by Brianna Crandall — November 28, 2014—PLANET (Professional Landcare Network), the national trade association for landscape and lawn care professionals, presented its annual awards during the Green Industry Conference (GIC) in Louisville, Kentucky, last month.
PLANET’s Awards program, said to be the largest in the industry, recognizes the best work in commercial and residential landscape design, installation, and maintenance, as well as interior plant work, and also the best in safety and sustainability.
This year, the National Landscape Awards of Excellence (NLAE) were given to more than 100 projects in the following categories: 24 Grand, 53 Merit, and 25 Recognition, recognizing superior work in the areas of landscape, lawn care, and interior maintenance, design/build as well as installation, container plantings, and erosion control.
Four Judges Awards were also presented. Lambert Landscape Company received two Judges Awards—one in the Residential Design/Build Category and the other in the Commercial Installation category—and John Mini Distinctive Landscapes received a Judges Award in the Landscape Management category. The Bartlett Tree Experts received a special Judges Award for its care for the swamp oak trees at The National September 11th Memorial and Museum project.
John Mini Distinctive Landscapes won the Audience Choice Award, which is voted on by those in attendance during the presentation. Visit PLANET’s Web site for a complete listing of all the NLAE award recipients, as well as a video describing the awards and featuring photos of this year’s winning projects.
In addition, seven companies received the Sustainable Company Award, which recognizes those businesses that strive to protect and conserve resources, reduce waste, and prevent pollution and that promote an ethic of environmental sustainability within their workplace. Winners were Greener Pastures Landscape, Dallas, TX; Earth Groomers, Toms River, NJ; E.A. Quinn Landscape Contracting, Glastonbury, CT; Signature Landscape Services, Redmond, WA; Del Conte’s Landscaping, Fremont, CA; James Martin Associates, Vernon Hills, IL; and Schill Grounds Management, North Ridgeville, OH.
The Safety Recognition Awards, sponsored by CNA, were also celebrated at this awards dinner. A listing of those recipients and the “Best of the Best” can be found on the PLANET Web site.
