Green & Growin’ Offers an Encouraging Start to 2023

Happy New Year! What a terrific start to 2023. I hope you were among the thousands of people who joined us in Greensboro for Green & Growin’ 23. The education sessions were exceptional; the keynote speakers were informative and thought-provoking; the Marketplace was colorful and jampacked with activity; and the inaugural President’s Reception was a cornucopia of eating, drinking and mingling.

It would be impossible for NCNLA staff to successfully organize and deliver a show of this magnitude without the assistance of a lot of people. While I cannot list everyone in this limited space, I do want to single out a few folks who helped make Green & Growin’ 23 an overwhelming success:

Richard “Rick” Lawhun NCNLA Executive Vice President

• Jamie Thomas, Chad Gragg, Shanon Spivey, Ariel Montanez, Landis Hall and everyone who assisted exhibitors in moving material into and/or out of the exhibit hall.

Rick• Skip Warrick and his traveling smoker for preparing a barbecue feast for the move-in/move-out crew on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, with the assistance of Mike Hudson, Rick Crowder and Mike Cabaniss.

• Cooperative Extension agents Sarah Christas, Rhiannon Goodwin, Taylor Jones, Danny Lauderdale, Sam Marshall, Carl Mitchell, Melinda Roberts and Leslie Rose, who volunteered their services throughout the event.

• The speakers and keynote presenters who shared their knowledge and insight on a variety of subjects.

• The Carolinas Irrigation Association, the North Carolina Sod Producers Association and the North Carolina Urban Forest Council, for developing the partner tracks.

• NCNLA board members, who took the time to visit every new exhibitor, express our thanks and welcome them to the show.

• Jerry Pittman and the student volunteers from Pitt Community College.

• Hilarie Blevins and the student volunteers from Sandhills Community College.

• Jason Davis, Tim Warren, Jennifer Bradley and the student volunteers from the University of Mount Olive.

• Donna Riddle and the student volunteers from Wilkes Community College.

• Green & Growin’ Partners, who sponsored a variety of items and/or events throughout the week.

• Staff at the Sheraton and Greensboro Coliseum, who anticipated our needs and exceeded our expectations at every turn.

• Green & Growin’ attendees, who saw value in the event and were understanding when we had to deal with the occasional hiccup, such as technology issues, overflow meeting rooms and long lines during registration.

Rayna Bailey, Wendi Doak, Katie Rodrigues, Kathryn Stansbury and I are extremely thankful for the participation and contributions of everyone who helped to make a complicated event run smoothly!

I hate to end on a negative note, but I do want to call out the half-dozen or so people who felt it necessary to berate hotel staff, coliseum staff, NCNLA staff or our volunteers. Being rude is never appropriate, and being rude to a student volunteer is especially egregious. This is a highly respected industry full of wonderful people, and I hate to think that the boorish behavior of a handful of people could ruin the event for anyone—especially a student volunteer who is attending an industry event for the first time.

Green & Growin’ 24 will be held Jan. 15-19, 2024, so make certain to block those dates on your calendar and plan to join us in Greensboro. Until then, stay well and stay passionate about the industry you love!

Piedmont Carolina Nursery and Landscaping

1867 Sandy Ridge Rd. Colfax, NC

Mark Peters President

In business

Since 1982

Number of employees 35

NCNLA member

Since 1984

Favorite offerings from NCNLA

The Green & Growin’ trade show for sure, plus networking opportunities with other green industry professionals and continuing education opportunities.