Membership: More Valuable Than Ever

The pandemic has been a strange mix for our industry. Starting with apprehension of the initial lockdowns and after the slow start to 2020 it has been a very strong two seasons for the horticulture industry overall. This has brought many new challenges, from changes in operations to sector wide supply and labour shortages. So, despite the boom in demand and sales there have so many cost increases that many I have talked to do not feel they are doing as well as they can.

While we continue to work on the more systemic issues like labour (from recruitment to retention to skills development) and standards (including the snow and ice standard – see page 8) there is one thing your association continues to excel at; saving members money!

With the cost of everything rising, the ability to save money on everything from equipment to insurance to supplies is more important than ever. Amazingly, some members know this secret well. They pay for their membership many times over each year. Many more, still have not unlocked this cheat code for business, so I write this in hopes of helping just a few more members this year.

Through our relationship with the national association (CNLA), Landscape Alberta members have access to a slate of great discount programs. These discounts are negotiated at the national level for the greatest impact. The philosophy is simple. The member must WIN with a discount they cannot get elsewhere. The supplier must WIN with access to a market they cannot get on their own. And lastly the association must WIN with a small residual or fee to help keep dues low.

Here is a short summary of the current offerings; remember using one or two of these will often save you more than your entire membership every year.

• General Motors: Huge savings on select NEW GMC/

Chevrolet vehicles! • FCA Canada Inc. - Chrysler/

Dodge/Jeep/RAM: Our Fleet program is designed to save you thousands on NEW Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles • Cat®: Save up to $2,750 on the purchase of select CAT equipment and attachments • ECHO / Shindaiwa: Receive a 15% MSRP discount on any gas powered ECHO or Shindaiwa units and accessories. • Michelin: Special pricing on

MICHELIN® Passenger &

Light Truck, Truck, Agricultural,

Compact Line, Tweel SSL and

Earthmover Tires. • Esso / Petro Canada / Parkland

Fuel: For savings on fuel purchases • Mark’s: 10% off the regular prices on the majority of Mark’s workwear clothing, footwear and safety accessories. • HortProtect Insurance: For members only program for both

Commercial insurance and

Health and life benefit insurance. • And more…

“Through our relationship with the national association (CNLA), Landscape Alberta members have access to a slate of great discount programs. These discounts are negotiated at the national level for the greatest impact.”

The bonus value comes in a couple of ways.

1) You may be able to get similar savings on your own, but it will often take much more work than using the pre-negotiated discount. Time is money!

2) The more members that use the programs the more savings we will be able to negotiate.

Visit https://cnla.ca/savings for all the up-to-date info. Let us save you some money, now more than ever.