{"id":4148,"date":"2018-11-14T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-11-14T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/?post_type=features&p=4148"},"modified":"2021-12-30T18:25:31","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T23:25:31","slug":"cultivating-a-future","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultivating a future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Landscaping companies have their work cut out for them if they want to attract and retain good employees. But there are some companies out there who\u2019ve got it nailed, and Landscape Development Inc.<\/a>, Valencia, California, is one of them.<\/p>\n

Founded in the early 1980s by Gary Horton, the company still has employees who have been there from the very beginning when it was a small firm. And now that it employs more than 1,000 people from all ages, backgrounds and education levels, being everything to everyone is more important than ever.<\/p>\n

Staying relevant, letting your employees know they matter and getting them all to embrace the company mission gets more challenging as it grows.<\/p>\n

But Horton, who has an MBA from Loyola Marymount College and executive training from the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Wharton School of Business has a few tricks up his sleeve.<\/p>\n

In part two of a Q&A with Irrigation & Green Industry<\/em> Editor-in-Chief Kristin Smith-Ely, Horton talks more about the steps he has taken to develop his company\u2019s culture, including writing a book that includes a character employees can identify with.<\/p>\n

Q: Who makes up your workforce?<\/h3>\n

California is a very diverse community and our company fully embraces the strength our modern diversity provides. Respect and greater consideration and appreciation for field staff is today a tremendous focus and a company touchstone. We\u2019ve also become a veterans-preferred employer and we are pleased to employ many U.S. vets throughout our organization.<\/p>\n

We have an employee who, way back when we were assigning employee numbers \u2014 over 35 years ago \u2014 he was entered before me, and has a lower employee number than I do. He\u2019s been here since the very start. We\u2019ve had many other long-time employees just like that who\u2019ve been with us their entire working lives.<\/p>\n

Now with some of them approaching 65, we\u2019re facing the challenge of providing work opportunities that are productive but safe for people that age. It can get and stay well over 105 degrees in California during the summer. So this is a new challenge with many of our employees getting up there in years.<\/p>\n

Overall, I believe our average tenure in our office and professional positions is over eight years \u2014 with many at 20- and 30-plus years. Field turnover is similar for foremen and supervisors. Basic labor is more of a challenge, as these workers are often figuring out what they want to do in their careers, and some change direction or can be pulled away by competing companies.<\/p>\n

Q: How have you been able keep workers on your payroll for so long?<\/h3>\n

We\u2019ve achieved our solid employee retention record by creating a company culture and benefits program that makes us the employer of choice in our locale.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Hiring through a \u201cvalues filter\u201d helps ensure that new team members are compatible with the group, according to Gary Horton.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While some landscape companies pay minimum wage with little or no time off or vacations, we give all our field staff one week vacation in year one and two weeks vacation in year two of employment. Foremen accrue at three weeks after five years of service. Also, all field staff enjoy four paid holidays and three paid sick\/personal days. We also make a point to stay well ahead of the California minimum wage for our entry positions. Today our entry-level wage is $14 per hour.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also incentivized nearly every position in the company. A great base pay plus generous upsides for achieving business plan goals keeps the excitement up. In 2017, we paid over $1.2 million in various employee incentives through all non-ownership levels of the company.<\/p>\n

Finally, retention is most of all about company culture. Valued foremost at LDI are: honesty, artistry, collaboration, energy, fair-dealing, safety, fun and commitment to tangible quality. We hire new staff through a \u201cvalues filter,\u201d working to ensure that new team members are compatible with the group and our overall purpose and goals. Getting \u201cthe right people on the bus\u201d certainly helps the bus retain the people in the first place.<\/p>\n

Q: Can you define company culture and why it is important?<\/h3>\n

Every company has its own personality. And the differences can be profound. Some companies are legalistic. Some are informal. Some are artsy and laisse-faire. Some are business grinders where every penny is watched and pinched. Some promote great respect among peers, and some are rather callous about valuing people at all.<\/p>\n

You get to decide what you want your culture to be. You start by listing the values that are important to you, about how you want the world to see you and your company operate. List eight to 10 key values \u2014 the things that really matter to you. And when you hire, make sure that the folks you bring on board personally reflect and amplify those values.<\/p>\n

Promote those values. Make sure your procedures, systems, compensation and activities all consistently reflect them. Over time, all this effort will create your established company culture, what you\u2019re known for, what customers and employees have come to expect.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the payoff? A good, attractive company culture draws the best potential employees to you.<\/p>\n

Friction is reduced as you build a great team with everyone rowing together harmoniously, all with the same goals in mind.<\/p>\n

What are some ways LDI has developed its company culture? Key to our culture is our tagline and mission statement: \u201cWe make our clients\u2019 lives easier and bring them peace of mind.\u201d We are here to serve. We understand that our customers have very busy lives and just want their landscape concerns to \u201cdisappear\u201d into something they simply enjoy or that helps them achieve their own goals, like selling homes or renting apartments.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, of course, we hire through our values filter, so we\u2019ve got a good match from the get-go.<\/p>\n

We wrote our own book, \u201cMy Corner of Heaven\u201d in both English and Spanish. It\u2019s essentially a story-based employee manual, where the story itself teaches important values and behaviors that benefit people both at work and in their personal lives. The story follows the life of an immigrant who comes to California to work in the fields. Eventually he finds landscaping, loves it, and progresses and prospers, learning important life lessons along the way.<\/p>\n

The main character\u2019s name is Don Mario, and he\u2019s essentially our company mascot. Everyone knows Don Mario and knows \u201cwhat Don Mario would do\u201d in most situations. All employees are required to read the book prior to full-time employment. We also have it on CD so employees can listen to the book in their trucks. This common theme of Don Mario really helps knit us together.<\/p>\n

Q: What is LDI doing to attract young people?<\/h3>\n

There are two parts to that, really \u2014 our professional recruitment out of colleges for landscape architects, project managers and the like; and, recruiting field staff. In California, the demand for labor is super high. We run radio advertisements, Craigslist ads and reach out via social media channels. That works, but in the end if you\u2019re not perceived as a preferred employer in a tight labor market like this, nearly nothing will.<\/p>\n

Our professional recruitment is far easier. We have so many great young people from some really great colleges that we can often hire just by calling their friends, and the friends of their friends.<\/p>\n

Our website helps, too. It\u2019s in both English and Spanish and projects a progressive and professional image out to the nation. It says, \u201cWe\u2019re something different,\u201d and that has appeal. I\u2019d say we have one of the top five landscape websites in the country, and that matters.<\/p>\n

Read Part I of the interview with Gary Horton, \u201cWeathering the ups and downs\u201d in the September 2019 issue of Irrigation & Green Industry available online at www.igin.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/h6>\n
This column originally appeared in Irrigation & Green Industry magazine.<\/em><\/h6>\n
Kristin Ely<\/strong><\/a> is editor-in-chief of Irrigation & Green Industry magazine and can be reached at kristinsmithely@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Landscape Development Inc.\u2019s Gary Horton shares advice for developing a company culture that will keep your employees coming back day after day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":5296,"parent":0,"template":"","main-categories":[25],"class_list":["post-4148","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","main-categories-business"],"yoast_head":"\nCultivating a future - Irrigation & Lighting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Landscape Development\u2019s Gary Horton shares advice for developing a company culture that will keep your employees coming back day after day.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cultivating a future\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Landscape Development\u2019s Gary Horton shares advice for developing a company culture that will keep your employees coming back day after day.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Irrigation & Lighting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-12-30T23:25:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/cultivating-future.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"467\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Irrigation & Lighting\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/\",\"sameAs\":[],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Irrigation-and-Lighting-LogoNoTag.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Irrigation-and-Lighting-LogoNoTag.jpg\",\"width\":1117,\"height\":178,\"caption\":\"Irrigation & Lighting\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/\",\"name\":\"Irrigation & Lighting\",\"description\":\"The business and technology magazine for contractors\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/cultivating-future.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/cultivating-future.jpg\",\"width\":700,\"height\":467,\"caption\":\"landscape development\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/\",\"name\":\"Cultivating a future - Irrigation & Lighting\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-11-14T11:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-12-30T23:25:31+00:00\",\"description\":\"Landscape Development\\u2019s Gary Horton shares advice for developing a company culture that will keep your employees coming back day after day.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Features\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Business\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/main-categories\/business\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Cultivating a future\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cultivating a future - Irrigation & Lighting","description":"Landscape Development\u2019s Gary Horton shares advice for developing a company culture that will keep your employees coming back day after day.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cultivating a future","og_description":"Landscape Development\u2019s Gary Horton shares advice for developing a company culture that will keep your employees coming back day after day.","og_url":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/","og_site_name":"Irrigation & Lighting","article_modified_time":"2021-12-30T23:25:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":700,"height":467,"url":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/cultivating-future.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#organization","name":"Irrigation & Lighting","url":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/","sameAs":[],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#logo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Irrigation-and-Lighting-LogoNoTag.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Irrigation-and-Lighting-LogoNoTag.jpg","width":1117,"height":178,"caption":"Irrigation & Lighting"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#logo"}},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#website","url":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/","name":"Irrigation & Lighting","description":"The business and technology magazine for contractors","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/cultivating-future.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/cultivating-future.jpg","width":700,"height":467,"caption":"landscape development"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/","name":"Cultivating a future - Irrigation & Lighting","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2018-11-14T11:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2021-12-30T23:25:31+00:00","description":"Landscape Development\u2019s Gary Horton shares advice for developing a company culture that will keep your employees coming back day after day.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/cultivating-a-future\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Features","item":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Business","item":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/main-categories\/business\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Cultivating a future"}]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features\/4148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/features"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features\/4148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6085,"href":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features\/4148\/revisions\/6085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"main-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/main-categories?post=4148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}