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Tommy Medlock
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In The Spotlight:
Tommy Medlock
REPUBLISHED FROM
MALTA NEWS - MAY/JUNE 2010
"I think it’s the best time ever to be in business and or start a new business. I’m personally right now working on a couple of new business opportunities. People say, “Are you nuts, with the instability of the market, why would you consider starting a new company?”
In the 90’s and presently, Don Smith of Simply Green and I had this same discussion. Don called me when TruGreen and Landcare were buying numerous landscape companies and said, “Man they are going to take over the world”. George Morrell and Don still operated The Morrell Group at that time and my response to him was “This is the best opportunity in the world for you and all of the other large and small companies in this market. These companies are buying good quality competitors, giving you more opportunity than ever to gain market share.”
The same is true in this market which is cost driven, we are seeing customers look at medium and smaller companies more than ever before to provide their service. It used to be if you were not a Brickman, ValleyCrest, or Morrell Group, or one of the other big players, many of the commercial management groups would not consider your service. Now due to the cost pressure of the market, I see tremendous opportunities for any size company to be considered for work that was at one time reserved for larger maintenance companies.
“In the early 80’s when interest rates were 21%, I moved from Tampa to Atlanta due to the difficulty of finding work with these financial pressures. Everybody thought it was the end of the world. By 1988, the market was great and I started OLM. This shows that markets change rapidly and there is always opportunity! I think this is a fantastic time for all of you guys to go out and grow your business and take advantage of the changing market. You may have to look outside the box but opportunity is there.”
Since Tommy founded OLM in 1988, the company has developed comprehensive specifications and performance payment based contracts for its clients that result in “apples to apples” bid comparison and outstanding contractor performance.
In his hybrid role of director of landscape operations and property manager during the 1980’s, Tommy saw the need to develop clear, concise specifications. The result was the monthly Performance Payment™ inspection program. Today, OLM is the country’s largest commercial real estate landscape consulting firm. They currently perform over 3,000 landscape inspections annually with their unique Performance Payment contract management system. Having bid on over 1,000 landscape maintenance contracts and performed over 43,000 site inspections, Tommy has heard and seen it all.
OLM has proven that setting “real number” budgets and quality control inspections results in superior performance and long term service contract partnerships.
Need
help? Have questions?
Contact your OLM representative with questions or comments concerning the information in The Grapevine. As always, we welcome your feedback! Contact OLM by phone, e-mail or fax and we will
be glad to assist!
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Vision without action is a daydream; action without a vision is a nightmare. ~Japanese proverb. |
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“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.”
Will Rogers
SUNSCREEN:
A LANDSCAPER’S FRIEND
 Sun protection is a growing concern among landscape providers as they commit to daylong exposure to the source of their income, no not property owners but the sun.
Sun protection and the availability of products have increased ten-fold in the past few years. Here’s a primer on sunscreen. Sun Protection Factor (SPF) and how it relates to UV radiation;
The SPF – or Sun Protection Factor – indicated relative protection from sunburn produced by UVB (burning rays). To protect against both UVA (aging rays) and UVB, select a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher that provides broad-spectrum protection or UVA/UVB protection – not just a sunscreen with a high SPF (UVB) rating.
The SPF is a measure of a sunscreen’s ability to prevent UVN from damaging the skin. The SPF factor has nothing to do with the length of time you can spend in the sun. For example, if you change from using a sunscreen with SPF to a SPF 30 that does not mean you can stay in the sun twice as long.
Many after-shave lotions and daily moisturizers have sunscreen (usually SPF 15 or greater) already in them and this is sufficient for everyday activities with short exposure to the sun. However, if you work outside or spend 20 minutes or more outdoors, you need a stronger, water resistant type of sunscreen and will need to reapply frequently. For proper protection, look for these common FDA-approved active ingredients in broad-spectrum sunscreens:
UVB absorbers / blockers:
- Octinoxate (Octyle methoxycinnamate or OCM)
- Octocrylene
- Padimate O (Octyldimethyl PABA)
- Homosalate, Octisalate (Octyl salicylate)
UVA absorbers / blockers:
- Avobenzone (Parasol 1789)
- Zinc Oxide
- Ecamsule (Mexoryl ®) (Anthlios)
Note: Broad spectrum sunscreen must have at least one ingredient from each list (UVA & UVB)
How much sunscreen should I use and how often should I put on? To ensure that you get the full SPF of a sunscreen, you need to apply 1 oz. – about a shot glass full. During a long day at the beach (or on the job), you should use around one quarter to one half of an 8 oz. bottle. Sunscreens should be applied 30 minutes before sun exposure and reapplied every two hours. Sunscreen should be reapplied immediately after swimming, toweling of or sweating a great deal.
Thanks to Harris Dermatology LLC of Ft. Myers Florida for this information |
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