Aug 26, 2011
ANLA and OFA Join Forces for Legislative Event SeriesSource: ANLA

Politics are local. So are a series of grassroots education events being hosted this September by the American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANA) and OFA – the Association of Horticulture Professionals. “The debt ceiling debate was just the beginning,” said ANLA President Bob Lyons of Sunlead Nursery (Ohio). “Tax increases and spending cuts will be hotly debated throughout the 2012 elections and beyond.” OFA President Mike McCable, McCabe’s Greenhouse and Floral (Ind.) remarked, “We are also seeing unprecedented regulatory pressure on a legal immigrant workforce and the environmental front. This is a critical time for the industry to be well-informed and actively involved.”

Three one-day events are taking place in Connecticut, Michigan and New Jersey allowing easy access by car. OFA CEO Michael Geary will join ANLA Executive Vice President Bob Dolibois, Vice President of Government Relations Craig Regelbrugge and Director of Research Marc Teffeau for a briefing on key legislative and regulatory issues facing the industry right now. Kip Creel, president of StandPoint, will present new research on what United States’ population demographics mean to the future of the green industry and our prospects for economic recovery.

Each event will also include greenhouse and nursery tours and a casual barbecue in the evening. “Come as you are,” said Greg Schaan, CEO of the Connecticut event host site, Imperial Nurseries. “This is a chance for industry leaders in each area to spend a day together touring, swapping notes, learning about the serious challenges facing our business, all over a burger and refreshments.”

The three events are scheduled for: