It is with sadness that we share the news of the passing of Wallace “Wally” SaBell, a founding member of Landscape Contractors of Colorado, now Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC). He was an original member of a team that formed with the goals of raising the level professionalism in the landscape industry, improving the image of the industry, and educating peers.

SaBell served as president of ALCC 1969-1970 and was instrumental in its development. He helped organize the group’s first major trade show participation. Along with Jim Wagner, SaBell proposed and established the association’s awards program, then known as the Environmental Improvement Awards. He also helped preserve the organization’s history, holding the position of Chair of the Scrapbook Committee in 1980. SaBell’s generous loan helped ALCC acquire Colorado Green magazine and continue its publication when the Landscape Industry Council, the magazine’s original publishing organization, dissolved.

The deadline for nominations in The 2021 ELITE Awards is next week!

July 15 is the deadline to submit nominations for The ELITE Awards. Did you start your nomination yet? Don't delay--make sure your team and your work get the recognition they deserve.

Last month, ALCC hosted a free webinar to provide some insight into the program revisions and tips on submitting nominations. It is available on demand for free. Click here to access the recorded webinar.

The ELITE Awards are open to ALCC members only. Contact Melissa Emdin at [email protected] or 720-307-5092 if you have questions.

Thank you to our 2021 Platinum sponsors: Colorado Materials Inc., CPS Distributors, DBC Irrigation Supply, and Wagner Equipment Company

with Us

USCIS issued the following announcement this week:

Deadline Approaching: 6,000 H-2B Visas Available for Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala

On May 25, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a temporary final rule making available an additional 22,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural guest worker visas for fiscal year 2021 to employers who are likely to suffer irreparable harm without these additional workers.
While 16,000 of the additional visas are limited to returning workers, 6,000 visas have been reserved for nationals of the Northern Triangle countries (Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala), regardless of whether those nationals are returning workers. The supplemental visas support President Biden’s vision of expanding lawful pathways for protection and opportunity for individuals from the Northern Triangle and address the needs of U.S. employers likely to suffer irreparable harm, or in other words, permanent and severe financial loss if unable to employ all the H-2B employees requested in their petitions.

Fort Collins Utilities (FCU) is looking for feedback from the landscape industry as they work to establish new irrigation codes. They will host a virtual meeting July 14 to present the proposed code changes and collect feedback. Landscape professionals who work in Fort Collins are encouraged to attend.

Working on landscapes in the Colorado Springs Utilities service area? Be sure your crew is aware of the Colorado Springs Landscape Underground Damage Prevention Safety Program. The ordinance took effect on January 1, 2021.

As a home rule entity, Colorado Springs has established its own utility locates program. It also manages enforcement and violations. It is similar to Colorado laws regarding utility locates but includes additional requirements and enforcement such as premarking requirements.

Read about 811 requirements at the Colorado Springs Utilities website. 

A recent Colorado Supreme Court opinion has determined that employers may not include a “use it or lose it” policy and must pay out unused accrued vacation pay when an employee leaves a job. The decision overturned previous lower court decisions.

Regardless of restrictive language included in employee handbooks, the Supreme Court stated that “although the CWCA [Colorado Wage Claim Act] does not create an automatic right to vacation pay, when an employer chooses to provide such pay, it cannot be forfeited once earned by the employee.”

Landscape Management has released its annual LM150 list of the landscape industry’s top revenue-generating companies. Seven Colorado-based companies made the list, as well as other companies headquartered elsewhere that operate in the state.

The Colorado-based companies on the 2021 list include:

• Designscapes Colorado, Centennial (#74)
• Environmental Designs, Inc., Brighton (#80)
• Designs by Sundown, Littleton (#83)
• Landtech Contractors, Aurora (#91)
• Lifescape Colorado, Denver (#119)
• Schultz Industries, Golden (#130)
• Timberline Landscaping, Colorado Springs (#137)

Front Range construction sites, which may include landscape installation, could see increased health and safety inspections this summer and fall, according to an announcement from US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

ALCC has two big items to share with you today: the return of the H-2B returning worker exemption and a last call to register for our virtual advocacy event next week.

First, read the announcement from the H-2B Workforce Coalition:

ALCC announced this week that nominations are open for The ELITE Awards, which recognize ALCC members that Elevate the Landscape Industry Through Excellence. For 2021, there are some changes to the awards and the timing of their announcement.

The awards are usually announced in March, but due to COVID restrictions on in-person gatherings, the ceremony was moved to fall 2021. To make the most of the time during that delay, ALCC convened a committee of landscape industry professionals to review the awards program and feedback received over the years.