ENVIRO AgScience, Inc.

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Flood Relief and Water Distribution with CCEB Venue Partners

As a member of CCEB Venue Partners, ENVIRO helps in the flood relief efforts to the Greater Columbia community by distributing water at the Drew Wellness Center on October 9th. The CCEB team distributed 38,150 bottles of water to flood victims.

Community members even put aside their own immediate needs to help deliver water to local residents who do not have transportation and were unable to come to CCEB Venue Partners’ water distribution event.

Residents and businesses affected still have a long road ahead, but every bit of assistance helps. It is fortunate that only a few ENVIRO employees suffered minor flood damage and only minor roof damage to buildings on the ENVIRO corporate campus on Buckner Road.

Water Distribution Efforts by CCEB Venue Partners

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Each One Teach One

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For the next generation, the simple, yet profound African proverb “Each one teach one” is one of the fundamental lessons taught and passed down by my father. Often quoted but not widely practiced, we believe that we have a social and civic responsibility to do just that.

As we learn new skills or acquire a measure of success in our personal lives, we should share that knowledge with someone else. We should strive to reach back and help another person gain a step up. By doing so, we ensure the future of our families, communities and next generations.

Professionally, our businesses should do and will continue to do the same. As one business grows, expands and ventures into new markets, it must help smaller firms increase their capability to grow. By partnering with and hiring subcontractors, larger firms can fuel the financial muscle of smaller firms. These teaming/contractual relationships can help small and minority firms increase productivity and capacity, gain access to much-needed resources and generate profit.

ENVIRO’s subcontractor relationships are not just necessary for business, they’re part of our company’s mission to give back to communities where we work. We hire local subcontractors and gives smaller firms larger roles in contracts to help them build their capacity. It’s our responsibility to teach upcoming businesses in this way. It’s our civic rent, and we’re happy to pay it.

We extend this responsibility further by helping to spark the spirit of entrepreneurship and create more small business owners. Through our workforce development program, we provide entrepreneurship and job readiness skills to students in a predominantly minority school district of Columbia, SC, and we recently expanded the program to include skilled tradespersons who receive internships with subcontractors in the Greater Columbia area. We are training these young and unskilled minds to think like entrepreneurs so they can become employers in the labor force.

“Each one teach one” works, because it has worked for us. Before becoming a leading full-service construction management company, ENVIRO was just a local landscape company with big dreams. Larger firms helped us to go after and land private sector, government, education, and military clients, and that’s how we’ve grown over the past 30 years.

As we continue to expand into new markets, we will continue paying the blessings forward to small and minority businesses. It’s simply the right thing to do.

Learn | Lead | Succeed

Dr. Louis Lynn Named Small & Minority Business Advocate Of The Year

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(Columbia, SC) — ENVIRO AgScience, Inc. founder and chairman Dr. Louis Lynn was awarded the Small & Minority Business Advocate of the Year award by the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. He received the honor during the Chamber’s annual gala on September 24, 2015.

The award recognizes a strong commitment to community service, innovation in thought, and diversity in the workplace and region. Dr. Lynn is the second recipient of the honor.

“Being recognized as an advocate for minority and small businesses is an extension of ENVIRO’s mission to give back to communities where we work,” said Dr. Lynn, of his company’s commitment to social and civic responsibility. “We believe in hiring local subcontractors and helping smaller firms build their capacity by giving them larger roles and greater responsibility.”

Currently, Dr. Lynn serves as a Regional Executive Vice President for the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC). NAMC is the leading membership organization for minority contractors with chapters throughout the United States. Dr. Lynn also serves as the South Carolina chapter president, which advocates the inclusion and development of small, minority and disadvantaged business through purchasing and subcontracting opportunities.

In addition, ENVIRO’s workforce development program increases opportunities for aspiring small business owners. It provides entrepreneurship and job readiness skills to students in predominantly minority Richland School District Two, and was recently expanded to skilled tradespersons who receive internships with subcontractors in the Greater Columbia area. The program trains young and unskilled minds to think like entrepreneurs so they can become employers in the labor force.

Since launching the company in 1985, Lynn has fueled ENVIRO’s growth into a leading full-service construction management company servicing private sector, government, education, and military clients. The 30-year-old business provides construction, construction management, architectural, and landscape services.

In past years, ENVIRO AgScience, Inc. has also been recognized as the “Small Business of the Year” by U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency, the fourth fastest growing company in South Carolina, and one of Black Enterprise’s Top 100 Largest Black Owned Firms.


 

Contact:

Ly Eldridge
ly.eldridge@enviroags.com
(678) 395-6034

ENVIRO AgScience Chairman Joins Nation’s Mayors at Black Caucus Reception

(Washington, DC) — Dr. Louis B. Lynn, founder and chairman of ENVIRO AgScience, participated in the 2015 African-American Mayor’s Association (AAMA) Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Reception on Friday September 18, 2015 in Washington, DC at the Marriott Marquis.

AAMA’s second annual Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference Reception was attended by mayors from all over the United States. AAMA President and Columbia, SC Mayor, Steve Benjamin (as pictured above), Washington DC Mayor, Muriel Bowser and Congressman, James Clyburn (SC-6) welcomed participants to the event. This dynamic evening provided opportunities for networking and fellowship between African American mayors, members of Congress, AAMA Business Council members and other supporters of AAMA.

ENVIRO is supportive of the association’s platform that creates avenues of opportunities allowing local businesses to grow through expanding economic development and capacity building. The association’s mission is to be the collective voice of African American mayors to positively impact their respective communities by solidifying relationships with state-based organizations and the White House.

For complete details on AAMA, visit http://ourmayors.org.

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(pictured left to right: Dr. Louis Lynn, ENVIRO AgScience and Congressman James Clyburn (SC-6))

Contact:

Ly Eldridge
ly.eldridge@enviroags.com
(678) 395-6034

Social Media is Serious Business

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For businesses in the digital era, social media is not about socializing; it’s about engaging and telling your story. Social media has become an increasingly powerful marketing tool, even for the construction industry.

Our industry has learned to brandish the power of this medium to leverage growth. According to a 2013 Construction Marketing Association survey, 97 percent of construction professionals are active on social media. This recent survey reflects a 7 percent growth rate each year.

What are they doing on social media? They’re blogging, posting videos on YouTube, and Tweeting have increased 8, 12, and 13 percent. And so is ENVIRO AgScience.

Like most firms, we are using social media to interact with our clients, prospects and customers. It’s a good way to engage with our partners and customers for our construction and landscape business.

Our posts helps keep our followers engaged, informed and hopefully inspired. And it gives us a voice and shows a bit of our brand personality.

Because social media is interactive, we also use it to hear from our followers. We monitor our posts and comments to see what’s on your mind. So, we encourage our users to let us know what you like and don’t like and what you’d like to see. We’re active on social media, and we’re listening.

Join the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn!

 

A Way To Grow and Compete

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That old adage rings true in business: sometimes, two heads are better than one.

As we grow ENVIRO Agscience into one of the premier construction and landscape firms in the country, we’ve learned that partnering with other companies helps advance our growth strategy tremendously. Joint Ventures (JV) and/or Teaming Agreements– with similar sized firms or larger ones – maximize the best that each company has to offer and increase the benefit for the client. It’s a win-win-win for all companies involved.

ENVIRO uses partners to strengthen long-term relationships and to collaborate on short-term projects.  Partnering helps us grow our business, increase productivity and generate profit.  They also help us gain entry into new markets, increase capacity, share financial risks, provide access to greater resources; including specialized staff, technology and project financing/bonding capacity. We have used joint venture, teaming agreement and strategic partnerships on most construction jobs over $10MM and currently partner with three JVs.

When ENVIRO was in the SBA 8(a) program, we found joint ventures to be a good tool for learning the processes, procedures and policies that help fuel the growth of our organization. These teaching opportunities provided us with significant on-the-job training and priceless preparation for future expansion.

As with any relationship, finding a good partner is critical. ENVIRO uses a team approach to identify opportunities and partners. Our marketing director, Ly Eldridge, researches opportunities that fit our corporate profile, and she never seems to sleep. Lonnie Leslie, our business development director, networks at events across the country to connect with corporations that may have an interest in working with us. Director of construction, LeRoy Courseault, recently joined our effort to ensure that opportunities are an ideal fit. Our team weighs the risks and benefits of each opportunity before presenting them to leadership. Thank goodness for a team that makes decision-making a lot easier.

A good opportunity begins with a good partner, and it’s best to pick a partner you can trust. Your ideal partner should share similar business philosophies and corporate cultures. You’ll work closely together, so like-mindedness helps to minimize conflict. Communication is key. Meet regularly and remain transparent with open, honest discussion about the direction you want to take.

(Remember that sometimes even a successful company on paper just won’t be a good fit for your company’s goals and objectives. Don’t force it.)

Once you’ve identified your ideal partner and established open lines of communication, you should reap the rewards of a solid business relationship. The opportunities can be endless, so make the most of them.

Learn | Lead | Succeed

Leave an Inheritance to Your Children

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I don’t know what’s harder: raising children or building a business. But after doing both for several decades, I can say that, without a doubt, it’s more important to raise children. Nothing gives you more pride than watching your children develop into thriving adults. It’s our charge from God, and it’s one that my wife and I took very seriously.

God also instructs a good man to leave an inheritance to his children, and what better inheritance than to leave them than the business I started 30 years ago. So, when it looked like my time to step aside, step down or just step away was approaching, I prayed long and hard about how to pass the torch. My three children had all become accomplished in their own respective career paths, so I first had to transition them into the business. Then, I had to figure out how to transition the business to them.

As always, God sent me clear guidance and direction from a number of advisers and consultants including the Atlanta Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center.   My family and I began working with them about three years ago and learned right away that succession planning is not just about letting someone –even with your last name – step into your role. It’s about relinquishing the reins to the right person and making a smooth transition of power that doesn’t interrupt or disrupt the success you’ve created.  Sure, I’ve given my children many presents throughout their lives, but this was different. It wasn’t about wrapping up the business in a pretty package or putting a big C-suite key in a box. This was about preparing them, and myself, to pass down a legacy.

We all worked with the consultants to develop an action plan that would minimize the pitfalls that other businesses face when they fail to plan. We identified and talked about our strengths, challenges and vision for the future of the company. Coming in agreement, we found the right mix of skills, talent and aspirations to carry my vision forward and ensure success for those we work with and employ.

At the same time, I learned to step out of their way and not dictate to them how to lead. They each bring something unique to the business, and it’s my duty as the retiring CEO and their father, to help them develop their own leadership style. And that’s exactly what they’re doing.

While new leadership brings change, I am proud that my children have kept and embraced the Biblical guiding principal that I used — Proverbs 16:3.   ENVIRO AgScience, Inc. continues to contribute time and resources to pay our civic rent in the communities where we do business.   I’m proud of the adults my children have become, and I’m growing increasingly proud of who they are becoming as the new leaders of ENVIRO. I thank God for providing me with capable, loving hands to pass the torch.

Dr. Lynn

Learn | Lead | Success

Don’t Ruin Thanksgiving Dinner

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“Don’t ruin Thanksgiving dinner.” That’s the Lynn family mandate passed down from my grandmother.

This simple directive reminds us that working with and for family is not just business; it’s personal.  We’re family first, with other families depending on our business decisions every day. And that’s a responsibility we take seriously.

With that charge in mind, I didn’t step lightly into the family business. My 15 years in corporate America, working for major brands such as Sonoco and Campbell’s equipped me with transferrable skills and tools needed to run a business. Yet, my opportunities were limited.  Launching new products, rising through the ranks and working with some talented and amazing people was great, but my impact was limited. Ultimately, my tombstone would not read: “Adrienne was the best engineer we’ve ever had, thanks for this product launch!”  But the family business offered me leadership on a broader scope: touching more areas of strategy, contracts, IT, finance, etc. But most importantly, it offered endless opportunities to leave a legacy.

So, when relocating closer to home became an option, I not only moved geographically, I moved professionally. I carefully strategized with my family as making this transition would prove challenging for everyone involved. Succession planning for family business is critical, and there’s no road map on HOW to do it. It’s a deliberate, proactive and continuous process. We’ve worked hard on the succession plan going from a tricycle to a bike, and eventually to a car.

Along the way I’ve discovered that while corporate may shut down for the day, entrepreneurship remains open 24/7. I find myself thinking about ENVIRO almost all day every day. I’ve also learned that all of my corporate skills did not transfer directly to my new career with ENVIRO. The business models are different, and the people are different, so it wasn’t an apples-to-apples switch.  But, I’ve been able to use my experience to balance with the family business model.

I’ve also acknowledged that there’s only one Dr. Lynn, so I was not trying to replace him or fill his shoes. Krystal, Bryan and I have our unique personalities and talents that we bring to ENVIRO, and we’re building a team that believes in the company’s vision and future. Dr. Lynn provides us with his rich history, advice and knowledge, and we work together to continue growing the company. Like any business, ENVIRO has its ups, downs and challenges; but our goal is to build upon the amazing foundation my father has established.

Working with family in this capacity is truly a blessing.

LEARN | LEAD | SUCCEED

Readying Tomorrow’s Workforce Today

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Some students may think construction and landscaping is just about buildings and grass, but at ENVIRO AgScience, Inc., we know that it’s so much more. It involves math, language, science and technical skills.

That’s why we are partnering with high schools in Richland School District Two in Columbia, SC to provide workforce development job shadowing opportunities to students taking horticulture courses. The critical on-the-job training and mentoring brings real-world application to the curriculum students learn in the classroom.

In April, for instance, we hosted two high school students at our Kelly Mill Park Improvements project meeting to discuss adding a parking lot and soccer field to an existing baseball complex. During the meeting, the students reviewed previous meeting minutes and construction blueprints, and they walked the site to gain an understanding of the full scope of the project.

Such practical, hands-on experience expands job readiness of students in the predominantly minority school district. Not only are they developing time management skills, increased confidence and a greater sense of responsibility, they are gaining soft skills that will make them more employable in the labor force.

We’re also helping to train these young minds to think like entrepreneurs so they can become employers in the labor force. Let’s face it: in the digital era, you can’t separate millennials from their gadgets, but we’re hoping they can one day merge their digital learning with experiences from ENVIRO to create new possibilities in the construction and landscaping community.

Beginning in Fall 2015, students will participate in planting and related grounds maintenance which can be applied as work credit towards their high school certification.

Recently, we’ve expanded the program in association with CCEB Venue Partners to skilled tradespersons who receive internships with subcontractors in the Greater Columbia area. All workforce candidates receive a work skill aptitude assessment and complete a month-long training program with an emphasis on soft-skills training, to include punctuality and workforce etiquettes. The goal is to equip them for construction jobs with the Spirit Communications Multi-Use Venue in Columbia.

Thanks to the vision and commitment of ENVIRO leadership, our workforce development program has been so successful that several graduates have been hired for dorm renovation projects at the University of South Carolina Historic Horseshoe. We were also recognized by Richland School District Two Institute of Innovation (R2i2) Executive Committee for our commitment to workforce development initiatives.

We plan to implement our model in future projects throughout the region as part government and non-profit organizations workforce initiatives.

We use Workforce Development initiatives as just one of the ways ENVIRO “pays its civic rent” to the community.

Pictured is ENVIRO Landscape Architect, Patrick Livingston and Greg Gable and Joseph Byrd of Blythewood High School