AmericanHort Connect December 2018

An AmericanHort Member Benefit

2018:December

A KNOWLEDGE RESOURCE FOR OUR INDUSTRY

IN THIS ISSUE

A Year in Review “It’s an exciting time for our industry with plenty of ongoing challenges but equally as many opportunities. As we look toward 2019, I am excited about the future of AmericanHort and our industry. Thank you to all who are AmericanHort members. We appreciate your engagement and contribution as we work diligently to represent the industry on your behalf and help position the horticulture industry to be relevant and thriving into the future.”

—Ken Fisher, President & CEO, AmericanHort

FEATURES Looking Ahead

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HRI & ADVOCACY UPDATES

The Landscape Operations Tour Photo Recap 6

HRI Scholarship Recipients 10

Plug & Cutting Rescheduled 13

DOL Webinar Highlights 12

UPCOMING EVENTS Cultivate’19 15 Plug & Cutting

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Impact Washington Summit 15

Looking Ahead

By Ken Fisher, President and CEO, AmericanHort, KenF@AmericanHort.org

Perform Better, Grow Faster, and Prepare for the Future as part of AmericanHort, the Green Industry’s leading association. That’s our value proposition for our member companies and the industry; in 2018, we made investments and developed programs to make good on this brand promise.

Our 2018 programming started with Cultivate where over 10,000 attendees from all 50 states and 44 countries joined us in Columbus, Ohio for the industry’s leading, all-segment trade show. Perform, Grow, and Prepare for the Future also drove over 150 educational sessions. These sessions were focused on identifying and sharing best industry practices (Perform), hearing from business and operational experts speaking on production, market, economic, consumer, competitive topics (Grow), and assembling the best resources to facilitate and ensure the productive generational transfer of the industry and 2 | AmericanHort.org

position the horticulture industry to be relevant and thriving into the future (Prepare for the Future). Industry participation and engagement at Cultivate continues to grow and we are grateful to everyone who supports this important industry event.

Our D.C. based advocacy team continued their industry stewardship of key legislative and regulatory issues impacting our industry. Our leadership in a tax coalition helped preserve favorable treatment for our industry in the tax bill that was passed to ensure our industry can continue to grow unencumbered by new tax burdens.

In addition, AmericanHort is a leading

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The Agricultural Trucking Relief Act

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The Farm Bill

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Phytosanitary and Trade Issues

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Crop Production and Pest Management Issues

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Pollinator Health

“It’s an exciting time for our industry with plenty of ongoing challenges but equally as many opportunities.”

All of these areas are vital for the horticultural industry’s optimal performance, growth, and preparation for the future.

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Other important legislation that AmericanHort is working hard to ensure the industry benefits from include:

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voice across all of agriculture supporting and driving for sensible seasonal worker programs (H-2A, H-2B). While progress is slow in our current political environment, know that AmericanHort has a seat at the table for every important industry and legislative discussion and our outsizedinfluence has helped deflect harmful bills and advance those that will ultimately result in more workers for horticulture and specialty agriculture producers.

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THE YEAR AHEAD

Seek & Find !

In each issue, we’ll be “hiding” a new small graphic. When you find it, email us at ConnectSeekAndFind@AmericanHort.org, and tell us where you found it.

(For example, “bottom left corner of page 5.”)

When you respond by the 1st of the month after the publication is issued, you’ll be entered into a drawing for an AmericanHort super prize pack.

For this December issue, respond by January 1.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the following AmericanHort members who found October’s icon in our Seek & Find and are winners of our drawing for AmericanHort swag!

Joan Leuenberger, PlantPeddler Cresco, IA Carol Thomas, Perennial Favorites LLC Hamilton, NJ

In 2018, we also made “down payments” in several new areas to benefit our members.

Launching our “Industry Insider Reports,” we are bringing thought-leadership on industry economics, retail trends, and best practices from industry experts across the market. These can be found on our newly designed website, AmericanHort.org.

We have also started a consumer-facing marketing program at LoveYourPlants.org, to help consumers learn about plants and direct them to local garden retailers, and teamed with global sustainability leader MPS to bring sustainability best practices to our members. We continue to grow and expand leading research projects to impact the future of our industry through our research arm, Horticultural Research Institute.

as many opportunities. Thank you to all who are AmericanHort members, those companies who have supported us as sponsors and exhibitors, and those of you who have provided expertise as a speaker or featured guest. We appreciate your engagement and contribution as we work diligently to represent the industry on your behalf and help position the horticulture industry to be relevant and thriving into the future.

It’s an exciting time for our industry with plenty of ongoing challenges but equally

Ken Fisher President and CEO, AmericanHort 2018:December | 3

MEET OUR STAFF

MEMBERSHIP

Featuring Brian Brown Welcome to AmericanHort!

Brian Brown, PhD Manager of Field Operations for the Southeast BrianB@ AmericanHort.org

What Our Members Want to Know

By Terri Brown, Marketing and Member Engagement, AmericanHort

At AmericanHort, we do our best to keep you informed about key events and issues that impact our industry. We try to provide content and information that our members find useful, interesting and compelling.

Job Responsibilities: I will be representing AmericanHort in the Southeast by cultivating relationships with all our current and potential members, promoting our industry-leading events, and developing regional programming that will grow our industry. I will also be focusing on the dialogue and engagement around state and federal advocacy working to alleviate or minimize legislative and regulatory burdens facing the horticulture industry.

Experience: In 2006, I earned my PhD in Horticulture from Auburn University and immediately joined the Auburn staff.

I have taught horticulture classes, served as a recruiter and academic advisor, and worked with companies to place Auburn students in horticulture jobs and internships. Also, I have served as the university liaison for the Southern Nursery Association, the Gulf States Horticulture Expo, and GIE Media.

Hobbies: I enjoy cooking, entertaining, and woodworking.

Favorite Part of AmericanHort: I am excited to be working with such a great group of people. I have already noticed the care and compassion they have for their employees and members. The horticulture industry is comprised of so many incredible people, I am excited to get to know our members and look forward to serving them.

So, what do AmericanHort members really want to hear about?

The following articles and webinars drove the most engagement over the past year.

This information is currently posted in AmericanHort’s Knowledge Center. The Knowledge Center is the industry’s online resource for articles, video, and additional media relating to all aspects and segments of horticulture. It offers AmericanHort members 24/7 access to industry-specific resources and information for learning and training.

Update on Current ImmigrationRelated Workplace Enforcement Initiatives and Practical Compliance Advice (June 2018)

If you’d like to read or watch any posts or videos listed below, visit the Knowledge Center at HortKnowledgeCenter.org.

The information posted is proprietary and developed specifically for our members, so you will be required to log-in to access. If you have any issues, just contact us at (614) 487-1117 or Hello@AmericanHort.org.

Industry Insider Report: A Perspective on Profit Margin (Webinar Series)

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Updated guidance with regard to enforcement actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsible for immigrationrelated workplace compliance.

This is a panel discussion with Charlie Hall, AmericanHort’s Chief Economist, and three industry members. They discuss what they learned from the information shared in the series of Industry Insider Report videos and share some of the practices they are putting in place in their own businesses to help address these market dynamics.

Labor Situation Cussed, Discussed at Cultivate’18 (July 2018) In virtually every forum and private conversation that took place at Cultivate’18, the topic of “how is the industry doing” turned to labor and trucking. On both fronts, a difficult situation that is sapping the industry of profitability and potential.

Transportation Department Explores Trucking Rule Changes (September 2018) The Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced that it is exploring measures to provide flexibility for Hours of Service (HOS) rules. The agency issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking, asking for public comments and initiating the process to potentially modify rules now in place for drivers.

Agency Issues Additional Trucking Guidance on Agricultural Exemption (June 2018) The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued additional guidance on the agricultural exemption on June 1, while also providing more clarity on certain situations where time would not count against a commercial driver’s available hours of service. Unfortunately, what we’ve been waiting for—clarity on what is considered an agricultural commodity—was not provided in this guidance.

Terri Brown Marketing & Member Engagement AmericanHort TerriB@AmericanHort.org

2018:December | 5

TOUR RECAP

Landscape Operations Tour Photo Recap

By Katie Gustafson, Marketing Communication Specialist, AmericanHort

AmericanHort’s first Landscape Operations Tour took place November 5–6, 2018 in Southwest Ohio. Thank you to the landscaping companies that welcomed us into their facilities and shared strategies to increase operational efficiency. The tour was a resounding success!

Berns Landscaping welcomes the Landscape Operations Tour!

After touring Berns Landscaping, we watched their crews undertake their efficient morning roll-out procedures.

Brandon Druffel from Dan Druffel Inc talked to the tour group about managing a generational transfer in a landscape business.

At Natorp’s Landscape, attendees heard about the benefits of vertical integration from a family company with over 100 years of experience.

At Siebenthaler’s Landscaping, tour attendees got to talk about communication technology and preventative maintenance.

When we toured Tom’s Mulch and Landscaping, we saw interesting equipment and lots and lots of mulch.

Steve Foltz from the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden leads a tour group though the grounds discussing landscape operations, plant choices, and zoo initiatives.

The Site Group Inc. shares insight on their shared leadership program, and the increased efficiency and higher employee engagement they have seen since implementing the program.

Landscape Operations Tour attendees begin their tour of Scarff’s Landscape.

Tour attendees examine and the discuss setup of the equipment at Scarff’s Landscape.

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden uses different plants to create faux environments that mimic the animal’s natural habitat with plants that are hardy in their zone.

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Katie Gustafson Marketing & Communications Specialist, AmericanHort KatieG@AmericanHort.org

2018:December | 7

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT trends and repeatable inspiration. We also partner with a local non-for-profit and 25% of ticket sale proceeds benefit their mission.

What is one of Bachman’s greatest challenges and how do you overcome it?

demonstrations to discover creative ways to blend fresh beauty into seasonal decorating.

Bachman’s, Inc Minneapolis, MN

Bachman’s Inc. consists of thirty-three retail locations in the Twin Cities and St. Cloud, Minnesota, including six Floral, Gift, and Garden Centers and twenty-seven Flowers by Bachman’s stores. Bachman’s also operates indoor and outdoor landscaping divisions, including a garden maintenance department, their Cedar Acres Hardscapes Center, and a nursery wholesale division. Their growing range near Lakeville, Minnesota, includes eight acres of greenhouses and 670 acres of fields, where they produce many of the plants, flowers, and landscaping products sold in Bachman’s various entities.

In this member spotlight, Susan Bachman West and Karen Bachman Thull talk about how being community-centric drives them to always grow and innovate…plus they share some of their most popular strategies during the holiday season!

What sets Bachman’s apart from the rest of the green industry?

Bachman’s is extremely community-centric.

Throughout our 134 years of operation, our customers have pushed us to innovate, grow, and stay on the cutting-edge of horticulture. We want the customer to succeed, and we have many different events and programs that provide continued inspiration and education, especially in the holiday season. Our customers are as passionate about the business as we are!

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Santa and Albert the Elf: Our guests kick off their holiday season with Santa and Albert the Elf as they arrive at Bachman’s on Lyndale direct from the North Pole in their reindeer-drawn sleigh. For more than 30 years, it has been a beloved Bachman’s tradition to host a holiday play for all ages with the Big Man from the North (Santa!) and his trusty side-kick, Albert the Elf. The play lasts approximately 20 minutes.

Following the play, Santa and Albert will lead a sing-along of carols and take pictures with guests.

What are three unique things that Bachman’s does during the holiday season?

How is being a member of AmericanHort impactful to Bachman’s?

When the yuletide season is on its way, Bachman’s invites guests to make it merry!

This season is a chance for us to connect to the community, give back, and showcase our expertise. Here are a few of our favorite holiday strategies: Education: During the months of November and December, Bachman’s holds over a dozen workshops and special events.

The Workshops inspire guests with make & take demonstrations and expert education provided by award-winning designers.

(Think floral design, spruce top planters, holiday wreaths and dish gardens). Events include Inspiration Nights showcasing inspirational stations set up throughout the Lyndale Store featuring expert-led

Unsurprisingly, one of Bachman’s greatest challenges is recruitment in the tight labor market. One of the ways we combat this is with our involvement in the community.

Being involved not only pushes us to be the best we can be, it also builds a passion for living products in our communities, environmental stewardship and innovation.

We want to help people envision a career in horticulture. With events, it’s easier to make a connection between our products and services and how potential employees will be able to make an impact.

The Holiday Ideas House: One of our most impressive holiday experiences is The Holiday House. For the past eight years, we have turned a historic home on our Lyndale property into a living Pinterest board. Every season, we decorate the house, but it is much more than just putting up a Christmas tree and hanging a few wreaths. We start from scratch every time with new seasonal

As a member of AmericanHort, Bachman’s values the collaboration of like-minded companies who share a passion for bringing beauty to life, innovation to the marketplace and efficiencies to operations.

Going to Cultivate lets us share experiences and stories with people across the entire industry. And, of course we value having a united voice for the horticulture industry in Washington, D.C. Katie Gustafson Marketing & Communications Specialist, AmericanHort KatieG@AmericanHort.org

2018:December | 9

HRI SCHOLARSHIP

HRI Scholarship Winners Announced

By Jennifer Gray, Research Programs Administrator, AmericanHort

Providing scholarships for future industry leaders is just one of the ways HRI and AmericanHort lead the industry and help it grow faster, perform better, and prepare for the future. We are excited to announce our first four scholarship recipients of 2019!

The Proven Winners Scholarship Fund Bright, well-trained, and qualified people are essential to the nursery industry, and that’s what inspired Dale and Liz Deppe to create the Spring Meadow–Proven Winners Scholarship Fund in 1999. The fund is dedicated to helping aspiring students from across the country obtain a degree in horticulture.

Yufei Qian is a graduate student at the University of California–Davis where she is doing everything she can to learn and pursue her passion for plants. Yufei notes that she’s benefited from a series of internships while at UC– Davis, including stints in UC’s Teaching Nursery working on plant propagation of ornamental plants and two lab internships learning and working on plant genetics and molecular level breeding. All of these experiences, Yufei says, are pointing her to a future career in woody plant breeding.

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Aaron Sledge just started his junior year at Penn State University but is no stranger to horticulture.

He’s already completed internships in arboriculture, interior plantscaping, and conservatory and historic landscape management—in addition to on-campus opportunities working in the greenhouse and as head propagator for the horticulture club. A well-rounded plant production student, Aaron is especially interested in woody plant propagation. He notes that his copy of Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape Plants is dog-eared from all the times he’s referenced it! Aaron was also selected as one of the six participants of AmericanHort’s HortScholar Program this year, and I can personally attest to his work ethic and his enthusiasm for our industry.

William Lewis has been working for his family nursery since he was 14 years old. Currently, he is an undergraduate student at Virginia Tech working towards a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Horticulture and, ultimately, plans on taking over the family nursery business. He has worked in every aspect of the nursery—from leading the team at nursery trade shows, to mechanics, to everyday nursery operations. Not only is he a full-time student, but he drives two hours home every weekend to work at the nursery Friday through Sunday. William is steadfastly committed to his family nursery and the horticulture industry.

We’re grateful to Dale, Liz, and the Spring Meadows–Proven Winners team for their leadership and the opportunity to support students like Yufei, William, and Aaron.

It’s exciting and inspiring to see the work these students put in as they train for horticultural careers.

The Mugget Scholarship The Mugget Scholarship is one of HRI’s oldest scholarship funds, started by a group of industry folks who used to get together for social events at various ANLA and other industry events. So, what’s a Mugget? The Mugget Growers of America (MGA) was established back in 1981. (I like to imagine that the notion was conceived somewhere near a bar.) The group would meet at various industry events to discuss important plant issues regarding the development of a new (pretend) plant called ‘Mugget.’ During those “meetings,” they’d raise money for Horticultural Research Institute, ultimately creating and growing a scholarship fund of over $50,000.

in horticultural entrepreneurship and completed two horticultural internships at the most magical place on earth—Disney World! She’s currently enrolled as a PhD student at Texas A&M as part of Dr. Charlie Hall’s research team.

The Carville M. Akehurst Memorial Scholarship The Carville M. Akehurst Memorial Scholarship was established in 2002 by the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Shoe, Inc. (MANTS). This scholarship serves to memorialize Mr. Akehurst, who served the horticultural industry as one of the founders of MANTS and the Executive Vice-President for over 30 years.

Isabel Emanuel is a second-year graduate research associate in the department of Plant Pathology at Ohio State University and this year’s recipient of the Akehurst scholarship. Isabel found her passion for plants on the weekends she got to work in the garden with her grandparents. Her current goal is to generate a practical solution to save the deciduous holly crop through her research.

Her long-term goal is to become a member of the Horticultural Industry, continue learning, and to help growers improve their practice in an integrated and sustainable way.

Jennifer Gray Research Programs Administrator, AmericanHort JenniferG@AmericanHort.org

This year’s recipient is Melinda Knuth.

Some of you may have met Melinda at either Cultivate’17 where she was a HortScholar or at Cultivate’18 where she served as program coordinator wrangling this year’s HortScholars. Melinda got hooked on horticulture through her participation in FFA. She graduated from University of Nebraska with a degree 2018:December | 11

FROM THE HILL

A D V O C A C Y U P DAT E S

Audits and an Ounce of Preparation On November 1, AmericanHort hosted a webinar featuring several Department of Labor, Wage & Hour Division (DOL-WHD) officials.

As you may recall, DOL-WHD announced earlier this year a special “compliance and enforcement initiative” targeting the Landscape sector, and specifically, users of the H-2B temporary and seasonal visa program.

We’re incredibly sympathetic to the challenges our H-2 program user members face as they work to ensure that they have a reliable and legally authorized workforce.

Users of the program (and H-2A, as well) have long faced much higher odds of frequent government audits than their peers who are not using the programs.

As our former legal counsel, now retired, often used to say, “no good deed goes unpunished.” Hope for some relief under the current administration evaporated early; the Trump Administration’s “Buy American, Hire American” executive order has given the federal agencies all the impetus they need to double down, rather than let up, on targeted enforcement of H-2 users.

That said, we’re grateful that the DOL-WHD officials joined up with AmericanHort and many of our state association grassroots and advocacy partners to explain the initiative, key employer obligations under H-2B, and some of the most commonly

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encountered compliance problems. Ours is a complicated industry, and despite best efforts by any employer, it’s often really tough to be in absolute, 100% compliance.

If you missed the webinar, AmericanHort members may view it by visiting our Knowledge Center. Having trouble logging in? Click the forgot username or password link and follow the prompts. Still having issues? Contact our office at (614) 4871117 or Hello@AmericanHort.org.

During the H-2B Webinar, many participant questions related to compensation of H-2B workers U.S. domestic workers. The question period got a bit frustrating for some, since the DOL-WHD officials were legally prohibited from answering some questions involving payments to U.S. workers, as compared to H-2B workers. So we reached out to Chris Schulte, our labor and employment law legal counsel, for some perspective. Here’s what he said: Congress has blocked DOL from enforcing the principle of “corresponding employment” through at least September 2019, and if they had answered those questions, they would have been personally liable out-of-pocket to the U.S. Treasury. But, the rules on corresponding employment are still in place and as soon as WHD receives funding again to enforce those rules, including looking back to actions today by employers, they certainly will do so, making

it essential for employers to understand the requirement to provide at least the same benefits to and ask the same requirements of U.S. workers as they would to H-2B workers.

On the specific issue of wage rates above the prevailing wage rate issued by DOL, the corresponding employment rules do not require that every U.S. worker make the same or higher than every H-2B worker.

The rules just require that higher payments (whether higher hourly rates or one-time bonus payments) be: (1) disclosed as potentially available in the job order and advertising; and (2) equally available to U.S. workers who meet the qualifications.

So, you can include language in your H-2B job order stating that employees will make at least the prevailing wage rate but may make more (at the employer’s discretion) based on certain factors: tenure with the company, landscaping experience, job performance, or other factors that are not tied to the workers’ country of origin.

So long as you award that extra pay consistently based on those factors, then even when WHD can enforce these rules, they should not find violations. For example, if you disclose the availability of higher pay based on tenure, and you have an H-2B worker who has been with you for 10 years and a U.S. worker who just started with you, you would be able to pay the H-2B worker more than the new U.S. worker. The keys are disclosure and consistency.

Here at AmericanHort, we’ll continue to monitor the DOL-WHD compliance and enforcement initiative and share relevant guidance. Meanwhile, be aware that AmericanHort premium members enjoy access to Chris Schulte and his colleagues at CJ-Lake for legal consultations and guidance on labor and employment law matters. This is a key tool as you invest in that critical ounce of prevention. For details, contact Craig Regelbrugge at CraigR@ AmericanHort.org.

Plug & Cutting Rescheduled for September 2019 AmericanHort is pleased to announce the rescheduled dates for the Plug & Cutting conference will be September 4-6, 2019 in Charlotte, NC. Originally scheduled for September of this year in Charlotte, NC, the conference was canceled due to the looming threat of Hurricane Florence, a category 4 hurricane that made landfall on the eastern Carolina coast on September 14.

The 2019 Plug & Cutting conference will again be in Charlotte, NC at the Embassy Suites—Concord. The Production Tour stops will also be at the same venues. Tour participants will have the opportunity to visit Metrolina Greenhouses, a family owned wholesale plant and services company with the largest single-site heated greenhouse in the United States, and Rockwell Farms, a family-owned and operated commercial greenhouse with 36 acres of environmentally controlled greenhouse space. The educational sessions and trade show will be held on September 5–6.

Registration for the 2019 Plug & Cutting conference will open in January 2019.

Craig Regelbrugge Senior VP for Industry and Research, AmericanHort CraigR@AmericanHort.org

2018:December | 13

Connect WITH US

WITH US

Let ’s Get Connected !

We want to get to know you better.

Help us do so by joining us in Connect #EngageWithUs—our brand-new way of connecting with our members and community. Snap a pic that best represents the topic of the month, and share it with us on social media with the special hashtag below.

Make sure you tag us in the post, too!

This month, share a photo that shows your #2018Moment, and use the hashtag:

#2018Moment

KEY DAT ES

About AmericanHort AmericanHort is the national association of horticulture businesses and professionals across the spectrum of the industry. Without you there is no us, so AmericanHort undertakes the critical task of protecting, preserving, and promoting the national horticulture industry so that people like you can do what you love in an industry that thrives.

Webinars 2019 Quarterly Advocacy Briefs Coming in January Quarterly webinars, exclusively available to AmericanHort Premium Members, provide the latest information in DC on pressing issues for our industry, led by AmericanHort’s Industry Advocacy & Research Team. More details coming soon at AmericanHort.org/Webinars.

Perform better, grow faster, and prepare for the future as a member of AmericanHort, the green industry’s leading association.

Learn more at AmericanHort.org.

AmericanHort represents the entire horticulture industry.

No matter your specialty, we have the resources you need to cultivate a successful business.

JANUARY

2019 J U LY

Cultivate is the industry event that brings our entire horticulture community together. World-class education sessions, impactful industry connections, new products and varieties, and a huge trade-show are just the beginning. Save the date and join us in Columbus, OH, July 13–16 to discover it for yourself.

13-16 COLUMBUS OH

SEPTEMBER Business Plus

@AmericanHort

Floral

Greenhouse

@youramericanhort @American_Hort

Did you know?

The AmericanHort Knowledge Center is full of great information on the latest in advocacy, research, and more.

This member-only benefit can be accessed by visiting AmericanHort.org/KC and logging in with your credentials.*

Recent Article of Interest What We Know About Box Tree Moth * Having trouble accessing the Knowledge Center? Click the forgot username or password link. If you continue having issues, contact our office at (614) 487-1117 or Hello@AmericanHort.org.

Interior Plantscape

Landscape

Garden Retail

Generation Next

Nursery

Research

AmericanHort is pleased to announce the rescheduled Plug & Cutting Conference, originally scheduled for September of this year in Charlotte, NC. AmericanHort’s Plug & Cutting Conference is an event for young plant producers and growers from across the country. Join us and learn the newest and best strategies, technologies, and techniques in the world of plugs and cuttings.

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CHARLOTTE NC

Hello@AmericanHort.org 2130 Stella Court Columbus, Ohio 43215-1033 USA (614) 487-1117 Main AmericanHort Connect 2018:December © 2018 AmericanHort. All rights reserved. This material may contain confidential information and it is for the sole use of AmericanHort members.

The information contained herein is for general guidance and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. It cannot be distributed, reprinted, retransmitted, or otherwise made public without prior written permission by AmericanHort. Please contact the editor at (614) 487-1117 for permission with acknowledgment.

Impact Washington is a two-day advocacy summit where green industry business owners and leaders can take action in Washington, D.C. Providing a united front, this is an opportunity for the landscaper, plant grower, garden retailer, and entire green industry communities to personally and collectively advocate for decisions that help us continue the growth of our $196 billion industry.

SEPTEMBER

16-18

WASHINGTON DC

Over the course of two days, participants will hear from elected leaders, their staff, and other policy experts on issues of great impact on green industry business success.

Our attendees will share their experiences directly with policy makers, providing real-world context and influence on the decisions being made.

AmericanHort.org 14 | AmericanHort.org

2018:December | 15

Impact Washington and Connect e-newsletters

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