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Normac Newsletter
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Professional Contractors Update
March 2019
In This Issue
 
Looking for great employees to grow your team? 

Who isn't!


The market for hardworking and reliable employees seems to get tighter every day.  

We asked leading contractors to share their strategies for finding the "best of the best" to build their crews.

Here's their advice: 
  • Pay existing employees a "bounty" for finding new team members.  The bounty is paid after the newcomer's first 60 days.
  • Have an active careers page on your company website where applicants can apply. 
  • Establish rapport with local vocational school instructors and scout students with a great work ethic.
  • Maintain a presence on Indeed and other digital sites.  Take advantage of association job boards too.  Always be visible even when you're not hiring.
Watch our newsletter for more ideas to make 2019 easier.  
  
 
The Team at Normac

 
Bring the Power of Hunter's Hydrawise to Commercial Irrigation Management  

The Hunter HCC controller brings the powerful Wi-Fi-based irrigation management capabilities of the industry-leading Hydrawise™ platform to high-end residential, commercial, and public-sector projects.  
 
The HCC provides a range of convenient features to monitor larger projects - all with the simple click of a button.
 
The HCC combines robust features of the popular ICC2 controller with automatic, weather-based daily adjustments of Hydrawise programming to create a smart and economical solution for commercial landscape management. HCC can control up to 54 zones and effectively operate any two stations simultaneously. The controller's convenient modular design allows for rapid expandability with the same 4-, 8-, and 22-station output modules as the ICC2. Engineered with a prewired SmartPort®, HCC is also compatible with Hunter's ROAM and ROAM XL remotes, allowing for fast and reliable manual operation in the field from long-range distances without the need for a smartphone.
 
With a built-in milliamp sensor, troubleshooting faulty wires is a breeze. Easily install an HC Flow Meter to accurately monitor flow, prevent wasted water, and avoid damaged landscapes.
 
 
New QF Header by Rain Bird, the industry's first coiled dripline header.
 
This new dripline header comes in 100' coils and is designed to easily bend around curved landscapes. Saves time and labor versus the traditional stick built header.  Comes in ¾" or 1" diameters, 12" or 18" spacing on the pre-installed barb fittings that rotate 360 degrees.  Makes spacing driplines fast and precise.
 
Proven XFD Dripline, the choice of professional installers.
 
Rain Bird XFD Dripline is the most flexible, pressure-compensating inline emitter tubing available to irrigate ground cover, dense plantings, hedge rows and more.  Because it is the most flexible, kink-resistant tubing available, it's ideal for irrigating areas where traditional drip tubing is difficult to install. XFD dripline is perfect for small, narrow and tight planting areas, as well as areas with tight curves or many switchbacks. 
    
 
 
 
 
 
Easily troubleshoot and complete repairs in less time for backflows, pressure reducing valves and automatic control valves with the help of step by step YouTube videos. Zurn Wilkins has a new Irrigation Playlist on their OneZurn YouTube channel that puts valuable videos in one location. Zurn has a large library of helpful irrigation videos that cover start-up, winterization, step by step troubleshooting and repair guides, and product overviews to help you maintain optimum system performance.
   
The Spring Start-Up video below is just one of the many videos available. Visit the OneZurn YouTube Channel for their complete video library.
 
 
 
 
Offer Drainage with Every Project
 
Quoting a landscaping project?   Offer the option of landscape drainage.   Surveys show that homeowners appreciate this recommendation and over half of the owners surveyed said they purchased the drainage option when it was offered.

Savvy contractors are adding a drainage option to landscape bids for every project to prevent future problems and provide property owners with added peace-of-mind. 

· Help prevent future problems
· Control erosion and washouts
· Keep water away from structures
· Add peace-of-mind for your customer

We offer a complete range of drainage solutions from ADS Drainage including pipe, fittings, catch basins, grates, culverts, leaching wells and more.

Ask us about drainage solutions for your next project.
    
 
Seaming Artificial Grass - What Can Go Wrong
 
Your customer has decided to go for the low-maintenance, water-saving backyard option of artificial grass, and now the only thing that stands in the way of a beautiful lawn is the layout of the area which requires seaming together a few pieces of artificial grass.

There are two main things that can go wrong during the seaming process, causing a severe impact on the final outcome. The first is improper grain alignment, where the seams become visible and the grass is facing different directions, disrupting a smooth and coherent look. The second is a gap, overlap, or two edges of turf that are not properly lined up, causing bunching, unevenness, or bare spots throughout the lawn.

Watch this educational video from EasyTurf on how to seam together pieces of turf, the right way. 

To learn more about EasyTurf, a leading manufacturer of artificial grass, please visit ultimategrass.com