Think I got "canned" for confrontation about tree planting.

[M.D. Vaden]

Having newly moved to Medford, Oregon, I've worked part time jobs until business picked up.

I got canned today by a landscape company (routing through a staffing co.) The staffing lady relayed that the reason was due to being slow; she thought I knew the termination was coming. I told her it was news to me, and that "slow" was not the issue since I'm fairly speedy compared to most guys in that outfit.

About 2 weeks ago, I talked to the landscape company manager and handed him a printout of the cities planting requirement for trees. Basically, root panel 1' out and parallel to the curb and sidewalk allowing root growth. It was not a SUGGESTION, but a REQUIREMENT.

I was curious after I flipped my lid over the tree planting I was asked to do. Big root balls planted in a circular array of root panels that looked like the sides of a big plant pot when assembled. Barely any room to get soil in - a shoe-horn job.

And to top it off - several inches of river rock put in the bottom (they think it will help drainage).

The manager did not seem too concerned. Then two days ago, I mentioned to the owner that he might have a liability problem coming down the road. Like dozens of trees getting bigger and dying when the irrigation can supply the tops with water that the compressed root wads can help with anymore.

It bothered me to have to participate in that. I explained to the forman that it is not only embarrasing, but it's unprofessional. Especially in my case. It crossed my mind that I may need to quit, because I just can't handle working that way.

Anyway, I got the axe today, and I think that's the real reason.

I was not very thrilled with the way they handle their pesticide storage and use either. It's sloppy. In fact, a new guy was almost going to fertilize the lawn with preemergent herbicide that would kill the lawn because of the storage and lack of instruction. The young kid argued with me - fortunately the forman saw the stuff and told the kid to get the fertilizer.

But the sloppy storage was not dealt with.

So ladies and gents - I guess I'm 100% on my own in business again.

 

[treeseer]

So ladies and gents - I guess I'm 100% on my own in business again.

Congratulations! You'd be doing the old boss a favor if you advised him that the town will be made aware that the planting is not done to industry specs. If the town specs allow shoehorning and gravel, then they should be made aware as well.

Nothin like self-employment; free to come and go, and no one else to blame for the screwups!

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

...I flipped my lid over the tree planting

Losing your cool will almost always get you canned.

Being RIGHT when the boss is wrong is another strike against you, ESPECIALLY if you tell HIS boss.

Especially when HE has worked for his boss a lot longer than you have.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Blow the wistle on them on the planting and the pesticide storage violations.

 

[Shaun Bowler]

Was the company "Integrerty Tree Preservation"? @ Eugene, OR?

 

[treeseer]

We have a company called "Integrity..." in this area too. Hard ot live up to a name like that, and easy to let the name say one thing and the crew do another.

Mario you will market yourself into a much better living than grunting for fools. Listen to JPS, work the system.

 

[Diesel JD]

Forget 'em and work for yourself...I've been reading your posts and it's pretty obvious that's what you really want to do. It may be that being canned is a blessing in disguise. It would be hard to be under someone else when you have the ability to be your own boss...and do the job as well or much better than the people you've been working for. Good luck
J.D.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

So far it's going good.

They released me Monday, then Tuesday I got about 5 calls for estimates - worked Wednesday on a previous arrangement, then bid the 5 estimates today - all 5 were accepted, and the Wednesday customer accepted today again making 6. That's better than I ever saw in Beaverton / Portland area on a single day. 100% acceptance, all on the spot except one that called back a half hour later.

The city arborist here is going to go and check out their situation I think. Hopefully, trees must be redone. Not to the landscapers detriment, but to the property owners benefit. It's what they deserve.

The company was not called integrity. It is Good Earth Landscape Company of Medford area.

There's not fact-sheet proving that the tree issue was the cause of my release, but the timing, and the owner's not-anywhere-to-be-seen during my removal is like a little public service announcement.

I don't mind mentioning the name, because I'm not making up fables about them. Many people that have seen the facts - trees in little pot-like barrier circles with several inches of rock underneath.

They do mean well - I think - but it appears that their understanding needs a boost. They voiced that they don't need tree care education in their own words. They don't seem to understand how it relates to their installation.

I've dealt with this kind of thing a lot the past few years trying to get landscape architects and landscape contractors to realize that they and arborists are all using HORTICULTURE education; or should be. It's really the same technology of plants, soils, etc., just applied in different proportions.

But it needs to be applied with the same accuracy no matter the proportion.

Landscapers could pick better trees if they understood included and excluded bark, etc.. Then nurseries would have to raise their bar too when the rejects started to stack up.

 

[treeseer]

all using HORTICULTURE education; or should be. It's really the same technology of plants, soils, etc., just applied in different proportions.
But it needs to be applied with the same accuracy no matter the proportion.
Landscapers could pick better trees if they understood included and excluded bark, etc.. Then nurseries would have to raise their bar too when the rejects started to stack up.

Great points, Mario. You may do the town guy the most good if you got hold of the specs on the job and see if the guys who fired you were indeed following instructions. Maybe the town didn't demand a proper bed; then it's their fault in the end.

I wouldn't celebrate the 5-for-5 tho; it means that either you are spellbindingly charismatic or you are too dam cheap. You'd do better at 3-for-5 and 10-20% higher. Plus, if you don't factor in the cost of the estimate, you are not being fair to yourself.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Do you guys have any clue how much good information is on this site?


Case in point: treeseer's advice is very good advice for ANY small service business. Probably for ANY service business, no matter the size.

 

[Chucky]

Do you guys have any clue how much good information is on this site?


Case in point: treeseer's advice is very good advice for ANY small service business. Probably for ANY service business, no matter the size.

Landscapers, as those who tend to concentrate more on aesthetics than stewardship, would no doubt benefit hugely by reading this site. As likewise, arborists would benefit by reading landscape sites.

A good start for the Good Earth Landscape Co. is this post:

Field Capacity and Saturation

Good on you, Mario, for not compromising your ethics and not being afraid to speak up when you see things done wrong.

 

[Diesel JD]

Which is exactly why it's best for him to be his own boss. He gets to hold as high a standard as he wants to. When you work for somebody else you are a paeon, no matter how much somebody tries to talk about we're a team, it's all BS. If the boss does something you think is unethical...you have to either compromise or quit. Glad to hear that you are doing well on your own...and wish you the best of luck.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

So was it better than selling cars though

 

[Kate Butler]

tree planting - aesthetics vs. stewardship

Landscapers, as those who tend to concentrate more on aesthetics than stewardship, would no doubt benefit hugely by reading this site. As likewise, arborists would benefit by reading landscape sites.

A good start for the Good Earth Landscape Co. is this post:

Field Capacity and Saturation

Good on you, Mario, for not compromising your ethics and not being afraid to speak up when you see things done wrong.

You MAY have a point regarding landscapers if they are the sorts of companies that ONLY DO INSTALLS (no maintenance). Those of us who install AND maintain are equally concerned with aesthetics and stewardship.

We spend considerable amounts of time educating out clients. Or, if the clients aren't interested in becoming involved, we do it all. In defense of the clients, many are seasonal residents and MUST leave it all to us.

Our recent snow & ice storn (power off 2 and a half days) has done HUGE amounts of damage. It took 2 hours just to cut the way in to one client's driveway. There will be a couple of days of work there with climbers and a big chipper - and that's just one client.

 

[rebelman]

canned

too bad, you could have bobbed off the crepe myrtles next year for 'em.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

Crazy Canuk

Yes, it beat selling cars. The car sales made my body hurt worse from not working than pruning work made me hurt from working. In that short stint of landscaping for the other company, the raking, digging etc., actually made me get a lot stronger and improved my flexibility.

And now with that excercise under my belt, and continuing on my own, I feel on top of the world positive with endurance. My knuckles and shoulder hurt some, but I barely notice it because I'm so focused on moving and developing my work and business.

May all us arborists be able to stay-the-task until we are shriveled raisins.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

IT AIN'T OVER TILL THE FAT LADY SINGS - AND SHE'S SINGING

This is being resolved. The city arborist is being contacted I hear.

Maybe the developer, since I called with an offer to bid street trees according to code.

But in the end, I think every party will be happy once they understand the right way and the reasons.

I'd have ignored it if it was a few incidentals, but hundreds of trees is too many to sit back idle. Persistence pays. In the process, I may have lost one peer, but that's not certain. I've gained many positive contacts and may still have the peer.

 

[trees4est]

I missed this thread earlier. I'm glad it's worked out that things are more likely to be done correctly; that can only strengthen your stature with you peers, since they can recognize your desire to do things the right way, and not just make a quick buck. Keep it up, and congratulations.
It's very hard, so often people just do not try to keep current with their knowledge. They learn how to do things one way and even if it was the best at the time, it may be learned later that it really is not the best (flush cuts used to be the bees knees, probably back when people commonly said "bees knees"). Many industries are the same, there is always new knowledge, new innovations, too many don't care as long as they can make money. Many techniques are simply passed along unreflectively as lore or law, even if there is a better way of doing things. Topping is huge here, for example, like many places around the world, and someone might say "I've been topping for 40 years, I've never killed a tree". Just because someone has been doing something for a long time, doesn't mean they've been doing it right for a long time. I constantly am seeing landscapers plant too deeply, plant with too severe of a soil interface, plant crappy stock, plant things in a terrible place, etc...and I'm always trying to tell them what I can, without insulting their professionalism. It's difficult. I hope also that I can listen to what anyone is telling me with an open mind, because one thing I've learned is the more you know, the more you realize you don't know anything. All you're doing is shining a flashlight in the universe-sized darkness of your ignorance. But, uh, I'm digressing, sorry. Keep on truckin'!

 

[M.D. Vaden]

I missed this thread earlier. I'm glad it's worked out that things are more likely to be done correctly; that can only strengthen your stature with you peers, since they can recognize your desire to do things the right way, and not just make a quick buck. Keep it up, and congratulations.
It's very hard, so often people just do not try to keep current with their knowledge. They learn how to do things one way and even if it was the best at the time, it may be learned later that it really is not the best (flush cuts used to be the bees knees, probably back when people commonly said "bees knees"). Many industries are the same, there is always new knowledge, new innovations, too many don't care as long as they can make money. Many techniques are simply passed along unreflectively as lore or law, even if there is a better way of doing things. Topping is huge here, for example, like many places around the world, and someone might say "I've been topping for 40 years, I've never killed a tree". Just because someone has been doing something for a long time, doesn't mean they've been doing it right for a long time. I constantly am seeing landscapers plant too deeply, plant with too severe of a soil interface, plant crappy stock, plant things in a terrible place, etc...and I'm always trying to tell them what I can, without insulting their professionalism. It's difficult. I hope also that I can listen to what anyone is telling me with an open mind, because one thing I've learned is the more you know, the more you realize you don't know anything. All you're doing is shining a flashlight in the universe-sized darkness of your ignorance. But, uh, I'm digressing, sorry. Keep on truckin'!

That makes sense. Because some people have also drank alchohol and drove for 40 years too without getting in a wreck or killing someone yet.

Because disaster has not yet struck, does not make it right.

Fits perfect with a show I saw on the history channel tonight. It was about a DC 10 plane where an engine came off. In the end, it came down to the airline (others too) cutting corners. The plane manufacturer directions were to lower an engine in a certain fashion. But the airline did it differently with a forklift and ended up fatiguing the metal. So over 200 people died, but it took months for the consequences to occur.

They did this to many planes for months with no consequences. Other airlines likewise.

It ended up putting the manufacturer out of business, and those were the guys who had the right wisdom in the first place. They ended up getting absorbed by Boeing.