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Viewpoint and practices, but also an overall excitement, eagerness and passion for the industry. In addi- tion, the wide range of companies on hand interviewing — and hiring — students is an ex- tremely positive sign for the state of the industry and the continuing growth of landscape and tree care companies. PLANET President David Snodgrass, Landscape Industry Certified Manager, said that he T doesn’t often use the label “wild success,” but if anything stands up to that moniker, Student Career Days is it. “The event allows students to interview for jobs and network with representatives from the top Green Industry companies in the United States,” said Anna Walraven, director of In- dustry Development at PLANET. “Many students leave the event with job or internship of- fers.” “These students are the future of the Green Industry, and the passion and determination of these students continues to inspire us year after year,” said Roger Phelps, promotional com- munications manager for STIHL Inc., lead sponsor of the event. Sixty college teams, including one from Canada and two FFA high school teams (875 stu- dents total) participated in 28 individual and team competitions, including landscape design, annual and perennial identification, business management, equipment operation, irrigation as- sembly and design, plant problem diagnosis, sales presentation, and much more. Awards were given to individual winners, called “Superstars,” as well as to winning teams. The individual winners were, in first place, Kevin Whitaker of the University of Georgia; in second place, Alex Casillas of Cal Poly-Pomona; and in third place, Dallas Gustafson of Col- orado State University. Brigham Young University – Provo took first place in the overall competitive event, fol- lowed by Michigan State University in second place, and Brigham Young University – Idaho in third. According to Dr. Phil Allen, CLP, professor of the Landscape Management Program at Brigham Young University, professionalism on the part of the students attending Student Ca- reer Days has increased tremendously throughout the years, and it pays off for the students. “We continue to place our graduates in excellent positions with top Green Industry com- panies, and owe much of this success to the great educational and networking opportunities that are available through attending Career Days,” said Allen. “Competitions help prepare stu- dents for the real world by motivating them to do their best and learn from successes as well as failures.” According to Allen, there are still plenty of challenges for students entering the Green In- dustry. The difficult part is that most major Green Industry companies tend to hire students to start at the bottom and work up. He added that SCD and industry leaders would like to see more Green Industry companies bring in qualified students on an internship basis so that they can eventually enter the company at a higher level. That said, SCD continues to be a success and a bright sign for the future of the industry. “We couldn’t have asked for a more energy-charged four days,” said PLANET Student Career Days Subcommittee Chair, Brett Lemcke, Landscape Industry Certified Manager. “The competitive spirit was clearly present, and while I think this year’s events were some of the most challenging we have developed, the students took them on and succeeded.” For more news and photos from SCD, visit www.LandscapeIrrigation.com. 6 Landscape and Irrigation April 2011 LI John Kmitta The Bright Future of the Green Industry he future of the Green Industry looks pretty bright. That’s the overwhelming im- pression provided by the 35th annual Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) Student Career Days (SCD) event March 17-20 in Joliet, Ill. The students in at- tendance exhibited not only knowledge and skill related to Green Industry topics IRRIGAT ON M2MEDIA360 1030 W. 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