Voice of the Green Industry

I direct this article toward small businesses that want to develop a training culture, create or access and deliver programs that maximize productivity and profit.
 
Two facts are important.  First, untrained people typically fail or, at best, under-perform.  Their mistakes and omissions lower your service level, damage your image in the marketplace and eventually, cost you [...]

Many of us in the United States will be reengaging with our regular business communities after nearly a week of visiting or hosting family for the Thanksgiving holiday.  This ritual will again be repeated for a number of upcoming holidays, depending upon your faith, upbringing and background, and if you travel to warmer climates during [...]

The Thanksgiving holiday is tomorrow, and before we succumb to the effects of the feast of food, let’s not forget the deeper meaning behind the holiday. It is a time for us to pause and give thanks for all that we have and all that we are. So, as you sit down with your family [...]

As the year winds down, I want to remind everyone that the customer, while vital, is only half our management audience.  After a long, tiring season full of challenges and hard work, we all need to think about the players on our teams.  If you’re honest, you’ll face the fact that, in every company, on [...]

In PLANET’s November PLANET News Interior e-publication, I talk about how our industry can take advantage of the sustainability, green movement. Yes, PLANET and the Green Plants for Green Buildings organization are lobbying the U.S. Green Building Council for LEED recognition, and our members already tout the health benefits of “green” interiors, but we have other opportunities [...]

Green industry professionals came together October 28–31, 2009, in Louisville, Kentucky, for the annual PLANET Green Industry Conference and GIE+EXPO. They networked with peers from around the country, attended educational sessions and round tables on hot topics such as sustainability and social marketing, checked out the latest products at the industry’s largest trade show and [...]

Hey followers,
Since my last entry we experienced the roundtable for the students, last day of the conference and my trip home. Well, first, the roundtable was an opportunity for the students tor have time with 6 companies with the choice between 21 companies. To the companies, thank you! Those of us students that really appreciated your [...]

As a business owner, I know how easy it is to develop myopic vision - to get wrapped up in and involved with keeping the wheels of commerce rolling in a forward direction. I don’t need to go into detail about how the last couple of years have made it even more difficult for all [...]

Logan Oates here again. GIC is officially over but I feel that it is just starting. I feel that I’ve become a more integral part of PLANET and have met so many great contacts and people. Even though GIC is over I am now busy keeping in touch with people, adding friends on facebook, and [...]