The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA) recently modified its traditional membership meeting format and experimented with the concept of peer group discussions. Influenced by PLANETs highly successful Breakfast with Champions round table discussions, the NJLCA created its own version, choosing six topics and using square tables. The topics were selected based on the feedback they received from their members in a questionnaire.

Topics for the evening focused on software, motivating your company, attracting high-end clients, marketing/advertising, what to Include in contracts and social media. Attendees had the option to sit at whichever table was most appealing to them. Each table had an associate member, board member or area consultant as a facilitator.  

NJLCA Member Jason Sponzilli of Sponzilli Landscape Group said, “I feel we should do these meetings several times a year in a way to unite landscape contractors so we are all delivering a similar message to our clients about professionalism and expectations.”

The roundtable discussions were originally limited to one hour, but went on longer. At the end of the evening, NJLCA members and guests requested that the association have more of these types of meetings, and some asked when the next one would be held.  

“The feedback was great and everyone agreed that we should do this more often,” said Jody Shilan, president.

On the heels of this meeting, the NJLCA will be holding a “Power Lunch” at their annual New Jersey Landscape Trade Show on March 2, which will be a similar format of the roundtable discussions.  

The author is the director of operations for the NJLCA.