ELM Announces New Green Campus in Monroe, Connecticut; Sustainability Team to Focus on Alternative Fuels, Eco-Friendly Best Practices, and Snow/Ice Management

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

STAMFORD, CT – Eastern Land Management, an environmentally-responsible commercial landscape and winter snow/ice services firm serving Fairfield County, Connecticut for more than 40 years, has opened a 6-acre, 20,000 sf campus in Monroe.

The expansion is part of ELM’s multi-year strategic investment to advance the company’s green footprint, integrate emerging technologies, and improve processes and practices to meet the stewardship needs of its clients throughout Fairfield County.

The campus will serve as a hub for its winter operations and will house ELM’s new zero-emission, all-electric fleet.  In addition, the site will include safe and sustainable salt storage, an eco-friendly brine-making facility, and a fleet of specialized vehicles and equipment for anti-icing pre-treatment, snow removal, and post-storm liquid applications during winter weather events.

“Last year, we committed to dramatically take our green game up a notch,” said Bruce Moore Jr, company president. “With a special focus on alternative fuels, and less harmful approaches, we hope to make ELM a leader in sustainability and value creation.”

The Monroe project team included: ELM CEO Bruce Moore, Sr., project lead; Claris Construction, building architect and general contractor; and Solli Engineering, land use consultant and owner’s representative. Construction began in 2017.

Company president Bruce Moore Jr. is currently leading the Monroe roll-out, with associate branch manager Greg Gross driving day-to-day operations.

The new office is located at 154 Enterprise Drive, Monroe, CT 06468. For more information contact Bruce Moore Jr. at 203-316-5433.

ELM Receives Top Honors from National Association of Landscape Professionals

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Eastern Land Management was recognized with two 2018 Awards of Excellence from the National Association of Landscape Professionals for its work at Merritt7 Commercial Office Park, Norwalk CT, and Landmark Square, Stamford, CT.

The annual awards program, now in its 49th year, salutes landscape projects that exemplify the best in their category and address unique areas of expertise and proficiency.

 

“We accept these prestigious awards on behalf of our clients,” said ELM President Bruce Moore Jr. “Our team displays discipline and dedication to their work and this recognition underscores our commitment to continue delivering quality and best practices across our entire service portfolio.”

 

The awards will be presented at the national association’s annual Awards of Excellence ceremony at LANDSCAPES2018, the industry’s annual conference and expo in Louisville KY, October 18, 2018.

 

The landscape competition has grown to be one of the largest of its kind in the nation and reflects the rapidly evolving professionalism that the industry represents.

 

Photo:  Merritt7, the Charles O. Perry sculpture garden.

 

 

09-20-2018

 

 

 

 

 

5 Reasons Property & Facility Managers Find Increased Value with ELM

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It’s a question every building manager and buyer of landscape services asks: “am I getting my money’s worth?”

We know that there are lots of reasons a customer might choose to partner with us, but what we’ve found in over 40 years doing what we do best, the reason is essentially this:  exceptional service, competitive pricing, and quality work.

All things being equal, most good landscape contractors do the same things.  Like us, they invest in the right tools, continuous training, and substantive programs to stay ahead of the curve on problems and solutions.  But here’s where we think we’re different and why we think this matters in a way that helps you and your property perform at its best.

The difference between good and great

Our goal to become a great company means that we are always moving forward.  We know greatness is not easily achieved but the process of becoming great is something everyone at ELM works at. Even better, every one of our team members can tell you how we define greatness and what they do to help drive it. To us, having fun as a team, helping people advance their careers, serving our communities, and volunteering for causes we believe in, makes us feel like we’re the luckiest company in the world. It’s this sense of gratitude that we bring to our relationships with every individual we are lucky enough to work with and for.

Dedicated and personal service

Going beyond is more than a tagline, it means that we understand your businesses, your strategic goals, and we work to help you get where you need to be.  We also know that you’re busy. This means we don’t waste a lot of time and money on unnecessary tasks. We respect what’s on your plate, and believe that great service requires a give AND take, not give or take.

A history of forward thinking, proactivity

As a privately-held, family-owned business, we are independent and nimble and believe that agility has kept us relevant in periods of uncertainty. Our ability to adapt and deliver value at all times is part of who we are. It is a mindset that helps us meet your needs in an ever-changing market and prepares us to stay out in front of trends in our own industry, as well.

Knowledge-based solutions

Our experience matters. We view our role as more than being just your service partner. As a curator of your most important asset, our smarter workflow will enable a better return on your investment, deliver better results, and we’ll always be on the lookout for opportunities to improve your outdoor environment as a healthier place to live, work and play.

Safety first risk management

Working with heavy equipment and seasonal weather patterns means that your landscape and grounds can suffer if risk management is not properly addressed. Optimizing safety, reducing liability, and managing risk is what our teams train for.  In fact, the health and well-being of our customers’ properties, their employees, tenants and guests, is our top priority.  We recognize that risk is an inherent component of all outdoor work, so we place a priority making sure safety is always first.  This includes having a highly-trained winter crew, experienced emergency, storm and blizzard responders, and on-call seasonal support.

Stamford, CT.-based Eastern Land Management offers a full range of commercial landscape, grounds and winter services to the northern market of New York City, Connecticut’s Fairfield County and New York’s Westchester County.

As part of ELM’s commitment to serve the growing needs of its Fairfield customers, as well as deliver unmatched asset value advantage for property and facility managers, and school and university campuses alike, ELM is scheduled to open a conveniently-located new service hub in Monroe, CT, in June, 2018.

To learn more about large scale landscape contracting or to just talk about a long-overdue upgrade, contact Bruce Moore, Jr., vice president of operations, 203-316-5433.

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Behind The Scenes: Keeping Your Site Safe.

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A safe and incident-free winter experience relies on trained crews who work hard shifts and long nights. While property managers and tenants are sleeping, teams of accomplished snow and ice professionals are inspecting and clearing grounds, parking lots, curb areas, and walkways to make sure outside areas are hazard free and pedestrian-safe.

Winter jobs can be among the most tough. “During our recent ‘snowpocalyse’, ELM plow crews in powerful equipment worked two 16-hour shifts, from 4 in the morning to 10 at night to reduce client risk,” said Bruce Moore, Jr., operations vice president. “Ongoing training makes all the difference in the ability to deliver.”

To keep performance expectations high, ELM invests in SIMA (Snow & Ice Management Association)-accredited training programs for advanced snow management professionals.

“ELM is all about putting our reputation on the line for quality and safety, and every member of our team is working together towards a common goal,” said Bruce. “Currently we have three Advanced Snow Managers, a specialized fleet of more than 100 snow removal machines and equipment, weather forecasting technology, and at least 200 trained people who take pride in keeping more than 1 million square feet of commercial properties clear and accessible.  That’s the most impressive thing to me,” he added.

To learn more ELM’s winter services and emergency response strategies, go to: https://www.easternland.com/our-services/snow-services/

Or contact Bruce Moore @ 203.316.5433.

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How Weather Data is Transforming Landscape and Snow Service Decisions

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

Bad weather can be bad for business. For property managers, winter storms in particular can significantly impact operations and affect revenue.

To help productivity and improve safety, ELM has invested in emerging weather research to provide you with weather planning as a strategic piece of your overall landscape budget.

“Being able to collect and apply information locally has opened up opportunities for us to improve communications and service timelines as we apply what we learn to be proactive about potential impacts,” said Bruce Moore Sr., who leads the ELM’s hazard and risk planning initiative.  “We know we can’t manage the weather but we can manage the financial implications of what weather can do if we’re not prepared for it,” he added.

Being responsible for the safety of commercial landscape and outdoor environments is mission-critical for ELM’s front line team who ensure that your business is taken care of while your workforce, tenants or campus remains safe.

“ELM’s hazard planning minimizes the disruption of our customer’s business, reduces insurance claims made by injured employees and customers, lowers exposure and increases the safety of everyone,” noted Bruce.

Technology has improved accuracy in predicting extreme weather and is providing exponentially more benefits to property managers looking to address emergency preparedness and site safety. Whether it’s the next generation of radar, new mobile applications, remote weather sensors that manage water conservation, or using forecasts to save money, more accurate predictions makes running a commercial landscape asset easier all year long.
ELM is committed to creating safer communities by protecting life and property, and managing risk.  To learn more about ELM’s weather service, contact Bruce Moore, Sr., Founder & CEO at 203-316-5433.

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Photo: The Connecticut River photographed from Conard weather balloon, a student-driven project of the Frederick U. Conard School’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program. ELM applauds students throughout Connecticut for the work they are doing in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding.

 

Understanding Your Investment in Landscape Maintenance

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Today’s technology makes it relatively easy to assess property landscape needs in order to determine plant counts, water usage, turf square footage, etc.  Unfortunately, the most common way property managers determine their maintenance budgets involves using formulas that may be outdated.

Let’s look at some factors that help determine landscape maintenance costs:

Labor:  the single largest cost of landscape maintenance is labor.  A significant piece of the budget is taken up by the work itself. Therefore, to keep overall budget costs down, it is imperative that labor and its associated costs be allocated strategically.

For example, turf.  Turf is generally the largest total area in the landscape.  If the turf contains sweeping contours and few obstacles, such as trees, boulders, light fixtures, signage, or architectural elements, then faster mowing equipment can be used to maintain it and keep labor costs low.

Plant needs:  Overplanting requires more frequent pruning; fast-growing plants require more frequent pruning, and planting pest and disease-prone plants increases the cost of protecting them with costly control materials.  Extensive annual color requires a lot of fine detail work, also resulting in higher costs.

The solution is balance.  A good plant palette, including perennials and ornamental grasses, and use of meadows and sustainable alternatives, will balance low with high maintenance areas.  For instance, a maintenance plan should include removing excess plants as they age. And interplant fast and slow-growing plants to create a seamless transition during plant lifecycles.

Irrigation:  Another factor overlooked in maintenance budgeting is the cost of water and irrigation management.  This is particularly important as water availability decreases and water costs increase.  Irrigation costs are best controlled by utilizing less thirsty plant material and by the installation of new ‘smart’ technologies and water delivery systems.

In general, turf requires the greatest amount of water in the landscape.  For mature landscapes, retrofitting outdated irrigation systems with more efficient equipment and/or redesigning the landscape to utilize more water-efficient plant material can be bottom line friendly. The pay back varies but by auditing water use, future savings scenarios can be projected with great accuracy.

Refurbishing:  When planning a maintenance budget, designate an amount to cover normal wear and tear, seasonal weather stress, and the cost of replacement and repair. All landscapes require remedial and corrective work to maintain their best appearance.  We find that most commercial customers with successful landscapes spend approximately 25-30% of their yearly landscape maintenance budget on freshening.  By replacing items on a regular basis, you can avoid incurring large capital expenditures for major cost overhaul.

With labor and water costs high, it is becoming increasingly important for property managers to be aware of strategies that pay off in the long run.  Establishing a close working relationship with your landscape contractor and starting the conversation at the planning and budgeting stage, will ensure that your property and landscape will receive optimum care and a proactive approach all year long.

Don’t leave value on the table. To learn more about collaborating with ELM to implement innovation, understand how landscape products, equipment and technologies are used to improve cost and efficiency, and what the best priorities are to pursue in the face of changes in water management, contact Bruce Moore at 203-316-5433.

Breaking News: Irrigation and Water Use Mandate

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

Eastern Land Management is proactively monitoring and addressing water needs for the upcoming spring and summer landscape season due to the drought situation in lower Fairfield County.

Despite the heavy, late winter storms, our area has received 14 inches less rain than in the past twelve months and reservoir levels remain below normal. As a result, the towns of Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan and Stamford will be under an “irrigation ban.”

On Monday, March 6, 2017, ELM met with our city leaders and executives from Aquarion Water Company to discuss the ban, landscape watering options, and what water restrictions mean for business owners and commercial landscapes.

ELM will be providing critical information regarding new regulations for all irrigation systems, including 1) the status of the drought, 2) how reductions in water use will affect plants and trees during peak growing season, and 3) solutions that optimize drought management planning for commercial and institutional property landscapes.

If you have questions about how water restrictions affect your property, or would like to discuss drought management and irrigation issues, please contact Bruce Moore Jr. at 203.316.5433.

On behalf of the landscape and irrigation professionals at ELM, we look forward to being your strategic partner for water smart landscapes, improving your environmental impact, and helping you become more competitive with your bottom line.

Bruce Moore Jr., Vice President, ELM Operations

Think Outside the Building

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

How ELM drives value in $900-million industry……

Connecticut’s independent and private schools are not only among the finest in the nation but part of an historical institutional legacy going back hundreds of years. And for forty of those years, Eastern Land Management (ELM) has been their landscape services and grounds management partner.

According to the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools, this segment is a $931-million-plus piece of the American economy. That’s impressive when considering that the independent school experience is a deliberate investment. And parents, who invest in their child’s education, are holding schools accountable not only to academic standards, but also to the value-added benefit of it being an exceptional facility – inside and out.

This pressure for private and independent schools to compete has more schools embracing a greener footprint as an economic growth factor. To address this, ELM has put together a best practices checklist that provides campus decision makers with guidelines for optimizing the environmental health of the campus landscape; this includes enhancing the vitality of its turf and trees, improving plant performance, protecting and conserving resources, and maintaining fields and open spaces in ways that do minimal harm to the surrounding environment, while also saving on long-term operating costs.
Measuring value.

This guide is designed to help school facility managers understand why and how to develop, implement, and evaluate a landscape maintenance plan and how to collaborate with a landscape contracting team for the most effective return on your capital investment. This checklist is also relevant to heads of school, trustees, financial officers and other members of the school’s governance committees who are entrusted with the prudent stewardship of school funds.

Preventive Maintenance

“Pay me now or pay me later.” If you spend a few dollars now to change the filter in your car, you avoid more expensive repairs in the future. In other words, performing regular inspections and maintenance, and proactive repairs and upgrades, whether for your automobile or your landscape, prevents future big-ticket costs and prolongs the functional lifetime of your asset.

Because your school landscape is a living thing, the unexpected is inevitable. ELM landscape professionals identify inevitabilities and implement a plan for dealing with them. This proactive approach to protecting and preserving your core campus asset is proven to have a long-range positive fiscal impact on the school’s operating budget.

Site Evaluation

Landscape maintenance plans must not only meet legal standards with regard to safety, operations and the environment, but also strive to meet the long-term needs of the organization. One of its most important elements is the need for emergency preparedness, contingency planning and storm response with an eye to ensuring that the landscape and grounds are safe and protected for all members of the school community throughout the year.
Frequently asked questions.

What should be in my landscape plan, does it address the following?

1. Responsibly managed chemical use and safety.
2. Responsibly managed watering and sprinkler systems, the use of recycled water/gray water for irrigating sports fields and peripheral areas, if relevant.
3. Responsibly managed and upgraded irrigation and drainage systems.
4. Responsibly managed seasonal impacts and weather events.
5. Responsibly managed costs and benefits of seasonal color, perennials, garden areas, green belts and open spaces, lawns, signature trees, signage areas, entries, and focal points.
6. Responsibly managed grounds as safe outdoor field laboratories.
7. Responsibly provided and communicated work order systems, scheduling systems, work flow, best practice systems, procedures, and identified needs assessment for landscape enhancements.
8. Responsibly managed wetlands, watershed, streams, estuaries, groundwater, and wildlife and pollinator habitats.
9. Responsibly managed approaches to stewardship and conservation to drive the school’s green objectives.
10. Responsibly and proactively managed winter risk management, safety and liability.

What should I look for when hiring an outside contractor?

1. Is your landscape service team experienced in serving the unique needs of schools and demonstrating subject matter expertise about your key issues?
2. Does the landscape services company understand school cultural norms and expectations of behavior, such as privacy, discretion, discipline, integrity, accountability and reputation?
3. How often will senior members of your landscape services team visit your campus to observe and monitor the quality of work, verify overall improvements and ongoing progress?
4. To what extent will discretion be optimized and disruption minimized?
5. Will results be well documented, reported and archived?
6. Will there be a punch list to identify and fix safety issues, plant health, hardscape irregularities, and seasonal concerns, such as summer pests and winter weather?
7. What kind of documentation will be provided to support risk and liability?
8. Is a corner-to-corner property needs assessment provided so all areas of the property can be evaluated, prioritized and cared for according to campus master planning goals, budgeting, and phase objectives?
9. Are areas of concern, such as playing fields, tree health, and environmentally sensitive areas addressed in context?
10. Will your service team have an ongoing commitment to training and professional development?
11. Is the landscape company active in major professional organizations, such as the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) and snow associations? Are their seasonal managers Advanced Snow Management (ASM)-certified by SIMA (Snow & Ice Management Association) and Certified Snow Professionals?
12. Is your service team active in or affiliated with the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools and/or engaged in learning about your trends, issues, and needs?

Finding the right fit for your landscape services

There are numerous reasons why schools outsource their landscape and winter maintenance operations. Often in-house operations – with labor costs, supply costs, costs of benefits, and overhead – gets too expensive to fund. Outsourcing integrated landscape and snow management services to a single source provider will allow you to enjoy the cost advantages offered by economies of scale that drives down cost, increases accountability, and supports critical process quality.

Direct Savings

1. Decreased equipment and operating expenses.
2. Decreased need for special skills, services or tools/equipment.
3. Decreased personnel and hiring costs.
4. Decreased insurance costs/focus on risk management.
5. Decreased renovation costs due to proactivity.
6. Decreased overhead costs because of system, time and scheduling, efficiency.
7. Decreased supply costs.
8. Recovery of costs through sale of campus landscape equipment assets available to invest in, and redirect to, core school improvement priorities.

Indirect Benefits

1. Improved quality, cleanliness, orderliness and safety of the facility.
2. Beautified campus grounds that enhance student and school self-image.
3. Improved impact of the facility on learning and student performance.
4. Improved admissions and student and faculty retention.
5. Positive contributions to the environment.
6. Optimized lifecycle cost of your landscape.
7. Increased property values.
8. Improved risk and liability management.

ELM has demonstrably reduced costs to school operating budgets by 15-35%. To learn more about ELMs landscape program for independent and private schools, go to: http://www.easternland.com/our-services/landscape-management/campus-landscape/
Or contact Bruce Moore @ 203.316.5433.

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Your opinion matters

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

ELM recently conducted a survey to better understand your perception of our performance and we are pleased at the solid results our team received when it comes to meeting and exceeding your expectations.

Really listening to what you tell us about our service and quality drives ELMs culture of continuous improvement. It’s what we call “crawling behind our customers’ eyes” – or seeking to understand and improve our business from your point of view.

According to the results, we learned that you appreciate how we care for your landscape and that we are easy to work with. That’s a tribute to our terrific team of employees who are dedicated to our core values and dedicated to the customers who are at the center of all we do.

We also learned that ELM is a “solid, reputable organization with great values and people,” and that we have a “great staff, forward thinking strategies and very professional service!”

However, as pleasing as those results are, we know that there is plenty of room for us to do better.

All of us on the ELM leadership team know that you, our customers, are integral to our continued success.  We have cared about what you think for more than 40 years and will continue to care for at least 40 more.

Thank you for participating in our survey and helping us stay out in front of the issues that matter most.

To learn more, go to: www.easternland.com or contact Bruce Moore @ 203.316.5433.

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