Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/85702
BY LAUREN HEARTSILL DOWDLE BUILDING A FUTURE H ow do you attract new people to an industry with an aging workforce? That was the question David Demby of David's Landscaping and De- sign in Erie, Pennsylvania, found himself asking a couple of years ago. He felt the best method of informing people about great careers in landscaping and con- struction was to put the word Children got an upclose look at the equipment in the Kids' PlayZone. Fun day draws a new generation to landscaping out – in a big way. So, Demby pitched the idea of a "Construction Fun Day" to the mayor's offi ce, equipment dealers and volunteers. As part of the town's annual "Celebrate Erie" event held during the summer, Demby and his friends brought more than a dozen machines to the event and turned half a city block into a career fair and Kids' PlayZone, an area that allowed them to check out the landscap- ing equipment fi rst hand. The event didn't just attract young children, says event plan- ner Laura Schaaf, assistant to Mayor Joseph E. Sinnott. "David's original idea was to engage older children and teens interested in career exploration," she says. "The three-day event presented a unique opportunity." Demby says an army of volun- teers helped pull off the gather- ing. "Many of the local dealers – Bobcat, Case, Caterpillar and Kubota – participated by bring- ing equipment," he says. "We let the kids crawl all over them and blow the horns. We even had a Peterbilt there with a sleeper." Demby's company gave away a free landscape design, and there were giveaways for the children, "THE KIDS LOVE THE EQUIPMENT. IT WILL SIT IN THEIR MINDS FOR A LONG TIME." May 2012 / TOTAL LANDSCAPE CARE 13