McCord adding no-penalty cancellation clauses to contracts Email
Written by Becky Garber   
Tuesday, September 11, 2018 04:00 AM

Signing a contractWith the ongoing labor shortage, landscape companies have been forced to cancel contracts. Not only are they losing income from contracts lost, but they may be at risk for penalties due to cancellation. Cindy McCord, president and owner of Bloom Floralscapes in Englewood, has taken steps to protect her business.

“Given the unreliability of H-2B workers, I plan to add a clause this year stating there will be no penalty for cancellation of the contract if there is no labor to do the work; something similar to a force majeure clause,” says McCord. “My dad taught me a lot about contract language,” she says. Contracts become important when things go bad, because they set the rules that govern everyone. 

Consequently, they must be fair. In the current H-2B labor climate, McCord wants to protect her company from being treated unfairly due to circumstances beyond her control.

McCord says to this day, she redlines contracts and specs for every project and asks for clarification until she is satisfied. She has also found her insurance agent to be a great resource. She turns to her agent from time to time to sort out what clauses mean so she can determine if stipulations are fair for her company—or not.

Read more in this issue of Colorado Green NOW:
OSHA releases training videos and FAQs for silica dust standard
Make sure your landscape company is protecting employee and consumer data
Green Mountain Pathways grad enters teacher pipeline at CSU
Greenhouse management and landscape maintenance at July teacher training