Landscape Management, June 2017

MARISA PALMIERI eDITOR Contact Marisa at 216 706 3764 or mpalmieri@ northcoastmedia net LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET June 2017 4 HEADQUARTERS 1360 East 9th St Suite 1070 Cleveland OH 44114 EDITORIAL STAFF editor Marisa Palmieri 216 706 3764 mpalmieri@ northcoastmedia net Associate editor Dillon Stewart 216 706 3756 dstewart@ northcoastmedia net Art Director Tracie Martinez 216 280 6127 tmartinez@ northcoastmedia net Graphic Designer Courtney Townsend 216 363 7931 ctownsend@ northcoastmedia net Digital Media Content Producer Kelly Limpert 216 363 7933 klimpert@ northcoastmedia net ADVERTISING STAFF Group Publisher Bill Roddy 216 706 3758 broddy@ northcoastmedia net Group Associate Publisher Craig MacGregor 216 706 3787 cmacgregor@ northcoastmedia net eastern Regional Sales Manager Chris De Cicco 216 337 4417 cdecicco@ northcoastmedia net Western Regional Sales Manager Jake Goodman 216 363 7923 jgoodman@ northcoastmedia net Classified Accounts Manager Chloe Scoular 216 363 7929 cscoular@ northcoastmedia net BUSINESS STAFF Vice President Sales Patrick Roberts 216 706 3736 proberts@ northcoastmedia net Administrative Coordinator Petra Turko 216 706 3768 pturko@ northcoastmedia net Manager Meetings and events Kyle Castro 216 706 3772 kcastro@ northcoastmedia net Marketing Manager Scott Gebler 216 363 7932 sgebler@ northcoastmedia net Manager Production Services Terri Johnstone 216 978 9622 tjohnstone@ northcoastmedia net Senior Audience Development Manager Antoinette Sanchez Perkins 216 706 3750 asanchez perkins@ northcoastmedia net Web Developer Jesse Malcmacher 216 363 7925 jmalcmacher@ northcoastmedia net MARKETING MAGAZINE SERVICES Reprints Permissions Brett Petillo 877 652 5295 bpetillo@ wrightsmedia com List Rental Brahm Schenkman The Information Refinery Inc 800 529 9020 bschenkman@ inforefinery com Subscriber Customer Service 847 513 6030 landscapemanagement@ omeda com For current single copy or back issues CORPORATE OFFICERS President CeO Kevin Stoltman 216 706 3740 kstoltman@ northcoastmedia net VP Finance Operations Steve Galperin 216 706 3705 sgalperin@ northcoastmedia net VP Graphic Design Production Pete Seltzer 216 706 3737 pseltzer@ northcoastmedia net Director of Audience engagement Bethany Chambers 216 706 3771 bchambers@ northcoastmedia net editorial Directors Marty Whitford Marisa Palmieri 216 706 3766 mwhitford@ northcoastmedia net 216 706 3764 mpalmieri@ northcoastmedia net EDITORS NOTE T heres always a corporate crisis du jour in the headlines whether its a social media gaffe McDStories physical altercation United Airlines or unpopular decision Mylan EpiPen When we hear about these public relations nightmares we might be inclined to think large companies are more prone to them than the small and midsize businesses that make up most of the landscape industry but thats not necessarily the case Accidents dont know how many employees you have or the size of your annual revenue As I sat in a session about crisis communication last month at the Turf Ornamental Communicators Association annual meeting in Tampa Fla all I could think about was how owning and managing a business is inherently risky Sending people out into the field with trucks and trailers full of power equipment and powerful pesticides is even riskier Lisa Lochridge director of public affairs for the Florida Fruit Vegetable Association gave the talk It prompted me to consider that anything can happen and in this era of live streaming video nearly anything can go viral in real time Managing any crisis Lochridge says requires early detection free flow of information within the company and most importantly a plan A plan starts with assessing risk Ask yourself What kinds of crises can happen in your company and how likely are they to occur As an aside do you have a plan to prevent or reduce the likelihood of these happening in the first place A few green industry events come to mind ranging from minor to fatal A lawn care companys chemical mix up destroyed a high school football field in Chicago in 2015 In 2013 improper insecticide use in Oregon caused a mass bee kill off which led to a state investigation and a product restriction A landscape companys employee was killed and four others were injured last year when their truck hit a bridge guardrail caught fire and fell into a creek below Last year a landscape worker shot and killed his foreman in Florida This industry is not immune After you consider your risks Lochridge advises you to assemble a crisis team and a written plan It doesnt have to be large document she says but it should be revised annually It should include a list of external and internal audiences a list of team responsibilities a checklist for the first 24 hours and current contact information for crisis team members and media Keep in mind that employees are one of your most important audiences during a crisis she says Lochridge encourages company leaders to be decisive communicate honestly and in a timely manner show concern and be accessible And as Warren Buffet is credited with saying Get it right get it fast get it out get it over Finally remember that apologies are effective as long you dont ruin them with excuses The goal is to express Heres what were doing to make sure this never happens again Crisis mode