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PLANET HOSTS BIGGEST-EVER STUDENT CAREER DAYS

This year’s PLANET Student Career Days (SCD) held March 27-30 in Acworth, GA, boasted the highest number of teams in the event’s history. Sixty-five college teams, including a total of 950 students, participated in 25 individual and team competitions including tree climbing, paver installation, wood construction, plant identification, sales presentation, exterior/interior design, irrigation troubleshooting, along with skid steer and equipment operation, to name a few.

The competition, held by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), included awards to individual winners as well as to teams. The individual winners, called “Superstars,” were:
• First place: Matthew Early of North Metro Technical College in Acworth, GA
• Second place: Ken Kwait of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Third place: Ken Beasley of Hinds Community College in Jackson, MS

In an exciting turn, the host school, North Metro Technical College, unseated Brigham Young University to take first place in the overall competitive events. However, BYU still made a strong showing, with the Idaho campus placing second and the Provo campus placing third.

North Metro Tech student Matthew Early seemed more excited about his team’s win than his own personal first-place finish. “We just wanted to place in the top 10,” he said. When asked about unseating BYU, Early added, “Man, that’s an indescribable feeling. We thought that if the whole team came together we might be able to pull it off.”

This was the first time the event was held at North Metro Technical College. “Our campus is smaller than others,” said Early. “But students from other schools said they liked having the events close together so they could watch their teammates compete in the different events.”

Aside from the bragging rights, students also received scholarships and award money. This year PLANET gave away more than $70,000 in scholarships through its PLANET Academic Excellence Foundation. In addition, the on-site Career Fair offered students the opportunity to interview with green industry companies for full-time positions and internships. Many students received job offers on site.

The event was equally successful for more than 100 companies who participated. Hemlocks Landscaping of Jasper, GA, sponsored a booth at the Career Fair.
“Overall it was a fantastic experience,” said Ross Fletcher, CLP, president and owner of Hemlocks Landscaping. “Seeing the level of talent coming into the field made me really proud to be a part of the industry.

We had 150 kids who where interested in interviewing with us and wanting more information about our company. You can’t do better than that.”

Stihl Inc., the platinum sponsor of the event, entertained students between competitions with their world-champion Stihl Ironjacks who performed shows of logrolling, tree climbing, sawing and chopping events. Ariens, Gravely and Stens, Brickman, Caterpillar Inc., Husqvarna, John Deere, Outside Unlimited Inc., Pavestone Co., The Toro Co. and Vermeer Corp. were also major sponsors of the event.

For a complete list of winners, please visit the web at StudentCareerDays.org. Also visit LandcareNetwork.org for more information on PLANET.

WEED MAN LAUNCHES STUDENT GRANT PROGRAM

College students who dream of owning their own business some day can now do it faster thanks to an innovative grant program offered by Weed Man. The lawn care company is offering $10,000 grants toward franchise ownership to students enrolled in horticultural or other green industry college degree programs.

Weed Man’s Student Entrepreneur Grant program was recently unveiled at PLANET’s Student Career Days. The grants represent half the cost of a single franchise territory. Mike Richard, Weed Man’s marketing coordinator, explained that students have options for obtaining the remaining financing including partnerships or third-party financing arranged with the help of Weed Man.

If students prefer to learn the Weed Man business model before taking the plunge into ownership, the company has options for those individuals, as well. Summer internships and two- to four-year apprenticeships are also available.

During summer internships, students participate in a variety of modules. They include technical, marketing, management and administrative tracks that last two or three weeks if not the entire summer. Students may receive college credit while learning about everything from fertilizer application to marketing to quality control to budgeting.

Weed Man also offers a four-year apprenticeship/ownership incentive program. Students learn the Weed Man systems while accumulating up to $20,000 toward a Weed Man franchise purchase.

GREEN INDUSTRY EXPO WORKSHOPS SCHEDULED

The Green Industry Expo Workshops, which provide a special introduction to PLANET’s four-day Green Industry Conference (GIC) education program, will be returning again this year for the second annual GIE+EXPO in Louisville, October 23-25.

These preview sessions are offered at $50 each and are open to all GIE+EXPO attendees. Pre-registration for the sessions is required and can be done at gie-expo.com or by calling (800) 558-8767.

The Green Industry Expo Workshops will include a session on “Pricing and Profitability” hosted by Kevin Kehoe (Oct. 23, 8:30-10:30 a.m.). Attendees will learn the strategies used by successful contractors to increase sales and profits.

The “Building Leadership Through Personal Power” session will be hosted by Chuck Zamora (Oct. 24, 8:30-10:30 a.m.). In this session, Zamora will explore the three major components of personal power: communication, attitude and self-image, followed by goal setting.

In the third and final session (Saturday, Oct. 25, 8:30-10:30 a.m.), “Make Friends, Make Sales, The Art of Relationship Selling,” Marty Grunder will teach attendees how to improve their selling efforts immediately by learning how to make friends and influence people.

For information about PLANET’s full GIC educational series, visit greenindustryconference.org. The Professional Grounds Maintenance Society (PGMS) also offers education and peer networking during GIE+EXPO through their School of Grounds Management. For school details go to PGMS.org.