After nearly six years, Brett and Skyler sign off with the final episode of the NALP Young Professionals Network podcast. Joined by Kim McCrossen, NALP’s Director of Education, they reflect on favorite moments, impactful guests, and the podcast's legacy. They discuss the value of NALP events, free contractor training, and leadership opportunities like the NALP Executive Leadership Program. While saying goodbye to the podcast, they invite listeners to stay engagedthrough NALP’s many resources, events, and upcoming Elevate conference. Thanks for listening—and see you at the next event!

In this replay episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome our guest Anita Palmer with Sperber Landscape Companies. Anita discusses the importance of organic growth through acquiring new customers and developing employees' skills and careers. She shares her passion for landscaping, architecture, and community, which alignswith the industry's flexibility in pursuing various paths. Anita also touches on embracing discomfort for personal growth and engagement as well as balancing personal and professional team needs.  This episode is hosted byBrett Lemcke of R.M. Landscape and Skyler Westergard with LandCare.

In this episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome our guest Lynette Cordero, Finance Manager with the Klausing Group.   Lynette shares the journey toward B Corp Certification and what it means for business sustainability and stakeholder value. Lynette shares her financial leadership approach, including how she simplifies complex financial data for teams and supports strategic forecasting. The conversation also covers the use of AI in financial analysis, team training challenges, new hires, and how the certification process has already sparked positive changes within their company.  This episode is hosted by Brett Lemcke of R.M. Landscape and Skyler Westergard withLandCare.

In this replay episode of Growing in the Green Industry, our guest Jacob Hong with Woodlawns Landscape Company is a former landscape management student; discusses his career progression from sales to company leadership. They also talk about the importance of personal and professional growth, the balance between current roles and future opportunities, and the significance of understanding and aligning with a company's culture. Lastly, they shared their personal experiences and challenges, with a focus on leadership in a rapidly changing organization.  This episode is hosted by Brett Lemcke of R.M. Landscape and Skyler Westergard with LandCare.

In this episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome our guest Michael Davie, Senior Account Manager with M.J. Design Associates, Inc.  Michael emphasizes the importance of investing in employees through continuous training and personal development, noting it drives company growth and shows genuine care. He discusses the valueof sharing knowledge gained from industry events and integrating key takeaways into daily operations. Michael also highlights the need to relate to young people in mentorship roles by being supportive and engaging, aiming to sparkcuriosity rather than just solve workforce shortages. He stresses promoting the industry's career viability to parents and educators, while he shares both challenges like the H-2B worker program and optimism about client understandingand future opportunities.  This episode is hosted by Brett Lemcke of R.M. Landscape and Skyler Westergard withLandCare.

In this replay host episode of Growing in the Green Industry, Brett and Skyler talk discuss the challenges ofmaintaining productivity and motivation during the summer season. Brett emphasizes the importance of finding a balance between work and personal time, while Skyler expresses struggles with feelings of guilt for investing time in self-improvement. They both share that quality of work is more important than quantity, and that it's satisfactory to do what needs to be done to a high standard, rather than being everywhere and doing everything.  They also touch on work-life balance and strategic time off.  This episode is hosted by Skyler Westergard with LandCare and Brett Lemcke with RM Landscape.

In this replay episode of Growing in the Green Industry, our guest Jacob Hong with Woodlawns Landscape Company is a former landscape management student; discusses his career progression from sales to company leadership. They also talk about the importance of personal and professional growth, the balance between current roles and future opportunities, and the significance of understanding and aligning with a company's culture. Lastly, they shared their personal experiences and challenges, with a focus on leadership in a rapidly changing organization.  This episode is hosted by Brett Lemcke of R.M. Landscape and Skyler Westergard with LandCare.

In this episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome our guest Shaun Callaway, Vice President – Houston Market with Earthworks, Inc.   Shaun takes us through his journey, from studying landscape architecture to rising to the role of Vice President, sharing both the challenges and triumphs of launching a new business division. He also reflects on his experience attendingthe NALP Executive Leadership Program at the UVA Darden School of Business, where he gained valuable insights on leadership and networking with industry peers.  This episode is hosted by Brett Lemcke of R.M. Landscape and Skyler Westergard with LandCare.

In this replay episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome Angela Hieronimus, Director of Engagement and Success with Blades of Green Lawn Care.  Angela talks about the importance of having those hard conversations and how her experiences have helped her be successful in her HR role.  She talks about recruiting, team member retention and engagement. She shares how they keep their team members engaged throughout the year through benefits, team gatherings and conversations.  This episode is hosted by Skyler Westergard with LandCare and Brett Lemcke with RM Landscape.

In this episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome our guest Josh Chalfant, Associate Director of Training and Development with his focus on in-house training for tasks like spring cleanup, edging, and mulching. He emphasized the importance of continuous learning and taking initiative for career advancement. Josh also discussed the benefits of in-house training over external resources, with Josh explaining how his program reduced accidents and improved safety. They also touched on the value of certifications like CLT for employees’ professional growth and safety. This episode is hosted by Brett Lemcke of R.M. Landscape and Skyler Westergard with LandCare.

In this replay episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome Cate Deane with Ruppert Landscape.  Cate talks about finding your passion and being able to utilize the resources out there that are available to everyone.  Cate talks about finding the balance with training and mentoring and the importance of finding the best ways to keep your learners engaged.  She shares how important it is to have a safe space when it comes to learning and not assuming that the learner knows all – assume they do not know.  This episode is hosted by Skyler Westergard with LandCare and Brett Lemcke with RM Landscape.

In this episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome our guest Jenn Myers, Executive Directorof the NALP Foundation and Senior Director of Workforce Development at NALP. With the National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC) approaching Jenn, Brett andSkyler talked about their experiences and insights with their involvement in NCLC and its impact on their careers. They highlighted the importance of industry events, networking opportunities and fostering student growth and professionaldevelopment. They also talked about the evolution of NCLC, its significance in attracting and recruiting talent, and the need for continued support to ensure student participation and industry engagement.  This episode is hosted by Brett Lemcke of R.M. Landscape and Skyler Westergard with LandCare.

In this replay episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome our guest, Brandon Sheppard, Franchise Owner of Weed Man and President-Elect of NALP.  In this episode we also welcome our newest host, Skyler Westergard with LandCare.  Brandon shares his experience with volunteering at Renewal and Remembrance and how important the opportunity is to give back to those who give to the green industry.  Brandon also talks about his passion for transforming lives within his company and the power of investing and caring for your team as individuals.  He talks about representing yourself and company through recruiting, interviews and training and that you should be more than a company that gives just lip service but that invites people to bring a different part of themselves to work. Brandon, Skyler, and Brett also talk about the book,⁠Setting the Table⁠ by Danny Meyer and the six hospitality quotient characteristics and building in those characteristics into the interview process.  They also mention the books⁠Unreasonable Hospitality⁠ and⁠Winning on Purpose⁠. This episode is hosted by Brett Lemcke with R.M. Landscape and Skyler Westergard with LandCare. Listen here or on your favorite podcast app: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nalp-young-professionals

In this episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome our guest Jaden Miller, Marketing Manager at Weller Brothers Landscape Professionals.  Jaden shares her journey of transitioning her marketing career into the landscape industry.  She shares the challenges of marketing in a highly visual industry, and the importance of data and understanding the target audience in your marketingefforts. She also touches on utilizing AI tools for various tasks, the challenges of expanding a business into new markets, and the importance of strategic planning.  This episode is hosted by Brett Lemcke of R.M. Landscape and Skyler Westergard with LandCare.

In this replay episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome Joe Kujawa, Practice Leader of Bruce Wilson & Company. Joe talks about the power and value of peer groups.  Joe talks about the uniqueness that our industry has compared to other industries and how our industry is willing to share information – successes and failures.  He also shares how networking can be intimidating but the importance of it.  This episode is hosted by SkylerWestergard with LandCare and Brett Lemcke with RM Landscape.

In this episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome our guest Luke Reinhart, Director of Autonomous Mowing with Reinhart Landscaping and Snow.  Luke shares his journey of working in the family business and discusses his development of autonomous mowing systems and his future plans beyond the family business. Luke talks about his passion for business analytics, his transition from a management major, and the challenges of applying new knowledge in a business setting. Luke also touches on the role of autonomous mowing technology, environmental benefits, and labor shortages. He also talks about the importance of innovation, long-term thinking, and fostering strong relationships in business. This episode is hosted by Brett Lemcke of R.M. Landscape and Skyler Westergard with LandCare.

This replay episode of Growing in the Green Industry is presented by the Veterans in Landscape Network and hosted by Joe Lewis with Yard Solutions, Brian Chapman with LMI Landscapes and Terry Williams with Green Lawn Fertilizing.  In this special VILN takeover episode these military Veterans discuss how to be adaptable leaders and working beside your team as well as leadership dependability and being able to lean on your team.  They discuss patience and how having the military mentality has helped them to learn and adapt to a new environment.  They also talk about being present to make an impact.  It’s an episode you won’t want to miss! Listen here or on your favorite podcast platform: https://anchor.fm/nalp-young-professionals.

In this episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome our guest Kayla Lujan, Vice President of Sales and Marketing with Down to Earth Landscape and Irrigation.  Kayla shares her experience with career transitions and the importance of understanding the people business of the industry.  She discusses her new role and her focus on leadership and the challenges of adjusting her leadership style.  She also talks about empowering your team and retaining talent.  This episode is hosted by Brett Lemcke of R.M. Landscape and Skyler Westergard with LandCare.

In this replay episode of Growing in the Green Industry, we welcome Kohler Brafford, Principal at Black Pearl Management and Principal at White Pearl Management. Kohler talks about his story and how he entered into the green industry.  He talks about early milestones that helped accelerate his career and shares his advice on never leaving anything on the table and taking a leap.  He talks about as a business owner; his focus is not as much on the plants but is more about embracing the people and how important that is to the business. This episode is hosted by Skyler Westergard with LandCare and Brett Lemcke with RM Landscape.

In this episode of Growing in the Green Industry, our hosts discuss what they have been doing to prepare for the winter and green season.  They also discussed the challenges of measuring the effectiveness of training and development programs and highlighted the difficulty in assessing the impact of leadership training as it is influences by many factors such as mentorship, local associations, and trade shows.   This episode is hosted by Brett Lemcke of R.M. Landscape and Skyler Westergard with LandCare.