Our Houston branches recently came together to celebrate the valuable contributions made by our seasonal employees, before they return home for the winter off-season.
The event was a joint effort between our Landscape Maintenance and our Landscape Construction teams, and was hosted at our Central Houston branch location. More than 200 of our Landscape Professionals were honored at the luncheon, which included a traditional menu of fajitas and rice. The chefs for the day were Jim Sivils, Regional VP, Jon Richardson, VP of Construction, and Andy Reeves, Branch Manager.
In addition to the great food and fellowship, we awarded raffle prizes to several lucky employees, including sports gear, music players, a TV, gift cards, and one very special cash prize.
“We normally have a Christmas Party for our workforce in mid-December. These parties did not include the H-2B Visa workers as the latest seasonal exit dates are earlier than that”, said Jon Richardson, VP of Construction. “This year we wanted to include everyone that is out there driving our success and growth.”
We are proud to acknowledge our seasonal workforce’s role in our company and wish them all a safe journey home and a happy holiday season spent with their families. Until next spring, we say, “Gracias por su servicio.”
Yellowstone Landscape has participated in the H-2B Visa program for the past 20 years to staff vitally important peak season labor positions in our company that cannot be filled by the locally available workforce. Working in partnership with our national trade association, NALP, we seek to educate lawmakers and the public on the importance of this gust worker program for the landscape industry. Approximately 80% of the seasonal workers we employ will return to their positions in the spring, as the growing season begins, and remain with us until the fall when growth slows and their services are no longer necessary. This program allows us to preserve and create more full time positions for our American Landscape Professionals, and thereby serve our clients more effectively.
For more information about the H-2B program, including a 2-minute video explaining the program and an infographic that details the application process, please visit h2bworkforcecoalition.com.
