TNLA Green November 2010

November 2010

T h e O f f i c i a l P u b l i c at i o n o f t h e T e xa s N u r s e ry & L a n d s c a p e A s s o c i at i o n

Rate My Marketing!

Four landscaping companies put their marketing documents to the test. pag e 12

No Comparison: Branding Yourself as One-of-a-Kind

Branding: It’s More Than Just a Logo Are you the first company your customers think of?

A good brand cuts to the customer’s subconscious, plays on their emotions and memories, and builds unending loyalty. s ta r t i n g o n pag e 6

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P lu s :

21 IPM: Winter Woes...

25 Making Cents: Change Is the Only Constant

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Š 2010 OHP, Inc. Discus is a registered trademark of OHP, Inc.

Discus N/G Insecticide

Greenhouse

Nursery

Excellent knockdown Broad spectrum 3-4 weeks foliar control of sucking / chewing insects 800-356-4647 | ohp.com

November 2010

F EAT U RES

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Branding: It’s More than Just a Logo

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Rate My Marketing!

A strong integrated brand is a powerful business asset. Learn how to develop real personality, emotion, and excitement in your brand.

By Rick Holberg.

Three seconds. That’s all the time you have to capture a customer’s attention. Five landscape companies put their marketing materials to the test, getting rated by marketing professionals.

C o lu m n s

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IPM Winter Woes... by Kevin Ong, Ph.D. Marketing No Comparison: Branding Yourself as One-of-a-Kind by Jeffrey Scott Making Cents Change Is the Only Constant by Charlie Hall, Ph.D. Tradeshow Tips Exhibiting Magic: Part 1 by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP

Departments 19 Newsbites 28 New Members 28 Newly Certified

28 Classified Ads 29 Calendar of Events 29 Advertisers Index

21 Texas Nursery & Landscape Association 7730 South IH-35 Austin, TX 78745-6698 phone: 512.280.5182 or 800.880.0343 fax: 512.280.3012 email: info@tnlaonline .org

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TNLAGreen

TNLA G r e e n

TNLA G r e e n

the official publication of the Texas Nursery & Landscape Association

Pr esident’s Letter

November 2010 • Vol. XII No. 10

Dear Members

Officers Chairman of the Board

Mark Harris, TCLP, CLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Houston

A Message from Eddy D. Edmondson, President

Chairman-Elect

Robert Cartwright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tyler

Immediate Past Chairman

James Wilhite, TCLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tyler

President

Eddy D. Edmondson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Austin B OAR D OF D IRECTORS

Region I Billy Long, TCLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Antonio Region II James Curtice, TCLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . Houston Region III Mark Chamblee, TMCNP . . . . . . . . . . . Tyler Region IV Paul S. Tomaso, TCNP . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Region V Sam Weger, TMCNP . . . . . . . . . . . Fort Worth Region VI John Smothers, TCNP . . . . . . . . . . . Lubbock Region VII Jon Klement, TCLP, TMCNP . . . . . . McAllen Region VIII Larry Best, TCNP . . . . . . . . . . . Cedar Park Supplier Director Bobby Spence . . . . . . Fort Worth

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his issue is set to come out right around Election Day. We’ve got a very important year ahead of us in the Texas State Legislature, so if we’ve caught you in time, please be sure to vote—and if we’re catching you after the fact, thank you for voting. We’ll have an update for you next month on the results of the election, and then we’ll have our legislative primer in the January issue of TNLA Green, telling you all about the critical issues coming up in the 82nd Legislature.

Speaking of elections, ballots for the TNLA elections have been mailed to members. If you haven’t already, in the next few weeks you’ll receive up to three separate ballots: one for State Chairman-Elect, one for State Regional Director, and one for State Business Segment Director. Please voice your opinion, since this is your Association and we want it to best represent you.

Landscape Director Johnette Taylor . . . . . . . Dallas Grower Director April Herring, TCNP . . . Magnolia Retail Director Mark Baxmann, TMCNP . . Houston

TNLA S ta f f President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eddy D. Edmondson Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amy Graham Comptroller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jo Tucker Accounting Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Garcia Communications Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Judi Hays Region Services Coordinator . . . . . . Kenny Pettitte Director, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Reaves Education Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chelsey Robles

Being as we are in a seasonal industry, business looks quite different now than it did even a couple of months ago. Growers are out looking for frost blankets to protect their crops through the spring, garden centers see a lot less traffic, and many landscapers turn to hanging Christmas lights as an offseason service offering. Something else to think about in the winter is working on your business strategy for the coming year. If you want to rebrand yourself, build a new website, create your 2011 marketing strategy, or recruit and train new hires, there’s no better time to do that. To that end, this month’s main feature is a truly informative piece by Green Industry branding expert Rick Holberg on how to build a great brand. We’re also discussing that subject pretty heavily in the 2011 TNLA Management Workshop on January 14–15 in Fort Worth. Titled “The Efficiency Perspective,” this year’s Management Workshop will provide you ideas to improve the efficiency of your people, your systems, and your marketing.

Exhibits Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amy Prenger Exhibits Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Yelverton Administrative Assistant Expo . . . . . Dena Guerrero Certification & Membership Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marisol Ybarra Office Operations Assistant . . . . Nancy E. Sollohub

Also, read this month’s Newsbites page, since we’ve got several members who received awards or accolades in recent weeks. m Sincerely,

T N L A G r e e n S ta f f Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Judi Hays Editorial Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . David Kassin Fried Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marie Leonard

E d dy D. E d m o n d s o n President

Advertising Coordinator . . . . . . . Carol Miller, TCNP

TNLA Green magazine is a member service of the Texas Nursery & Landscape Association, and is published monthly with the annual exception of a combined July/August issue. Advertising information is available from TNLA, 7730 South IH 35, Austin, Texas 78745, online at www.tnlaonline.org, or by calling 800-880-0343. TNLA office hours are weekdays, 9 AM - 5 PM CST. © 2010 Texas Nursery & Landscape Association No v e m b e r 2 0 1 0

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M i s s i o n S tat e m e n t The Texas Nursery and Landscape Association’s mission is to enhance members’ business success through legislative/regulatory advocacy, education, networking, and promotion of professionalism.

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Branding:

It’s More Than Just a Logo

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By R i c k H o l b e rg

Let’s conduct a little experiment. If someone says “athletic shoes,” what’s the first product you think of? Now what pops to mind if they say “fast food?”

And how about “soft drink?”

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ranted, our individual answers might be slightly different, but most of you probably thought of Nike, McDonald’s, and Coca Cola. Why? Because Nike, McDonald’s, and Coca Cola are the most powerful brands in their respective product categories.

Now let’s localize our thinking to the area where you do business. If someone says “garden center,” who do you think of? How about “landscaper?” Or “grower?” Now our collective answers will be completely different, but I’d bet the farm that you immediately thought of the best branded businesses in your local market—those that have made the strongest impression on you; those that have paid the most attention to their customers; those that have realized that a brand is more than just a logo, it’s a collection of thoughts, feelings, and emotions that you associate with a business. A brand is an unspoken promise a business makes to operate by a set of values that it consistently embraces and communicates for an extended period of time.

Creating a strong integrated brand can be a powerful business asset. It can create top-of-mind awareness in a consumer’s consciousness, just like Nike, McDonald’s, and Coca Cola. It can drive consumer preference, create distinct

competitive advantages, and generate buyer loyalty. And all of that can help add to your bottom line.

Buyer Loyalty Many people consider brands purely from the retail perspective, associating it with the product or the logomark. That’s brand identity. But a strategically planned, fully integrated brand goes much deeper than that. It cuts to the customer’s subconscious and plays on their emotions and memories.

Done well, it creates loyal “I won’t buy from anyone else” fanatics.

For example, how many Apple fanatics does this country now have? How many people carry the new iPhone 4 in their pockets and brag about their new apps every chance they get? Is it the best smart phone on the market? Maybe, maybe not—Android certainly doesn’t think so. Does it get the best coverage area? Verizon’s “Maps” campaign argues emphatically that it doesn’t. Is it the cheapest? Not by a long shot.

But although there are now a dozen choices for similar smartphones, millions of Americans won’t even consider them. Why? Simply because of brand loyalty. Apple customers are willing to look beyond higher cost and possible performance issues because of past experiences with the company and their (continued on page 8)

A brand is an unspoken promise a business makes to operate by a set of values that it consistently embraces and communicates for an extended period of time.

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6 Keys to Successful Brand Implementation 1: Add branding to the budget The best way to ensure dedication to a brand development program is to commit monetary resources to it. It will become an intangible business asset.

2: Consider a phased approach Most small businesses need to implement a brand identity program over several months (or years).

Subtle changes over time will also be more comfortable from a customer perspective.

3: Start easy—achieve some immediate success Think about getting the most brand bang for your buck. Implementing your new logo and repainting your facility in the new brand colors is an easy, impactful way to signal a brand change.

4: Don’t overlook internal branding Make sure everyone in your business understands what the new brand signifies: The meaning behind the new logo, tagline, and messaging is the approach you expect with every customer interaction.

5: Don’t slide Change can be stressful, so expect some internal pushback. But your new brand represents a new promise to customers and a new attitude in everything you do.

Don’t revert back to old ways that might seem more comfortable.

6: Get feedback and adapt to it!

Find out what customers think of the changes you’ve made in your store (or your business). Carefully consider their opinions, and use that as the basis for continuing your brand implementation.

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The Green Branding Process

products. They inherently trust Apple.

They desire to own their products.

GreenBranding recently completed a rebranding project for Herbein’s Garden Center in Emmaus, PA (near Allentown). After reviewing the property, they used images from the garden center and surrounding areas to build brand visuals, capturing the colors of the buildings and the look and feel of the Pennsylvania Dutch street signs local to the area. They looked specifically at higher-end shops, the upper class client being an essential target in Herbein’s brand.

Wouldn’t you want the same loyalty for your green industry business? Your brand can help make that happen.

Owning Your Brand Whether you realize it or not, your business already has its own brand. The question is whether you’ve embraced it and/or whether that brand is true to what you really want your business to stand for.

Try to take an objective look at your business from your customer’s point of view. What do they see? And more importantly, what do they feel? If someone asked them to think of a garden center (or landscaper, grower, or supplier), would yours be the first business that pops into their minds?

Th e r e s u lt: The muted tones in the color palette give it a subtle, sophisticated look, with the red (which communicates passion) drawing in the history of the region. The typography brings an extra layer of elegance (Herbein’s) with a bold understatement (Garden Center), and the icon—an inverted tree—evokes the nature of the business, while avoiding the brand cliché and providing a memorable “Easter egg,” as many people won’t notice the trunk or the branches of the tree on first glance.

Consider your business’ brand touch points. There are myriad aspects that help define your brand position in your marketplace: • logo • fonts and colors • slogan and tagline • advertising and media messaging • your unique selling proposition • the quality of your products or services • pricing strategy • how your employees personally interact with customers • how you answer the phone • reputation The list is almost endless.

Are all these touch points consistent with what you envision your brand to be? Is your tagline modern and trendy when your products and/or services are not?

Is your advertising messaging friendly and inviting, while your employees come across as cold and detached? Do you pride yourself in selling the newest products on the market, while your logo is the same as it’s been for the last 15 years?

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Green, brown, and tan have been overused.

Develop a unique color palette, and customers are more likely to remember you.

Remember, a brand is a promise. If you promise one thing but deliver another, you’re suffering what’s known as “brand dissolve” and quickly diminishing any brand equity you’ve built.

Building Your Brand So what do you do if you’ve taken a hard look at your current brand and you don’t like what you see? Or perhaps you want to change the image you have in the marketplace.

Branding takes a real commitment on a business owner’s part: both in time and money. Even just updating your logo can take anywhere from three weeks to three months, so plan your brand identity rollout accordingly. And it’s a very important change, so hire a professional branding and design firm, and carve out some of your marketing budget specifically for brand development and— just as importantly—implementation.

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Start with your ownership and management team and work out from there.

Every employee needs to understand and “live” your brand: the tone, the messaging, and the attitude. From the sales floor to the installation team to the stock room, if they can’t live it, they need to get off the bus, or the brand dissolves (weakens).

With your employees, look at what you’re currently known for—the actions and attitudes that your managers and employees elicit, and what that says about you as a company. Then ask yourself what you want to be known for. If you could create, from nothing, the perfect company, what would it stand for?

Once you know where you’re going internally, the best way to make the change externally is with your visual identity, the core association your customers have with you. If you want to change their perception, put on a new face, and update your logo.

brown, and tan have been overused, so if you develop a unique color palette, customers are more likely to remember you. GreenBranding has developed logos for garden centers using blues and reds as the main color. Webb’s, a popular English garden center, uses purple, and they pull it off beautifully.

Internally, your logo should represent an image and a core idea that your team can get behind. Have you seen the arrow in the FedEx logo? Their employees all know it’s there, and they know what it means: always moving. Conversely, just because you’re a nursery, does the silhouette of a green tree really say something unique about you? Or is it confused with the tree trimming business down the road?

Externally, your logo should give new customers a visual clue as to what to expect from your brand experience, and it should give current customers a strong reminder of positive brand associations.

Now that you’ve noticed the FedEx arrow, you won’t help but see it pop out at you every time you pass one of the company’s delivery trucks. (continued on page 11)

Strong brand visuals start with an iconic logomark: a graphic that presents a core meaning about your business to your customers (and to your employees).

Generally, good logos are easily recognized and understood, convey essentially the same meaning to all target audiences, and evoke positive feelings.

Consider what would be appropriate styles, graphics, colors, and fonts for your business. Don’t get trapped in the expected—that won’t differentiate your brand. In the Green Industry, green,

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You may not know the language, but you still know what it says.

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Next, take a look at another critical brand touch point: your tagline. If your logo sets the pace for all of your marketing materials, your tagline sets the tone. In a few well-crafted words—“The King of Beers” or “The World On Time”—you’ll define your brand and lay the foundation for all of its messaging. Start by making a list of words, thoughts, and feelings that you want customers to associate with your business. Steer clear of hackneyed terms like “quality,” “solution,” “value,” and “service.” They are so overused, they no longer have real meaning or truth in consumer’s minds. Start to put together three to six word combinations. Say them out loud. Think creatively about what you’re trying to communicate to your customers. Eventually the right tagline will evolve. Just do it.

Implementation With an updated logo and new focused tagline, your brand can hit the ground running. But remember to think

Build Your Brand Pyramid

FedEx’s award-winning logo is famous for its power and subtlety. Early design drafts had the arrow—a common icon for businesses that want to be associated with speed—more prominently featured, but in the end they used this customized typeface to build the arrow out of the font’s negative space, creating a mark that’s developed legendary status in the branding world.

strategically about implementing your new brand. Every piece of marketing communications, sales collateral, and external imagery should be a reflection of your brand’s core image and message.

So make a plan. Include adopting the new brand visual and characteristics into all facets of your marketing—retail or yard signage, vehicles, sales flyers and service brochures, advertising visual layouts and messaging, your web site, your social media “personality,” sales staff training, and so on.

And most of all, be passionate. Brands can actually take on familiar human characteristics, like love (Hallmark), sophistication (Rolex), or trustworthiness (Volvo). Develop real personality, emotion, and excitement in your brand.

Use words and images that evoke strong positive feelings. Make what is truly unique to your Green Industry business the driving force that guides your brand, builds top-of-mind awareness, and creates loyal, enthusiastic fanatics. m

Essential Benefit Product/Service Pricing Logo

Advertising Customer Interactions Reputation

Slogan & Tagline Marketing Corporate Culture Customer Experiences

One way to work on your brand is to build a graphical depiction, known as a brand pyramid. The pyramid places the essential benefit at the top (the emotional experience you’re committed to evoking) and the company’s reputation as the foundation. u

Click here to download a blank Brand Pyramid worksheet.

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Once the brand is set internally, roll your brand out to the community with a media blitz. Pay for appropriate, targeted advertising, use your blog and social media, and search out PR opportunities. But make sure all of your external communications speak your brand through visuals, words and tone.

Be consistent. Good brands change only slightly over time. Consistency is the key to brand awareness, recall, and penetration in the marketplace.

If your customers don’t know what to expect from your brand because of inconsistency, they can’t form a solid brand association with your business.

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Rick Holberg owns Holberg Design, a branding, marketing, and advertising agency serving a national clientele.

GreenBranding was born as an offshoot in 2005, following a rebrand for one of the top 20 garden centers in the U.S. Members of ANLA, GreenBranding staff have presented brand development and implementation seminars at industry events nationwide. Learn more at www.holbergdesign.com and www.gardencentermakeover.com.

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Marketing

by M e l i s s a Pa l m i e r i

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hree seconds. It’s the amount of time an offensive player can hang out in the key in basketball. It’s just under the generally accepted amount of time you can leave a piece of food on the ground and still eat it.

And it’s the amount of time marketing experts say you have to grab someone’s attention with your message.

One. Two. Three. That’s it.

Why, then, do so many lawncare and landscape companies spend thousands of dollars on poor marketing pieces?

Why don’t they invest those dollars in halfway decent websites? We can’t answer those questions, but we can show you some real green industry marketing pieces, how our experts rated them and what tips they offer for how to improve them. We found some customers to weigh in, too.

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E xa m p l e # 1 :

Business Card Th e Co m pa ny Weed Pro, www.weed-pro.com Sheffield Village, OH Th e g o a l When designing this business card, Director of Marketing Shaun Kanary’s goal was to create a conversation piece.

“Realizing that you don’t always have the opportunity to have that personal conversation, this piece needed to tell Weed Pro’s story,” he says. “It allows customers to engage with the card, our brand overall and experience our story firsthand. In plain words, ‘We get rid of weeds. Guaranteed.’” At the same time, Kanary wants to ensure the card maintains its functionality and an affordable price point (20 cents each compared to 12 cents for standard glossy cards).

Th e e x p e r t Jennifer Myers, owner of Either/Or Media, a Laguna Beach, CA-based communications firm.

Expert’s Keys for Improvement Imagery. My first concern is that the dandelions, while technically a weed, look too much like pretty flowers to be considered weeds at first glance. I would suggest using the later stage, or “blowball,” dandelions instead for full effect.

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E xa m p l e # 2 :

Direct Mail Postcard Th e co m pa ny A & S Lawn and Land Care www.aslawnlandcare.com Powhaten, VA Th e G o a l A&S wants to develop recognition (and eventually gain new business) among a select group of commercial accounts in several ZIP codes where the company has existing business. The 205 recipients were selected by crew leaders/ managers as prospects. “We plan to mail out similar postcards to the same recipients once per quarter, adding new businesses to the database,” says Laura Matherly, director of marketing. “As this was our first mailing, we did not expect any response, and it’s living up to our expectations so far! Our goal is that continued mailing will develop recognition.”

Th e E x p e r t Ed Delia, president of Delia Associates, a digital brand communications firm based in Whitehouse, NJ. Target market. The second concern is that the hillside in the background doesn’t suggest a home lawn environment. Assuming that the suburban homeowner is the target market with their product, a house or houses in the background would create a sense of that surrounding for the recipient.

Details. The card is so good overall it was hard to find improvements, so the third item is a little nitpicky. I would turn the word “PULL” around (not shown) and use a small arrow to indicate how the recipient should access the image underneath.

Expert’s Keys for Improvement 1. What’s in it for me—the recipient?

Self-mailers need to establish recipient value first and foremost. The front of this mailer is all about A&S Contracting.

2. Engage the recipient immediately. The most compelling point in this mailer did not show up until the second paragraph on the back (not shown). Consider leading with a thought-provoking question regarding the environment, if that’s going to be the focus of the piece.

Th e C u s to m e r ’s V i e w Jamie Lewis, Homeowner, Uniontown, OH First impression. I really like these; they’re very creative.

So, would you call them? I would give them a call based off the business card. It makes them seem like an innovative, unique company.

3. What do you want the recipient to do? Call, go to the website, read a white paper, complete an evaluation, schedule a consultation? The mailer does not invite them to take action.

E x p e r t ’s R at i n g :

HHHH

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4. Why A&S Contracting? The mailer needs to establish the company’s unique value proposition to give recipients a reason A&S should be on their radar.

Being a quality commercial grounds management firm is not enough. What is A&S best known for? What does it do uncommonly well? A&S needs to go further to establish a unique difference among its competitors.

5. Is the communication R.E.A.L.?

Try this acronym with every outbound communication: Remarkable: Mailer should have a remarkable factor, inspiring recipients to tell others about it or at the very least keep it because the communication in and of itself “wowed” them.

E xa m p l e # 3 :

Web site Th e co m pa ny Greenland Landscape & Masonry www.landscapemasonrydesigns.com Dacula, GA Th e G o a l Greenland Landscape & Masonry, led by husband and wife co-owners Mike and Marta Garland, want their website to provide informative content for their prospective customers and ensure search engine optimization.

Expert’s Keys for Improvement Completely revamp your site design— now. A homepage’s main job is to give your visitors enough information to drive them deeper into the site. Like a display window for a traditional storefront, the homepage must present enough “goodies” to entice the prospect inside where the real selling takes place.

What you’re using right now has no introductory statement or “unique value proposition” (more on this in No. 2) that immediately telegraphs what’s unique and special about the company. It doesn’t use standard site conventions for navigation placement. Visually, it looks amateurish and unprofessionally homegrown.

Easy: Mailer should be easy to understand. Recipients should know at a glance precisely what A&S is communicating to them and how A&S will provide unique value.

Actionable: Mailer should invite recipients to take immediate action in multiple ways—call, e-mail, visit website, etc.

Th e E x p e r t “Copywriting Maven” Roberta Rosenberg, the founder of Clarksville, MD-based MGP Direct, is also the landing page makeover specialist for Copyblogger.com.

5 the original

I’ve taken a commercially available WordPress template (less than $100 to purchase) that you can use with just about any web-hosting company and modified

Legit: Mailer should demonstrate some proof (credentials, clients served, testimonials, etc.) that A&S is a top-quality firm.

Th e C u s to m e r ’s V i e w Michelle Feher, Property manager – The Keyes-Treuhaft Co., Cleveland, OH First impression. A business that can handle most of your landscaping needs.

They’re looking to help you succeed in your business by making you look good with your clients.

So, would you call them? If it was a local company, I would.

E x p e r t ’s R at i n g :

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it as an example of what GL&M could be using for its website presence. Notice how we’re able to introduce so much more about your services both in word and pictures. You could easily swap out the main static image with an image gallery for an even jazzier look.

Identify your company’s unique value proposition. A unique value proposition (UVP) is a statement of what only your company can say about its product/ services that your competition can’t. For example, if GL&M is the only company of its kind to combine landscape and masonry—then say so. It’s your value proposition. If, on the other hand, you’re one of many landscape/masonry companies but the only one in the Atlanta metro area—then say so. That’s a value proposition, too.

A fast way to create your UVP—and ultimately your tagline—is to fill-in this sentence. “Only GL&M, located in Metro Atlanta, does/offers/makes/ provides _____ for its valued landscape design customers.”

Draft a few dozen of these until you get two to three that really hit the mark.

Choose one and use it as a jumping point to craft a new tagline, headline and focus for your content. Remember, you’re not shooting for clever—you’re shooting for content clarity and service differentiation.

Revise your site navigation to help your visitors find the information they’re looking for, fast. Your current navigation doesn’t reveal enough of what your visitor is looking for upfront. I’ve revised the navigation to read instead: HOME | CURRENT PROJECTS | GALLERY | CLIENT TESTIMONIALS | NEWSLETTERS | ABOUT US | CONTACT US

You’ll also want to add a site search box so that visitors who know precisely what they’re looking for can quickly determine if you provide it or not.

Use social media—and a newsletter—to help visitors turn into prospects and prospects into clients. Commit yourselves to producing a regular online newsletter (outsource this project to others if need be) on those topics where you can really showcase your experience and expertise. Ask your visitors to subscribe—offer them an incentive to do so—as this list represents one of your best assets to growing a successful service business.

In addition, consider the benefits of expanding beyond your site and using social media to find and engage with your prospects.

Working on a new project? Make a video and put it on your own YouTube channel and link back to your site. Want to share landscaping tips? Use Twitter and get the link back. You can even grow a GL&M fan base on Facebook— and get lots of links back.

Best part—none of these social media tools costs any money to use or create; they just take some time. Better yet, all the additional links you create help support your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts to help visitors find you on Google, Bing and other search engines.

Strengthen your search engine rankings with better SEO tactics. This is your current meta—or hidden page—title: <title>Greenland Landscape and Masonry</title> Here’s the problem.

Unless folks are specifically looking for your company by name, your company isn’t necessarily going to get found.

Google uses the meta title plus your site

content to determine your topic and site relevancy. So here’s what I suggest: <title>Landscape—Hardscape— Masonry Designs | Metro Atlanta | Greenland Landscape & Masonry 770822-9272</title> I didn’t do the research to determine if these are indeed the best keyword phrases, but you get the idea. Frontload the terms that your prospects are using to find you into your meta title. Make sure every page of your site has its own meta title, too.

Lastly, make sure you write your content using the same words, terms and phrases your best prospects use. That will also help boost your search engine rankings, as well.

Th e C u s to m e r ’s V i e w Marc Kruskol, Homeowner, Palmdale, CA First impression. The company looks like it does good work. But at first glance, the website looks like a template. Not that it’s a bad thing per se, it just looks very generic. There is too much of a mix of fonts. The captions under some of the photos are barely readable. Some of the photos are good, but most are too dark and don’t really pop.

So, would you call them? As critical as I am, I would still contact the company.

Again, they probably do good work, they just need someone to guide them in creating a better website. The photos do, in fact, show the scope of the work that this company does, so I’d call to talk to them.

E x p e r t ’s R at i n g :

HH

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Exam pl e #4:

Trifold Brochure Th e co m pa ny Ohana Lawn Service www.ohanalawnservice.com Kailua, HI Th e G o a l Creating a direct mail piece is uncharted territory for Ohana Lawn Service, which has never advertised in its 25 years in business. As such, the company isn’t yet sure how this new-business generator is faring, says General Manager Sam Wilhoite, so management is looking for some pointers on its trifold brochure.

Th e E x p e r t Carolyn Rhinebarger, chief brainstormer at Strategic Guru, a Raleigh, NC-area firm specializing in direct marketing for small and medium-sized businesses.

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Expert’s Keys for Improvement Message. It is very important to create and repeat one single compelling message that will resonate with the audience. All messaging needs to present and reinforce the benefits of using your company vs. someone else. It’s all about them, not about you.

In this case, the message about adding value to your property through a well-cared-for landscape is the most important message. Other messages are secondary and should be used to support the main message. Specific pointers: • Add brief customer testimonials—at least one from the pictured property— to support the message.

• Make all headlines focus on this single message, reinforcing benefits. For example, change the “Family Owned and Operated” headline to “Beautifying Landscapes for Over 25 years.”

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• Make all calls to action focused on this single message. For example, instead of prompting recipients to call for a free estimate, offer them a complementary landscape consultation where you can show them specific things to do to improve their property value and then quote them on your services.

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Copy consistency. It’s easy to fall into the trap of multiple and mixed messages. You have so much to say and so little room to say it! The inside panel of the piece could be improved by focusing on the key message—adding to and protecting the value of your home. For example, rather than bolding the words “weekly” and “biweekly,” consider changing the sentence to: “Weekly or biweekly maintenance provides flexible scheduling that ensures your property always looks its best.” This conveys the same message while framing it within the context of preserving property value.

Always remember that the reader’s eye jumps to bulleted items, bolded text, large text and colored text. Read your text out loud, reading just the headlines, bullets, bolded text and call to action and make sure it tells the main message in a coherent way.

Printing. Creating printer-friendly design will help make your printed piece go from good to great. Images must be highresolution, printer-ready art. Avoid colored panels or text that runs across fold lines because when the piece is printed and folded, color crocking can occur (cracks in the ink on the paper). Creating lines and demarcations—such as the landscape before and after photos that are placed next to each other– can create folding errors because the design demands the piece be folded exactly along the line

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So, would you call them? Probably not.

It’s not enough to entice me.

Th e c u s to m e r ’s v i e w Mary Pitman, Homeowner, Vero Beach, FL

E x p e r t ’s R at i n g :

First impression. The before and after shots give them credibility. I like that it’s family owned. I never know if bi-weekly is once every two weeks or twice a week.

HH Reprinted from the June 2010 issue of Lawn & Landscape magazine. For more, visit www.lawnandlandscape.com.

Texas Mutual Insurance Company

Mail panel. Add a call out with a special offer for new customers here. Adding a time limit makes it more compelling. Try something like: Get 10% off your first month! Call 222-2412 by June 1. (Offer valid for new customers only.)

you’ve created. Better to add some white space to allow room for folding variations.

© 2009

Layout. A trifold brochure has six panels and they must work together well to communicate a single compelling message.

Move the panel entitled “Family Owned and Operated” to the inside left so that when the trifold is first opened that message and the list of services are side by side.

You’re great at growing green stuff – what about saving it? With workers’ comp group discount programs, it’s easier than you think. The Texas Green Industry group discount program, through Texas Mutual Insurance Company, gives growers, nurseries and landscape contractors lower premiums and the potential to earn individual and group dividends. And with the workers’ comp health care network, eligible businesses save an additional 12% annually. That’s real savings to help you grow a strong business.

The TGI workers’ compensation group discount program is endorsed by TNLA. Call your agent or Hotchkiss Insurance Agency at (866)959-2525.

Dividends are based on performance and are not guaranteed.

Texas Mutual Insurance Co. has services for non-English speakers available upon request.

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1 5

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With the latest technology and products available today, delivering sustainable solutions while maintaining the landscape has never been so easy. So what are you waiting for? To learn more, visit us online at www.ewing1.com.

FIND US:

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TALK TO US:

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Newsbites Patrick Brewer Named Arborist of the Year The Texas Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture honored TNLA Member Patrick Brewer (Bartlett Tree Experts) as Arborist of the Year at the 2010 Texas Tree Conference. The award goes to an individual who contributed outstanding leadership, commitment, innovation, impact, and sustainability.

Congratulations to Patrick and to everyone at Bartlett Tree Experts!

u Click here for more.

Small Business Jobs Act Signed into Law In the final days before going home to campaign, Congress passed the Small Business Jobs Act, which has now been signed into law by President Obama. The law has a number of provisions beneficial to Green Industry businesses, including: • Allowing qualifying businesses to write off the cost of certain capital investments in the year they are acquired.

• An extension of “bonus depreciation.”

• Removing the onerous recordkeeping requirements to have cell phones qualify as a business expense.

• Various measures to increase small business lending and loans.

Calloway’s Nursery Receives Readers Choice Awards This summer the readers of the Star Community Newspapers voted TNLA member Calloway’s

Nursery as their garden center of choice in their annual Readers Choice Awards. Calloway’s was recognized for its outstanding customer service and for each location’s support to its respective community.

“Helping customers achieve success in the garden is simply a part of our daily process; however, we are extremely pleased to be recognized for the work we do in the communities we serve,” says Kimberly Bird, vice president, retail marketing.

u Click here for more.

u Click here for more information.

TNLA Grant-Funded Research Project Published in Academic Journal A research project that was partially funded by a TNLA E&R Foundation grant has been summarized and published in the October issue of HortScience. The article, “Landscape Coefficients for Single- and Mixed-species Landscapes,” examines resource management in urban landscape irrigation and concludes that reference evapotranspiration can be used to produce significant water savings. The lead author of the article is Tim Pannkuk, Ph.D., from the Department of Agricultural Sciences at Sam Houston State University. The cover of the issue featured a photo of his work.

u Click here to read the abstract. u Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to the E&R Foundation.

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PRODUCT GUIDE

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TNLA Green Ad

A Marriage Of Strengths

A MARRIAGE OF STRENGTHS

In February 2009, FX Luminaire was acquired by Hunter Industries. With similar foundations in forward-looking product innovations, reliability, and superior customer service, both companies have come together in an obvious marriage of tradition and reinvention. Combining forces with Hunter will allow FX to bring resource-efficient landscape components, such as the LED-based Lumineux, to its customers with a distributor and sales support network that will continue to define the industry.

The future of FX Luminaire looks bright!

For more information, visit: www.hunterindustries.com/strengths or www.fxl.com/strengths

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Inte g r ated Pest Mana gement

Winter Woes . . .

by Kevin Ong, Ph.D.

G

rasses are going into dormancy. Leaves are dropping from deciduous plants.

Winter is almost here and plants are going to rest.

Ever wonder what is that pathogen or pest up to? Are they resting too?

Microbes are an interesting bunch. There are many of them, and each have their own characteristics. Today, we examine a little part of that: What is the relationship between temperatures and pathogens?

Kevin Ong is an Extension Plant Pathologist and directs the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab at Texas A&M in College Station.

Ralstonia solanacearum (Rsol) is a bacterium.

This bacterium is made up of several races and biovars, which are the different ways that researchers initially classified these bacteria based on geographical distribution, carbohydrate and chemical utilization, and morphology. In other words, we classify it by where it comes from and what it eats.

Race 1 of Rsol is endemic to the Southeastern U.S. Races 2, 4, and 5 are present in warm regions outside the U.S. Race 3 is found throughout the world except the U.S. and Canada.

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Rsol race 1 is rarely found to be a problem north of the Mason-Dixon line, but Rsol race 3 is on the U.S. Select Agent List, because it is perceived as a severe threat to the potato industry. Why the difference?

Rsol race 1 is not cold tolerant, hence the cold winters in the north will reduce, suppress, and even eradicate the bacteria. Rsol race 3, on the other hand, can tolerate colder temperatures and has been implicated in disease problems in colder temperatures.

Cold, in some ways, can be a friend. In this example, the distribution range of Rsol race 1 was limited by the temperature. This example also shows that a related bacteria, Rsol race 3, is adapted to and able to survive and thrive in colder temperatures. This is why someone in a place like Idaho ought to be worried about Rsol race 3 but not Rsol race 1.

Practically, there are pathogens that can either survive the cold or not. How can we effectively utilize this characteristic? The first thing is to find out more about the

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We see green.

With over 30 years of experience, our specialists know what to look for when it comes to finding cost-effective insurance coverage for your green industry business. As a Trusted Choice® independent agency, we’ll access the nation’s leading insurance companies to provide all the coverage your business needs in one strong yet cost-effective solution.

Call 800-899-3750 today for a quote or no-cost insurance review.

Providing comprehensive insurance programs for Texas green industry businesses - www.hiainc.com

WIRELESS ET CONTROL The LEIT-2ET weather based, wireless irrigation control system automatically adjusts irrigation schedules based upon local weather data provided by the on site weather station and user programmed site information. Powered only by DIG’s ambient light (solar) technology no AC power is needed providing the ultimate freedom and flexibility.

800-322-9146 www.digcorp.com

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Mar keting

No Comparison: Branding Yourself as One-of-a-Kind

by Jeffrey Scott

T

here are two paths to higher profitability: Either become the low-cost seller or become a highly differentiated niche player. That’s it.

Don’t go in between. If you’re going for the top, avoid the temptation to cut your prices.

Instead, learn how to brand your business as a niche player and, in the end, increase your margins.

Jeffrey Scott, landscape business consultant and author of The Referral Advantage, built his family’s landscape business into a $10 million enterprise. He now facilitates peer groups for landscape professionals who want to transform and profitably grow their business. To take the first step and see if a peer group is right for you, visit GetTheLeadersEdge.com.

As a child I remember going to a local grocery store called Stew Leonard’s. My father packed five kids into the car and set out to buy enough food to last us a month. The store focused on fresh food and carried no canned goods. They claimed to sell more milk than any other store in the nation. Entering the store, the bottling plant that packaged the milk was clearly visible. Large automated puppets—made to look like vegetables and milk containers—sang songs to the kids as they walked down the aisles. There was even a petting zoo.

Today, Stew Leonard’s has four locations and is touted as one of Fortune’s 100 best companies to work for.

There are three criteria for an effective brand: It must be unique, desirable, and consistently communicated. If your brand is completely unlike anything else on the market, then you eliminate people’s ability to price shop. If it’s desirable, they’ll buy it. And if you keep

There are three criteria for an effective brand: It must be unique, desirable, and consistently communicated.

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coming back to that brand identity, reminding your employees and your customers of it at every chance you get, then your reputation reinforces itself over time.

Stew followed the three branding criteria to a “T.” He picked a unique niche that people wanted: farm fresh goods. And then he constantly reminded people that that’s what he stood for, so now when people think of him, they think of fresh milk, meat, fish, bread, and even fresh coffee.

Stew targets the family experience. Children love the puppets and the petting zoo. And since the kids are entertained, the adults are thrilled. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that they have an efficient store layout, highly trained personnel, and easy parking at these mammoth stores, all to reinforce a brand of family-friendly grocery shopping.

Building a truly unique brand is a lot easier said than done, and it usually requires completely throwing out everything you think you know about your business and starting from scratch.

There’s no way you get from grocery store to petting zoo by following the pack.

Maybe your landscape company helps to create “home” by bringing fresh-baked cookies on all customer visits. Maybe your garden center hides prizes or has a “kids center,” where the customers’ children can play in the dirt. Maybe your nursery brings in the most exotic new plants and sneaks them into each shipment.

Have fun and experiment. But know from the start what you stand for, and then start to figure out new ways to communicate it. m

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DEFINING QUALITY

4 0 5 . 2 3 3 . 2 0 0 0 W W W. D F T R E E S . C O M A R C A D I A , O K

DEEP FORK

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Professional Landscaping and Grower Supplies

BWI is a distributor of lawn, garden and horticultural products to garden centers, farm and feed stores, hardware stores, grocery stores, regional multi-store outlets, greenhouse growers, nursery growers, landscapers, lawn companies, and other related outlets.

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BWI Dallas

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BWI Schulenburg

BWI Texarkana

800.460.9713

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Making Cents

Change Is the Only Constant

by Charlie Hall, Ph.D.

T

he most difficult task for any columnist is to project, due to publishing deadlines, what the major industry-related issues will be and what readers will be interested in a couple of months down the road. But one would literally have their head in the sand not to recognize that the elections in November will be causing the buzz when this issue hits the streets.

Dr. Hall is the current chairholder of the Ellison Chair in International Floriculture at Texas A&M University. He blogs at http://ellisonchair. blogspot.com.

Everyone already knows the 2010 elections are significant and will be extremely contentious.

Let’s add record-setting to that description. Why? • 2010 features the most U.S. Senate seats on the November ballot (37) since 1962.

• 2010 also has the most elections for governor ever on the same ballot (also 37).

• 2010 has produced one of the highest percentages of Democratic-versusRepublican House line-ups in modern history. Fully 405 out of a possible 435 House races have both a Democrat and a Republican running for the seat—the gold standard of basic two-party choice in democracy. Democrats have nominated 410 candidates, Republicans 430. For the GOP this is the most congressional districts they have ever contested.

Elections always matter, and citizens should vote.

But if the past is predictive, only about 40% of adults in the United States will cast a ballot in 2010, as opposed to a much larger 63% in 2008.

Perhaps the record number of elections—not to mention the high stakes—will encourage more Americans to participate this fall.

If history shows us anything, we know the state of the economy leading up to the elections is often an important factor affecting

the outcome. The latest recession has been the most egalitarian of all the 11 recessions since World War II. In various ways, it has touched every social class through job loss, pay cuts, depressed home values, shrunken stock portfolios, eroded retirement savings, grown children returning home, and anxiety about all of the above. The Great Recession (as it is widely called) has changed America psychologically, politically, economically, and socially. Just how will be examined and debated for years.

All of this reminds me of one of my favorite passages from Paul Seabright’s book, The Company of Strangers. The author refers to “politicians,” but the discussion may as well refer to any member of the crew. It goes like this: Politicians are in charge of the modern economy in much the same way as a sailor is in charge of a small boat in a storm.

The consequences of their losing control completely may be catastrophic . . . but even while they keep afloat, their influence over the course of events is tiny in comparison with that of the storm around them. We who are their passengers may focus our hopes and fears upon them, and express profound gratitude toward them if we reach harbor safely, but that is chiefly because it seems pointless to thank the storm.

Nonetheless, the lackluster performance of the economy has prompted some to also refer to the post-Great Recession as the great stall.

Since the recovery began, the economy has grown at a little less than 3%, which is faster than its long-term potential (about 2.5%), but nowhere near the 6–8% usually seen when coming out of a recession. So far, job creation has been too weak to lower unemployment (continued on page 26)

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( IPM continued from page 21)

particular pathogen of interest and its temperature requirement. With this information, we can consider: 1. Timing the last treatment application. Whether preventative or curative, a pesticide treatment toward the end of growing season can suppress a pathogen to a low level and/or stress it sufficiently that it is more susceptible to cold and other outside stresses.

TNLA Half Island ad DJ

4/13/10

Attack the pathogen while it is still active and can uptake the pesticide.

2. Whether or not to treat during winter.

If the pathogen thrives in cooler temperatures or mild temperatures allow it to remain active, treatment may be effective as the pathogen can still uptake and be sensitive to the pesticide.

The caveat, of course, is that the cold can also damage the plant. For example, take-all patch is less of a 5:31 PM

problem after a harsh winter with prolonged cold, but there is also less St. Augustine grass, which also did not survive the cold.

So when planning for winter pest and pathogen management, pay close attention to the threats that have been common to the season in your region, and familiarize yourself with the winter behaviors of those pests. Then take action accordingly. m

Page 1

( Making Cents continued from page 25)

significantly, which at 9.6% is much as it was at the start of the recovery. So what makes this recovery different?

Two widely held beliefs prevail among economists regarding recoveries: 1) Deep recessions usually lead to strong recoveries, and 2) Financial crises usually produce weak recoveries. But the curious thing about the Great Recession is that it was a deep recession kick-started by a financial crisis and fostered by a sundry of asset bubble bursts. A growing body of research has found that such recoveries tend to be slower than those after “normal” recessions.

So whether this trend will continue is the real question. Or is it just another case of lies, darn lies, and statistics? Either way, it’s what people will be thinking about as they cast their vote (or not) on Election Day, the outcome of which will have no small impact on the Green Industry and the rest of the economy. m Darden Jones Regional Sales Manager dardenjones@summitplastic.com Cell: 972.809.0946

Ph: 800.814.3496 • Fx: 330.633.9738 www.summitplastic.com • sales@summitplastic.com © 2009 Summit Plastic Co.

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Tr adeshow Tips

Exhibiting Magic: Part 1

by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP

D

o you ever yearn for a magic wand to give a quick fix to your trade show trials and tribulations? Wouldn’t it be nice to have attendees motivated to flock to our booths because they wanted to and not because they had to? The question is, “What magic can you perform on the trade show floor to help captivate and charm your prospects with your products/services?” The following thirteen magic buttons (six this month and seven next month in Part 2) will give you some irresistible ideas to get those creative juices flowing.

Written by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, internationally recognized expert working with companies to increase their profitability at tradeshows.

1. Use boundless imagination Without a shadow of a doubt, imagination and creativity need to permeate from every pore of your exhibit marketing program. How can you tap into the creativity and imagination that exists in your organization to cast prizewinning spells to enhance your exhibiting program?

2. Stop being an adult At the core of every attendee is a little child yearning to escape. What can you do to help them do that? What can you do that incorporates what we all loved as children: fairy tales, story-telling, and make-believe games? Disney managed it very successfully, and so did J.K. Rowling. What would a fiveyear old do to sprinkle some magical pixie dust on to your exhibit marketing program?

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To get what you want, you often have to break and bend the rules, especially when it suits your purpose. Most advances in science, medicine, music, art, and design came as a result of someone being prepared to challenge the norm and try a different approach. What scary rules could you secretly break?

4. Do what you know Take something you know and do well and add a little something else to it, and then add something else. Very soon you will take on the mark of a wizard and transform what you have into something new. What creative things can you do with what you know, and what resources and solutions are right in front of you?

5. Integrate the weird and wonderful It’s easy to look at exhibiting from only one perspective, especially when you exhibit within one particular industry. Often, the best ideas come from cutting across different boundaries.

For example, how could you integrate weird and wonderful potions, charms, giants, dragons, cauldrons, crystal balls, and the like into your offering? Make a point of looking outside your particular situation for enchanting ideas.

6. Plot out your plan before you begin What’s your exhibiting objective, what are you trying to achieve, and what planning do you need to do? Draw a picture and make a map of where you need to go and the things you need to do. Using pictures instead of words can add bewitching power and put a very different perspective on your planning process. It also helps make it fun! m

Stay tuned for Exhibiting Magic: Part II in next month’s issue!

August 18-21, 2011 Dallas Convention Center No v e m b e r 2 0 1 0

3. Break and bend the rules

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TNLA G r e e n

New Members

Classified Ads

Welcome

For the latest job listings visit our online opportunities.

TNLA would like to welcome its new members. If you would like to become a member, or if you have any questions or concerns about your current membership, please contact us at 800.880.0343. Visit www.tnlaonline.org to learn about the benefits of becoming a part of TNLA.

REGION II

Landscape FN Landscape Froylan Nino PO Box 431713 Houston, TX 77243 www.fnlandscape.com

Grounds Maintenance, Irrigation, Landscape Designer, Hydroseeding

REGION I V

Landscape Terra Vista Pool, Patio & Landscape, LLC Brian Masterson 3245 Main St, Ste 235-192 Frisco, TX 75034 www.terravistappl.com

Hydroseeding, Irrigation, Landscape Designer, Landscape Contractor

Retail Papershell: A Garden Gallery Elizabeth Barrow, TCNP 4802 FM 2218 Richmond, TX 77469 www.thepapershell.com

Supplier Polen Insurance Group, LLC Michael Polen PO Box 702925 Dallas, TX 75370

Supplier The New Nursery Taylor Moore 846 W 27th St Houston, TX 77008-1706 www.newtonnursery.com

Landscape Branching Out Landscaping, Inc. James Roger Brodnax, TCNP 1013 Harbor Village Corpus Christi, TX 78412

Nursery/Garden Center

Distributor, Trees, Woody Ornamentals, Nursery/Garden Center

REGION V II

OUT OF STATE

Grower Sun City Tree Farm Philippe Tort PO Box 1809 Ruskin, FL 33575 www.suncitytrees.com Trees

Retail Rock Creek Stone & Nursery Co. Charles Teague HC 67 Box 962 Rattan, OK 74562 Supplier Enviro-Building Systems, Inc. Ron Miller 200 S Virginia St 8th Floor Reno, NV 89501 www.galvacore.com Manufacturer, Distributor

REGION V III

Student Jacob Stevens Central Texas College 1102 Alberta Cir Harker Heights, TX 76548

newly certified individuals Christy Schroedter, TCNP

Scott Wiatrek, TCLP

Turner Landscape, Inc. Corpus Christi

Preferred Landscape and Lighting Boerne

Deborah McCarty, TCNP

Tina Lynn, TCLP

TG Trees Nursery and Garden Center Lubbock

Southern Rain Irrigation & Landscape Adkins

Thomas Keese, TCLP Preferred Landscape & Lighting San Antonio

Learn more about the benefits of certification at www.tnlaonline.org.

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KASE Model #3423 -2 yard paddle batch Soil Mixer 3 phase electric motor; Water spray pipes; Abrasion resistant tub and paddle package; Purchased new in 2004 for $10,000-used less than 2 months; Used sale price = $7500 like new!

Jim and Kay Richardson, Richardson Farms, 2850 C.R. 412, Rockdale, TX” 76567, 512-4462306 Market Leader The San Antonio Market Leader will be responsible for working with the Austin Branch Team (including the Branch Manager/ Account Manager/ Business Development Associate and others) to help prospect viable sales leads across their designated region.

They ensure quality and efficient landscape management for current clients and their properties, while achieving profit goals for the company and consistently improving market share. They will assist on estimating new maintenance work in the San Antonio Market and developing a hub-based market cataloguing process that will help identify properties and customers within the market area that Brickman would aspire to partner with.

Email resume to Texas.Recruiting@ BrickmanGroup.com or visit www.brickmangroup.com/ careers/findajob.php.

75 words or less. $49 Member/$61 Non-Member. Standard type only, no logos or artwork. All classified advertising must be paid in advance.

Email your ad to advertising@ tnlaonline.org with “classified advertising” in the subject line.

T e xa s N u r s e ry & L a n d s c a p e A s s o c i at i o n

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No v e m b e r 2 0 1 0

TNLA G r e e n

November Region Meeting Schedule

Calendar

Region I San Antonio Area Tuesday, Nov 9 at Peterson Brothers

Region II Houston Area Monday, Nov 8 at Plants for All Seasons

November 2010

Region III East Texas Friday, Nov 12 at Rick’s on the Square

Region IV Dallas Area Tuesday, Nov 9 at Naaman Forest High School

Region V North Central Texas Tuesday, Nov 16 at Bowden’s in Colleyville

Region VI West Texas No Meeting

Region Vii South Texas Thursday, Nov 18, location TBA

Region VIII Central Texas Tuesday, Nov 9, location TBA For meeting times and additional information, please visit your regional homepage by clicking on your region above.

1 TEIL Application deadline. Download Entry Form here.

2 Election Day. 9 Fall IPM Seminar, Dallas.

17 Water Webinar Series - Ecological Approaches to Water Treatment.

Register at www.watereducationalliance.org.

December 2010 5–7 Irrigation Show 2010, Phoenix Convention Center, AZ. 23 Hotel group rate and early registration deadline for 2011 TNLA Management Workshop.

January 2011 7–8 & 14–15 Arboriculture 101, 4-day Tree Care Short Course, Conroe. 8 CEUs per day available.

11 82nd Texas State Legislative Session begins.

11–15 Sports Turf Managers Association’s 22nd Annual Conference & Exhibition, Austin.

14–15 TNLA Management Workshop in Fort Worth.

20 Water Webinar Series - Nutritional Aspects of Water Quality. Register at www.watereducationalliance.org.

24–28 7th Annual Turfgrass Ecology and Management Short Course in College Station.

26–29 ANLA Management Clinic, Louisville, KY. 27–28 STNGA Tradeshow in Conroe. CEUs available.

February 2011

4-5 NTNGA tradeshow in Mesquite. CEUs available.

8 Landscape Water Budgeting Workshop, Austin. Contact Charles Swanson (979-845-5614 or clswanson@ag.tamu.edu).

18 Landscape Training Seminar in English & Spanish at the Dallas Arboretum. Up to 6 CEUs available.

For an up-to-date calendar of events, go to www.tnlaonline.org.

Advertiser s In de x

Download media kit or email: advertising@tnlaonline.org

No v e m b e r 2 0 1 0

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BWI Companies, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Deep Fork Tree Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dig Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ewing Irrigation Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

FX Luminaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hortica Insurance & Employee Benefits . . .

Hotchkiss Insurance Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Irrigation Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

T e xa s N u r s e ry & L a n d s c a p e A s s o c i at i o n

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24 24 22 18 20 18 22 24

Kinney Bonded Warehouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Living Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 New Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 OHP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Submatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Summit Plastic Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Texas Mutual Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

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NO RE

W

G ISTER

Systems • People • Marketing

J a n u a r y 1 4 - 1 5 , 2 0 1 1 • F t. W o r t h , T X Participants: ALL Green Industry Professionals In this innovative, hands-on, two-day workshop you will learn from experts how to improve the efficiency of your people, your systems, and your marketing!

Hilton Fort Worth

Karl Ahlrichs will help your business help your business communicate more efficiently, put your people into overdrive and help you see with a whole new vision (3-E!).

Jay Baer will help you harness the awesome power of the social Web! Use technology to efficiently market your business by taking what you know and moving to the next level!

Deadline: December 23, 2010 Group rate for the hotel and early registration

For reservations: 1-800-Hiltons (445-8667) Group Code: TNL Texas Nursery & Landscape Association • (800) 880-0343 • www.tnlaonline.org