Call Now
800-369-7257

  • Your shopping cart is empty!

July 2016

Greetings! 

Want to get more out of your team members? Become a better coach.


Good coaching motivates. It helps employees get better at what they do. It bonds team members to the company and makes them feel valued.    

Here are some tips for successful coaching:

  • Instead of calling something "wrong", give a redirect with rationale. For example say "let me show you a better way to do this that will save you time and effort".
  • Be a better listener. Coaching involves understanding the employee.   Turn off your phone, focus on the situation and engage respectfully. Bring an open and helpful mind.
  • Provide resources. Some see coaching as just instructing. It's also connecting employees to learning tools, helping them connect with others who have deeper knowledge and teaming them up with other mentors.

Growing your team members' capabilities makes them more valuable to your organization.  Start coaching today. 


MPR's Rain Bird Specials for Smart Irrigation Month

 

Take advantage of our special offers for Smart Irrigation Month on Rain Bird products.

Take 20% off dripline when you purchase 4 or more rolls.

Take $10 off a full bag of R-VAN rotary nozzles. 

 
Offers valid through July 31, 2015

 

 

Toro Evolution - The Latest in Everyday Controls   

 

The EVOLUTION® Series Controller is the latest in irrigation control from the innovators at The Toro Company. It is designed to meet the needs of the everyday controller... and more. We know that homeowners love the new controller layout, because they helped us to design it. More like other modern devices they use every day, users find it easier to program and understand. 

  

The EVOLUTION Controller was made to evolve. As its name depicts, the EVOLUTION Controller can be easily updated with new features and capabilities. Simply download free updates from www.toro.com/evolution and update the controller using a USB thumb drive.   Get internet connectivity in late 2016.

An optional Smart Connect® plugs into the timing mechanism, enabling it to wirelessly communicate directly with a number of add-on devices-including a weather sensor, handheld remote, and up to three soil sensors.    See all of the advantages here 

 

 

NIBCO Releases 3rd Quarter Economic Forecast for Landscape & Irrigation Professionals 

 

How will the economic outlook for our region impact your ability to capture summer installation work?

Leading industry supplier NIBCO has commissioned nationally-recognized economist Andrew Duguay to provide us with regional forecasts specifically targeted to the landscape and irrigation professional.

Get valuable insights to help your planning for the busiest months of the season.

Click here to view the PDF report.    

 

 

Expand Your Business with Mosquito Control Systems
NuTone's Haven Now Available at MPR Supply     

 

Use as a stand-alone system or connect with existing landscape lighting.

Introducing Haven, mosquito control for outdoor spaces. When the system is turned on, low voltage electricity heats a repellent cartridge that delivers an odorless, silent and invisible vapor to repel mosquitoes. One fixture repels biting mosquitoes within a 110-square-foot area, and four fixtures provide enough coverage for the average size deck or patio. Each repellent cartridge provides 90 days of mosquito protection when used an average 2.4 hours a day.

  • Operates with or without low voltage landscape lighting
  • No candles, torches, sprays or smelly fuels required
  • Effective, convenient, season-long mosquito protection
  • Timer/Controller enables automatic operation

 

 

Kichler's Centennial Brass      


Making it's debut this spring, Kichler's new Centennial Brass line presents a natural vintage look and feel.
 

Create your ideal lighting layout with Accent, Path, Deck, Wall-Wash and In-Ground fixtures 

  • Durable brass construction
  • Optimized to work with Kichler LED retrofit lamps

Learn more here.  

 

 

Atlantic Water Gardens University      

 

Atlantic Water Gardens University is a free online educational resource that offers great information on all aspects of water features for every audience, from beginning waterscapers to seasoned professionals with years of experience - something for everyone.

 

AWG is divided into four Colleges - Construction, Pumps, Filtration, and Biology - which in turn are organized into Departments or categories of water feature information, each with levels from beginner to advanced. For example, in the College of Construction, students can choose from Departments of Ponds, Pond-free, or Decorative Water Features, then dig into basic definitions and types, compare advantages of different styles, examine equipment in depth, then find step-by-step instructions that outline actual construction.

 

Topics of importance to all users, like pump sizing/selection with Total Dynamic Head calculation, are covered in meticulous detail, while less critical information, like the animals commonly found around ponds, are basic surveys. After finishing each section, students are encouraged to test themselves and are awarded a Certificate of Completion after passing the final examination of each College.

 

Atlantic Water Gardens University is constantly adding information to keep current with the latest advances and technologies. Coming in 2016, a new Business College will debut, with information on estimating costs, time to construct, materials, along with updates to existing colleges. Take a look, or a second look - it's always worthwhile!

 

 

Should They Stay or Go? 
What to Do with Problem Employees   

 

Business owners have all had to experience the agony of what to do with a problem team member.  Should we fire the person or give him/her another chance?   Are we doing the right things to help them adjust to our organization?

Often team members "fire themselves" with lack of commitment, bad behavior and poor results.  But in other cases, their managers don't take the right actions to help them be successful.

Here are some questions you can ask to decide whether you've taken the right steps:

1)  Does the employee understand your expectations?  Each team member deserves a clear definition of what's required and how success is measured.

2)  Have you provided necessary coaching? Simply laying out instructions is not enough.  You've got to help them through the steps - and often more than once.  Personal attention may be required for specific skills or issues.

3)  Does he or she have the willingness and the ability?  Don't confuse these.  Often we hire an employee with the skills, but this employee will actually lack the real desire to adapt to the job.   If the employee is unwilling to engage with training and refuses to participate in the company's vision, that can't be fixed with coaching.

Be as objective as possible and ask these questions when deciding what to do.  Invest your training time in those who will become valued members of your team.