Kingdom Landscaping participates in Build-A-Pond Day at Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, Maryland (aka Shindemonium 2013)

As part of our CAC (Certified Aquascape Contractor)  "continuing education" program with Aquascape, we regularly participate in Build-A-Pond Days that are sponsored by Aquascape Inc. and Turf Equipment Company (our Maryland Aquascape products distributor).  This Fall's event was held at Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, Maryland, on Thursday, October 3, 2013.  Our hosting contractor was Steve Shinholser of Premier Ponds (hence the event name....Shindemonium 2013).

Aquascape actively promotes "Ponds for Kids."  It's an educational program to help schools actively teach their students about pond ecosystems.  Kingdom Landscaping is interested in getting more involved in community activities, so we are looking for a local school that would be interested in installing an Aquascape ecosystem pond.  It is the school's responsibility to pay for all of the components and equipment involved in the pond build, but we--the contractor--will furnish our labor for free.  If you would like to see your local school have a pond for the kids, please tell them about us.

During the installation at the Paint Branch High School, CACs from all over the United States were given the opportunity to speak to many classes throughout the day as they came into the courtyard to observe the team's handiwork.  Because we were addressing high school students who are getting ready to graduate and enter either college or the workforce, we focused our discussions on the business/career-side of pond building instead of the environmental science of ecosystems.

I was honored when Steve Shinholser asked me to speak with the students.  For those of you who know me a little more personally, you know that I

love teenagers, and for many years I served as both a youth leader and a youth pastor.  So, I felt right at home sharing my story with them and encouraging them to actively seek employment doing what they love to do...and, if you love the outdoors and have a passion for creativity, then a career in pond building might be just for you.  As a matter of fact, there are several companies across the United States who specialize exclusively in pond-building only. and they have gross revenues in excess of 1 million per year.

The beauty of a Build-A-Pond Day is that several pond builders (in this case about 60 of us) get together and install a complete Aquascape ecosystem pond in one day.  Here are a few pics from the event.

After the pond build was completed, the CACs were invited to Steve Shinholser's home in Burtonsville for a delicious catered dinner and a question and answer session with Steve.   Last August at Aquascape's yearly Pondemonium event in Chicago at Aqualand, Steve won the award for "Businessman of the Year."  So, for those of us who couldn't attend Pondemonium, Steve hosted the first annual "Shindemonium" on the East Coast, which gave us the opportunity to learn what Steve does to make his pond business one of the most profitable in North America.  The one thing that I love about pond builders is that we can get together and share our passion for ponds with one another and not feel like we are competing with one another.  We have a common goal: let's build ponds right...the Aquascape way!

Happy pondering,

Jodi