Did I get your attention with that headline? I’ll bet I did. Not to worry, I’m not selling or going anywhere, and our editors, Jordan and Grant, are staying put, too. I just wanted to touch on the hot topic — and growing complaint that I keep hearing from many of you — that you can’t find or keep good help.
Who would have ever thought that we would come through a pandemic and end up with this problem? It’s not unique to our trade, either. Restaurants and a lot of other service-related small businesses are feeling the squeeze when it comes to getting and staying fully staffed.
I’m sure you all have opinions on this topic; it’s a complicated one, for sure. We are happy to have business expert Tom Grandy back this issue with some advice on attracting high-quality employees back to your business. How has your business fared as the economy continues to come back? Stay in touch on our Facebook page or through email, and please feel free to share any advice you feel might be helpful for your fellow pond professionals. Let’s rely on each other and hope that things return to normal soon!
As usual, we are packed this issue with lots of timely, stimulating topics from around the pond world. Jamie Beyer has an informative rundown of different pond edge designs that might be a source for inspiration. We’re also taking another look at recreation ponds through the eyes of the Aquascapes East team of Dylan Arlotta and Tom Dieck. Alan Weene provides motivation for reaching for the stars when it comes to large-scale pond projects. Finally, you won’t want to miss Mike Gannon’s conservationist feature that goes with the beautiful frog on the print cover, and if you still haven’t satisfied your reptile fix, check out Kent Wallace’s tortoise pond design in this issue’s Best Pond Practices installment.
Happy PONDering!
