Susan Hanley - Signature Landscapes

This was a much anticipated seminar by all students. Signature Landscapes has done more for our program than any company in the Horticulture industry. They need interns and we need internships. They love our program and the hands-on emphasis we have. They also love the energy and good ideas our students have. Susan Hanley is the head of Human Resources at Signature, and is in charge of hiring.

The first thing she talked about during her presentation was the phenomenon of the Teflon grad. These graduates find a company to work at and quickly move on to the next one for an unknown reason. They are coated with a non-stick material.

The reasons she has found for the Teflon grad:

• Too high of expectations when starting a job (They think they will be a project manager in 3 weeks and they don't become one.)
• Sticker Shock (They didn't do their homework in looking at the price of a bag of groceries, gallon of gas, and the cost of living. Now they can't afford to have that job in that location.)
• Home sick blues (They miss their mom and call every day.)

Then she suggested ways to help us as generation Y to avoid being the Teflon grad. First of all, we need to disprove the stigma given to generation Y. We need to be hard workers, lack entitlement, and use our techno savvy skills for good and improving the companies we work for. We can avoid the 3 reasons she gave for the Teflon grad by asking the company we are interviewing with important, relevant questions. She said to ask, "Where will this company be in five years? What promotions will I have access to? Will you pay for any certification I complete? How often do you get together with employees outside of work? What associations are you a part of and are you active in those?" This will help you to realize your potential growth in the company and prepare you for the company culture and expectations.

Next she talked about Signature's culture. Their unofficial slogan is, "We work hard and have fun doing it." The interns they take on during the year hop around to every part of the company to get a good feel about each aspect. They do expect hard workers and a good number of hours every week, but you are not giving your life for your job. She said they realize that you need a life outside of work. Signature is involved in the community, in PLANET and in Career Days at many universities. Some of the skills Signature is drawn towards include critical thinking, leadership, flexibility, patience, humility, honesty, and integrity.

Finally, she talked about Mike Ethington who is an alumni of our program who has been working at Signature since his internship there about 3 years ago. Susan suggested that if we really wanted to know the reality of a company we should talk to a new hire (like Mike), not a recruiter (like her). New hires are more likely to be honest and not sugar coat reality. Mike and other successful employees grow their division, love their job, work hard and are honest.

If you are interested in Signature, contact Susan Hanley at susan.hanley@signaturels.com or call her phone at 425-868-5885.

Christmas Tree Lane 2009

Christmas Tree Lane is one of the most anticipated events of the year! Various departments and societies around campus enter a tree into the contest. Each year there is an overall theme that all trees are to follow. The dates are December 4 through the 14th. Anyone in the Horticulture society interested in helping decorate our tree is welcome. Three people will be appointed to head up the project and they would welcome any help. Contact Sister Bass at bassm@byui.edu if you are interested so she can get a head count of volunteers. We do really well every year and it is always a fun, creative experience to get ready for Christmas!!!

President's Club

The girls who are enrolled in Flower Center this semester participated in making the corsages and boutonnieres for the honored guests who are members of President's Club. Members help to contribute financially to the growth and heritage of BYU-Idaho. Last Saturday, there was the President's Club banquet which is an annual banquet, hosted by President Clark, where he gives his annual report on how their donations have been helping the school and the students.

As part of the preparation for the banquet, the Flower Center girls learned how to pin on corsages and boutonnieres (a very important skill) and the basic construction of those. The girls as a whole needed to provide about 150-200 of each for the banquet guests, as well as a few design pieces for the room to show off the skills our department is developing.

The students were also there during the reception of the guests before the banquet to pin on the corsages and boutonnieres they made earlier. This was definitely a success and a great chance to give back a little to the school and the many people who have invested in our school. We thank you.

"The seeds we are planting today will grow and become mighty oaks,
and their branches will run over the earth."
—Jacob Spori, at the dedication of the Bannock Stake Academy, November 12, 1888

"You never can foretell the consequences of a dollar invested in
education. It goes on multiplying itself. It becomes not an expenditure, but
an investment which pays returns far and wide and through generations to
come..."
—President Gordon B. Hinckley, "Lighting the Way" public announcement, April 4, 1996

Spraying Fungicide in the Greenhouse!

Our department is known for teaching and learning through hands-on experiences. We thrive on this fact. These students had the opportunity to participate in learning from Brother Barnes the techniques of applying fungicide in the greenhouse. Yes they look goofy, but it is definitely for a good cause! :)

From left to right: Spencer, Stacey, Breanne, Beth, and Joslyn

Hot mamas!

Having a good time doing it!

Horticulture Opening Social

Our Horticulture Social was a success as always. We wanted to thank all those that helped with cooking and preparing the food, setting up and taking down the headhouse, and making this the event we all enjoy.

Here Bro. Dewey, Barnes and Romney cook the "charred animal flesh" for us on the amazing grills.So much wonderful meat!Bro. Dewey was so proud of the perfect pinkness in this steak and how good it tasted! I was surprised that they were only seasoned with garlic salt. They were just good cuts of meat.Thanks Evan and Tim for cooking the scones! They were delicious! Mitzi's boy only ate the scones! :)Thanks to the Flower Center girls for the wonderful topiary arrangements on the tables!

It was fun to have the representatives for Heads Up Landscape there to enjoy all the steak with. We definitely had a full house, headhouse that is. It was fun, as always, to see our fellow students' spouses and kids. We get to know them at a much better level.You can see Bro. Nelson heading back with his bowl to grab more steak. This section of the headhouse ate the most because every time Bro. Nelson brought in more steak he stopped at each person at these tables to get rid of most of it. They were stuffed! This is such a fun tradition for our department. We get to met casually and enjoy really great food. Thanks again for all those who participated in making this happen. Can't wait for the next one!

TOCA Scholarship

The Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) Scholarship Program

In 2010 TOCA will award one $2,500 scholarship. College students pursuing a degree in green industry communications, or a related field, (e.g., horticulture, turf management) are encouraged to apply.

TOCA is composed of editors, writers, photographers, public relations/advertising practitioners and others involved in green industry communications. The TOCA Publisher’s Scholarship is sponsored by GIE Media, Inc., Turf Magazine, Questex Media Group, M2MEDIA360 and Golfweek’s SuperNEWS.

The application deadline is March 1, 2010.

If you are interested in this scholarship, please email byuihorticulture@gmail.com for the application process and materials.

For other scholarships, see our school website where scholarships are frequently updated and added.

Brookside Country Club - Job Posting

Next Level Network - 6 Job Postings

Smithsonian Institution - Internship Posting

Bailey Nurseries, Inc. - Job Posting

Poinsettia Crop

The BYU-Idaho Horticulture Department evaluates the preformance of over 50 poinsettia varieties from around the world. Varieties are trialed yearly starting in July with the culmination of color in December. Students participating in the trial develop skills in the scientific process, growing, producing and marketing poinsettia crops. Through this, students build contacts with plant breeders, horticulture companies, and industry leaders.

Stop in to the greenhouse see what we are doing and see the process that we must follow to get the crop ready for Christmas!

Upcoming Horticulture Seminar Speaker

GREEN INDUSTRY SEMINAR
WHAT EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR IN A RECRUIT

Is ‘book knowledge’ valued by the green industry employer?

Susan Hanley of Signature Landscape Services, Inc. will present a lecture on the skills, knowledge & abilities green industry employers appreciate in employees. This lecture will resonate with anyone seeking a career, internship or summer employment.
Susan will be interviewing on campus for employment and internships. Email Brother Dewey if you are interested in interviewing with Susan.

DATE: Tuesday, October 27th
TIME: 12:45-1:45
LOCATION: Benson 232

Don’t miss the annual “Signature Pizza Fest” to be held @ 4 p.m. in Benson 232.

Plant Culture Field Trips

Bro. Dewey's Plant Culture (HORT 201) class has been on two field trips so far this semester. The first one they went on stopped at a few different areas on the way up to Sawtelle Mountain. It was a day trip. At each stop, the students must analyze the area and explain the phenomenon that naturally occurred there. This tests the student's knowledge of plant characteristics and how the plants are affected by the climate they are in. The rest of the pictures can be accessed through the AgBio server in the Benson building.

The other field trip they went on was a few days long down in the Salt Lake City area. The student's stopped at various companies in the horticulture industry and learned how they adapt to the field they are in. Among the places they visited were Thanksgiving Point, Cactus and Tropicals, Ginger Belnap, owner of Meadow Brook Design, and the BYU campus. The remainder of the pictures for this field trip can also be found on the AgBio server in Bro. Dewey's folder.

These and other great field trips are one way that our department gets our students out in the real world and to see how many people use horticulture in their every day lives to earn a living. These trips also help to bring our department together as friends and colleagues to create the unique tight-knit group we have.

Hub Trip to Phoenix

Brother Dewey is the professor over the Phoenix, AZ upcoming internship expedition December 2-4 of this year. If you are planning on going, he is the one to talk to and coordinate which companies you, personally, would like to visit. His email address is deweyd@byui.edu.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks Devotional

Elder Oaks came to the BYU-Idaho campus Tuesday of last week. His address was about our religious freedoms being threatened. If you missed it, you can read the full text of his talk by clicking here. The Church also put out a news story about his devotional on the Church website's newsroom.

This is the photo that the Church used for their release and those are the flowers that our floral department does for every devotional. Make sure you watch each week for the new arrangements we provide at devotional.

A few members of our community also saw these flowers and wanted our department to do their flowers for their stake conferences! This was a great opportunity for us to show off our talents to the whole world. The devotional flowers each week are provided by the Floral Portfolio class taught by Sister Bass.

Davey Tree - Seminar Speakers

Mark Noark and Bill Whitmire came to visit the campus again and to speak to the Horticulture Seminar students and also, in a few select classes. Mark Noark is the main recruiter for the business. He goes out and visits universities about nine months out of the year. Bill Whitmire is the Vice President of Operations and specifically in charge of the Western Operating Group. Davey Tree is the 4th largest company in the green industry and the largest full service tree care company. If you want to do anything in arboriculture, you need to talk to these guys. They love the students that come from our program; in fact, they have one working there now.

One thing they emphasized a lot during their presentation was customer service. Davey has amazing customer service, the best in the industry. They understand that if you burn bridges with one customer, it can ruin your reputation instantly. However, it also happens to work the other way. If you work your hardest to make it a good experience for your client, they will be customers for life and most likely refer family, friends and neighbors. This principle applies to all areas of business.

They are more than just a tree company. Davey Tree is so diverse with a great skill set and many departments. Not only do they do full tree care, they do utility line clearance operations, large tree moving, commercial and residential care, and golf course maintainance. They also have a resource group (primarily women) who give it their all when it comes to project. Mark Noark said, "There is nothing they don't do, or will not try." The resource group checks electrical lines, performs surveys, conduct tree inventories for national cemetaries etc.

Davey is the 16th largest employee-owned company. Each employee invests in themselves which helps to motivate even more. They help their employees to grow within the company to become the best they can be. Davey has great employee retention; you are still a newbie if you have worked there 15 years. They value hard work, honesty, a good attitude and creativity. Bill Whitmire said, "You need to be able to roll with the punches and think on your feet." Good things (such as promotions) happen to people when they least expect it and are not looking for it. They said that they always are watching their employees even when they are going their routine jobs, they are watching for dedication and service.

Check out their website at http://www.davey.com/ and/or join their FaceBook group. They are an excellent business doing all the right things. Bill Whitmire's email address is bill.whitmire@davey.com.

UPDATE ON THE SOCIAL

Right now, the location for the social is going to be in the headhouse a week from today (Oct. 21st) at 5:30 pm. The menu for the night is going to be steaks, scones, salad, brownies, and ice cream. RSVP to Bro. Dewey (deweyd@byui.edu) BY THE END OF THE WEEK if you are planning on attending and let him know how many other people (family or fiances) you will be bringing and that we need to plan for. Thanks!

Job Opening - Intermountain Farmer’s Association

Greenhouse Manager - Intermountain Farmer’s Association
Riverton, Utah
Full time, Year-round
Requirements: Be able to manage other employees, order product, and conduct trainings
Provides: Good medical benefits as well as a retirement plan

Contact Kory Bertelson at kbertelson@ifa-coop.com for information on how to apply.

Jay Warnick - World Class Athletic Surfaces

This week in seminar Jay Warnick came to speak with us. He is one of the best of the best in horticulture, and especially in the sports turf industry. He came here when it was still Ricks College and was a communications major and decided to change to horticulture after realizing his interest in sports turf. He has worked with many professional sports teams such as the Seattle Seahawks and the Baltimore Ravens. Currently, he works for a paint company called World Class Athletic Surfaces. They manufacture stencils of team logos, field marking paints and grass dyes. Their paint is better for the players and the grass itself.

Jay Warnick focused on the 3 C's he wished he would've known more about when he was in college. They are communication, commitment and curiosity.

Communication is the key, he said, business. The role of managers is to communicate and convey information to the team. He said that it is no longer a world where managers sit in the office and never speak to workers in the fields they manage. Not only does communication include speach but writing as well. He said that we need to be able to write up a well thought out memo to tell our superiors our opinion or to write proposals for improvement.

Next, commitment which means engaging oneself. We must commit FULLY to the job at hand, not immediately start looking for the next job or the next best thing. If you commit, he said, you will move up the ranks naturally because it will show your dedication to the company. When you do something you love, you have the natural energy to do it.

Finally, he talked about curiosity, which is the desire to learn or know about anything. Learning doesn't stop with the degree. We must always be looking for new things to learn or improve on. This will make us much better employees.

If you would like to contact Jay Warnick, his email address is jay@worldclasspaints.com.

San Francisco Hort Field Trip

There are still openings for the San Francisco field trip November 2-7! This field trip is connected to the Evergreen class but it is open to all horticulture students.

The deadline is October 16th!

There is a sign-up sheet in Sister Ruud's office.
If you have any questions, contact Bro. Toll at tollj@byui.edu.

We are going to Pasadena!!!

We have a new float company who is willing to work with us located in Pasadena, California! They are accepting help from students and we have arranged to go and help them with the floats they are going to build for the 2010 Rose Parade. This is the 121st year of the Rose Parade in Pasadena and the theme is A Cut Above the Rest. We would be gone from December 26th through January 2nd (since the parade is on the 1st). More details to come. Contact Sister Bass at bassm@byui.edu if you are interested so she can get an idea of how many students want to participate in this great experience!

Look at previous pictures of parades we have done by clicking on the label on the right hand side.

Apples Still in Prime

Don't forget about the apple orchard!

Our apples are still available and ripe for the picking. The cold weather actually makes them taste even sweeter. We don't want all these apples to go to waste. We had a great article about the orchard in last week's Scroll and that has helped to spread the word, but we, as Horticulture students, can help as well. Tell your roommates, friends, family...ANYONE that they can go pick their own apples for 50 cents a pound. They just need to go to the little yellow weigh house in the north-western area of the orchard and weigh the apples and leave money or their I-number and we can charge their account.

Donation for an Arbor

The BYU-Idaho Horticulture Department has just received a generous donation for an arbor. This will really help with the asthetics in the gardens and will be a great learning tool for us as students. This is exciting news for our students and faculty. Thank You!