Moore.

Even though much of the time at Summer Leadership was devoted to meetings, there was still time to relax and take in the local sights. “Niagara Falls is spectacular. I enjoyed the scenery and the views are awesome,” says Gerry McCarthy, Mac’s Landscaping.

Platinum Sponsor

PLANET Hospitality Suite Sponsor