2012 Annual Report President’s Message
Making our association relevant to members It has been a pleasure and a fulfilling experience to be able to represent Landscape Ontario and our great industry this past year. I have had the opportunity to visit several Chapters, and hope to visit all the Chapters by the conclusion of my term at the year-end of 2013. I have also had the privilege to represent the association to federal and provincial members of parliament, as well as mayors and regional chairs. I have done my best to enthusiastically tell our story of our great industry and its economic, environmental and social impact in improving quality of life. I also had the opportunity to lead a delegation to the Netherlands to receive a sanction to build Flora Niagara in 2017. I cannot begin to tell you how electrified and awed the roomful of sanctioning committee members were when they realized the site for the world garden exhibition will be right next to the falls. I felt so proud to represent you at this meeting. At the beginning of the year, I chose relevancy as the theme for my presidency. I believe this theme stimulates focus. For Landscape Ontario to be relevant to its members, we must know our members intimately, determine their needs, issues and problems and come up with solutions. Our association has developed many innovative programs that focus on the success of our members. I urge you to take advantage of them, as they can greatly enhance your growth and prosperity. These are difficult times for our industry. For many years we have all endured the challenges with seasonality, dependence on weather, growing debt, more competition, increasing customer knowledge and lack of loyalty, as well as the global financial crisis. These factors make doing business today difficult. But despite these challenges,
18 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
I am convinced there is still opportunity for success and long-term growth. Now more than ever, it is important for companies to be well organized, informed and up-to-date on all that is available to enhance growth, success and prosperity. This winter is a good time to review your business goals and longterm planning. I urge you to take part in Congress 2013, the Prosperity Partners program and all the wonderful education programs that are offered at our home office in Milton. Focusing the needs of our members is a LO priority, and always will be. We all desire: • Financial growth and success • Social interaction and a sense of belonging and community • Learning/education/professional development (technical, as well as business) • Legacy — the need to make a positive and lasting difference As we consciously focus all of our activities on these four interrelated benefits, we will continue to grow in relevancy and prosperity. The road to relevance and prosperity is engagement and leadership. It follows that the more we engage members and focus on their development as leaders, the more relevant we will be. I cannot begin to tell you how rewarding the experience of being your president has been for me this past year. The hours I have spent volunteering for this great association have benefited me enormously and made me a more complete person. Please consider increasing your participation in Landscape Ontario’s events, activities, projects, sector and chapter groups. I guarantee you will find it the very best way to make the association relevant to you. Respectfully submitted, Phil Charal President 2012 - 2013