MALTA closer to merger

The Metro Atlanta Landscape and Turf Association and two other associations have decided to merge with the Georgia Urban Agriculture Council (UAC) to form a truly statewide organization.

Upon approval by each board of directors, MALTA, the Georgia Turfgrass Association and the Georgia Sod Producers Association proposed the merger to its members. Voting took place in recent weeks, and the result was 98 percent approval, said Mary Kay Woodworth, executive director of MALTA and president of UAC.

UAC’s board of directors will meet in the next two weeks to vote to adopt the new bylaws, said Woodworth, who is expected to become executive director of UAC.

“We’re excited because we’ll be able to offer so much more to all of our members,” Woodworth said. “All of the existing services, events, educational opportunities that each individual association has will stay – nothing is going to change in that regard. They’ll just be bigger and better and open to a larger audience.”

Once finalized, the merger will create a membership of 1,100. But Woodworth expects that number to grow.

“I think there were many companies, because Atlanta was in the name of MALTA, that felt that it was only for Atlanta companies, and I think by removing that obstacle it will make a big difference,” she said. Also, the different types of outreach the organizations offer is expected to boost membership. For instance, MALTA offers monthly education sessions, while GTA hosts a yearly tradeshow. “There will be just a lot more opportunities for people to learn about the association and interact, so I think it will definitely drive membership.”

UAC was founded in 2005 to provide an industry voice on legislative and regulatory matters for multiple Georgia associations. Talks of a merger with UAC have taken place for nearly four years and seriously for the last 18 months. Because UAC is more recognizable throughout the state, it made sense for the three associations to merge and maintain the UAC name, Woodworth said.

“As an advocacy group for the industry, we more than double our size now,” she said. “And (we) just create a bigger power and a bigger voice – one voice for the industry. In today’s world, people are realizing more and more that political clout makes a difference in how you run businesses.”