“Most of the young kids who apply at Timberline have a problem with work ethic. Without it, you won’t be successful, and that’s what I want to talk about with Dave’s kids at Falcon,” says Emick. He will probably tell them the story of a nineteen-year-old he hired for a summer job about 25 years ago.

A supervisor watching the young man work asked Emick if they should let the guy go because he didn’t know much about the job. Emick said “No, he’s a keeper. Look at how hard he is working.  We can teach him what he doesn’t know.” The young man continued with those summer jobs while he was a student at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction and was hired full-time after he graduated. Today, that man—Judd Bryarly—is the Vice President of Timberline.

Emick shares that he has often seen how two people hired the same month to do the same jobs choose much different paths as time goes by. In each case, one person took advantage of opportunities to advance through in-house training, earning industry certifications or applicator licenses, qualifying for the Commercial Driver’s License, etc., while the other one chose not to pursue any opportunities. Emick wishes more people would take advantage of those opportunities because the whole industry is short on adequately trained people.

“We currently have more than 900 years of experience in our employees here at Timberline,” says Emick. “With more people hitting their fifties and sixties, we need to mentor the next generation. We must focus on training.”

Timberline is now planning a new facility and several rooms set aside for staff training are already on the blueprint. It’s where “Timberline U” will expand. But Emick points out the “U” does not stand for “university.” The program’s real name is “Timberline YOU – Your Opportunity University.” It’s where he hopes to inspire and train the team to grow in careers where they can be fulfilled through advancement and rewarded for their efforts.

Emick also recognizes that fulfillment relates to family. “The time we spend with our families is less than we spend at work,” he says. “We need to create a good work environment that takes into account families are important. We need to make time for our people to coach their kids’ sports teams or go to the school play. In the long run, it makes us more productive.”

Read more in this issue of Colorado Green NOW:
Hunter and Ewing partner to recycle sprinklers
Poll reveals how landscape pros found the industry
ALCC & GreenCO announce 2017 legislative priorities
High School teacher gets on board with landscaping