Nearly 100 members of the Gelderman Landscape Services’ team spent Mar. 29 inside the Victoria Park East Golf Club in Guelph preparing for a new season outside beautifying commercial, condo and home landscapes.
Company president Nathan Helder welcomed employees to Spring Kickoff 2016, stating, “This annual event has been taking place for the past 15 years. It’s an opportunity to look forward to a new year, and an opportunity to share changes that have taken place within the company.”
Guest speaker was Jason Heemskerk, coordinator with The League of Canadian Reformed School Societies. His theme focused on creating a circle of influence within separate entities. He used a story of a group of silos in Australia which were painted by an artist to create one amazing piece of art.
“Gelderman Landscape Services is an organization of silos with branch operations in Kitchener, Guelph, Waterdown and Mississauga, but you are unified by a unique and common vision,” said Heemskerk.
He explained that creating a successful approach was having each person bringing their own style within the structure of the organization.
Helder said that structure for the Gelderman team was The Gelderman Way.
He listed the points that defined The Gelderman Way, which are: Staff Well-Being, Customer Focus, Fulfill Our Promises, Honesty and Integrity, Do It Right the First Time.
“We are landscape trade artists. But, we can’t do it alone. It takes all of us to create what we do. That’s what sets us apart from the rest,” said Helder.
Chris Mace, VP of Landscape and Design at Gelderman Landscape Services, spoke to the issue of safety.“Safety is and always should be at the top of our mind,” he said. “Every new employee must complete safety modules created by LS Training.”
Each of the branch managers (Mike Deboer, Waterdown; Scott Maxwell, Mississauga; Mark Conrad, Guelph; and Martin Horsman, Kitchener) provided a run-down of their respective operations and what is expected this season.
They and the rest of the team are ready to begin a new season that promises to be a busy one.
