Spring has sprung! This is my favorite time of year with longer day light and warmer temperatures. As we enjoy this new season we are reminded of the business I am highlighting today, Lawn Plus. But before we enjoy learning about this Preble County business, I want to share an important message for all parents, grandparents, and adult mentors of our youth here in Preble County; how do we prepare our youth to be successful in their careers and on the job?
Well, this has seemed to become increasingly tougher. Today’s youth have so many more distractions in life than we had in our childhood, and this is weighing on our future and our society. With that said, I believe we need to address this now. As parents, grandparents, and adult mentors, we need to step up so that our youth have the understanding of what it means to be a productive, contributing member of our society, and especially here in Preble County.
What do I mean? Well, having been in education for over 36 years now, I have watched too many adults not take an active role in raising our youth. As an adult who is related, we have to be a parent/grandparent. That means saying no when needed and guiding our children to make good choices. It means as an adult leader or mentor that we set a good example of what it means to show up to work every day, on time, and to put in a productive day of work for our pay. It means that as adults, we have to let our students take the consequences for their actions at school, on social media, and in their personal interactions with others. We cannot continue to “cover for poor choices” our youth may make. I bet that our parents and adults did not “cover” for us!
So, I ask, why do we try to do that for our kids? Well, the answer: we all want even better lives for our children and youth. But we are doing the wrong thing when we make excuses for our childrens’ wrong doings or poor choices. This has to stop. If we are to move forward here in Preble County and beyond, this has to change now, and I truly believe we can!
I see so much promise and talent in today’s youth…if we have high expectations and support them in their good choices. We have to expect our youth to learn as much as they can at school and to do all of their homework, not the minimum. We have to make sure they are treating others with respect. We have to give them chores and responsibilities and hold them accountable to complete them. And most of all, as adults, we need to do the same and set forth positive examples.
To summarize, to have successful careers we need to structure ourselves and our youth by doing the right things. I hope that you and I can commit to doing the right things from this day forward and lead our Preble County youth into successful careers and futures.
As mentioned earlier, I wanted to share another successful business that many have enjoyed working with in Preble County. As we enter this spring season, I am sure you will see the equipment and workers for Lawn Plus scurrying around as they manicure lawns, treat turf, and handle other pest management needs.
Rodney Creech, owner of Lawn Plus, is a fourth-generation grain farmer and local business owner in Preble County. After high school, Rodney attended Morehead State University where he studied agronomy and turf science. Since graduating from college, Rodney returned home to the family farm and started his lawn care business in addition to serving as a Preble County Commissioner and as the current State Representative for Ohio House District 43.
Lawn Plus was started in 2005 with a focus on lawn health services. The original services offered were fertilization, weed control, seeding and aeration.
Lawn Plus has a different approach than many of their competitors. By using a high-quality fertilizer with slow release feeding, it reduces the number of applications that are needed per year. This allows the customer to spend less while having a healthier lawn.
In 2011, Lawn Plus was growing fast and owner Rodney Creech decided to hire Bob Brower as General Manager to run the business. This was a changing point for the company. Bob was the fourth employee to be hired at Lawn Plus, and today they employ up to 40 employees during the peak season.
Lawn Plus has continued to grow as a company, but has also grown its services to existing customers.
In 2016, Lawn Plus added an Athletic Specialist with focuses on athletic field repair and new installation.
2017 saw Lawn Plus add Plant Health Services for tree and shrub care, health and fertilization.
In 2018, Lawn Plus added a Site Development Group for any residential or small commercial excavation including site preparation, building pads, driveways, drainage, and land clearing.
Lawn Plus added additional Pest Control in 2019 to protect homes and commercial properties from any pests ranging from insects to rodents.
As Lawn Plus continues to grow, they are always looking to add local talent such as lawn technicians, CDL drivers, mechanics and those that can run specialized equipment. They are a family business with a great care for their employees and customers. For more information about this local business and possible job opportunities, visit https://www.lawn-plus.com.
If you have questions, comments, or are willing to help engage our youth in their careers and their future, feel free to contact: Harold Niehaus, Career Connections Director at [email protected] .
