How Top Landscapers Build Strong Teams [webinar recap]

Hiring is hard… but building a team that stays, grows, and leads with you long-term is even harder. In a recent webinar, Team Engine CEO Carlos del Pozo sat down with Jon Gohl of Aspire and Chris Angelo of Stay Green to discuss what the best landscaping companies are doing to overcome workforce challenges and build people-first organizations. The conversation covered everything from retention and communication to culture and succession planning. Here are the biggest takeaways.

Rethink Retention: It Starts with Leadership

Employee retention doesn’t come down to pay alone. As Jon pointed out, leaders need to be present by showing up at dispatch, knowing their teams by name, and celebrating birthdays or anniversaries. 

“Are you loyal to your people?” he asked. “Because if you’re expecting loyalty from them, it has to start with you.”

Carlos emphasized a clear shift he’s seen across the industry: companies are no longer treating labor as a commodity. 

“It feels night and day,” he said, comparing early conversations from when Team Engine launched to what he hears now. “There are still businesses in both camps, but the tide is shifting toward companies thinking more deeply about how to solve their workforce challenges.”

Communication Should Be a Conversation, Not a Broadcast

Chris shared how Stay Green evolved its internal communication strategy to better engage a growing and multilingual workforce. Rather than relying on top-down updates, they now use two-way texting tools (powered by Team Engine) to connect with team members and their families directly. This shift builds trust and boosts engagement. 

“We’re sending out text messages to our broad base of team members and family members, letting them know about events we’ve got coming up,” Chris explained. “We also host back-to-school events where our management team cooks pancakes and hands out school supplies to employees’ families.” 

These efforts show team members they’re valued not just for the work they do, but as part of a broader community.

Core Values Are Only Powerful When They’re Lived

Every company has core values, but not every company uses them effectively. Jon stressed the importance of bringing values off the wall and into daily operations. 

“We address them before and at the end of every meeting,” he said. “Core values require accountability. Call me out if I’m not living them. I leave my job title at the door.”

Chris reinforced that values must be paired with observable behaviors. Stay Green distributes bilingual value cards as part of the company uniform and reinforces the message in daily huddles. 

“In Hispanic culture, it’s really important to connect the value to an action,” he noted. “We don’t just say ‘teamwork.’ We show what that looks like, like practicing blameless problem-solving.”

Carlos added that Team Engine also builds core values into employee performance reviews. 

“It’s a simple but tactical way to make sure values don’t get forgotten. Everyone sees them, reflects on them, and knows they matter.”

(If you haven’t formalized your company’s core values, this guide can help you get started.)

Show the Path Forward: Career Growth & Internal Mobility

Clear career paths (what Jon calls “flight paths”) help retain employees and fill middle-tier roles that are often the hardest to hire for. Chris explained how Stay Green maps out vertical and lateral movement across departments, allowing team members to build careers in different areas of the business.

“You can go from field into field services, which is administration,” he said. “We’re investing in certifications, licenses, and training so people have the opportunity to grow with us.”

Carlos emphasized that this kind of visibility can reduce turnover by giving employees a reason to stay. 

“If someone doesn’t know where they’re going, they’ll look for the next step somewhere else,” he said. “Why not make that path clear within your own company?”

Workforce Development Starts Before You’re Hiring

Both Chris and Jon highlighted the importance of long-term planning. Chris described Stay Green’s succession planning process, which is tied directly to their growth forecast. 

“We know what roles we’ll need and when. Then we identify high-potential employees and start preparing them to step up,” he explained.

Aspire is also taking a proactive approach by introducing landscaping software into high school and university classrooms. 

“We want students to see this industry as more than just mowing lawns,” Jon said. “With tools like Aspire, they learn there’s a real career path here with tech, systems, and leadership opportunities.”

Carlos noted how rare and essential this kind of outreach is and pointed out that hiring strategy shouldn't focus only on today; it also needs to account for the people and skills the business will need five, ten, or fifteen years down the road.

A People-First Culture is Built on Trust and Action

Carlos closed the session by reinforcing a key idea: strong cultures rely on consistent action, not just good intentions. 

“It doesn’t mean doing everything yourself,” he said. “But it does mean being visible, modeling the behavior you expect, and asking for feedback from employees at all levels, not just your leadership team.”

Chris echoed the importance of frontline visibility. “Walk the four corners of the company,” he said. “Be present at dispatch, on job sites, in sales meetings. Then ask team members what would improve their experience… and act on it.”

It’s that follow-through that turns listening into trust, and trust into lasting loyalty.

Great teams don’t happen by accident. They’re the result of intentional leadership, consistent communication, and a deep commitment to employee growth. As this webinar showed, the best companies in the green industry aren’t waiting for perfect candidates to walk in the door. They’re building better systems, clearer pathways, and stronger cultures, starting with the people they already have.

Watch the full recording now to see how Stay Green, Aspire and Team Engine are building the future of landscaping, one great employee at a time.