Events

Companies don’t need costly, formal wellness plans for their employees. It can be done informally. One good example is a trail race from November 2018. The company boss ran his first trail race with one of our fastest foremen. It was a gruelling off-road half marathon and also in the field were the famous- now retired- Vancouver Canucks Sedin twins.

Short course 12.5km

Not a bad race course!

The boss generously sponsored six other employees in the short 12.5 km course race. And the game was on because I was the oldest in the group and they were all gunning for their supervisor. Fools.

The North Shore morning sun was extremely pleasant but it was still cool in the shade. I was careful not to over-dress and I was the only runner in our group to warm-up. Remember, you should get to the starting line sweaty.

One of the runners in our group, let’s give him a fake name like Stan, took off fast but we stayed close to him. Once he started walking in the first 3km, I knew I’d take him; and I did. Stan would later pollute the forest trails with his vomit. Four times!

I felt surprisingly well, well enough to notice the morning mist spilling out of the forest and on to the open trail. It was an amazing effect, as if the forest was breathing.

Once I passed Stan, nobody would come close to me and I crossed the finish line two full minutes ahead of one foreman. He considered it a success but I noted to myself that I’m old enough to be his father. The others finished well behind me but they finished!

We took a team photo before I had to run off. Later at home I checked the results and I was ecstatic with my number one placing in age category. I still got it, I thought, but then I scrolled up and noticed that my boss had entered me in the 60-69 age group. Very funny.

Landscape pro Vas (949) competing in the Gunner Shaw XC on December 1, 2018. This time I was sponsored by my Phoenix running club.

Success

With a small investment my boss got seven employees to run a trail race in the woods on a sunny November morning. All of us finished and there was some team bonding happening. The boss even took them out for lunch.

Next is the 2019 Sun Run, Canada’s largest 10 km race, which we will enter as a team in the corporate division. I think we’ll do fine.

All companies can design informal wellness plans for their employees. It’s good for the company and for the workers.

I’m so glad I overcame my shyness years ago and approached my employer for time off so I could attend my first CanWest. The CanWest horticulture show is the best industry event in the Lower Mainland.

But before I dive into why this event is a riot, I would be remiss if I didn’t give thanks to my employer. My fees and wages were generously covered and the company was short-staffed this week. Always ask your employer for help.

Urban Forester’s Symposium

This happens on day one and runs all day 8-3. The fee includes lunch which consisted of pasta, lasagna and salads. Two speakers covered three lectures. Guy Meilleur covered pruning after a storm and managing old trees. I had no idea that he was behind the popular “Detective Dendro” articles that appeared in Arborist News. Julian Dunster covered “Field assessment skills for common Pacific Northwest tree diseases”.

I will cover the science part of the lectures in separate blogs. Just let me say that all three lectures were fascinating. The only problem was with the organizers who put two lectures next to each other separated only by a flimsy black curtain. So I got two lectures in one but it was annoying. I can only imagine what the lecturers were thinking.

As soon as I got home I e-mailed thank you notes to both lecturers. I also missed some of the references to extra reading and important people. I hope they can hook me up.

Plant ID booth

As soon as my symposium was over I headed straight for the plant ID booth. It’s a fun way to test yourself. I scored 100% just like last year and, as usual, the last two plants were the most challenging. This year they were Phlox subulata and Andromeda polifolia. You can attempt the test yourself by visiting here. Message me for answers. I will post them later once readers had a chance to attempt it.

Mingle!

This event is also great for mingling because inevitably you run into old bosses, managers and co-workers. Then you exchange business cards and catch up. Of course, some people you’d rather not see but that’s how it goes.

Some people I only see on Facebook so it’s nice to connect face to face. One West Vancouver city worker recognized my name in the food line. He had read my blogs because we both know a well-known journeyman horticulturist. See, it’s a big net. Sales guru Grant Cardone says obscurity is your enemy. All landscapers should be hanging out at CanWest. Mingle and get to know people. Hand out your cards. Hook up on social media.

Booths

Yes, many of the booths have jars and baskets full of cheap sugar sweets but stop by and see what’s available. I found bright coloured succulents and checked out plant tags. A sort of plant ID cool down after my plant ID test.

One lady showed me her new and improved plastic pot and plant tag system. The plant tags stay nice and tight on the side of the pot. I told her that also makes them very hard to steal when I run into a plant I don’t know.

If you get tired you can have a beer or buy lunch inside or from food trucks outside. And if you need a job, there is a two-sided panel full of job opportunities. You can even start an apprenticeship.

If you missed this year’s CanWest, mark your calendar for late September 2018. It’s well worth the price.

Equipment rodeos irritate me because deep down, I’m not a machine guy. I prefer working with living plant material. So when private companies and municipalities organize machine rodeos, I laugh and shake my head in private.

Training rodeos

Just today I ran into a rodeo report on social media. Totallandscapecare.com reports that various LandCare branches in the United States ran machine training rodeos. Basically, new and returning workers use machines to negotiate various obstacle courses. In one example, two workers with backpack blowers attempt to blow tennis balls into garbage bins.

It’s a fun way to train new workers. Allegedly. I would disagree. I prefer to train new workers on actual work sites where I can guide them through actual work situations. Then, I observe them and use them to create new blog posts. It’s still fun but mostly for me. The workers get the pleasure of my company.

Real training

Instead of machine rodeos which create noise and air pollution we have come up with a better way to train new workers. Starting this season, we will take new guys to commercial sites and let them practice under my watchful guidance. These are real sites with real clients. The only difference is that minor mistakes will not be as critical as they would be on large strata sites. It’s a win, win situation because the workers get training and extra paid weekend shifts. When we send them out to our foremen they should be ready for lawn care and bedwork. Easy!

Ultimate rodeo

I experienced my first equipment rodeo when I worked at the City of Coquitlam. Several equipment operators were diverted from field work to create a machine “dance” complete with a music soundtrack. Since the city was competing in the Communities in Bloom competition, the idea was to take the judges and let them take in a unique equipment rodeo at the end of the tour.

And unique it was. With music blaring, several tractors and front loaders filed out onto the baseball field. There they danced and raised their buckets, nicely synchronized with the music. When a concerned tax payer voiced his disapproval of the spectacle I quietly laughed. None of the dozens of workers witnessing the rodeo would dare speak up. After all, it was the idea of a high-ranking manager. I can write this post now because I am no longer employed by the City of Coquitlam.

At the time I thought it was a crazy idea. I think so still. We all enjoyed the easy afternoon because once the rodeo was over, nothing much happened.

Happy ending

In the end, Coquitlam won! Unlike the equipment rodeo, the Communities in Bloom Canada competition is a brilliant idea. Judges tour cities and evaluate them on several categories like cleanliness and urban forestry. Competing cities are forced to examine and improve their urban environment. I just wish equipment rodeos would go away.