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Welcome back! To close out Season 13, Jay Worth welcomes Megan Townsend back to the show!

Megan is the COO and Co-Founder of Altitude Arborist. In this episode, Megan joins the show to discuss training and partnerships. Specifically, she addressed the apprenticeship program she's been a part of in Colorado, and how that has been a huge boon to the recruiting and retention efforts across the state. 

Megan shares why having a plan for training is important, how to leverage community involvement for recruiting and retention, and why collaboration with competitors raises the bar across the industry.

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Visit Megan's Website
Visit the Altitude Arborist Website
Connect with Megan on LinkedIn
Listen to Megan's Previous Episode on Green Industry Perspectives

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Welcome back! In this episode, Jay Worth welcomes Steve Samuels to the show!

No, this episode isn't a pitch for the software. Steve has the bona fides to speak to Green Industry leaders. 

Having been a referee for the highest levels of collegiate sports, Mayor Pro Tem of a city he lived in, AND involved in senior leadership for a large landscaping company, Steve has all the right credentials to speak authoritatively. His life has been a commitment to fair play, honesty, service, and integrity. 

In this episode, Steve discusses how to measure true success, why proactively addressing pay and benefits is key, and why job costing is vital to winning in the Green Industry.

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Find Steve at an Industry Event
Follow Steve on LinkedIn
Email Steve: [email protected]

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Welcome back! In this episode, Jay Worth welcomes Kona Gray to the show!

Kona is the president-elect at the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). He works for EDSA, a landscape architecture firm with over 60 years of history behind it.

Growing up abroad with a father who is an architect exposed him to architecture at a young age. Discovering he could couple that passion for architecture with the outdoors and create spaces that connect people with nature was like a lightbulb going on; he'd found his calling.

In this episode, Kona discusses why being open to new opportunities, providing world-class service, and partnerships are the keys to success in the Green Industry.

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Visit the EDSA Website
Email Kona: [email protected]
Follow Kona on X
Follow Kona on LinkedIn
Visit the ASLA's Website
Visit the Landscape Architecture Foundation's Website
Visit the Urban Land Institute's Website
Learn about the UGA School of Environment & Design

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Welcome back! In this episode, Jay Worth welcomes Robyn Schmitz to the show! 

Like so many of us, Robyn discovered a passion for the Green Industry almost accidentally. Her parents ran a flower shop, so she learned plant names and color palettes at a young age. 

While studying something else entirely in college, she began working for a garden center to make some money when the realization hit her; she was enjoying her work outdoors with plants FAR more than she wanted her chosen field. Upon realizing this, she changed her major to horticulture and never looked back. Today, Robyn leads High Prairie Outdoors, the company she founded. Averaging between seven and eight figures in revenue and with a team of almost 50 year-round employees, Robyn and High Prairie are forces to be reckoned with. 

In this episode, Robyn shares why identifying and staying in your niche is important, why knowing your financials is vital, and why valuing and developing your team is essential to success in the Green Industry.

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Visit the High Prairie Outdoors Website
Follow High Prairie Outdoors on Instagram
Follow Robyn on LinkedIn

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Welcome back! In this episode, Jay Worth welcomes Dylan Harper to the show!

After graduating college and working with a marketing firm, Dylan quickly learned that not all agencies are created equally. He discovered that there was a seedy underside to the marketing world. Any service industry where the customer doesn't completely understand the inner workings and has to trust the professionals, there is room for that trust to be abused; think about how most of the public views auto mechanics, for example. 

Not content to perpetuate bad business practices full of promises but delivering few results, Dylan started Forge Marketing Group. His very first client was a Green Industry company. He discovered how amazing the people in the Green Industry are, and hasn't looked back since. 

In this episode, Dylan talks about why perseverance in marketing, emphasizing speed, and curiosity about new technologies are the keys to success in the Green Industry.

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Visit the Forge Marketing Group Website
Call or Text: (678)-904-5474
Email Dylan: [email protected]
Connect with Dylan on LinkedIn
Follow Forge Marketing Group on Facebook
Follow Forge Marketing Group on Instagram
Check out the Marketing Budget Calculator
Check out the Grade My Website Tool
Read the "Agency Secrets Exposed" Article
Check out Video Resources from Forge Marketing Group

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Welcome back! In this episode, Jay Worth welcomes Frank Mariani to the show!

Vito Mariani, Sr. began the company in 1958. Frank inherited the business in 1973 and never looked back. Over the years, he's built the most successful privately owned residential landscaping company in American history.

And how did he do it? By hiring associates for a career (not a job), creating a clear career path for them from the moment they join the company, and asking them to follow the "Two Commandments;" do what is best for the client, and then do what is best for the company.

Today, Frank is the chairman of the Mariani Premier Group, a collection of the most prestigious landscape businesses in the country.

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Visit the Mariani Premier Group Website
Visit the Mariani Landscape Website
Email Frank: [email protected] 

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Welcome back! In this episode, Jay Worth welcomes Kayla Lujan to the show!

Kayla has a real passion for the Green Industry. She's got a familiar backstory, having gotten into landscaping as an "in-between jobs" job. Another leader in the industry recognized her potential and mentored her.

Kayla is paying that back at Down to Earth Landscape and Irrigation. Not only is she incredibly intentional about coaching the sales team that reports to her, but she's initiated Down to Earth Female Workforce Development, or "DTE FWD." This program within the company highlights, celebrates, and mentors women who want to make the Green Industry their forever career.

She discusses why active field leadership, investing in your people, and passion for your work translate to success in the Green Industry.

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Follow Kayla on LinkedIn
Visit the Down to Earth Landscape and Irrigation Website

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Welcome back! In this episode, Jay Worth welcomes Jonathan Gillespie to the show!

Coming from a golf course background, Jonathan is a "turf guy" through and through. But as it happens, he's a very high-level leader with a unique business model. (You'll have to contact him about that; we don't discuss it much on the show.)

Jonathan explains why Green Industry businesses thrive because of communication, responsiveness, and amazing company culture.

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Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn
Visit the Yardsy Website
Follow Yardsy on Instagram
Follow Yardsy on Facebook
Email Jonathan: [email protected]

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Welcome back! In this episode, Jay Worth welcomes Amy Nakai to the show!

An endurance athlete who has run several marathons and ultra-marathons (like, 100 miles a time, folks), Amy is also Nebraska's only female tree care owner/operator. And she likes it that way. She's also intensely passionate about giving back to her community.

But our conversation about being "crew-focused" (one of the three keys to success she mentioned) strayed into surprising territory. She's got an approach to employee management that will surprise many of your owners and C-suite executives who listen to the show.

Besides being crew-focused, Amy shares why being client and research-focused also gives you a leg-up in the Green Industry.

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Visit the Rooted Tree Specialists' Website
Email Amy: [email protected]
Text Rooted: 402-881-6442
Follow Rooted Tree Specialists on Facebook
Follow Rooted Tree Specialists on Instagram
Follow Rooted Tree Specialists on X

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Welcome to a new season! We kick off with Jay Worth welcoming Tyler Woodard to the show.

Tyler is an Arbor Advisor with Arbor Masters. With expertise in sales processes for the Green Industry, Tyler brings valuable insights to the show.

We discuss why belief in the services you're selling is vital, controlling the conversation and how to do it, and why a customer-acquisition mindset for the organization sets your business up for success.

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Visit the Arbor Masters Website
Connect with Tyler on LinkedIn