hardscaping
Certifi ably Successful
BY KEN WYSOCKY
Hardscaping certifi cation gives landscapers a competitive edge.
f
or landscaper Bobby Franz, hardscaping cer- tifi cation and business success fi t together as snugly as interlocking pavers. "Getting certifi ed solidifi ed me as a professional," says Franz, the owner of Franz Nursery in Hamil- ton, Indiana, and a fi nalist in Total Landscape Care's 2012 Landscaper of the Year contest. "It provides us with a competitive advantage … and conveys to customers that we're serious about hardscaping."
Franz earned hardscaping certifi cation from the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (icpi.org) in 2003. He says it's much more than just the pro- verbial feather in his landscaping cap. "It works as a sales tool because we can tell customers we install hardscapes according to ICPI specifi cations," he says. "And internally, by using those guidelines, I know Foreman A and Foreman B are using the same process to install patio pavers."
March 2012 / TOTAL LANDSCAPE CARE 15
PHOTO COURESTY OF BELGARD HARDSCAPES
