2021 President’s Message

Wow, what a year!

Leslie Herndon

Greenscape, Inc. Raleigh, NC Leslie

I can’t think of a better way to begin my final letter than to say thank you to my fellow board members, the NCNLA staff and all of our members for their support and encouragement over the past 12 months. Everyone did what we always do in this industry when facing a challenge: We buckled up and got to work! We started 2021 with the biggest challenge of all, having to cancel our venerable Green & Growin’ show. Since this event provides the majority of NCNLA’s annual operating income, it was quite a daunting way to begin the year. However, throughout 2021, our staff and board rallied together to put several initiatives in motion to drive additional income and cut expenses.

With that in mind, I would like to extend a very special thank-you to all of you who contributed to our fundraising drive last year. Your donations played a big part in enabling NCNLA to keep cash flowing in leaner times of the year, while keeping the majority of our long-term reserves intact. I now know firsthand how extremely important it is to have this reserve fund in place, and I personally want to thank the previous board members who helped bolster the fund to its current level—what incredible foresight they had! We have watched other associations really struggle over the past year, and some others have even ceased to exist. Happily, NCNLA is still fiscally strong, although it will take a few years to get back to where we were prior to the pandemic. We aren’t out of the woods yet, but we can see the light!

Joining everyone at the Green & Growin’ show in January 2022 was a great ending for my year as NCNLA president. Education classes were busy, our keynote speakers (Bryce Lane and Charlie Hall) were incredible, and robust activity in the Marketplace was a big win for us in a tough COVID environment. I enjoyed getting to meet with new and old friends on the show floor, and I can’t wait until next year, when hopefully we’re back to full steam. We’re so thankful for all of you who participated in the show, either in Greensboro or remotely. This year’s Green & Growin’ was an important one for the association, and—as always—our industry showed up strong. I also want to send out a big thank-you to NCNLA staff members Rick, Kathryn, Victoria, Katie and Wendi for all the hard work they put into the event to make it a success!

Other notable achievements during the past year included adding a successful first-time virtual component to the Green & Growin’ education sessions, running the GIC Technology Symposium for a great crowd last summer, a strong turnout at the Cagle Memorial Golf Tournament supporting our scholarship initiatives, revamping the Certified Plant Professional program and increasing marketing circulation—just to name a few. Our goal for 2021 was to continue serving our mission, even in a challenging year, and I believe we were successful!

Finally, I would like to send out a special thank-you to all NCNLA past presidents. Your work laid the path for this year’s efforts, and it is thanks to you that we have such a solid foundation on which to stand. I hope I was able to do my own part to help strengthen it further!

Today, I am excited to pass the gavel on to Kevin Cagle of Greenthumb Nursery & Landscape for 2022. A longtime member of the industry and NCNLA, Kevin is well positioned to build upon our strong foundation, and will provide the leadership we need in the coming year to help the association continue to grow and flourish. Congratulations and best wishes, Kevin!