Plant Interscapes

Jonathan Senneff and Foliage Direct Focus of the Plantscape Industry Alliance

noemail@plantinterscapes.com — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Jonathan Senneff,
Foliage Direct

FIRST CHOICE VENDOR FOCUS - JONATHAN SENNEFF, FOLIAGE DIRECT Print this Page

Jonathan Senneff
Company Name: Foliage Direct
Title: President
Place of Birth: San Antonio, Texas
Residence: San Antonio, Texas

Briefly state your business’ focus:
We wholesale and broker the highest quality foliage from Florida, California, and Hawaii. We import, distribute, and drop-ship air containers from Hawaii.

When did you get started in your business? What sparked your interest?
I was introduced to the interior plant industry at an early age by my parents who started Plant Interscapes a year before I was born. As I grew older, I gained a great appreciation for plants and what they can do for us. I spent endless summers working alongside my parents’ employees in the greenhouse, doing installations, retail, and plant maintenance at our Austin branch while I was in college. I suppose sometime in my senior year my father approached me with the dreaded, “So what do you plan to do once you graduate?” question. I really wanted to work with them in the family business but didn’t know exactly where my skill sets and ambitions would fit in. At that time Foliage Direct was more of a concept than a company, supplying wholesale foliage to local interiorscape companies on a rather small scale. As there was not a dedicated position concentrating on the development and success of Foliage Direct it was the perfect fit. I was offered the opportunity to take it over to concentrate on increasing the outside sales volume, monitor the quality and cost expectations, and supervise the transport and delivery logistics involved in sourcing our industry’s keystone commodity.

What is your education and job experience background?
The greatest learning experiences occurred while growing up in the family interiorscape business. My father, to an almost annoying extent, would continually quiz my brothers and me on plant names and problems whenever we passed a tree, shrub, garden, or greenhouse. When it came to time to sit down and learn all of the botanical names and care guidelines I really didn’t have to study much, I picked it up while growing up. When people ask I tell them I have been doing this my whole life but just recently got a business card! I was involved in the Future Farmers of America in high school where I took many agriculture and horticulture classes which taught me the science behind how plants grow, nutrient requirements, and various propagation techniques.

My formal education can be attributed to St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas where I graduated with a BA in International Relations and concentrations in Business. I had the opportunity to study in Spain for a summer and I traveled to Holland to visit the Aalsmeer Floral Auction, the largest floral and foliage distribution market in the world. That experience sparked my interest in the express distribution of high quality foliage products. Like all college graduates I was ushered into the business world thinking I knew it all, the rude awakening and reality of my lack of knowledge hit around the first day on the job. The first lesson I learned is how my little mistakes can crescendo into big problems and how to take the responsibility for finding a solution.

What notable achievements or events have marked your career?
Being that my current career is just shy of a half decade I like to think that every time I meet and exceed a new or existing customer’s expectations in quality, price, and service it is a notable achievement. I oddly enjoy the pressure of an impending problem where a solution is immediately required. Specifically, my largest issues arise in freight logistics where minutes matter and time conscious decisions either make or break the deal. These high pressure situations have trained me to work well under pressure and look to other alternatives for remedies, usually resulting in solutions that surpass the utmost planning.

What plans do you or your company have to improve/expand your business?
Currently Foliage Direct is concentrating on increasing the customer base who have the ability to receive and inventory larger quantities of Hawaiian plant material. With recent hikes in fuel and energy costs, it is imperative to ship and distribute our relatively low dollar, highly perishable, commodity in the most economical means possible. Some plants are more travelled than their end users. For example, it doesn’t make sense for Hawaiian plants to land in California, be trucked to Florida, only to turn around to Texas. If you add up the cost of freight for that one plant on its three leg journey it can be quite costly, not to mention all the possibilities for damage along the way. Our Direct Air Hawaii service drop ships full air containers of Hawaiian plant material direct from the islands to your nearest airport facility, thus reducing the freight allocation and various markups along the way. The value to our customers is extremely fresh high quality plant material, at bulk rates, shipped from Hawaii in two days. We have negotiated FedEx Express rates that are in the neighborhood of 85% off list rates to make this freight option highly lucrative and economically feasible. What is the minimum quantity to order to acquire bulk foliage rates? It may be much less than you expect. We currently ship air containers with as few as 100 pots and as many as 200 plus with the average falling around 150-175 plants.

Are new product lines in development? What changes do you see in your company for 2007 and beyond?
At the first of the new year I will be traveling to Florida for a month’s stay to supervise our consolidation operations and oversee our quality control measures. I will be working directly with our current suppliers and looking for new sources to benefit our current customer base.

What can interiorscapers do to help you serve us better? What advice do your have for interiorscapers?
Well the first thing they can do is pick up the phone and give us the opportunity to work with them to serve their foliage sourcing and procurement needs. The best advice I can offer when looking for a company that specializes in foliage procurement is to realize that in our industry quality trumps price. We deliver where high quality and price value intersect.

What do you hope to see PIA achieve for interiorscapers and the allied trades?
I think PIA and other industry organizations alike are taking the right steps to legitimize our industry and give it a national presence beyond our regional scope. In an industry with few barriers to entry, where all you need is a watering bucket and a name to call yourself an interiorscaper, many inconsistencies develop which fragment and dilute our standards. It is extremely advantageous for members in our industry to continually band together to discuss the direction we are heading, procedural standards and consistency, what works and what doesn’t, and to connect suppliers with end users—we all benefit. I think the services that organizations like PIA offer are invaluable to our solidarity and future to work together for a common purpose.

Do you see specific future trends for our industry? What issues will be in the forefront for interiorscapers and allied trades?
The major issue that I see as a potential problem for our industry in the future is, and no offense, the aging of our industry leaders and the lack of interest from younger generations to replace them. There is an abundant degree of experiential knowledge and skill at the top of our industry that needs to be channeled down if we hope to preserve the state of our industry that the older generation has worked so diligently for. We need to not just focus on the interiorscape companies but growers and suppliers as well. Would it be too ambitious to only source commodities from suppliers that have a succession plan in place? Wouldn’t you want to spend your money with a company that you know will be around for the next 20+ years? I think we need to allocate resources and create programs to reach out to universities to inform and spark interest; maybe even start a board that is comprised of younger entrants to the industry. Let’s call it the Interiorscape Industry Preservation Board, any takers? The most common response I get when people ask “What do you do?” is, “Wow, I didn’t think you could make money doing that!”

22-Nov-07 10:00 PM

"Green Zone" at IFMA World Workplace Conference and Expo Was a Hit For Green Plants for Green Buildings

noemail@plantinterscapes.com — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:00:00 GMT

Loveland, OH--Approximately 5000 facility executives and building owners from around the globe gathered in New Orleans for the 28Th annual IFMA World Workplace Conference and Expo, the largest gathering of its kind in North America. Making its end-user debut as the new 501c3 educational organization, Green Plants for Green Buildings (formerly Plants at Work), stood its own as one of the major national green facility resources at the show.

Found in booth 112, the front aisle of the Green Zone, GPGB drew and maintained major interest fro

Lynn Tomeny Stuckwish, CLT
Vice President Sales & Marketing
Heroman Services Plant Company, LLC, Worked the Booth Every Day with GPGB's MJ Gilhooley. The lush plants and trees were generously provided by Heroman. www.HeroMan.biz

m facility executives on the cutting edge of their profession throughout the 4 days at the show. The group achieved their mission to educate facility decision makers, according to one inspired executive visiting the booth, "I just left a large group of FM's discussing what they had learned from your booth at lunch today. Everyone got it!" She continued.
GPGB reaped the benefits of its presence, returning with more serious and qualified leads than the five previous IFMA shows. "Being in the Green Zone certainly attracted more eco-minded facility executives. Sharing how Co2 is absorbed by plants in the exact ratio that it is in the environment was one of the key compelling facts for many 'new converts.'" states MJ Gilhooley, Media Coordinator for the program and the trade show representative for the group. "Until this show we've never had people handing us their card requesting provider information on interiorscapers for million+ square feet of commercial buildings across multiple cities," added Gilhooley. The group also developed a full color four sided pamphlet for the show and a corresponding poster that was displayed in the booth. Anyone who is a current GPGB sponsor (or who is willing to become one) can get a free pdf of the pamphlet e-mailed to them by writing to susan@gilhooleyconsulting.com. This can be color copied and used for any end user purpose (sales, with invoices, annual renewals, etc.).

Booth visitors requesting provider information hailed from notable corporations such as Hyundai-Kia, NIKE, Amerigroup, Abbott Laboratories, Houston and San Diego National Airports, and intercontinental Hotel's Group, reported McRae Anderson, President of McCaren Designs and President of GPGB. "Each lead has already received post show packets including detailed information on our sponsor companies in their region. This year the Facility Executives will have the full responsibility to follow up on the provider details, allowing interiorscapers to only get sales inquiries from serious FMs who are ready to incorporate the GPGB message directly into their properties," McRae added.

Look for new list of sponsor benefits and new materials from the group unveiled at TPIE, January in Ft. Lauderdale Florida.

Green Plants for Green Buildings or GPGB recently went through a complete restructuring, becoming an independent educational entity, achieving 501c3 status and most importantly, drawing a formal board of directors to support the organization for the first time. An important component of the program is offering sponsor companies the GPGB provider status for continuing education units for the USGBC members (United States Green Building Council), BOMI (BOMA members seeking CEU's through the Building Owners and Mangers Institute International) and the AIA (American Institute of Architects). The next scheduled training for current program sponsors will be offered during TPIE (Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition) in Orlando, FL - January 17-19, 2008. Please contact Kathy Fediw at kathy@jfaconsultingbiz.com to register for this important opportunity to become a valuable resource for end users in each market.

If you would like to become a program sponsor please download this form and fax back to: 513-575-2536. Sponsors are added to the GPGB web site, have access to total use of the logo and discounted costs on promotional materials in addition to being eligible for the CEU trainings.

Green Plants for Green Buildings is committed to informing those who are decision makers or who influence decisions about the selection of interior design elements, to the significant environmental, psychological, personal health and productivity benefits inherent with the inclusion of interior plants in our indoor environment. GPGB.org specifically educates about the benefits of plants in health-care facilities, office buildings, retail establishments and hospitality venues as well as in the home.

15-Nov-07 6:00 AM

Plants Bring New Life to Green Building Council Office

noemail@plantinterscapes.com — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 11:00:00 GMT

The Green Building Council is enjoying the benefits of indoor plants thanks to its members who have sponsored the office by donating plants in stylish stainless steel 100% recyclable and VOC free planter boxes with recycled glass pebble as surface cover.

The Plantscape design was developed from the Green Star - Office Interiors IEQ-15 'Indoor Plants' credit to actively improve the indoor environment quality and provide physiological and psychological benefits for occupants. The Plantscape design solution considered the existing office layout enhancing the interior. The greenlife forms were selected for their suitability to our office environmental conditions and for their aesthetic qualities.

Member interior plant providers supply and maintain the plants in optimum condition and the planters are supplied by Fabulous Foliage Plantscaping.

Research has found that indoor plants contribute to the health and wellbeing of building occupants. Two (2) points are available in Green Star - Office Interiors Indoor Environment Quality Credit IEQ-15 'Indoor Plants' to encourage and recognise the installation of indoor plants that improve indoor environment quality.

The potted-plant microcosm has been shown to reduce air-borne concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). The health effects of exposure to VOCs are consistent with Sick Building Syndrome effects - i.e. eye/nose/skin irritation, headache, lethargy etc. The research findings demonstrate that the ability of plants to metabolise VOCs increases with extended exposure to VOCs, provided the potted-plant system is kept in optimum condition.
The presence of indoor plants has also been shown to decrease complaints of symptoms associated with respiratory illness and poor indoor air quality. Several studies have also shown lower workplace stress, a decrease in fatigue and enhanced productivity.

According to the Interiorscape provider's Operations Manager, Mario Panetta, plants should be considered an integral part of an office fitout. "Plants are not naturally 'indoor' and they work hard to survive. In this process the plant system - leaves, roots and potting media - take VOCs from the air such as benzene and formaldehyde released by furnishings, carpets, photocopiers, printers and many modern building materials."

Mario notes the body of research is growing on other positive effects such as the cooling, increasing and stabilising humidity in air-conditioned spaces, and acoustic benefits.
"If you ask people to close their eyes and imagine themselves in a rainforest, one of the first things they say is that they can feel the coolness and freshness in the air. It is the plants that create that atmosphere" says Mario.

"We research and trial new varieties on a regular basis - we need to consider lower light and the range of environments they can be in - air-conditioned spaces vary considerably. With breeding, good growing media -the 'soil' they're in - and regular servicing - watering, dusting, etc - they need only change most varieties over once in six months or even a year."

Interior plant providers have witnessed a resurgence in indoor plant use, driven by the greater recognition of the health benefits, but also by the introduction of more 'designer' containers.

Member interiorscaper have sourced some of their containers from Fabulous Foliage who donated the stainless steel planter boxes used in the Green Building Council of Australia's office. Peter Shields, Fabulous Foliage, is an Executive of the National Indoor Plantscape Association - dedicated to promoting the benefits of indoor plants http://www.nipa.asn.au/.

For more information about the benefits of indoor plants you may with to refer to the documents below:

NGIA Nursery Paper 'Using Pot Plants to Clean Indoor Air' October 2004 Issue no. 9. Copyright ownership of the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) and Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL). Contributors: Nursery & Garden Industry Australia (NGIA), HAL and UTS.

3-Oct-07 6:00 AM

University Research Indicates Flowers and Plants Promote Innovation, Ideas

noemail@plantinterscapes.com — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 16:00:00 GMT

University Research Indicates
Flowers and Plants Promote
Innovation, Ideas
Key Findings Shed Light on Environmental Psychology of the Workplace

In today's economy, it is more important than ever for businesses to gain the competitive edge. Constant fluctuations in unemployment, productivity, consumer confidence and other major economic factors make it imperative for businesses to implement the right strategies to stay ahead of their competition.

According to business experts, the key to gaining the competitive edge in the modern economy is easy to understand - a happy, productive workforce. And, while sometimes the easiest notions can be the most difficult to achieve, a recent scientific study conducted at Texas A&M University finds that nature can hold the secret to business success. The research demonstrates that workers' idea generation, creative performance and problem solving skills improve substantially in workplace environments that include flowers and plants.

"Our research shows that a change as simple as adding flowers and plants can be important in the most meaningful way to businesses in the modern economy," said Dr. Roger Ulrich, lead researcher on the project. "People's productivity, in the form of innovation and creative problem solving, improved - which in certain circumstances could mean the difference between mild and great business success."

Research Findings: Overall and Men vs. Women

In an eight-month study, the Texas A&M University research team explored the link between flowers and plants and workplace productivity. Participants performed creative problem solving tasks in a variety of common office environments, or conditions. The conditions included a workplace with flowers and plants, a setting with sculpture and an environment with no decorative embellishments.

During the study, both women and men demonstrated more innovative thinking, generating more ideas and original solutions to problems in the office environment that included flowers and plants. In these surroundings, men who participated in the study generated 15% more ideas. And, while males generated a greater abundance of ideas, females generated more creative, flexible solutions to problems when flowers and plants were present.

"We know the importance of learning, for example, how natural surroundings affect drivers, school children, and hospital patients," said Ulrich, who has conducted extensive research on the effects of environments on psychological well-being, stress and health. "To businesses, it should be equally as important to understand what features can improve performance at work and make employees more productive."

Background: Dr. Roger Ulrich

The Impact of Flowers and Plants on Workplace Productivity Study was conducted by Roger Ulrich, Ph.D., Behavioral Scientist, Director of the Center for Health Systems and Design, Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Dr. Ulrich is a professor of landscape architecture and is an internationally recognized expert on the influences of surroundings on human well-being and health. His interests concern applications of environment-behavior knowledge to healthcare buildings, landscape architecture and urban design.

The research lends weight to growing scientific evidence that flowers and plants, as well as other aspects of nature, have a beneficial impact on state of mind and emotions. The Society of American Florists worked in cooperation with the Texas A&M University research team, bringing an expertise of flowers and plants to the project.

The Impact of Flowers & Plants on Workplace Productivity: Methodology

Researchers at Texas A&M University recruited 101 participants to take part in The Impact of Flowers and Plants on Workplace Productivity study. During the eight-month scientific study, participants took part in emotional, creativity and attentional demand protocols, in conditions that were carefully controlled, yet were similar to those in many office workplaces. Subjects were asked to perform a series of tasks in one of three environmental office conditions, selected at random: with fresh flowers and plants; with abstract sculpture; or with no embellishments at all. Throughout each session, subjects self-rated their moods four times, executed two creativity tasks and completed one attentional demand test. Researchers measured the number of ideas participants generated, their ideas' originality and flexibility, and other responses, using data extracted from the tests, which included Torrance Tests of the Creative Thinking and Profile of Mood States.

29-Sep-06 11:00 AM

Grow with indoor landscaping field

noemail@plantinterscapes.com — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 21:00:00 GMT

Grow with indoor landscaping field

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."

E-mail businessnews@dallasnews.com

3-Sep-06 4:00 PM

Plants at Work Marks Successful Year at IFMA World Workplace

noemail@plantinterscapes.com — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 03:00:00 GMT

Plants at Work Marks Successful Year at IFMA World Workplace

Los Angeles, December 6, 2005— With 5,320 in attendance, the International Facility Managers Association (IFMA) World Workplace Expo concluded its most successful show to date. Held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Plants at Work, an international education campaign, spoke to facility executives about the essential need for plants in the workplace.

Marking their third year at IFMA World Workplace, Plants at Work gleaned a total of 120 qualified leads. “This year we began a new screening system in an effort to provide both sponsors and attendees exactly what they need,” said MJ Gilhooley, director of media relations for Plants at Work. “The attendees selected from a menu of services. Depending on their specific interest, FM's requested presentations, consultations, or phone follow-up,” Gilhooley continued.

Booth workers handed out over 250 copies of the new Plants at Work directory to interested attendees. In addition, Plants at Work debuted a new employee awareness program. “The goal of the program is to give employers tools to communicate to staff that they are investing in their health and general well-being through the use of professionally maintained plants,” said Gilhooley.

McRae Anderson, director of the Plants at Work program, recognized the help provided from industry members. “We extend our gratitude to all our sponsors and colleagues who helped make IFMA World Workplace a success. Bob Bashore, Plantarium Living Environments, for donating and setting up a beautiful selection of plants for the booth; Tony and Denise Godfrey, Olive Hill Greenhouses, for donating the give-away plant tags, and the booth workers, Christian Yuhas, CY Plant Services; Sylvia Donner and Annette Galloway, Plantarium Living Environments; Melissa Fernandez, John Mini distinctive landscapes; Jeff Braungart, Interior Plant Creations; David Ward and Christina Turner, Anderson Ward Plantscapes, Inc.

For more information about Plants at Work please visit www.plantsatwork.org

Gilhooley Consulting Inc.

Pamela Nelly

email: pam@plantsatwork.org

phone: 800-347-9014

6-Dec-05 9:00 PM

Decorators in heavy demand for the holidays

noemail@plantinterscapes.com — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 07:00:00 GMT

Decorators in heavy demand for the holidays

Web Posted: 11/27/2005 12:00 AM CST

Rosemary Barnes
Express-News Business Writer

More Christmas lights and ornaments adorn the city each holiday season. All it takes is a lot of help from some enterprising business owners.

The business of decorating for Christmas is a burgeoning industry that many San Antonio homeowners and business owners couldn't survive the holidays without. There are about 100 area businesses that offer Christmas decorating services.

Once considered a privilege reserved for affluent residents who traditionally have hired professionals to decorate their mansions and grounds for special occasions, seasonal-decorating businesses are flourishing, as the middle class increasingly demands their help bringing the festivity of Christmas to their homes.

As with most trends this century, it's the time-starved and accident-prone baby boomers who have created a huge need for businesses that design, install and remove colorful lights, ornaments, fresh wreaths, garlands and Christmas trees from the front yard to their family rooms.

Kevin Lipscomb, who founded San Antonio-based Outdoor Décor Inc. in 1990, has witnessed and profited handsomely from the increase in demand for his commercial and residential Christmas lighting services in recent years.

"There is so much business out there that every year I turn away 75 to 150 customers because I don't have the time to work them in," Lipscomb said. "People call me for all sorts of reasons, but it all boils down to they just don't have the time to string lights on their houses and trees, and they're afraid of falling off the roof."

Formerly in lawn maintenance and struggling to support his family, Lipscomb 15 years ago experimented with installing Christmas lights on a neighbor's house at the suggestion of his wife.

About 50 residents in the area who saw Lipscomb's work quickly hired him to hang lights on their houses. Lipscomb had found his calling.

"We had been watching that Chevy Chase movie, 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' that has the famous scene where he discovers this huge knot of Christmas lights stored in his garage," Lipscomb recalled. "That big knot is everyone's nightmare. I eliminate the knot and other problems associated with lighting up your house for Christmas."

His prices range from $250 for stringing lights around the trunk of one tree to $5,000, which covers the cost of lighting the exterior of one of the city's larger houses and all the trees on the front lawn.

In a three-month period, Lipscomb will net about $100,000 in sales and take home an $80,000 profit. But his work doesn't end in January. He's also the local distributor for commercial holiday lights, which he sells to18 dealerships around the country.

"If you only want to work three months out of the year, this is the perfect job," Lipscomb said. "If you do it right, you can make enough during the holidays to live comfortably all year long."

Lipscomb and two crews of workers have been installing exterior lights on homes and subdivision entrances nonstop since Nov. 1. Over the next few weeks, they'll work day and night stringing lights on the rooflines, columns and trees in the front lawns of about 90 houses and 30 entryways to some of the city's most exclusive gated communities.

They'll stop hanging lights Dec. 15, take a short break and on Jan. 6 return to remove the lights, which are leased to customers. Lipscomb owns all the lights he installs for quality control purposes.

"I don't want to be untangling knots of lights that people have tossed into a box in the garage," Lipscomb said.

This season, people will notice that Christmas lights are brighter, more durable and more energy-efficient than the traditional incandescent holiday lights. This is the first year that commercial LED Christmas lights have been on the market.

Most commercial decorators have switched to the LED lights because of their brilliance and reliability.

Karin Senneff, who co-owns the San Antonio-based Plant Interscapes with her husband, Mike, said setting up Christmas decorations for clients was a natural extension of the company's primary interior landscaping service. The couple founded the company in 1982.

In addition to designing and maintaining plants for commercial clients, including most of the city's banks, hotels, malls and large office buildings, the company also installs holiday lights and decorations for most of its clients.

The company, which has branches in Austin, Dallas and Houston, grossed $7 million in sales last year. Seasonscapes, the company's holiday business, produced about $1.2 million of that.

"One of our customers asked us several years ago if we could decorate their building's interior for the Christmas holidays," Senneff said. "It grew from there. Now, we design and make most of the decorations, which we lease to the customers. We have a 20,000-square-foot storage unit in town where we keep the decorations and lights year round."

The majority of their clients need Christmas trees, wreaths and centerpieces for their lobbies and lighting along their rooflines. The company hires 100 seasonal employees to help with the installation of decorations, which began Nov. 15.

This year, Plant Interscapes won a $325,000 contract for holiday decorations at the Shops at La Cantera, a village-type shopping center that opened in September and includes upscale retailers Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Tiffany & Co.

Crews, working at night after customers and employees have left, have installed more than 400,000 colored LED lights on the rooftops and trees. They recently added 18 large silver stars designed by Senneff and her staff and manufactured in Costa Rica at focal points throughout the property.

Well more than 2,000 labor hours have gone into the holiday project at the retail center.

"It's been a lot of work, but very exciting for us," Senneff said. "We've been out there since Nov. 1 working on all of this. But the end product looks spectacular."

Jack Cross, owner of Arthur Pfeil Florist on West Ashby Street, has been helping scores of owners of the city's older and larger houses prepare for the holiday season since he bought the business in 1982.

Cross is carrying on a tradition established by the late Arthur Pfeil, who opened the flower shop in the early 1940s. He said the holiday decorating does not constitute a large portion of the business, but it is an important recurring aspect of his December trade.

"The clients who need my help decorating their houses for the holidays are the same clients I've helped with weddings, parties and all their floral needs," Cross said. "They come to me because they don't want to do the decorating or just don't have the time and because they want that professional look to their holiday decor. And they have the means to pay for my services."

Preparing a large house for the holidays entails the purchase and decoration of as many as three 10-to12-foot Christmas trees; fresh garlands for the mantles, staircases and exterior balconies; wreaths for the front door and other areas inside the house; and large poinsettia plants placed throughout the home.

Work on designing, buying materials and making the decorations begins in the summer months, when Cross meets with each client to talk themes and color combination. Cross and a team of four or five assistants begin setting up the decorations the Friday after Thanksgiving. They return in the new year to remove and store decorations for the next season.

"Usually, clients want to change the design or colors every three years," Cross said. "Some of these decorations can be very ornate. Some wreaths we design can cost $375. The cost always depends on just what the client wants."

Decorating a large house from top to bottom can cost as much as $12,000. Trimming a Christmas tree with a client's collection of ornaments, which can take four people as long as five hours to complete, runs about $1,200.

One of his longtime clients said her job as a personal assistant for a local entrepreneur keeps her so busy that she has come to rely on Cross to decorate her family's Christmas tree, design wreaths, prepare gift baskets for friends and business associates, and anything else she needs to bring her Spring Oaks Estates home alive for the holidays.

"It can be expensive, but it is worth it," said the woman, who is in her early 40s. "It's comforting to know I can just call him and tell him what I need this season. Jack does such great stuff. I can trust his taste and good judgment."

rbarnes@express-news.net

1-Dec-05 1:00 AM

GREEN INDUSTRY COMPANIES TAKE WORKPLACE SAFETY TO NEXT LEVEL

noemail@plantinterscapes.com — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 16:00:00 GMT

The Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) is pleased to announce the addition of eight landscape, lawn care, and supplier companies to the roster of STARS Safe Company Program participants. In November 2003, STARS was developed in partnership with CNA and in keeping with PLANET’s recent alliance with OSHA to further the safety and health of workers in the industry. This safety program was designed to move the entire green industry toward safety excellence and to encourage all green industry companies to take workplace safety to the next level. There is no fee to participate in the program, and all landscape, lawn care, and supplier firms are invited to become STARS members.

The program asks participants to sign a “Pledge of Honor” that they will join in the mission of moving the entire green industry toward safety excellence through active involvement, sharing experiences, and becoming a mentor for “living safety.” STARS members commit to developing a strong safety program by using the STARS Safety Resource Manual as a guideline, having an active safety committee in place, and conducting weekly safety awareness meetings. They are also asked to participate in the Safety Recognition Awards Program, to comply with all OSHA postings and other regulatory requirements, to investigate and document all accidents, to encourage other companies to become STARS members, and to share best practices with fellow STARS members.

The following is a list of the most recent STARS Safe Company Program participants.

All Seasons Pest Control, Jacksonville, FL
Clemens & Associates, Inc., Santa Fe, NM
Five Star Garden Service, Kiowa, CO
Green Grass Inc., San Antonio, TX
Laporte & Associates, Inc., Portland, OR
Lumbra Robinson and Associates, Orlando, FL
Wallace Landscape Associates, Inc., Kennett Square, PA
Wallace Landscape Group, Dawsonville, GA

For more information about the STARS program, please visit www.landcarenetwork.org, contact Ilene Manster at ilenemanster@landcarenetwork.org, or call the PLANET office at (800) 395-2522.

1-Sep-05 11:00 AM