Landscape Management, November 2010

WATER WISE PHOTO TOP COURTESY Rain biRd WHY CERTIFICATION MATTERS Customers especially those owning or responsible for managing larger landscapes increasingly demand credentials from irrigation professionals to document competency Certification provides tangible proof of your dedication to performance and service excellence but dont confuse certification with licensing Licensing is a governmentcontrolled process that serves as a requirement for functioning in specific professions Certification is a voluntary credentialing process which is managed by members of the profession industry based certification provides a set of high standards consistently maintained that ultimately benefit the public when developed and managed appropriately The benefits of certification include establishing a recognized standard of knowledge and competency for the financial professional formally recognizing those who meet these standards providing employers and clients with a tool to identify skilled knowledgeable professionals and supporting the benefits of professional continuing education and development by meeting the requirements of certification you document your knowledge experience performance and definition of professional ethics in a scientifically verifiable process it is this documentation that becomes the credential that employers clients and peers can use to measure your value in meeting their needs LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET nOvEmbER 2010 14 Customers expect a higher level of service when they seek out certified professionals The industry is trying to take it upon itself to improve the professionalism and knowledge of employees points out Sherrie Schulte certification and education director for the Irrigation Association IA And as the California contractor discovered more local municipalities are passing ordinances involving publiclyfunded projects that companies cannot bid for unless their workforce includes certified professionals If there are certified professionals on a project the community feels it can be done correctly the first time in the most efficient way possible Schulte says Theres no worry that someone else will have to come in after the fact and correct any problems An inefficient system costs money and more importantly energy and water Programs available on national state levels IA offers national water certification programs while CLCA offers similar programs in the Golden State The CLCA water certification program gives landscape professionals the tools to map the site a client wants watered measuring the turf available vs the number of medium and lowwater plants The program plugs data into a system that allows contractors to create a water budget The IA program includes six different credentials including Certified Irrigation Contractor To achieve certification contractors must hold at least three years experience and pass a written exam For another certification the Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor professionals must pass both a written exam and a field test All certified professionals must adhere to a code of ethics and continue their education Passing either organizations program gives professionals the ability to become a U S Environmental Protection Agency EPA WaterSense irrigation partner Tom DeLany CEO of ACLS in Fresno CA was one of the first 10 landscape professionals to participate when CLCA launched its water certification program in 2007 and the first in the Central Valley region to do so People were questioning why I was doing it he says The Fresno metro area wasnt even on metered water at the time But DeLany looked at it from a business perspective I felt that in order to be more professional we needed to save our clients water ACLS used the certification to launch a certified water consulting service in January which immediately produced a 100000 project at a local childrens hospital The company refitted nearly 6000 irrigation heads at the hospital which pumps its own water The hospital is expected to see a 30 decrease in water usage leading to a monthly savings of thousands of dollars on electrical pump costs CERTIfICATIoN INDICATES ThAT WE kNoW WE WERE PART of ThE PRobLEM buT NoW WE WANT To bE PART of ThE SoLuTIoN Frank Niccoli The Village Gardener