By Adam DeLamielleure, Troy Clogg Landscape Associates, LLC and 2023 MNLA President
“So, what did you learn this week?”
“You have to think like an owner.”
“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands and poverty will come on you like a thief in the night.”
And my favorite… “Guys like you and me will never be cool.”
These are a few wise words from a wise man. A few nuggets passed along while sitting together. I could fill up volumes of these I caught throughout my life with my Dad.
I’m blessed. I have a great dad. He is kind, hardworking, quiet, thoughtful, and patient. He reads the Bible every day and tries to live out Its principles. He loves my mom, his family, and friends. He is curious and loves to see and learn new things. And, he’s from the Green Industry.
One of my earliest memories (seriously…like #2 or 3) is shooting hydro-seed off the tower into the field next to my grandpa’s bar with my dad. At five or six, I started to go to work with him and “help” where I could. In my teens, I started landscaping and we would work together from time to time. When I chose the Green Industry as my career, he supported me and over time, as I became respected as a Green Industry professional, we became colleagues. His support continues to this day and our conversations are heavily weighted with landscape talk. Although we share many common interests, our Green Industry connection is by far one of our deepest.
I write this as a tribute to my dad. But a tribute to my dad doesn’t necessarily belong in this publication. This publication is for communicating and educating with the Industry. I am asked to write a message each month and I shouldn’t use it to write a tribute to MY dad. But I can because my dad is what makes this Industry great. When I think about the Industry and why I love it… why I have passion for it…I see the face of my dad.
My dad will be embarrassed when he reads this. He’s going to think that he’s just a regular guy who did his job. He woke up to provide for his family and lift them up as high as he could. He did his job the best he could, worked as hard as he could, and cared as much as he could because that is what you are supposed to do.
My dad will be embarrassed to read this, but he will be proud because I’m able to do what he taught me to do. My dad would give you the shirt off his back. He would give you whatever he had. If you give him praise, he will quickly figure out how to shine the spotlight on someone else. This article is meant to recognize him but now it turns to recognize others like him who make our industry great.
Our industry is full of men and women like my dad. People who made a life out of making the world a little bit more beautiful; both because of what they did and who they are. These people choose to do hard physical labor… using both their hands and their heads… in all sorts of weather so that the landscapes they work on are beautiful and safe.
Often, these people are overlooked. They’re marginalized. Many can’t see pass calloused hands or muddy boots to recognize the talent and knowledge the people who maintain their yard, design their patio, move their dirt, plow their parking lots, and grow their plants have and give to the world each day. It’s sad but it is reality.
If you’re reading this, you know the talent and knowledge the people who you see working have. We know that there is a good chance that there is a full heart in between those calloused hands and muddy boots. We know the secret that a life in the Green Industry can be a good life. We know that the people who reside here are a treasure.
We need to be grateful to these people… but I wrote of gratitude a couple of months ago. We need to find more of these people…but I wrote about that before too. I don’t want to keep writing the same stuff, so now what should I write now?
Easy.
First, regardless of the status they hold or the title they obtained, RESPECT them. We need different types of people filling different types of roles. This is what makes our Industry, our world, work. Be sure to demonstrate that their efforts are valued and respected and do not allow others to dismiss or marginalize them. Look past the calluses and the muddy boots and see their heart.
Next, commit yourself to being the type of Green Industry Professional that these people would respect. Work hard and do your job. Take care of the people you are responsible for and work beside and lift them up. Be willing to share the triumphs and tragedies of your career so that they can celebrate the good stuff and not fall into the same pitfalls you did. Let your life bear the fruit of the seeds they planted.
In my case, I respect my dad for what he did during his working life. More importantly, I respect and love him for who he is. I commit to demonstrating this respect with my commitment to being the best Green Industry Professional I can be and doing my best to help others do the same.
My dad made sure I had good soil. He planted seeds and nurtured them until they began to grow. As they grew, he continued to care for them until they could stand on their own. He admired his work and can rest in the shade he helped create and enjoy the fruit.
We can sit there and talk landscaping. I can’t wait.
