This was the thirteenth year Colorado State University has conducted Cool Season Trials at the Annual Flower Trial Garden. The overall goal of this project is to determine which cool-season plant varieties are best suited for marketing and growing in the Rocky Mountain Region. Starting in November 2020, data recording was taken monthly till May 2021, unless there was heavy snow cover. Irrigation was monitored throughout the trial period and any additional water added, besides snow and rain, was recorded. The trial included 60 varieties representing seven taxa including pansies, violas, flowering kale and cabbage, Aurinia, Primula and Arabis.

Snow Magazine recently released its annual Top 100 snow management companies list. Five Colorado companies earned spots on the list this year, as well as ALCC member BrightView, headquartered in Pennsylvania but active in Colorado. 

In mid-2020 the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy reported there were 31.7 million small businesses in the U.S. These businesses make up 99.9% of all firms and 99.7% of these firms have paid employees, which comprises about 47% of private-sector employees. Since 2000, small businesses created nearly twice as many jobs—10.5 million—compared to 5.6 million jobs created by large companies. Impressive numbers!

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) National Small Business Week Virtual Summit event will take place September 13-15, 2021. The free, three-day conference will feature a virtual atrium and a series of educational panels on best practices for small businesses adapt and rebuild amid challenging times.

Does your company need to provide paid sick leave for employees in relation to COVID-19—either due to a positive test result, caring for a family member with COVID-19, or receiving a COVID-9 vaccine? The short answer is yes, though the provisions behind these obligations have changed in 2021.

After an unusual session that included long recesses due to the ongoing pandemic, Colorado's 2021 legislative session concluded in June. GreenCO lobbyists Hicks & Associates have issued their summary of the session and legislation related to the green industry.

The organizers of ProGreen EXPO are still accepting industry input for 2022 programming. The event will return to its traditional in-person format next year with a full slate of education and events.

ALCC has created an online form for submitting topic and speaker suggestions for educational sessions. Landscape professionals are encouraged to offer their ideas. Submit education session topic ideas here.

ProGreen has also issued a call for proposals from those with expertise or knowledge to share. Prospective presenters can use ProGreen's online portal to submit a session proposal for consideration. For its contribution to educational programming, ALCC is interested in a variety of topics related to technical skills for the landscape industry, business and leadership, landscape design, and sustainability in landscaping. 

UPDATE 9/21/21: The deadline to submit proposals is Friday, September 24.

Employers with fewer than 500 employees may opt into participation in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which provides paid family leave and paid sick leave related to COVID-19. Those employers may continue the program through September 30, 2021. The benefit to employers could be matching tax credits for sick leave dollars paid.

Northern Water has opened a new grant cycle for its Collaborative Water-Efficient Landscape Grant Program. The program, which has awarded $145,000 in funding this year to 13 water-efficient landscape renovation projects, is looking for grantees for its fourth year of the program.

Help choose The ELITE Awards

ALCC is looking for 10-15 members to serve as judges for The ELITE Awards submissions. Each judge will be assigned to review about five submissions in one of the award categories: Design/Build, Landscape Construction, Plant Design, Maintenance, or Sustainability.

If you have 5-10 hours to volunteer in late August-early September and have five or more years of experience in the landscape industry, we would love to have you review and evaluate submissions. Contact Melissa Emdin at 720 307-5092 for more information or to express interest in volunteering.