Members of the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association are hoping that supporters will come out to play in the inaugural NJNLA Education Foundation golf outing and have a chance to win a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The event, scheduled July 23 at the Harbor Pines Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township, will serve to raise money to help further educational programs and opportunities related to agriculture, horticulture, landscape design and construction and other educational programs related to the green industry.
“We hope to raise around $25,000 to $30,000 for the Education Foundation,” said Keith MacIndoe of Johnson Farms in Deerfield, N.J. He is organizing the event along with the help of Bob Zentner of Hopewell Nursery; George Madosky of Windy Bush Daylilies; Jeff Kellmyer of Brock Farms; and Suzanne VanSciver of Quinton Nursery.
They noted that this will be their first major fundraiser for the Education Foundation, and they are hoping that the hole-in-one prize – a soft tail custom Harley-Davidson motorcycle from Salem County Harley-Davidson Sales in Elmer — will cause golfers to pause.
The Education Foundation was organized in 2005 as a non-profit organization and has various goals, including the establishment of scholarship programs for students interested in pursuing a career in the green industry. One scholarship has already been established in memory of Art Rudolph, a former salesman for Monrovia Nursery, with a portion of the proceeds from this golf outing to be directed to this scholarship.
MacIndoe feels the need for mentors is important to helping others enter the nursery industry and related his own experiences. As a high school student at Northern Burlington Regional High School who took horticulture classes, he was offered an opportunity to work at MacAllister’s Nursery. “If it wasn’t for John and Cathy Malison showing me the positive aspects of the nursery business, I probably would have done something different. I had the work ethic from my parents and the desire to do something with plants came naturally from working on the family farm,” noted MacIndoe.
He went on to attain an associate’s degree in horticulture from Mercer County College and then transferred to West Virginia University and received his bachelor’s degree in Plant Science. After college graduation, he worked for Princeton Nurseries for nine years starting as a foreman in the wholesale yard and eventually a field production manager. He has been at Johnson Farms in Deerfield for the past six years in a similar position. He has been at Johnson Farms in Deerfield for the past six years in a similar position.
“Students these days have so many options when it comes to careers. This is not the most glamorous business, but if you find a good mentor and match them with someone with a strong work ethic and enthusiasm for the industry, it’s really a great business to work in,” said MacIndoe.
Registration for the golf outing is $275 per person or $900 for a foursome and includes a boxed lunch and open practice starting at noon with golf from 1:30 to 6 p.m. A cocktail hour will start at 6, followed by a buffet dinner and awards presentations. Registration is due by July 5 and can be sent to the NJNLA office at 605 Farnsworth Avenue, Bordentown, NJ 08505. Questions may be directed to 800/314-4836.