By NANCY MYERS / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
Jodie Boutilier took a sabbatical from her career in the computer-rental industry to have twins and eventually began to explore career options. That's when she discovered the field of industrial plantscaping.
Further research led her to Initial Tropical Plants, a subsidiary of UK-based Rentokil and the largest provider of interior landscaping, design installation and maintenance services in North America. She's been with ITP for eight months, starting as a sales and design consultant and rising to assistant branch manager. And she loves her job.
"This really caught my eye," Ms. Boutilier said. "The great part of it is that you are improving the image of a customer. It's very appealing, very relaxing. You have the ability to be creative, to design.
"In the technology field, my job was to make sure the company's image was perfect when they walked into a building, so this is somewhat the same as my computer job, but on a different scale. You have to keep the schemes updated and be into the current trends of colors in the design world."
This steady, somewhat booming business offers a broad range of career tracks in a niche in which horticultural knowledge, customer service skills and design abilities all come into play.
"It's an opportunity to provide a service that makes the customer shine, as well as work with professionals in different industries, from small businesses to small doctors' offices, lobbies," Ms. Boutilier said.
"The experience isn't just with plants; it's with people," said Linda Hasley, vice president and branch manager for ITP's Dallas office. "We can instruct individuals on how take care of plants, but it's the people skills that are so important."
ITP employs about 60 people in Dallas-Fort Worth. Ms. Hasley, a 20-year company veteran, started out as a customer service rep and moved up within two years; she's now traveling throughout the company's territory and spending some time in its Canadian branches in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.
Salaries at ITP range from $20,000 to $40,000 for front-line people and average from $40,000 to $80,000 on the sales end, including bonuses and based on client retention and experience.
Jobs at the firm include service and installation technicians; service leaders, or those who oversee the technicians and clients; sales associates; and concierges, which involves taking care of clients and maintaining a high-end customer database. Salaries vary at comparable companies in the industry, but positions are equivalent on most levels.
"If you're fairly outgoing, and fairly motivated – because we are a service industry – you will probably do well," said Deborah McNeil, an ITP service leader based in Carrollton, whose downtown Dallas territory also encompasses Turtle Creek, the West Village and the Travis Street area.
She has been with the 25-year-old company for seven years. She helps clients deal with changing designs and relocations and looks after technicians, supplies and plants.
Similar opportunities can be found through Plant Interscapes, a business-to-business horticultural firm with offices in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin.
Chairman and vice president Karin Senneff said her Texas-based enterprise, founded in 1983, places much emphasis on education and training throughout its horticultural staff of approximately 75, plus prepares its team members for national certification.
"It's a very formal career path; if someone comes in at a technical level, they start as a trainee," she said. As with ITP, horticultural experience and education are valued in candidates but not required.
Ms. Senneff sees potential for growth in the industry.
Though the field is not recession-proof or slump-resistant, it's got the green trend on its side and a thumbs-up in terms of maintaining employee health and morale.
"There's all of the research now promoting plants for clean air, showing all the benefits of plantscaping and how it changes a whole environment," ITP's Ms. Hasley said.
"We get used to having plants around, and they add to the health of the environment," said Joe Marchant, executive vice president in Dallas of Building Owners and Managers Association International.
BOMA represents those who own and manage commercial real estate, and its membership includes several interior-landscaping companies, including ITP and Plant Interscapes. The organization publishes an industry magazine and maintains job and training links.
Mr. Marchant is quick to extol the virtues of this career route and agrees that a designer's eye and continuing education are both fundamental.
"A good plant service technician knows which plants to select, based on the amount of light, bringing in pots that blend with the decor," he said. "And as you grow in management responsibilities, you have to know more about plants."
Seasonal demand is high, and interior landscaping is an option to consider when looking for temporary holiday employment. Most companies begin hiring in early fall to spruce up commercial buildings and office lobbies.
Ms. Hasley said ITP adds about 15 staffers.
Though it has a Seasonscapes division that accommodates holidays, special events and celebrations throughout the year, Plant Interscapes plans to beef up its Dallas staff by about 20 this fall.
"We start interviewing for team leaders and team members ('elves') in late October," Ms. Senneff said. "They work all through November into the first week of December, and the day after Christmas they come back to take it all down."
Sometimes a seasonal slot leads to a permanent position.
"It's a sales type of job, but one where the clients are real happy to see you," she said. "We get a lot of people who are changing careers who want to give it a try. When we to go job fairs or run ads, we get responses from people with design or customer service backgrounds. It's a great opportunity – always growing."
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