In October, the ALCC office receives many calls from people who want help with leaf disposal.  They are told about cities, web sites and other recycling options.

One exceptional caller was the opposite of all the others.  He needed a lot leaves and hoped ALCC had the resources to help him find them.

Some lament the oil and gas industry has pulled away much of the young workforce the landscape industry needs.

But what about the food industry? Their projected sales according to the Colorado Restaurant Association, will hit $9.8 billion this year. That’s about $7 billion MORE than Colorado’s entire green industry combined. 

Food service work still represents a first job among many teens and young adults – the same group that the landscape industry has traditionally sought after for seasonal and entry-level positions. It’s also the demographic any industry needs to attract if it expects to be sustainable over time. 

“We used to take clients to nurseries and suppliers to select plants and hardscapes.  Now it’s mostly one stop,” says Troy Shimp, designer with Lifescape Colorado, Denver.  

He and the other designers bring most of their clients to view the demonstration gardens alongside the Lifescape office.  “It saves a lot of time and we get decisions made pretty quickly,” says Shimp. The Lifescape office located north of downtown Denver in an industrial area is not where you would expect to see a variety of plants and hardscape options showcased along a narrow strip between a high fence and the curb.  It’s an unexpected sight in a part of town almost devoid of any landscape whatsoever.

Landscape firms recently weighed in about their customers’ current buying trends. Specifically, we asked, “Are customers willing to spend more money now?”

Here is what we learned about landscape buying trends in Colorado’s post-recession economy.

It all comes down to condos.

For many in the construction and related industries, construction defects legislation is among the most impactful on their businesses. According to the Urban Land Institute (ULI) among others, we can expect to see more bills related to this issue in the next legislature. 

What has been termed a construction industry “smackdown,” is between developers/construction industry businesses and those who want to protect consumers from shoddy workmanship via defects litigation. In a somewhat over-simplified statement, it all comes down to condos.

Are customers different post-recession?

Random anecdotal comments snagged in the wind, so to speak, have indicated that customers this year are more demanding. Is this really the case?

ALCC decided it would be worthwhile to find out and asked members whether their customers are becoming more demanding and more difficult to please. The poll revealed definitive data about changes among landscape consumers and their expectations.

Cara Doyle, Summit Lawn & Landscape, Fort Collins, shares the value she derived from being part of the recent CEO Exchange: Women’s Leadership Roundtable.

The part I took away most was knowing that I wasn't alone in this industry.

It was great when we sat down at lunch and were able to talk one-on-one about working with your family and having a family. It is good to know that there are other women out there who work with their husbands/fathers etc., each day and do so successfully.

Colorado is the seventh most energy efficient state according to WalletHub, a leading personal finance social network, which conducted research in light of October being National Energy Awareness Month. WalletHub measured the energy efficiency of cars and homes in 48 states.

What if your company’s IT guy found out many people in your office are using unauthorized cloud-based apps?

This happens to be National Customer Service Week and here’s a local that happened this week to get you thinking.

On Monday, a shipping company which promotes itself as the “premier provider of shipping and information services worldwide” dropped off a package at a building in a multi-acre office park near Golden.