Yesterday provided a deep breath of Fresh Air and I didn’t have to wait until October to get
it! These seven college interns visited our Palm Coast office for a symposium as they near the end of their summer session with us and shared insights on their experiences at Austin Outdoor:

• Brandon Steele, Treasure Coast
• Blake Hunter, Palm Coast
• Cameron McDonald, Davenport
• Ben McElrath, Savannah
• CR Jolly, North Charleston
• Jeremy Loadholdt, North Atlanta
• Josh Phillips, West Atlanta

Under the guidance of a mentor in each branch, these interns experienced a range of activities and each prepared a special horticultural project. I had the opportunity to hear them present their findings and found them to be intelligent, articulate and engaged.

All of that was wonderful, but the crowning moment for me came during an informal discussion about their observations of time spent with our crew members. The difficult and hot work of our field personnel was commended and several of the interns commented on ways they found to recognize those  efforts, through simple gestures like bringing in Gator Aid and donuts. It occurred to them that we could, and should, find ways to provide such recognition more regularly. They are right.

We get wrapped up in “creating premier properties” in this intense summer season, when there’s always a bit more to do than there is time to do it. We push, we check, we redirect and we challenge; we don’t pause for a moment often enough, however, to make a simple gesture that says “I appreciate what you do and I care about you.”

Whether your role is focused on working directly with our crews, or supporting those who do, I challenge you to identify an opportunity – today – to show those you work with just how important they are to you.  It will be a real breath of Fresh Air!