Let’s make your campus one of the most beautiful in the U.S.

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

What does it mean when we call a landscape beautiful? Is it its sense of wonder;  its ability to define space and create community… or is it beautiful simply because of the way it makes you feel?

Making college campuses beautiful is as much about the people behind the scenes as it is the architecture and uniqueness that gives a campus its sense of place..

From landscape and sustainable improvements to specialty gardens for public art installations, creating an environment that not only reflects your institution’s values and identity, but also fosters a sense of pride, goes beyond aesthetics. While beauty is important broader objectives – such as creating a lasting legacy that become’s part of the institution’s brand – is important, too.

We’ve been building our award-winning campus resume for fifty years, working with public and private K-12, land grant universities, and the Ivy League. During that time, we learned that there are several success factors we can all agree on: the health and vitality of the soil and plant life, the well-manicured lawns and gardens, forested areas, healthy habitats and watersheds, and the quality and safety of well-kept grounds.

Whether you’re pursuing LEED credits, looking to improve environmental performance, or seeking insight to support investment decisions,  there’s plenty to do over summer. Here are a few ideas to get started… 

  • Create Showcase Flower Beds – Create wow-worthy focal points and areas for lasting impact year-round but especially in fall when a new crop of freshmen will remember their first day of school for the rest of their life.
  • Go Team! – Plant annuals and perennials in your school colors for game day, every day.
  • Dress Soil – Freshen up beds with applications of mulch and compost because it not only looks and smells good, but it also contains nutrients that strengthen roots.
  • Prune Trees – Open up the foliage with natural pruning. It makes small trees and shrubs look better than nature intended and promotes healthy growth.
  • Out with the Old – Landscapes and plants have life cycles. Replacing worn turf with drought-tolerant ground cover, eco lawns, or new sod is a quick and cost-effective way to modernize areas that are out of date.
  • Upgrade Site Infrastructure – Improve groundwater filtration systems using vegetative swales and erosion control to prevent runoff, puddling, and mud, which also improves pedestrian safety.
  • Embrace Sustainable Practices – Align your master landscape plans with your master plan to optimize energy, fuel, cost, air and water quality, and zero waste.
  • Get Smarter About Water – Smart irrigation tech is the right choice to improve irrigation performance and water use, and conservation and drought management.
  • Create a Sense of Place – Dress up sports fields, donor-named buildings, theater courtyards, academic halls, and quads and common areas and outdoor classrooms are high traffic high visibility pedestrian zones and are the most memorable spaces in campus life.

Are you interested in learning more?

Contact Ted Marron
Email: tmarron@easternland.com
Phone: 203-817-4719

The Landscape of Well-Being: an FAQ for healthcare facility managers

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

Hospital landscapes are one of the best ways we know to bring nature into the healing process.

At Eastern Land Management, we are at the forefront of a movement that is promoting healing, reducing stress, and elevating the quality of life.

From our experience as a preferred healthcare partner, green spaces, and the plants and trees that create them, are not just a way to beautify your outdoor space, but a profound practice that offers a multitude of benefits, a deep sense of satisfaction, and a strong sense of rootedness in the world.

With that in mind, we’re pushing the boundaries of what healing landscapes can achieve; embracing new technologies, sustainability practices, and innovations that improve the performance of hospital grounds, and offer both patients and staff the chance to feel happier, healthier and better by stepping outside.

In nearly 50 years of serving facility managers in the healthcare segment, we’ve been asked a lot of questions and find that the more things change, the more the basics matter.  We consolidated our most frequently asked questions around five common themes to help you take the guesswork out of finding the landscape partner that’s right for you.

Q: Facility managers want to make sure landscape teams can keep up with corporate demands. What technologies are being used to shorten the distance between problem and solution, close loops, and save energy and cost?

A: ELM has been in the digital collaboration space for decades and takes a data governance approach to security. We have adopted specialized information integration tools that make us more efficient in our interactions, limit disruptions to healthcare staff. The strategy here is to eliminate all unnecessary “red tape” in order to be more productive, use smart tools and smart people to solve problems faster, and be intentional about meeting our clients in a common zone of opportunity,

Q: Facility managers believe it takes experience to scale efficiently and effectively. Does your landscape team have the correct leadership and skill set, agility, size, scope and talent?

A: ELM’s talent roster includes multiple experts who understand the needs and business models of commercial real estate (CRE) and facilities management, and who have segment experience in healthcare. As a company, we are corporate partners with multiple CRE associations, and have a commitment to grow and scale systematically, all while keeping our eye on the stars and our feet on the ground.

Q: Facility Managers want consistency, quality and service excellence. Can your landscape partner deliver a unified experience?  

A: ELM prioritizes market research, customer feedback, benchmarking and data-based insights. But mostly, it all starts with being a good partner, believing that good relationships matter, and understanding our customers’ needs. Our team is empowered to make decisions in the moment and in the field and go over and above to have a positive impact on the people and properties we serve. To us, problems are unnecessary boomerangs. They’ll come back to us if we don’t nip them in the bud.

Q: ARE YOU nimble enough to Be one step ahead?

A: ELM has rewired its operating model to optimize nimble. We have built agile, cross-functional teams around value creation, have instilled a culture of accountability, and invested in our team’s talent, skills, and professional development with advanced certification and training programs, and CEUs. We’re only as good as our bench—our corporate performance depends on the depth and quality of a new generation with talent ready to step in and do whatever it takes to provide fresh ideas and perspective.

Q: what ARE your landscape teams DOING to COMPLY WITH GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEMS AND contribute to healthier landscape environments?

A: ELM is a Sustainability ChangeMaker and winner of an award in Fairfield County for drought and conservation management.  We are a Community Impact Partner, support our local downtowns, our green cities initiatives, and urban renewal projects.  We are advocates for:

  • Our clients, our communities, our employees, and the people we serve.
  • Our partners’ green goals, our net zero/EV/battery-powered noise-reduction (“When Quiet Matters”) program; our tailored agronomic, integrated pest management, and plant health care plans.
  • Training, professional development, certification, and building a culture of learning continuous improvement.
  • Pollinator and beneficial-insects, turf-to meadow conversions, hanging baskets, and dramatic container displays.
  • Using our talents as landscapers to make our world a more beautiful, greener and healthier place to live, work and play.

Eastern Land Management has been serving leaders in Connecticut and Westchester County’s healthcare industry since 1976.

Contact CEO Bruce Moore Jr. at203- 316-5433 to learn more.

Davis Foster Joins Eastern Land Management as Division Manager

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Eastern Land Management announced that Davis Foster has joined its team as Division Manager overseeing Turf & Ornamentals and Water Management.  Foster joins ELM with a degree in turfgrass management from Penn State University and a career in the golf industry. He will be based out of ELM’s branch office in Monroe, Connecticut.

He says spending summers on golf courses as a kid is what drove his passion for meticulously groomed turf, as well as his  love for the game. “My dad was the General Manager of a local golf club, so I was fortunate to experience the business from the inside. But whether you grow up playing the game or get the bug for it later in life, you learn to focus on the green—where you want to go instead of thinking about where you’re stuck.”

“We’re always looking to improve our customer’s experience and Davis’ expertise in agronomy and turf health offers our customers special knowledge no one else can provide,” said ELM CEO, Bruce Moore, Jr.

Foster adds that if there was any one thing he’d like ELM’s customers to think about differently, it would be to increase biodiversity in their landscapes. “University researchers are developing new varieties of plants that can withstand extreme weather. When we use a greater diversity of plants suited to the site, it creates a dynamic plant community and strengthens the entire system—from improving soil health to serving as a natural deterrent to pests. Plus, there’s ample evidence that biodiverse landscapes attract pollinators and wildlife, and makes the plants look better and bloom longer, too.”

Please join us in welcoming Davis Foster to our team.

Are you set for spring? Your ultimate guide to all things outdoors.

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

Our late winter put spring on the back burner. But while most people were digging out from an atmospheric river of snow and ice, the promise of better weather signaled an on-time arrival for the season we all love best.

For landscapers and property professionals both, winter is traditionally the best time to review the scope and specs of your landscape maintenance plan, think about your wish list, and assess the quality of your landscape services..

If you don’t have a landscape partner procurement plan in place or are seeking better outcomes, here’s what we recommend you look for.

  • A landscape company that can bring innovative and sustainable solutions to increase the value of your business and the value of your landscaping.
  • who can knock it out of the park day-in and day-out with high-quality service and a genuine commitment to meet your needs.
  • that understands the ‘why’ behind your mission and is three steps ahead, thinking strategically to avoid problems before they happen.
  • who build relationships on transparency and mutual understanding.
  • who exceeds minimum prequalifications standards, has a closed loop delivery model, is compliant in risk management.
  • who can align scope of work with expectations and budget, having outstanding communications skills, and can develop a program that meets the needs of your landscape and can help you meet your short and long-term objectives.
  • and who is eager to invite  you into their operation, introduce you to their team, and offer you a tour of their facilities–a token of trust and transparency that shows you exactly what you can expect.

DID YOU KNOW?

We believe that business is built on friendships.Our client retention rate is consistently over 90%. That’s a lot of loyalty over the 49 years we’ve been in business, and a lot of friends.  We couldn’t be more honored by your trust.

THE ELM ADVANTAGE.

  1. Optimized total cost of service.
  2. Integration of services and delivery.
  3. Ability to meet your environmental impact objectives.
  4. Service quality management.
  5. CRE-trusted partner of choice.
  6. Certified in landscape and snow and ice management.
  7. Member of BOMA Westchester County, BOMA SoCt, Bridgeport Regional Business Council, National Association of Landscape Professionals, Snow & Ice Management Association.

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

Learn more about ELM’s Award of Excellence winning landscape services; its sustainability and green-build goals, and its ability to deliver unrivaled value to college and university campuses, multi-acre corporate sites, multi-family, and mixed-use..

Operating in Connecticut and Westchester County, New York since 1976.  Contact CEO Bruce Moore Jr. at ‭(203) 316-5433 for commercial landscape services unmatched in meeting client needs.‬

Photo: New Canaan Library. Winner of a Silver Award of Excellence 2024 from the National Association of Landscape Professionals.