The Boards, Advisory Groups, and Committees of the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) met at the 2003 Summer Leadership Meeting held July 23-26, 2003, at Mt. Tremblant, Canada. The meeting drew together landscape contractors, suppliers, and educators from across the United States and Canada, who met to plan new programs, products, and services to benefit ALCA members and the landscape industry as a whole. The following are highlights of ALCA’s plans to continue to provide exceptional leadership and resources to the green industry.
Forming new partnerships was one of the event’s main themes. ALCA Executive Director Debra Holder announced that ALCA continues to grow, like the industry, and is aggressively pursuing new partnerships.
Approximately 30 states and four Canadian provinces now participate in the ALCA certification program; ALCA has more than a 10-year partnership with the Green Industry Expo (GIE), the Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA), and the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS); and ALCA has formed a new legislative partnership with PLCAA. In addition, there is a new relationship forming with the Evergreen Foundation. Holder was also recently officially notified that ALCA was selected as the Irrigation Association’s 2003 Partner of the Year.
Design/Build Advisory Group member Rick Doesburg, CCLP, announced that a new publication, Blueprint for Success: Proven Systems for the Installation and Design/Build Contractor, will be available at ALCA’s Green Industry Conference (GIC) to be held in St. Louis, Nov. 5-9, 2003. GIC registrants will have an opportunity to attend a new networking event (Night of the Roundtables), listen to new speakers, and attend new educational sessions. David Snodgrass announced a new “Safe Company Program” called STARS to be rolled out at GIC as well as a new potential alliance with OSHA.
Other “new” initiatives include a new CLP exam format to be introduced at the Executive Forum in February 2004. John Allin, certification chair, noted that study material for the exam, which has been consolidated into seven binders and one CD, makes both an effective study tool for those taking the exam and a great educational tool for any contractor.
The Education Committee, chaired by Tom Heaviland, announced that it was exploring the development of new, crew-level seminars and new learning opportunities for ALCA members, including those presented by technological advances in the field of long-distance learning.
George Gaumer, chair of the Maintenance Advisory Group, reported that the committee plans to conduct an annual survey of maintenance members, to be followed up with a focus group at each GIC. The committee is also rewriting the Guide To Operating A Successful Landscape Maintenance Business, with a target date for completion of the 2004 GIC. The January survey showed that finding and hiring staff, competitive pricing, and time management were among the biggest challenges facing maintenance contractors. Certification, GIC, and SafetyScapes were singled out as the most valuable ALCA programs
Supplier Committee Chair Roger Braswell discussed new promotional opportunities for ALCA supplier members. Among those mentioned is a free hyperlink, expanded use of the ALCA logo, an ALCA point-of-purchase display and ALCA response cards. Braswell noted that ALCA’s most ambitious supplier project is to provide “ALCA Bucks” coupons in the amount of $100 to interested supplier members. The coupons can be used to sponsor a landscape contractor’s trip to ALCA events like the Green Industry Conference and Expo or to defray the cost of ALCA membership for first-time members. ALCA will invoice suppliers $50 for each redeemed coupon.