Landscape companies are frequently found in violation of labor laws due to a variety of pay practices and scenarios. The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division is responsible for enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the number of FLSA investigations is on the rise.

In fact, in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Data Enforcement website, landscape companies were the third most commonly investigated sector in Colorado, only behind child care services and full-service restaurants.

One pansy and one viola had a 100% survival rate during the 2014 Cool Season Trials conducted October 2013 through April 2014 reports Colorado State University’s James Klett.

Trials involved 66 plants and at the end of the observations, six plants were selected by the Annual Trial Garden Committee as the top-rated performers.

“The only thing that will be the same is that we always change. It’s complicated – and it’s simple.” says Terracare’s Dean Murphy about the firm that is among Lawn & Landscape magazine’s Top 100 landscape companies nationwide. Murphy spoke openly about change and the internal workings of Terracare when he was featured in a recent L&L webinar.

Embracing a culture of change will make you succeed in the future, says Murphy. One example: They blew up the company’s safety program and quit counting days without accidents. Now they reward people on the spot when they are found doing things right.

“I thought we were going to owe $30,000 in back overtime,” said one owner of a metro Denver design-build firm.

When the US Department of Labor auditor came back after interviewing several workers, he told the owner they could just estimate an average of 5 hours per week per person for back overtime pay owed to all employees. The owner’s response? “I ran the numbers and told him $30,000 would put us out of business.”