Jenny Agee-AldridgeDesign-BuildDesign/build: Hardscaping in stagesBuilding hardscape projects in phases is growing in popularity because it allows customers to achieve their dream yard over a period of time with financially digestible, staggered payments. Contractors like phased hardscape projects because they secure work in a precarious economy.March 1, 2012Design-BuildBusiness Tips from a WinnerWe are currently accepting applications for TLC’s 2013 Landscaper of the Year contest, sponsored by Case Construction Equipment. Here are a few business tips from 2012 finalists Nikos Phelps, owner of Utopian Landscapes.February 28, 2012BusinessHardscaping Certification Gives Landscapers Competitive EdgeFor landscaper Bobby Franz, hardscaping certification and business success fit together as snugly as interlocking pavers. “Getting certified solidified me as a professional,” says Franz, the owner of Franz Nursery in Hamilton, Indiana, and a finalist 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.”February 28, 2012BusinessPartnership PerfectedLate in their careers, Bill Henkel and Gordon Denmark took a leap of faith to found a new business. Their successes led them to be named the 2012 Landscaper of the Year. When Bill Henkel and Gordon Denmark arrived at work in the first days of their partnership in 1999, they hung their coats on metal IV holders serving as coat racks and walked into dark narrow offices adapted from an old storage building in Lexington, Kentucky. The offices were sparse for the two 47-year-old men who were risking their homes and retirement to found a company.January 6, 2012Design-BuildHow to create profitable koi pondsWe interviewed many experts for this article to come up with best tips on how to build a koi pond. Click here to read the story from Total Landscape Care.September 1, 2011BusinessPassion for DetailsJay Townsend combines his talent for business with a love of the outdoors.August 1, 2011Design-BuildCreate the perfect patio plan: Think outside the rectangleThink outside the rectangle, and other tips from our experts. Patios of the past: Rectangle concrete slabs laid outside a sliding glass door. Today, your clients are more discerning, and you’ll increase your chances of winning projects if you offer creative options for designs, placement and materials.June 4, 2011Business4 marketing strategies to increase your client base and awarenessIncrease your client base and awareness of your business by focusing on these 4 strategies. Implementing a successful marketing and public relations plan for your company doesn’t necessarily require major outside help, but it does require strategic thinking.June 4, 2011BusinessA Faithful JourneyChad Beidel’s varied experiences set a foundation for success. Whether he was preaching the Gospel in Honduras or laying stone for a patio in Maryland, Chad Beidel’s work has always been about building strong foundations for those around him.May 5, 2011Landscaping equipmentWhich loader lift option is best for you?When purchasing a skid steer loader, it’s important to consider what lift style and lift path will work best. The key question: “What jobs will this equipment perform most?” You have two lift choices: radial and vertical. “Both machines have the ability to dig, push and level materials. The difference comes when you start lifting items off of the ground,” says Mike Fitzgerald, Bobcat loader product specialist.May 5, 2011Previous PagePage 2 of 3Next PageTop StoriesBusinessRC Mowers brings autonomous mowing to an international network of dealersThe robotic mower manufacturer expands on its current remote-controlled dealer network to add six dealers that exclusively sell its new autonomous mowers.EquipmentMecalac introduces its AT1050 telescopic wheel loader to North AmericaBusinessTransforming customer complaints into growthEquipmentFirstgreen expands electric skid steer range with Elise 700EquipmentNew Kubota RTV520 Crossroads gets fully loaded with standard features