Nemetschek Vectorworks Honors America's Veterans, Wins Community Stewardship Award

	Photo: Nobile Photography

For the fifth year in a row, Nemetschek Vectorworks employees and their families gathered at Virginia's Arlington National Cemetery to participate in PLANET's annual Renewal and Remembrance beautification project on July 28. Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), the national trade association for landscape and lawn care industry professionals, considers this event the largest green industry day of service in the United States. Other event partners included the Professional Grounds Management Society, as well as Platinum sponsors Caterpillar, Inc. and New Holland Construction.

"It's an honor to help preserve this historical landmark, experience history firsthand, and pay respect to those who sacrificed themselves to protect our freedom," said Eric Gilbey, RLA, Landscape Industry Specialist at Nemetschek Vectorworks. "We look forward to this event every year and are humbled to see our level of volunteer participation keep growing."

Working tirelessly to improve the cemetery, volunteers did everything from mulching, cabling, and installing lightning protection for trees, and upgrading sprinklers to pruning, planting, liming, and aerating more than 200 acres of hallowed ground. The event also included a children's program where the youngest volunteers planted perennials and participated in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Yesterday, Gilbey also participated in PLANET's Legislative Day on the Hill, where PLANET members met with US senators and representatives in Washington, DC to discuss issues impacting the landscape and lawn care industry, including overregulation, Lyme disease-related legislation, and the H-2B program. The landscape industry is a constantly growing, $74 billion dollar industry that employs 900,000 people. Nemetschek Vectorworks is pleased to be a part of the landscape industry with our continuous support for PLANET and the community.

Nemetschek Vectorworks' commitment to projects like these helped the company earn the 2014 PLANET Community Stewardship Award in the supplier category. The award, presented on July 28, celebrates PLANET member companies and organizations that have demonstrated leadership through dedication and contributions to the good of the community.

Other ways that Nemetschek Vectorworks supports environmental and community service initiatives include the Adopt-A-Road program, Anacostia Watershed Society's SITES Project, Gingertown, PARK(ing) Day, annual food drives, American Red Cross Blood Drives, and the Angel Tree for DC General's Homeless Children's Playtime Project. The company also promotes a variety of educational programs through scholarships and research grants, as well as free software for students and academic institutions.

"As a provider of design software built for the landscape design and design/build professional, Nemetschek Vectorworks upholds the values of community stewardship," said the company's CEO Sean Flaherty. "We support initiatives that keep our local community clean and sustainable; promote active, engaging learning opportunities; and embrace environmentally friendly practices to reduce our carbon footprint. We know we're hardly alone in supporting practices that make the world a better place; however, our commitment is firmly instilled in our corporate culture, and I hope that as our company grows so too will our involvement in community activities."