Executive Director message

We hope that you will be successful in filling positions to grow your businesses this year, a challenge to most of our companies. If you’ve been reading the weekly Capitol Connections From left: Mary Kay Woodworth, John legislative reports, Hatfield, and Ron White celebrate you may have noticed Chattahoochee Tech's hort program's the weekly poll national re-accreditation from NALP. question, surveying our members about timely issues (see more survey results on page 36). In reply to the question “With near record

workers needed for your business?” the responses were: 7% So far, so good! 17% It's tough, but we'll make it work. 63% It is almost impossible to find the workers I need. 13% I’m in desperate need of workers. We are losing jobs due to shortages.

Our legislators continue to show that they are not serious about addressing these issues and finding real solutions. The continuing effort by our industry leaders, educators and associations to elevate and promote our industry as an excellent career choice, at a high level, and retention and automation at the ground level, are what we can do today. UAC continues to participate in workforce development engaging activities, specifically the annual CEFGA Student Career Expo “World of Landscape & Landscape Construction,” outreach to guidance counselors and educators at all levels (elementary, middle, secondary and post graduate), and through our association with the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). NALP has recently developed the Landscape Management Apprenticeship Program, registered by the Department of Labor, which offers new career paths through paid apprenticeships with landscape companies that include on-the-job training. They are also working on several other apprenticeship programs. We applaud their efforts and encourage you to explore this opportunity. More information about this program can be found in the article on page 32 of this issue. Investing in your employees through continued education and training is critical, and we hope that the online UAC Safety School (available to our business-level members) and other educational opportunities that we offer our members are important and helpful to you. I’d like to thank you for the outstanding support of our first-ever Landscape Pro University on January 30! This new educational event was very well received - the attendance and engagement were excellent and we very much appreciate the positive feedback provided. Despite the warning of an impending ice/ snow storm, the weather agreed with us and the event proceeded without a hitch! The attendees cited the wide-range of topics available, the great location, and the excellent professional instructors that were offered. Exhibitors overwhelmingly approved of the new event, and we welcomed over 700 landscape, turf, and horticulture professionals - including the 500 who attended the educational sessions and met with exhibitors. Landscape Pro University proved to be a winning coalition with UAC and SiteOne Landscape Supply, and we appreciate their support.

Finally, congratulations to John Hatfield, Lead Instructor and Faculty Advisor of Chattahoochee Tech’s horticulture