breaking ground
Bright Future
on the Horizon?
What the numbers and pros forecast for the industry
I'm a skeptic.
But maybe that comes with being in the media profession. So when I hear the economy is on the mend, I look for the proof. One of the signs of
recovery for the landscape industry starts with construction and the housing-market boom.
The construction industry added 48,000 new jobs in February, according to the United States
Department of Labor's February report. And since September, construction employment has
risen by 151,000 jobs.
This continued improvement in the construction market means a renewal in the demand for
landscape services. But maybe even bigger than the numbers are the forecasts of the green
industry pros – and the next generation.
I attended the Professional Landcare Network's (PLANET)
Student Career Days last month where I got a reading
on what's next for the industry. Amid booths set up by
landscape companies, manufacturers and associations,
hundreds of students from colleges around the country
networked, while offering a fresh perspective on the future.
"Some day, our generation will be filling their shoes,"
says Sarah Asay, a junior at Brigham Young University studying landscape management. "We want to bring up the
green industry."
With a love and desire to see the trade succeed, the
students I met made me more optimistic than any number
or statistic. But isn't that determination and passion what
has always helped the landscape industry survive?
To see photos and more about the career fair, read Field
Report on page 7. Visit our YouTube channel, you
Lauren Heartsill Dowdle
Editor-At-Large
tube.com/TLCmagazine, to watch event coverage.
A P R I L 2013
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