When you hear about another company that pays a dollar more an hour than your current job, or offers a few more hours a week, it’s tempting to duck out the door for that “better” opportunity.
When the snow starts to fly and the temperature drops, an indoor job sounds a lot better than shoveling snow.
We understand your instincts. But you’re missing out.
Stay at the same company for a while, and there are lots of benefits that frequent job hoppers don't get.
Let’s take a look.
The sand was warm, the grilled sausages hot and the atmosphere laid back at the annual Level Green summer picnic for managers and supervisors.
About 70 managers and supervisors gathered to celebrate their hard work, setting that work aside for an afternoon of fun.
“It’s mainly just to thank our guys for working hard,” says Level Green co-owner and founder Douglass Delano, who hosts the annual party with business partner Bill Hardy.
While the company’s different branches are naturally competitive with each other for sales and production, the event reinforces the fact that everybody works for one company, with one common goal of success, Delano says.
“I see my role in this company as a coach, more than anything,” he says. “I love encouraging people.”
Walter Munguia has “manager” in his title, but he still gets his hands dirty. You’ll find him on a paver installation job with his laser level, painstakingly measuring to be sure the base is level before any pavers go down.
“I check the grading first,” says Walter, operations manager for construction at Level Green Landscaping. “If the grading isn't right, the pavers will be too low in some areas, too high in others. It has to be exactly right.”
Walter has been with Level Green Landscaping almost a year, after working for several years at a landscaping company in Richmond, Va. That’s where he met Paul Weaver, now Level Green construction branch manager.
The Weather Channel says it feels like 101 degrees, and Miguel Herrera and his crew are pruning trees and pulling weeds at South River Landing in Edgewater, Md., one of Level Green Landscaping’s top customers. The gated, waterfront community on the Chesapeake's South River features 84 custom-built luxury homes. The lush landscaping has to be perfect.
When Don Gates came to Level Green Landscaping in 2012, he brought all sorts of experiences with him.
He’s worked in plumbing, handled quality control at a Chevrolet dealership and supervised 35 employees at a commuter airline company based at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
“I know how to deal with a lot of different situations,” Don says. “And I carried all of that with me here. Working at the airport, there were people from all different cultures, who believe in a lot of different things. You need to be respectful of that.”
If you’re drawn to a job in the landscaping industry, chances are you love working outdoors, know your way around a mower and don't mind getting dirty.
What other skills are we looking for in a new employee?
You might be surprised.
We’ll start off with a couple actual landscaping skills we love to see. But the rest have less to do with edging and mulching and more to do with persistence and organization.
See yourself in this list of skills? We’d love to meet you.
When Paul Wisniewski was a teen working at London Landscape Nursery in Michigan, his bosses always thanked him for his work at the end of the day.
Two small words, but they packed a powerful punch. So much so, that Paul carries on the tradition, always thanking crew members after a hard day’s work.
“Those two words go a long way,” says Paul, a branch manager at Level Green Landscaping. “It says we appreciate what they do. It’s not an easy job. I used to feel good when I heard it at the end the day. I hope my guys do, too.”
When David Briggs needs to talk to you, he could text, email, or pick up the phone. But chances are, he’ll stop by to see you.
He’s that kind of guy.
“I like my customers,” says Dave, an account manager with Level Green for the last 12 years. “I like meeting new people, seeing new things, not being stuck in an office.”
No offense to you office types. But being outside is what drew Dave to a career in landscaping, way back in high school when he tried it out as a summer job.
“When I was young I wanted to be outside, be tan and I didn't mind the heat,” he says. He went on to start a landscaping company with his older brother, Paul. He signed on at Level Green almost from the company's beginning.
If someone offered you a fast track to a management position, you'd take them up on it, right?
Or maybe you'd wonder: What's the catch?
No catch here at Level Green Landscaping. We offer a landscape management training program that prepares qualified candidates for a position as an operations manager or account manager.
Get paid while you learn the ropes of the landscape management business. Then, when you’re done, you’re ready to hit the ground running.
Let's take a look.
Bradley Sarno hits the ground running every morning. Let’s try to keep up.
“I have guys going in four different directions every day,” Bradley says of the four different teams he supervises as enhancement operations manager. “If there’s a new job on Monday, I head there first to get things going.”
Then he joins the second crew as they get ready to place plants. He often lays all the plants out himself. As for the rest of the day, you name it.
