From Where I Stand — ALL

time and some laughs. Stories are swapped between past presidents, committee members, spouses, and suppliers. The President gets very little sleep that night, but he goes to bed knowing that he just demonstrated what ILCA is all about. Drop.

The Executive Director of the IGIA stands in the ILCA membership booth at their Annual Meeting/Keg Party. Dozens of ILCA, IGIA, and crossover members enjoy a cold beer and fellowship. Acronyms don’t matter anymore. A few months from now she will join ILCA as the Statewide Director of Development. Our future is bright. Drop.

A landscape team sits in the Schaumburg Public House. It is their last chance to enjoy a meal together before the season rips them all in opposite directions. They talk just enough business to write the meal off, but end up talking about their hobbies, vacations, favorite movies, and their kids. Drop.

A speaker stays long after her session ends to answer questions from attendees who gather around her. She is patient knowing she has a plane to catch in a few hours. The attendees follow her to the book store where she personally signs every copy and dialogs with fans who line up to meet her. She will end up taking a later flight. Drop.

It’s Friday, attendees gather near the stage for their final chance at a raffle prize. The wheel spins and they laugh at corny jokes and puns. All are thanked for their time and support, without them, iLandscape is not possible. Most will leave empty-handed, but still walk out the door feeling full. Seconds after they leave, the carpet is rolled up and booths come down. Drop.

Exhibitors scurry about the floor dismantling booths and shoving walls and backdrops into cases. The temperature in the hall plunges 30 degrees as the doors open wide to pallet jacks, carts, and forks. A show that takes 48 hours to set-up will be gone in three. Drop.

Vendors walk through the lobby rolling suitcases and lugging boxes that used to brim with brochures and catalogs. They walk past show staff, stop dead in the tracks, and turn around. “Great show,” they say. Staff has been doing this long enough to know those words are genuine. Drop.

The Dockmaster stands on the dock. The sun is orange and setting to the west. It ricochets off the last truck snaking its way out of the parking lot. He peaks his head into the hall. It is quiet now. It is still. He reaches into his pocket for his ring of keys. He finds that familiar brass one. He slides it into the lock. The door clicks shut. Drop.

The last drop of paint dries. We stand up from the table. We walk a few steps back to take it all in. We raise our eyes. Our gaze hits the canvas. It’s breathtaking.

The artist Georges Pierre Seurat devised the painting technique called pointillism. Among his notable works is A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte - better known as the painting Cameron Frye stares at during the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Pointillism is a style where every single drop of paint is unique yet all are interconnected. It is only when you step back from the painting that you understand how every tiny drop plays a greater role. The painting is the drops, the drops are the painting. Either way, the result is a masterpiece.

Thank you to the almost 7,000 people who lent their tiny drop to iLandscape 2023. It was the biggest and finest show we have ever produced. Planning starts now for 2024. Drop.

Sincerely,

Scott Grams, Executive Director February 20, 2023

President

Jeff Kramer

Kramer Tree Specialists, Inc, (630) 293-5444 jwkramer@kramertree.com

Vice-President

Ashley Marrin

Bret-Mar Landscape Management Group, Inc. (708) 301-2225 ashley@bretmarlandscape.com

Secretary-Treasurer

Jim Cirrincione Hinsdale Nurseries, Inc. (630) 323-1411 jcirrincione@hinsdalenurseries .com

Immediate Past President

Scott McAdam, Jr. McAdam Landscaping, Inc. (708) 771-2299 Scottjr@mcadamlandscape.com

Directors

Eric Adams Russo Power Equipment (847) 233-7811 eadams@russopower.com

Kim Hartmann Rosborough Partners 847-404-7669 hartmannkim@comcast.net

Ryan Heitman The Fisher Burton Company (847) 566-9200 ryanheitman@fisherburton.com

Tom Klitzkie Nature’s Perspective Landscaping (847) 475-7917 tklitzkie@naturesperspective.com

Dean MacMorris Night Light, Inc. (630) 627-1111 dean@nightlightinc.net

Kevin Manning K & D Enterprise Landscape Management, Inc. (815) 725-0758 kmanning@kdlandscapeinc.com

Kevin McGowen Kaknes/SiteOne 31W245 Diehl Road Naperville, IL 60563

Mark Utendorf Emerald Lawn Care, Inc. (847) 392-7097 marku@emeraldlawncare.com