President’s Message

Happy fall, y’all!

The busy season is once again

Leslie Herndon

Greenscape, Inc. Raleigh, NC Leslie

upon us, both professionally and for the association! I know everyone is excited to be in the final sprint to the year-end finish, and optimistic for what the future holds for us all in 2022. Our board of directors is most looking forward to hosting everyone in Greensboro in person—yes, I said IN PERSON—in January! Our staff and vendor team are hard at work putting together a great Green & Growin’ for everyone. We are especially thankful to everyone who has sent in their contracts for booths and/or sponsorships this year—we could not do it without you. If you are interested in getting in a last-minute sponsorship or booth contract, please contact the NCNLA office as soon as possible.

Since Green & Growin’ didn’t take place last year, personally I am most excited to see everyone face to face at this year’s show. We are an industry of deep relationships, and there is no better place to continue to develop those than in Greensboro in January. I want to encourage those who have never attended Green & Growin’ to do so. Whether this will be your first or 50th time attending the event, this show presents immeasurable opportunities to individuals in our industry.

In addition to the ever-popular Marketplace, I would like to let you know about the well-known speakers we have on the education agenda. Bryce Lane, who needs no introduction for our group, will be back to deliver what I am sure will be an informative and entertaining keynote on Wednesday. We are also happy to host Dr. Charlie Hall, a green industry economist from Texas A&M University, for our Tuesday keynote. Having heard Charlie speak at numerous events over the years, I can say you definitely do not want to miss his take on our industry and the current state of the economy.

Our team also has worked hard to put together a dynamic and innovative list of education sessions you won’t want to miss. Diversity in our speaker lineup is something we continue to develop, as we look to provide our membership with as many different learning opportunities as possible. And again this year, we’re looking forward to our popular Women in the Green Industry panel during Education, as well as the Women in the Green Industry gathering at the Marketplace.

I would also like to thank Caterpillar for sponsoring NCNLA Day at their facility in September. I have received great feedback from event attendees, and we look forward to partnering with Caterpillar in the future to continue to benefit our membership.

In closing, I recently ran across this quote, which I think sums up our industry and why we do what we do on a daily basis. I will leave you with this, as well as wishes for a very happy, healthy Thanksgiving and a merry Christmas! See you in January!

“I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow.” —David Hobson