“Never let a good crisis go to waste.”  Winston Churchill coined this phrase in the 1940s approaching the end of World War II.  He used his relationship with Stalin and Roosevelt as the basis for forming what is now the United Nations to promote peace.

In the past couple of months, I have spoken with many MNLA Members and our crisis is a lack of willing workers and fear of out of control rising wages.  A secondary crisis is a lack of materials for everything from nursery stock to lumber and hardgoods.  This is affecting every segment of our industry as well as construction and real estate.

Here are a few ways I have heard that your fellow MNLA Members are dealing with the crisis:
1.    They are asking their current employees to help recruit and offering incentives to both the new worker and referring employee after 90 days.  Many are finding other creative ways to publicly recognize stellar employees.
2.    They are investing in newer equipment that can replace some of the labor force or allow their crews to be more efficient.
3.    Some are finding startup companies and using them as subcontractors while training them in the industry methods and professionalism.
4.    Hourly labor rates are now closing in on those charged by plumbers and electricians!
5.    Some members are already booked through October and are refocusing time spent selling work to long term planning for their companies.

Your MNLA staff has been busy working on an apprenticeship program as just one way of helping promote the Green Industry as a career path.  We are hopeful that we can have a 2022 rollout of this program during the education sessions at the GLTE. Stay tuned and in communication with the Board and staff as details develop.

With the direction that things are going, we have a huge opportunity to build on our image and the essential nature of the work we do.  This will allow us to draw employees from entirely new places.

We also can be on the front line charging an appropriate amount for the work we do and paying our employees well while demanding professionalism.  Do not let this opportunity pass you by.

In 2008, while serving in the Obama administration, Rahm Emanuel echoed Churchill’s words this way: “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that is it’s an opportunity to do things you could not do before.”
While I am definitely not a fan of the expansion of government (a big part of our current crisis) we can learn a lot by watching as the crisis unfolds and adapting to a “new normal” and doing things we never thought possible!  Be safe and stay calm! Always be looking for that silver lining!