CLCA Keeps You in the Game

In looking back at the nearly forty years I’ve worked in the landscape industry, I was thinking about what has kept me going and in business. My wife has played a huge part. She has put up with the ups and downs and has given me the strength and encouragement to keep pushing forward. I’ve also been fortunate to have some great mentors. The one thing that really stands out to me, that I keep coming back to, is the CLCA. While I don’t utilize all the benefits of my membership – there are a lot of them – I feel that I have gotten what I needed over the years. CLCA has supported me, motivated me, connected me, educated me, and helped grow me. Keeping me in the game all these years later.

To dive deeper, I’d like to share how I learned of CLCA. Shortly after studying horticulture in college, I started my own landscape company. After two short years in business, I had already run the company into the ground. I needed to find something else, do something different, if I was going to stay in the trade. So, I went to work for a design and build landscape company. I was amazed at how the company was run and the quality of work, not to mention the size of the jobs. After twelve years working for this company, I learned how to manage people, how to estimate, and how to build quality jobs. I also learned about CLCA. The owner was very involved in the association and often referred to it for support and resources. Our company also entered the award competitions every year. Impressing me most was how we would win, year over year, against the best companies in CLCA. I remember thinking that one day I would like to be that company, competing and winning, putting out quality work. Successful in business.

Fast forward to today, I have my own design and build landscape company that produces quality, award-winning work. Successful in business.

Bottom line: We all know the tough stuff of finding work, good employees, estimating, and putting the work in the ground. Running a successful company and producing quality work takes a special finesse. That’s what CLCA is for. To motivate you, support you, and connect you with people and resources to help keep you in the game.

~Sincerely, Dave, 2023 CLCA OC Chapter President