BLG Environmental Services - September 2020

BLG Environmental Services - September 2020

SEPTEMBER 2020

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HOW A GREAT TEAM IMPROVES MY BUSINESS AND MY LIFE

It’s well known that Labor Day is in September, but did you know it’s also Self-Improvement Month? As a landscape designer and business owner, I can’t acknowledge how important self-improvement is in my life without paying tribute to our incredible team.

I’ve executed for some time: Complete the one or two tasks that make the most difference. These days, I often focus on the task of creating the best designs for my clients, and it’s made a huge difference in our business.

One of the best things you can do for yourself, business owner or not, is streamline your processes and work toward improving them whether you’re a writer, amateur radio

I receive compliments on my staff all the time, and they are well deserved. Much of my job wouldn’t be possible without my team’s awesome attitudes, open minds, and humility. Since we are essentially strangers working in people’s backyards, it’s important for my staff to be respectful and friendly. We don’t want to seem intrusive or make clients uncomfortable. We’re lucky enough that our team really understands that. Ultimately, I can’t plant every plant myself, and while I still work on-site throughout the week and talk with clients in person, I’m grateful that many of our projects are in the very capable hands of my project manager, Danny Johnson. Danny works tirelessly on administrative duties for our team and ensures that our clients’ projects are progressing at the right pace.

engineer, or something else. Having a great team allows me to streamline my process a lot. I’ll often get into the office at 8:30 a.m. so I can spend the first few hours of my day being creative. A lot of creatives will talk about the morning routines that help them keep their projects moving forward. For me, completing this work in the morning with a singular focus helps a lot because it’s difficult to switch between a creative and administrative mindset. Whatever it takes, it’s best to be prepared and make progress every day towards your personal goals.

I RECEIVE COMPLIMENTS ON MY STAFF ALL THE TIME, AND THEY ARE WELL-DESERVED. MUCH OF MY JOB WOULDN’T BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT MY TEAM’S AWESOME ATTITUDES, OPEN MINDS, AND HUMILITY.

Having a team that I trust completely has been a huge part of that preparation, and it continues to be a priority for us. We make sure to provide our employees with uniforms, and we pay for holidays like Christmas and Labor Day. Whenever the Florida heat gets really hot, we make sure to take extra precautions for our team and their safety. We get a lot of compliments on our staff, and I take each one of them to heart. To everyone at BLG Environmental, thank you for all your dedication and hard work. I hope you all know I’m thrilled to work alongside each and every one of you!

All things considered, our job and work culture are fairly relaxed, but without Danny, Nestor, and the team, I’d probably be working until the late hours of the night. That’s not ideal for me since I have a family with young kids. And, of course, a big part of what our clients love about BLG Environmental is our landscape design services. It’s very difficult to give the highest level of service possible if I’m forced to split my focus too much between designing and project managing. This is yet another reason that Danny’s work is so invaluable.

I recently reread the book “Time Management” by Brian Tracy, which might sound familiar to fellow business owners. In the book, Tracy writes about a practice that

Robert Burns

WE MAKE YOUR OUTDOOR AREAS BEAUTIFUL

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STONE IS THE NEW STANDARD

A beautiful stone feature — for your walls, seating walls, columns, plants, firepits, and much more — can make your backyard space look breathtaking. When it comes to BLG Environmental’s designs, there’s no stonework that we trust more than Tremron’s Stonegate Retaining Wall.

These stone wall blocks are a perfect combination of function and style, and they are double-sided for installing patterns or irregularities that imitate the look of quaint European villages (and they last for decades just the same!). They can serve multiple purposes, like completing your outdoor kitchen or helping control erosion when built against a ledge. Not only is it one of the most flexible products we can use for your landscape design, but it also makes it easier for us to install other design elements into your yard. For example, we can create customized outdoor lighting features in places that would be difficult without a built stone wall or foundation.

Why We Love Tremron’s Stonegate Wall Blocks

WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH GAVIN’S GUYS? MEET GAVIN

In fact, I learned so much over the years that I’ve become a landscape designer with my own team of guys. That’s why my dad asked me to help him with his

newsletter: I’m an industry expert. My operations are pretty extensive in the

Florida region. Even all the regions! I’ve been drawing pictures or “diagrams” (the landscaping lingo for pictures) for clients and their projects since forever.

Some of my secrets can even be used to help grow your own plants at home!

For example, our nursery (did I mention I have a nursery too?) planted rows and rows of Florida pines

H ey guys! My name is Burns. Gavin Burns. You might know Robert Burns as the owner and lead landscape designer of BLG Environmental. He’s kind of a big deal. Anyway, he’s taken me under his wing for the past seven years now. That might come as a surprise, since I’m only 7 years old — but he’s also my dad, so I’ve been listening to dinner table talk about landscaping, picking the best nurseries, passing out staff assignments, and sharing the best conditions for planting a live oak since I was an infant.

the other day. Now, my guys are depotting them into the ground. Some would say, “Hey Gavin, that’s a pretty quick turnover. How did you make your pines grow so fast?” I would tell them, “Listen, I can’t tell you. I can only tell my newsletter friends.” So, this is the secret: dinosaur bones. That’s right. If you’re high enough up in the world, you can get a nifty deal with archaeological digs and create a unique compost with dinosaur bones and Mom’s orange peels. You should really try it at home!

Anyway, I’m sleepy. I wonder if we have any oranges left? Goodbye, friends. See you next time!

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LANDSCAPE - HARDSCAPE - IRRIGATION - OUTDOOR LIGHTING

OUR CLIENTS SAY IT BEST!

Let’s be real: We could talk about stone all day because we adore outdoor design. Stone is one of the most important materials at our disposal! But the reason why Tremron’s Stonegate blocks are so valuable

to us is because they truly last, they look fantastic, and no matter what our landscape designer or clients envision for the final design, we’ve only heard amazing feedback from our clients when we incorporate them. Tremron also offers other blocks, meaning there are different colors and textures to choose from. If you have an interest in setting up a customized stone feature or other design in your yard, just let us know!

“We would like to thank you for the excellent job BLG Environmental Services did for our landscaping needs. Your professionalism was evident from the beginning of the project. Our

beautiful lawn, plants, and paver walkways are such a wonderful addition to our home. It was a pleasure working with you and all of your employees who worked hard to make sure that we were completely satisfied with all of the work.” —Lynn Brown

Robert Burns

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 HAVE YOU HEARD THE GOOD NEWS?

EASY OUT

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300 N. RONALD REAGAN BLVD. STE 311 LONGWOOD, FL 32750

WE MAKE YOUR OUTDOOR AREAS BEAUTIFUL

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How a Great Team Improves My Business and My Life Stone Is the New Standard What’s Happening With Gavin’s Guys?

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The Good News Hear From Our Clients Take a Break!

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3 Fun Family Activities for Fall

GARDENING, GOLD, AND PHOTO SHOOTS 3 Fun Family Activities for Fall

It’s fall, which means social media will soon be saturated with pictures of your friends enjoying “classic” fall activities. Photos of leaf peeping, apple picking, and the occasional scarecrow run rampant. But rather than following the herd, you can make your family the trendsetter of unique fall activities! Here are a few outdoor endeavors your family will love. Get gardening. Fall is the time for harvest, but if you want to enjoy flowers in the spring, it’s also a time for planting. The cooler autumn air is easier on the plants and the soil will stay warm enough through the winter. Tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths are all spring bulbs that need to be planted in the fall. Do a little research with your family to determine the best time to start planting in your area. Pan for gold. Here’s one that’s really off the beaten path: Take your family on an adventure panning for gold! Start by planning a road trip out to an old

ghost town. Many of them have great tourist attractions that include gold panning. You probably won’t get rich, but it will still be a fun story. If you’re not able to make the trip, you can always create a gold panning operation at home! Visit MessForLess.net/panning-for-gold-activity for a great step-by- step guide on how to go panning for gold in your own backyard. Plan a fall photo shoot. It’s time to freshen up those family pictures hanging around the house. The changing leaves provide a beautiful background for any family portrait. Better yet, the cooler temperatures mean that an outdoor photo shoot won’t be nearly as uncomfortable as it would be in the summer. You can take your pictures by the trees in the front yard or make a daytrip of it. What about pictures at the corn maze or pumpkin patch? It’s never too soon to start planning this year’s holiday card.

Spend this fall outdoors and create great new memories with your family!

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LANDSCAPE - HARDSCAPE - IRRIGATION - OUTDOOR LIGHTING

407.702.7905