Baxter (Gene) Miller

This topic was the conversation flow in the office this week. The video of the talk at the CNU was enlightening and thought provoking at the same time. I have felt the Landscape Urbanism was the correct approach, but there was no name given to it other than stewardship or design with nature neither of which were inclusive enough. And su…[Read more]

Vote with your feet, I did when I opened up my firm. I decided that I was no longer going to work as I was. I have striving to make my employees lives as good as they desire.  I started oout with $1,500 in my pocket and worked out of a 8×15 foot space for the first six months and that was 23 years ago.  Unions will only decide how much your s…[Read more]

I second that opinion, start your own practice now. Life is too short to toil, and set it as your mission to create a practice where you would like to work.  You may find that you are a good employer and the profession will improve. Well at least in your garden.  When frustration becomes a way of life you must change the situation for everyones sake.

Personality is everything, skill sets can be tought, but likable can’t. I don’t care how talented you are if I don’t think you have the proper chemistry I will not hire you. By the way not everyone is cut out for client contact. I have individuals who work great with the staff, but do not do well with my clients.

Jonathan, life is a journey take the opportunities given and enjoy then. Believe me I did not start out to be a business owner when I graduated from college, however here I am thirty two years later and twenty three of that the owner of a firm. After all of that, I am looking for the next opportunity the next change. As to weather you’ll spoil y…[Read more]

But that does not change the fact that if you do not plan for a down turn you may be a victim of it. Too many people did not diversify their skills, portfolios, spending habitats. No recession is the same the impacts will be felt differently by everyone depending where you stand. The Last recession I was working out of my garage with a twenty six…[Read more]

Never work for free, anyone who has an intern work for free does not value their contribuition. I hired five interns this summer, they are all getting paid. We are burning through a lot of work, but we are all having a good summer experience. These people came to me with skills that I could use, they were specialists.

Every ten to fifteen years we in America go through a recession on average. Every one has a story to tell about the downturn that effected them the most. It has been usually at the turn of the decade give or take a little. This one 2008 through 2012, depending which part of the country and what part of the building cycle you work in , it may be…[Read more]

When is the last time you saw a landscape architect host a TV show, or anything else. They by their nature are in the background. Eddy George is the first football player / Landscape architect any one has ever heard of ,ever. You need to get off the bench, lead the parade in your town. ASLA can not make you a leader, and by the way your community…[Read more]

Think of ASLA as a club for professionals. It’s only value is what they can deliver of importance to it’s members. If you don’t recieve value in excess of the membership, you have two choices quit or squize the value out of it. I would suggest fighting for change at the local and national level, but that’s me. If you quit because someone else is…[Read more]

Run for office, provide political leadership on all things green. Landscape architects are stewarts of the land by training and desire. Why not apply that training to other sustainable parts of our communities, states and nation. Fire service is a important part of any community, however no one looks at the subject form a stewarts point of view.…[Read more]

To your later point. Unlike the 1700’s your survival is guaranteed by the state, you can be as lazy as you want and you will be fed and housed. Back in the time of the revolution the loss of rights and the tyranny of a government would mean that you not survive. In these days of Government tyranny the government can not guarantee your survival due…[Read more]

Architects will be the leaders until Landscape Architects head the projects, and select the consultants that they want to work with. Find the client, money and site and you will be the team leader. The one problem that most overlook is that then you become the business manager of others. Billing, taxes, insurance, cash flow, schedules, baby sitter…[Read more]

It will be a while before I believe that a private jet trip to anywhere to discuss man’s impact on climate change makes any sense at all. Don’t start with the fleet of limos’ to get those clowns around town. Next time do a “Go to meeting” confence call and save the planet.

It is time that we all pulled up our collective boot straps and and made…[Read more]

Opportunities are available in may large market cities in America. We have Hired two individuals in the past, one from England and one from Spain. What are your areas of skill and what do you hope to get out of the experiance?

Unions were intended to protect the worker from the abuses of unregulated employers. I assure you that there are enough employment regulations afforded employees that unions become arcane at best and a killer to local jobs. If you want a union experience I suggest you go to work for the Government. They have several unions that will tell you what…[Read more]

With traffic (little feet) and the clay content of the DG you will have problems with all three of your concerns. We have spec’ed a little cement to be added to the DG as a binder. It lasts longer than the polymer based material. The City of Santa Maria, California has been using DG walks in all of there public parks with great success.

Check with your local water agency, if that does not work check with MWD or IEUA or EMWD, they should have a lot of information.
Choose salt tolerant plants and avoid clay soil you should be ok. The biggest problem is that the recycled water is high in salt and the clay will trap the clay and poison the plants.

You raise a very good point, as you are the future of the profession. What have you done to market your self to the profession or your community? Does everyone that you come in contact with know what you do, and why it is so important that you succeed? I am convinced that the reason that there are so little opportunity out there is because we wait…[Read more]