Wisconsin Green Industry Heads for the Hill

On Feb. 15, 2005 hundreds of members of the Wisconsin green industry are expected to assemble in Madison, the state capital, for their first-ever Day on the Hill.

In 2002, state industry members ranging from landscape contractors to sod producers to sports turf managers, began pooling funds to commission an in-depth industry survey, which began in March 2003. The results of the survey came out in July of 2004 and showed that the green industry in Wisconsin makes a strong impact on the state’s economy.

“The survey gave us a very good handle on the economic impact our industry makes on the state of Wisconsin,” says Brian Swingle, executive director of the Wisconsin Landscape Federation. “Altogether, we make a $2.7 billion impact on the state while providing 43,000 job in more than 4,700 companies. As an industry, we want to make the strength of those numbers known to our state legislators so they understand how much of an impact their decisions really make.”

Swingle says the group plans to use these first meetings with state lawmakers to make its presence known and pass on industry messages. “At this point, we’re not specifically asking for anything,” he explains. “Our goal is to meet with legislators and their aides and explain to them that we’re a growing industry, we employ a significant number of people and whenever they make policy decisions on anything from land use issues to pesticide and fertilizer regulations, it has a significant impact on the industry in this state.”

Industry professionals familiar with the national Legislative Day on the Hill hosted annually by the Professional Lawn Care Association will recognize the format for the Feb. 15 event in Madison. On the event registration form, participants can identify the state representatives in their district and event coordinators will organize “delegations” of attendees to meet with those representatives. Prior to those meetings, all attendees will be briefed on the key industry issues and messages that will be conveyed to lawmakers.

“We’re getting a good response to this event and we’re looking forward to it being a success,” Swingle says. “This is an exciting opportunity for our industry to show how important it is to Wisconsin’s economy and its future.”