In October 2015, Timberline Landscaping, Inc was recognized by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) with an Award of Excellence for their certification efforts. Nine landscape companies across the nation were recognized for having the most certified individuals on staff in their sales category. With 20 certified individuals—and more than 50 category certifications among them—Timberline topped their category and proudly represented Colorado in accepting the honor.

President/Owner Tim Emick, who is among those Landscape Industry Certified staff, spoke with Colorado Green NOW about what makes certification so important to Timberline, and why his team is most proud of their Certification Award. As he put it, “the growth and success of Timberline is not measured by the almighty dollar, but by the growth and success of our team.”

To support that growth and success, earning certifications is written into job descriptions. “Employees can start pursuing certification right away, depending on their experience.” Foremen levels 1 and 2 must get certified to move up the pay scale.

“In the late 1990s, Vice President Judd Bryarly developed the Timberline certification program to show customers that we’ve gone out and proven ourselves, that we have the knowledge to do the job properly,” Emick explained.
But certification is not a barrier to entry for new employees, he said. New hires usually come on board without certification and earn it at Timberline. That potential means that when candidates are looking into the program, they are moving into a career within the company.

Timberline employees are often certified in multiple disciplines. They are encouraged to pursue certifications in snow management (through the Snow and Ice Management Association) and in irrigation (through the Irrigation Association). Many certified employees (about 20%) hold both irrigation and landscape industry designations.

In addition to the initial efforts required to prepare for and pass the certification exams, being Landscape Industry Certified demonstrates a commitment to ongoing education and also to supporting the growth of the landscape industry.

Continuing education requires certified individuals to expand their knowledge and keep up with new information, the latest techniques, and popular consumer trends in landscape.

Volunteer work as a Landscape Industry Certified judge allows certified professionals to help guide the next generation of the landscape industry toward success—whether they work for another company or not. Interacting with certification candidates is a way to help young people, and judging exams lets Landscape Industry Certified professionals return the favor that previous industry members paid to them when they were first earning certification.

“We’re competitors, but we’re all better if we share knowledge and build each other up. It’s always better to share,” said Emick. He told a story about one college student who had taken a Landscape Industry Certification exam multiple times but was having trouble with some math. Timberline employee John Butters took time to sit with the student and coach her so that she could return to pass the test.

That sharing spirit means the NALP Award of Excellence “was not just an honor for Timberline but also for everyone in Colorado who helped develop the program for the state,” Emick pointed out. He thanks industry veterans including—but not limited to—John Garvey, Eric Schultz (Schultz Industries, Inc.), John Reffel, III (JLS Landscape & Sprinkler, Inc.), Jeff Roth, Bill Cary (Pickens Technical College), and Fred Wheeler (Designs by Sundown) for their commitment to the industry and for helping develop and guide the program in its early years.

And the sharing extends to the Landscape Industry Certification exam preparation as well. Timberline staff training programs are open to members of the local ALCC chapter and to those in Colorado Springs if they wish to attend. ALCC member CPS Distributors opens their training facility for these sessions, and at a recent event they trained 30 Timberline employees along with eight other attendees from six companies.

Timberline’s commitment to certification proves to consumers that employees “care about doing the best job possible and are among the best-educated in the United States.” With this NALP Award of Excellence, they have proven that to their peers as well.

Read more in this issue of Colorado Green NOW:
The final Colorado Water Plan & the landscape industry
Engineering residential green roofs
ProGreen to address hot industry topics
Year's end is time to start thinking about taxes