southwest horticulture march - april

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THIS ISSUE: Marketing Tips for Trying Times – Mark FordiceThe Effects of Price Cutting on the Bottom Line – Graham FosterOutdoor Container Garden Contest Winners

2 Frontline

2 Insights

3 ACNP News

4 Industry News

6 Que Paso ?

10 ANA News

14 ANLA News

15 ANAFUND News

16 Monthly $avings

16 Safety News

18 Insurance Update

19 It’s the Law

20 Classifieds

20 Advertiser Index

southwesthorticulture

Arizona Nursery AssociationOfficers and Board of Directors

PresidentRob Johns ....................................A&P Nursery

President-ElectJoe Traficano.............................West Coast Turf

TreasurerEric Johnson...................Western Tree Company

Past PresidentSusan Chase..............................Desierto Verde

Board of DirectorsPearl Crum.......................... Dream With ColorsJimmy Fox...................................Evergreen TurfJay Harper..............................Harper’s NurseryBob Hawkins..................Western Tree CompanyPhil Hemminghaus.................Golf Ventures WestRoger Ramsey...........................Ewing IrrigationCindy Riding........................V&P Nurseries, Inc.Dan Scholl.........................ISS Grounds ControlLes Shipley.........................Civano Nursery, Inc.Don Waltemeyer...................Treeland Nurseries Carol Ward-Morris.......Arizona Municipal Water Users Association

Ex-Officio MembersBrett Cameron..Arizona Department of Agriculture

StaffCheryl Goar..........................Executive DirectorAmanda Webb.....Comm., Event & Educ. Coord.Renee Zanellato......Admin. & Financial Assistant

Official Magazine of the Arizona Nursery Association

1430 West Broadway Road, Suite 110Tempe, Arizona 85282

480-966-1610 Fax 480-966-0923e-mail: [email protected]: www.azna.org

Southwesthorticulture MagazineMission Statement

SouthwestHorticulture Magazine is the official news and educational publication of the Arizona Nursery As-sociation, its members, affiliates and officers. It provides opportunities for academics to publish research of importance to ANA members, communicates significant information about ANA members and events, contains information that increases knowledge within the industry and presents a professional image of our members and affiliates. It offers advertising space to ANA members and non-members, which generates revenues in excess of publication costs.The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Arizona Nursery Association or its members. Likewise, the appearance of advertis-ers, or their identification as members of ANA does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured.SouthwestHorticulture is published bi-monthly by the Ari-zona Nursery Association. It is sent to ANA and ALCA members as a membership benefit. Subscription rate for non-members is $50 per year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 1430 West Broadway, Suite 110, Tempe, Arizona 85282. Phone: 480-966-1610.

southwesthorticultureMARCH/APRIL 2010VOLUME 27 NUMBER 2

Features13 Marketing Tips in Trying Times17 Effects of Price Cutting

Calendar DepartmentsMarch

31 Arizona Agriculture Legislative Luncheon on Senate Lawn, by invitation only

april

5-9 2010 Greenhouse Crop Production & Engineer-ing Design Short Course. For more information, visit http://ag.arizona.edu/ceac/CEACoutreach/SC001.htm

10-11 Desert Valley Orchid Society Show, Baker Nursery, 3414 N. 40 St., Phonix, AZ. For more information, contact Joseph Portnoy at (602) 696-2896 or

[email protected].

May

18 ANA Board of Directors Meeting at ANA Office, 11:00 a.m.

21 Annual Desert Horticulture Conference, Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, AZ. Call (520) 626-516 or visit www.ag.arizona.edu/deserthort for more information.

22 ANAFUND Saturday Night Live Fundraiser at ASU Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, AZ

March/April 2010 | 1

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Cover Photo Provided by AridScape, Inc.

2 | southwesthorticulture Arizona Nursery Association

SSpring has sprung….Isn’t it a breath of fresh air to be busy….As I told you in my last column, one of my goals during this

year is to rebuild our association from within. By paying your membership dues, being a board member or just attending one of our luncheon LLC’s you are really taking more control of our industry. You need to be active in our association…..it takes all of us to make it and keep it strong.

Thanks to those of you who attended our Spring LLC’s. By members making personal phone calls, I believe we were able to get many of our ANA members out to these lunches that we haven’t seen in quite some time. It was good to see you all and hear your ideas for making our association stronger.

Rob Swenhaugen of Cargotec USA, a distributor of truck mounted material handling equipment, quoted, “From a suppliers prospective I enjoyed the luncheon. Having an open forum like the luncheon hopefully will help to cultivate communication.”

Russ Krueger from Creative Plants also made a statement, “I don’t get out much and so it was nice to get out there and exchange views with folks that are in the same industry. It was all good!”

Because of the positive responses we received, at our Board of Director’s meeting last week, we decided to repeat these local lunches in the fall. I hope to see each of you at your fall luncheon and please invite someone new to attend with you.

I also want to recognize the generous people who

devote their time to ANA and support our association financially. Those of you who run advertisements in the magazine…thanks. We appreciate your support. Those of you who have already committed to sponsor SHADE, thanks so much for that. We need your support and donations to make ANA what it is.

The specialty crop grant we received from USDA for our retail promotion project is coming along nicely. I can’t tell you much about the campaign as of yet because we are still developing it but, I can tell you the theme is “Plant Something”. The campaign is broad enough for so all of our ANA members can derive benefit from the promotion. Stay tuned…..the artwork should be finished soon.

My last thought for now is be at SNL—Saturday Night Live, which is the fun evening which raising money for ANAFUND, the Arizona Nursery Association foundation. It will be held Saturday night, May 22nd at ASU Karsten golf club. The foundation is the future for the Arizona nursery industry. Just so you know, ANA is still in full support of ANAFUND even in this slower economy and these students are really counting on our full support. Most of all, it’s a fun time…..make a contribution to the evening and attend the event. Invest in our youth; they are really the future of our industry.

frontline Rob Johns, President

Rob Johns

This equation is a slogan which caught my attention in an association management trade publication. It was featured in an advertisement

promoting a media solutions company. I think it is applicable to what ANA has been doing this Spring.

Our member Local Lunch Connections were our attempt to reach out and connect with our members in their local community. We met with over 100 people representing 79 companies during our five lunch tour. We went to you and had the opportunity to see you and ask for your opinion on what ANA is doing and could be doing. This, hopefully, led us to connect with you. The next step, we hope to engage you in our association. Whether that engagement takes the

form of a new member, a new volunteer or just signing up for a new member service, we hope that the engagement step develops from these LLC’s. If ANA is able to successfully connect and engage, then we in turn will grow.

At these LLC’s, our goal was not only for ANA to connect, engage, and grow, we hoped that you as industry members would also follow this path. Many conversations were happening with regard to each other’s businesses and what you do or grow. If ANA members continue to connect, hopefully our businesses will all grow just like ANA’s new tagline. “Where growing businesses can thrive” is really the goal for ANA.

This equation is also applicable to our new public promotion we are working on with Park & Company. With the assistance of a USDA specialty crop grant, ANA is developing a promotion targeted at the general

public which will hopefully follow this same path. The first step is to connect with the public by getting their attention and making them connect to our industry. We then hope to engage them with our message and get them to make a purchase for something to plant. This will then hopefully grow all your businesses. This new promotion will debut on Earth Day and continue throughout the rest of this year. Watch for the exciting new artwork in our next issue of Southwest Horticulture.

If you are not an ANA member, please take the opportunity to join us this year. Working with Rob Johns as our President, we have never been more committed to making these connections with all of the Arizona nursery industry.

Connect + Engage = Grow……..be active in ANA and make this equation a reality for your business.

insights Cheryl Goar, CAE, Executive Director

Cheryl Goar

Connect + engage = Grow

back to the basics

T

www.azna.org March/April 2010 | 3

DESERT TREES NURSERYSINCE 1976

Providing quality plant material with quick and dependable service.Pick from a large selection of plant material. 1 Gallon to 36” box.

Specializing in plants that thrive in our desert environment.

DESERT TREES NURSERY

9559 N. Camino Del Plata • Tucson, AZ 857421-800-873-3041 • 1-520-297-5664 • Fax 520-297-5035

ANAARIZONA NURSERY ASSOCIATION

The Advanced ACNP program is a comprehensive program that requires a significant amount of knowledge to complete.

There are three modules offered in the Advanced Certification Program. They are:

• IntegratedPestManagement• TurfManagement• IrrigationManagement

These certification modules are designed as an independent study program with exams offered at regularly scheduled ACNP exams or by appointment at the ANA office.

The cost for each module, including instructional material, is $80 for ANA members and $200 for non-members. There is a $4.50 shipping charge for each module.Registration:

Pre-registration for the exam(s) is required. To register, call (480) 966-1610. Study material may be purchased from the ANA office. To order, contact ANA at (480) 966-1610 or e-mail [email protected].

Recognition of Certification:Upon completing and successfully passing the exam, each

participant will be asked to sign a Code of Ethics contract. All participants who successfully pass the exam will then receive an Advanced ACNP name badge and certificate.

An Advanced ACNP should display his or her certificate and wear his or her badge with pride. Advanced Arizona Certified Nursery Professionals are of great value to their employers because they are experts in the nursery field and can better serve their clients and customers.

ACNP newsAACNPAdvanced Arizona Certified Nursery Professional Program

ACNP at SHADe ConferenceThe next ACNP Classes will be held August 13th at

the 2010 SHADE conference. Check our website for more information about the exam and how to register. www.azna.org.


INDuSTRY news

C

Garden Centers of America® is pleased to announce that they will be offering their members a unique four-week customer service training seminar featuring Kathryn Dager of Profitivity, Inc. Additionally, a seasonal hiring webinar will also be offered.

The seminars, entitled “Your Front Line Creates Your Bottom Line,” will take place on March 23, 30 and April 6, 13. The series will train, motivate and empower garden center employees and get them ready for the busy spring season. Each week participating companies will watch a short uploaded video with tips on service and sales followed by participation in a live teleseminar. The hour-long webinar focuses on hiring the right people to help make businesses successful.

“We are so excited to offer our members this great opportunity,” says David Williams, President of Garden Centers of America®. “Kathryn Dager offers garden center owners the chances to not only

ensure they are hiring the right staff but also gives them the chance to take their staff to the next level. Customer service is the key to getting ahead in today’s market and this series will give garden center owners the means to do it.”

Topics covered during the training seminar include the video ‘Be A Person: Not A Salesperson’ followed by the teleseminar ‘Creating Loyal Customers’, the video ‘How to Wow Your Customers’ followed by the teleseminar ‘Exceeding Customer Expectations’ and the video ‘Merchandise Suggestions and Product Knowledge’ followed by the teleseminar ‘Presenting Packages.’ The four-week series concludes with the video ‘Service is A Culture; Not A Program’ followed by the teleseminar ‘Building Trust and Crowd Control Activities.’

For more information, please contact Shanan Molnar, Vice President of Operations, Garden Centers of America™ at 888-648-6463 or e-mail [email protected].

Joint Train-the-Trainer Workshop for Pesticide Safety educators in Arizona, California, Mexico and Tribal Communities

Yuma, Arizona: April 12-13, 2010 (English) or April 14-15, 2010 (Spanish)

Garden Centers of America® Announces Customer Service Training Seminars

Course Description: Through this workshop, attendees will become qualified pesticide safety trainers in Arizona and California. They will receive information about federal pesticide laws as well as regulations that are unique to California, Arizona, Mexico, and local Tribal Communities.

This course is ideal for growers, supervisors, labor contractors, health care providers, outreach educators, and others who will provide pesticide information to people who handle pesticides or work in areas where pesticides have been applied.

Workshop Format: This two-day course will be presented in English (April 12-13) and Spanish (April 14-15). Breakout sessions will cover pesticide labels, personal protective equipment, pesticide-related health issues, and training requirements. Participants will receive an instructor’s handbook, EPA-approved materials, and other useful resources.

A variety of hands-on training techniques and group activities will be used throughout the course to demonstrate ways to extend pesticide safety information to pesticide handlers and agricultural fieldworkers in an interactive and effective manner.

Registration is FREE; however SPACE IS LIMITED to 40 people. Please register early to reserve a space in the workshop and to ensure that you will receive handout materials.

Continuing Education Credit will be available for agricultural pesticide applicators in California and Arizona, pending approval by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and the Arizona Department of Agriculture.

Please send your pre-registration form by Wednesday, April 7, 2010 to Jennifer Weber at the Arizona Department of Agriculture at Fax: (602) 364-0830 or E-mail: [email protected].

Specimen Trees for Desert Landscapes

Arid Zone Trees

480.987-9094 Fax 480.987.9092 [email protected]

www.aridzonetrees.com


J9B012 ATI Michigan Landscapes:Layout 1 2/13/09 8:59 AM Page 1

Bill Harlow, from Harlow Gardens sent ANA staff a mysterious old envelope filled with cash made in 1963. Come to find out, it was our secret fortune that our trusty member found and gave back to us! Bill was going though some papers and he found an ANA envelope containing $7 that evidentially had been there since 1965. Though it is only $7, the fortune lies in the humor of the stiffened, 45 year old ANA petty cash vouchers! Thanks Bill!


¿Qué Pasó?

Bob Hawkins of Western Tree Company and ANA Board Member welcomed a granddaughter on February 18th. Sawyer Jane Pellant weighed 7lbs 10oz and measured 20.5 inches. From this picture you can see that Sawyer’s big sister and brother are very proud!

Welcome New aNa Member!

Tierra Madre Landscaping Services Inc. Leesa Hunter

25256 North 11th AvenuePhoenix, AZ 85085-2896

(623) 580-7297

Desert Horizon Nursery, Inc.Billy Stevenson

19250 South Ellsworth RoadQueen Creek, AZ 85242

(480) 987-3308

PROPTEKMike Proffitt

15555 Dolomite Dr.Chino Hills, CA 91709

(909) [email protected]

No Pollen. No Fruit. No NonsenseThe Swan Hill Olive® (Olea europaea cv. “Swan Hill®”)

US Federal Trademark No. 2,001,332 of Swan Hill Nuseries, LLC

Swan Hill Nurseries, LLCwww.swanhill.com • [email protected] • Fax 623-935-1608

New Granddaughter for ANA Member

ANA Member Appointed to Department of Agriculture Advisory Council!

ANA Member Welcomes a GrandsonANA’s Secret Fortune

ANA’s Advertising GuRu Named Ad Person of the Year

On February 22nd, Governor Brewer appointed Susan Chase to the Department of Agriculture Advisory Council, a five member team who advises the department on policy and budget. Congratulations Susan!

Andre Lugo, Owner of Green Goddess, celebrated with his daughter Elyce and son-in-law Aaron (Green Goddess General Manager) as they welcomed their son, Benjamin Thomas Grimm. He was born on February 8th. Congratulations!

Park Howell of Park & Co. was named “Ad Person of the Year” by Water- Use It Wisely. He was the founder of that advertising campaign and is working with ANA on our new, exciting campaign promoting trees and planting. Congratulations Park!

¿Que Paso? continued from page 6

Nursery LocatioN:

Southwest Corner of 75th Avenue & Acoma

1/2 Mile North of Thunderbird Road

Wholesale grower of trees & shrubs

MaiLiNg address:

14337 North 75th Avenue • Peoria, AZ 85381

(623) 979-7870 • Fax (623) 979-4325e-mail: [email protected]

PREPARE FOR GROWTH.Ewing carries a full line of products to help your nursery thrive. From drip systems and tools to tree stakes and ties, we’ve got what you need to grow healthy, beautiful plants for any landscape project. Find us: www.ewing1.com/arizona

LOW VOLUME DRIP IRRIGATION | WATER FEATURES | FERTILIZER | ORGANIC SOLUTIONS | MP ROTATORS | TREE STAKES AND TIES

3401 E. Southern Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85040-3846

Growing Native Desert Trees andOrnamental Shade Trees

15 Gallon up to 60" BoxArizona Certified

Certified to ship to CaliforniaContract Growing for large projects

Sales:Hunter Hawkins602-625-1566

[email protected]

Mo Ibarra602-763-8004

[email protected]

Eric Johnson602-738-8733

[email protected]

Office 602-243-6125 • Fax 602-243-3764

www.westerntree.com



Sponsoring a legislative bill to clarify a grower’s cDl exemption.

Developing a marketing campaign for the industry and public promoting the environmental benefits of landscapes.

Working with the arizona Department of agriculture plant Services Division through additional budget cuts and reviewing nursery industry related fees.

coordinating an arizona agriculture legislative lun-cheon to educate state legis-lators about agriculture.

Monitoring state and federal legislative activities, includ-ing health care, tree planting bill and immigration reform, and working with arizona senators and congressmen.

Working with members to educate and inform them on the arizona citrus psyllid regulations and quarantine.

continuing with visits to aNa members and non-members to determine what we can do to assist your business!

What’s on ANA’sTo Do List?


Gilbert • Chino Valley • Queen CreekCorporate Sales 480-917-9847 • Fax 480-917-2856

V&P Nurseries, Inc.

{ruellia brittoniana ‘katie’} {bougainvillea ‘barbara karst’} {caesalpinia pulcherrima} {agave vilmoriniana}

Growing with the Southwest

Welcome to the Arizona Nursery Association Member’s only Forum

All you have to do is follow four easy steps:1) Make sure membership has been renewed or become a new member of the ANA2) Go to www.azna.org and click on member forum3) Create a username and password4) Write a message and network with your fellow industry members!

We look forward to welcoming you as a new forum member!

Join ANA’s new Member’s- Only forum today! It is a great opportunity to have exclusive conversations with other people in the nursery industry. You will also have access to the online ANA Buyer’s Guide when you become a member of the forum.


SStarting in February, ANA hosted and Target Specialty Products sponsored five Local Lunch Connections around the valley and in Tucson. Over 100 members and potential members attended. At each lunch, ANA staff gave a fifteen minute presentation on the benefits of the association. It was a perfect opportunity for industry members to network

and learn about what ANA can do for them. It was a great way to meet new people and develop relationships in the Nursery Industry. Because of the lunches, ANA received two new memberships and many membership renewals from past members! The LLC’s also allowed industry members to voice their questions and concerns. Many participants

requested more ways for members to work together and utilize each other’s resources. ANA noted their thoughts and is continuing to work to find solutions to their wants as well as legislative and regulatory issues of concern. The lunches were a huge success! Look for the next round of LLC’s this fall!

ANA LLC’s: Local Lunch Connections

ANA news

The following companies were represented at ANA’s LLC’s: A & P NurseriesAll Season Wholesale GrowersArid Scape ConceptsArizona Department of AgArizona Nursery MarketingArizona Pistachio NurseryArizona Wholesale GrowersAZ State Land DeptCargotec USA Inc., HiabCity of PhoenixCivano Nursery

Creative PlantsCreekers Wholesale NurseryDesert HorizonsDesert Sky NurseryDesert to Mountain PotteryDesert Tree FarmDream With ColorsElgin Nursery & Tree FarmEwing Irrigation ProductsGolf Ventures WestGro-Well BrandsHarlow GardensHines Horticultural Resources, LLCJ & E Greenhouses

Jero Inc.Mountain States Wholesale NurseryNative ResourcesNowell Tree FarmParadise Wholesale NurseryPima County Extension OfficePima Valley GreenhousesQueen Creek GrowersRH Dupper LandscapeSkyline NurserySouth Mountain Xeriscape, Inc.Sun Country LandscapingSunrise Tree Farm

Swan Hill NurseryT & R CompanyTarget Specialty ProductsTerra Designs Inc.The Magic GardenTierra Madre Landscaping, Inc.Treeland NurseriesV & P NurseriesWaldrons FarmWest Coast TurfWestar EnvironmentalWestern GrowersWestern Tree Company


ANA and AzASLA partnered during this year’s Outdoor Container Garden Contest at the West Valley Home and Garden Show on March 5th – 7th. We had 13 beautiful container gardens entered into the contest. The following are the designers who entered the competition: Joe Caranza, Sunrise Tree Farm; Jim Coffman and Scott Coyner, Coffman Studio; Ryan Jerrell and Tim Le, Arid Solutions Nursery; Jamie

Schmitt and Theresa Prebish, Enchanted Garden Landscape Inc.; Sara Jacoby, Sara Jacoby Landscape Design; Clay Munson, Desierto Verde; Jana Literski, Chad Atterbury and Jeremy Palmer, EDAW and AECOM.

Containers were donated by Kornegay Design, Green Goddess, and Desert to Mountain Products. Michael Buschbacher, AzASLA President, Louise Wakem, Arizona Department of State Land and Jonathan Manning, Elgin Nursery and Tree Farm were the judges of the contest. They carefully reviewed each container garden according to creative use of plants and materials,

plant and pot relationship, eye catching “punch”, ability to be replicated, and use of native or drought tolerant plants.

The following awards were given:•BestofShow:JamieSchmittand

Theresa Prebish from Enchanted Garden Landscaping with their container entitled “Talavera Explosion”.

•2ndPlace:JimCoffmanandScottCoyner from Coffman Studio LLC with one of their “Urban Southwest” series container.

•3rdPlace:JimCoffmanandScottCoyner from Coffman Studio LLC with another “Urban Southwest” series container.

•BestRegionalDesignExpression:TimLe and Ryan Jerrell from Arid Solutions Nursery.

•BestPlant/PotEnsemble:JimCoffmanand Scott Coyner from Coffman Studio LLC with their “Urban Southwest” series.

All of the containers were creative and wonderful and the judges praised their quality. $1,115 was raised and divided between ANA and AzASLA for our scholarship funds. Thank you to all who donated their talent, materials, time and money. It is because of you that the green industry can continue to grow and prosper through awarding scholarships to our future industry leaders!

West Valley Home and Garden Show

Mark Your Calendars Today for SHADe 2010

“Best Regional Design Expression by Arid Solutions Nursery” “2010 Container Garden Contest Judges”

“2nd, 3rd, and Best Plant/Pot Ensemble by Coffman Studio”

“Best in Showby Enchanted Garden Landscape, Inc.”

AAttention all green industry professionals, landscape architects, landscape contractors, arborists, small business owners and managers, wholesalers, and retailers! Plan on attending SHADE: Southwest Horticulture Annual Day of Education on August 13, 2010 at The Renaissance Glendale, in Glendale from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Attendees will profit from this educational event, which features a total of 26 sessions in 5 tracks presented by industry experts: Business; Design; Trees & Plants; Pest Management & Plant Health;

and new this year Irrigation. Continuing Education Units (CEU) will be available from ADA, ASLA, GCSAA, IA, ISA, and OPM.

The cost for early registration (by July 31) is $88 per person and includes lunch, morning and afternoon refreshments, and an hors d’oeuvres reception. For companies sending more than one person, additional attendees may register for $78 each. Registration after July 31st is $118.

Make sure to spend some time at the MARKETPLACE at SHADE, which provides an opportunity to interact with

companies and learn about their products, visit with industry professionals, and explore resources that support your business. The MARKETPLACE will be open during lunch, during the afternoon sessions, and during the reception. To find out how your company may participate in the MARKETPLACE, please contact the ANA office at 480-966-1610.

Join us at SHADE on Friday, August 13th to learn, to become inspired, to network, and to discover new resources. Save the date today!

2010


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California Grown Show NEW! The Nursery Mart

The ONLY show for California Growers. If it grows in California soil, it’s HERE!

www.CaliforniaGrownShow.com

Products for Growers, Retailers and Landscape. Buy Smart. Shop Nursery Mart!

www.TheNurseryMart.com

Don’t miss these exciting events! Be sure to visit either website for additional information.

June 1 Growers Summit – All day event filled with powerful speakers and must-have information about the future of our Industry.

June 1 Retail Education Day – Learn from Retail Consultant Anne Obarski. Class in the morning and tour a nursery or two in the afternoon!

June 2 California Grown Show and The Nursery Mart June 3 Green Industry Golf Tournament at the Tustin Ranch Golf Club. Benefit for the Nursery Industry’s One Voice Fund – Legislation/Regulation.

Orange County Fair and Event Center, Costa Mesa, CA

For more information contact Stephanie Rodgers 1.800.748.6214, ext. 16 | [email protected] Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers 3947 Lennane Dr., Ste. 150 Sacramento, CA 95834

TWo ShoWS! Same Location!

oNE Day! FREE REgiSTRaTioN


TThere’s been a lot of talk about economic challenges and weakened bottom lines. Let’s take a break from all the negative talk and discuss some things you can do to improve your bottom line. Update Your Website

What if you sent out a direct mail piece and over half of those interested went to your website instead of calling you? That’s

what you should assume is happening. Over 70% of Americans are now online with 50% of those on a high-speed connection. This means you need an effective Website that supports your business position and is in alignment with your brand. Visitors to your home page should be quickly exposed to your products, pricing, and key reasons they should buy from you. Yes, you need to tell them about your company, but the main reason you have a website is to sell. Ask yourself, is your brand presented well on your website? Are you providing an easy way for customers to respond or inquire? Is the site optimized for search engines? Does the quality of the site reflect the quality of your company and product? If not, it may be time to pursue a new Website.

Use Blogs and Social Media SmartlyE-mail marketing is inexpensive, measurable, and often

provides a great return on investment. Blogs, Twitter, FaceBook, and microsites are all great tools that should be explored. But before you decide to jump into social media, first take a look at your sales process and identify how your Website fits. Once you understand that, then it’s time to think about Twitter, FaceBook and all the rest. For example, a FaceBook fan page is better for business than a friends page. If you Twitter, don’t constantly send out sales messages just so you can keep tweeting lest you become a “twammer” (Twitter spam). When all you do is send sales messages, people stop paying attention. If you are considering a blog, make it personal. Blogs give you the chance to share your expertise while establishing a personality. But before you dive too deep into these cool new marketing toys, make sure you have the rest of your sales and marketing effort dialed-in, including your website.

Consider VideoIf you are not using video in your marketing now, you will

be. Video is fast becoming a major part of the marketing mix. The nursery industry is ideally suited for this tool with the ability to visually communicate the quality of a nursery, grower, etc. in a visually compelling way.

Invest in Sales TrainingImagine having a fantastic website and a fine-tuned marketing

strategy, only to have the sale crumble when the prospect interacts with one your employees. Converting leads into sales doesn’t mean you have to turn your customer service team into cold-blooded, debate-style objection-busting, hard-core salespeople. But they do need to know how to listen, ask good questions, make suggestions, and ask for the sale. The salesperson with the best knowledge of the customer’s real situation will be the one most likely to make the sale. The more time you take to thoroughly understand your prospective customer and their situation, the more likely you will

be in a position to sell at the critical moment. Also, it is important to remember that people buy relationship first, not your company or product. Ask yourself, “How likeable are my sales reps?” If you don’t know the answer, it might a good time to invest in some sales training.

Don’t Slash your Marketing InvestmentThere are plenty of case studies showing that companies who

maintainand/orincreasetheirmarketingduringtoughtimesdosignificantly better after recessions than those that drastically cut. During tough economic times, it is even more important that you know your customers and what motivates them to buy. Choose the right communication tools and ensure your marketing programs are fully integrated with your sales process. It is important to get surgical with your marketing budget and only implement the most critical cuts. In fact, many savvy companies actually increase their spending during difficult times as they make a push for market share. Just make sure your efforts are focused on tactics that have the most direct impact on sales and the best return on investment.

It’s always difficult to spend money when times are tough, but having the right plan in place will ensure that dollars spent provide the most positive return on investment.

Mark Fordice is the managing principal at Pivot Group. Pivot focuses on providing research, marketing, training and creative services support. He welcomes your feedback and questions at [email protected] or 503-575-5215.Editor’s Note: Originally appearing in Digger Magazine, January 2010 Issue.

Marketing Tips for Trying Times By Mark Fordice

Tree Relocation

Service90” Tree Spade

Please contact Allen Ervine602-370-5667

1-888-761-0249Fax 602-249-4220

Specimen Trees AvailableDirect from Field to You within Hours

• Eldarica Pine• Citrus• Desert Mesquite • Palo Verde Ironwood • Texas Ebony

The Conscientious Movers


RReps. Walt Minnick (D-ID), Barney Frank (D-MA), Mike McIntyre (D-NC), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Gene Green (D-TX) are the latest members of Congress to sign on as co-sponsors of H.R.4509, the Small Business Environmental Stewardship Assistance Act. H.R.4509 would reauthorize the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) National Tree Planting Program at $50 million annually

between fiscal years 2011 and 2015, providing matching grant funds to plant trees around retail storefronts, rental housing units and in other public areas. Between 1991 and 1994, over 18,000 green industry firms were hired to plant more than 23 million urban and rural trees as a result of this program, which was allowed to expire when the economy improved.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

has signaled that the Senate Banking, Finance, and Small Business Committees are currently drafting a small business jobs creation bill for consideration in the next couple of months. ANLA is working with Senate industry champions in an effort to have the provisions of H.R. 4509 incorporated into a broader package.

On March 8, the California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers (CANGC) and the Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) filed a suit in U.S. District Court in Columbia, South Carolina, seeking to overturn a South Carolina state regulation that has impeded certified plant shipments from those states to South Carolina. The case concerns rules that were imposed by South Carolina in association with the federally quarantined pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) maintains strict requirements for inspection, diagnostic testing, and certification for P. ramorum host and associated host plants moving in interstate commerce from regulated areas, which include the states of California, Oregon and Washington.

In 2009, the South Carolina Assembly

passed legislation prohibiting shipments from those states unless they comply with additional inspection, documentation and advance notice requirements which overstep the federal rules. The suit alleges that the South Carolina requirements are preempted by federal law, and the facts of the case are similar to those of a 2004 case pitting CANGC against Kentucky state plant regulators. In that case, a federal judge provided injunctive relief to CANGC, the remedy now being sought in the South Carolina case.

In the case of a federally regulated plant pest like Phytophthora ramorum, the federal Plant Protection Act allows a state to take measures that are consistent with, but do not exceed, the federal requirements. While sometimes controversial, federal preemption helps to ensure a clear and level

marketplace playing field and contributes to orderly interstate marketing of nursery and greenhouse stock. For these reasons, the American Nursery and Landscape Association fought successfully to preserve federal preemption language when Congress passed the Plant Protection Act in 2000.

In the current case, ANLA worked for several months with federal and state regulators, as well as CANGC and OAN, in an effort to broker a compromise that would avoid the cost and disruption of a court battle. Unfortunately, those efforts failed, in part because South Carolina’s legislature gave the state’s plant regulatory officials a very precise directive with little room for important regulatory discretion. Now, the matter will be decided by a federal judge.

Julius Caesar was warned to “beware the Ides of March,” and so too should users of the H-2A temporary and seasonal worker program, who are bracing for new Labor Department rule set to take effect March

15. The rules reverse efforts by the Bush Administration to streamline and simplify the process for using the program, and will increase recruiting, transportation, wage, and other costs. ANLA is participating

in a thorough legal review of the rule, and has prepared a very brief summary that can be viewed at www.ANLA.org under Government Relations.

The comment period on EPA’s spray and dust drift proposal closed on March 5. The proposal would require pesticide product labels to be amended to direct users not to apply the products in a manner that could result in spray or dust drift that could cause harm to workers, people, pets,

property, aquatic life, wildlife, or wildlife habitat. These proposed label changes, which would essentially establish a zero drift standard, could potentially create worrisome liability for nursery growers. EPA is also asking for comments on an October 13 petition filed by Earthjustice

and Farmworker Justice calling for EPA to adopt no treatment buffer zones and other restrictions to protect children from drift in their homes, schools and other areas where children congregate.

Tree Planting bill Support Grows

oregon, California Sue South Carolina overQuarantine Rules

H-2A Rules-bad to Worse

Spray and Dust Drift Rule Proposed

ANLA news


Even as a group of Republican Senators threaten to offer amendments on upcoming jobs and spending bills to expand and mandate the E-Verify program, an independent study has highlighted the program’s biggest weakness: its failure to detect over half the illegal or unauthorized workers checked against it. Westat, a private research firm that evaluated the program for the Homeland Security

department, essentially found that E-Verify correctly clears legal workers 93 percent of the time. However, the online system now used by some employers voluntarily, and mandated for many federal contractors and by some states, wrongly clears 54 percent of unauthorized workers, the evaluation found.

While few in the green industry are currently using E-Verify, ANLA has received numerous anecdotal reports of identity fraud

evading the system. The Westat findings should prompt some soul-searching by those clamoring to mandate its use for all employers. Senator Chuck Schumer, who is working to develop a comprehensive immigration proposal, seized on the findings as validation for his position that E-Verify is not up to the task at hand.

Still reeling from the roadblocks that have been erected on the Employee Free Choice Act (card check) and other priorities, labor unions are pushing to make independent contractors the next target of the administration and Congress. And already, the Internal Revenue Service has started to ramp up enforcement of worker classification rules.

The IRS will soon send to randomly selected small businesses the first two thousand letters of an eventual total of six

thousand over the next three years. This random evaluation, called the National Research Program, seeks to determine whether businesses are properly classifying individuals as employees or independent contractors. Every business that receives a letter will be put through an audit. In addition to the classification issue the examiners will also be looking at executive and officer compensation and whether fringe benefits are being properly reported as taxable or nontaxable income.

The threat of legislative action on this issue is high. As a Senator, President Obama championed a bill that was similar to H.R.3408 and S.2882. Though unlikely to advance on their own, these provisions are prime suspects for inclusion in a “jobs” bill. The construction industry is divided on this issue, as heavily unionized construction groups have endorsed legislation and are also very active on the state level. This means that opposition to these bills is not unified.

The HRI Endowment fund is composed of several scholarship funds that aid students who are seeking a lifelong career in horticulture. HRI and its member firms consider graduating students in horticulture to be the lifeblood of the green industry. The individuals and firms who support this

endowment are to be commended for their industry leadership.

Applications are due May 31st. The direct website link for complete HRI scholarship details is:http://www.hriresearch.org/index.cfm?page=Content&categoryID=167

Each scholarship has different eligibility requirements.

•TimothyBigelowandPalmerW. Bigelow, Jr. Scholarship $2,000 award.

•CarvilleM.AkehurstMemorial Scholarship $2,000 award.

•MuggetsScholarship$1,000award•SpringMeadowNurseryScholarship

$1,500 award.

e-Verify Flaws Spotlighted even as Amendments Threaten

Independent Contractors in the Crosshairs

HRI Will Award Four Scholarships This Year

ANAFuND newsSaturday Night Live FundraiserJoin ANAFUND at their annual SNL celebration! It is a time to socialize, have fun and donate to a great cause! All proceeds go toward ANA scholarships for students in the green industry. SNL will be held on May 22nd at the ASU Karsten Golf Course. The event will begin with cocktail hour,

leadingintoanoutdoor/indoorbar-b-que dinner and great entertainment. Prepare for a fun night at a beautiful venue full of great people, delicious food, cool drinks and giving hearts! Visit www.azna.org to receive updates on this event!

The Arizona Nursery Association Foundation awards scholarships to worthy students each year. Scholarship Applications are available from the ANA office. All applications must be received by April 15th, 2010. Applicants must be:

1. A resident of Arizona currently or

planning to be enrolled in a horticultural related curriculum at a university, community college or continuing education program;

2. be currently employed in or have an interest in the nursery industry as a career;

3. have an above average scholastic

achievement or at least two years work experience in the industry; and,

4. display involvement in extra-curricular activities related to the industry.

To find more information about the ANAFUND scholarship program or to apply online, please visit www.azna.org.

ANAFuND Scholarships/ Deadline Nears


SSCF Arizona is making giant strides in reinventing itself to serve Arizona employers and their employees as well as our association partners in more efficient ways and to reward our safest customers.

SCF and its subsidiary companies are proud to provide innovative workers’ compensation insurance solutions to businesses that seek the best in workplace safety protection, an achievement we’ve managed for more than 85 years.

At SCF we strive to make experiences for policyholders the best they can be, because loyalty is critical to our success. We improve the resources you need to manage business costs effectively and to make your workplace safer: because safe businesses save money.

In return, SCF has helped to keep Arizona workers’ compensation rates among the lowest in the nation.

During the past 12 months, SCF has made improvements to make provide better customer service. For example, our website, www.scfaz.com, now operates around the clock, so policyholders and injured workers can view claims, enter payroll, print certificates of insurance, and pay premium by credit card at their convenience. Free safety training materials are also available as are streaming videos, interactive quizzes and even a Quick Quote option, which takes only three easy steps.

In 2009, SCF Arizona created three subsidiary insurance companies to better serve its policyholders: SCF Western Insurance Co., SCF General Insurance Co., and SCF Casualty Insurance Co. These additions to SCF Arizona and SCF Premier Insurance Co. allows us to reward customers with pricing options based on a company’s size, loss history and safety record, effectively customizing policies for a better business fit.

Policyholders often take advantage of the professional expertise we offer as a partner in safety and in workers’ compensation. SCF’s loss control consultants help clients to create safety plans, conduct safety audits and develop such cost-saving strategies as Return-to-Work programs.

With its historic roots in Arizona, SCF has the insight and expertise to serve our state’s businesses. Employers have depended on us – in good times and bad – whenever they’ve needed help with workers’ compensation insurance. We remain committed to being at work for you.

Here are some of the services and resources SCF offers:•24/7accesstoonlineresourcesatwww.scfaz.comwithnew

password•DedicatedSCFArizonasalesandserviceteamsplusloss

control consultants throughout Arizona•FreesafetyeducationprogramsandannualSafetyWorksExpos•Safetytrainingpartnershipswithtradeandbusiness

associations•In-housefreelegalandclaimsfraudinvestigationservices,

statewide•Pricingincentivesforsafecompanies•Freesafetyplantemplateforyourbusiness•PreferredConnectionNetworkofmedicalproviderswhohandle workplace injuries and help to keep premiums low. Find the

nearest provider to your workplace by going to http://www.scfaz.com/pcn/.•Nowofferingcoverageforqualifiedout-of-statebusinesses

Please check the SCF website at www.scfaz.com or call the SCF Contact Center at 602.631.2600 or 866.284.2694 for more information

Note from ANA:Did you know that by signing with SCF for your worker’s compensation, ANA receives a small part of the money? What may seem to be a very small amount of money grows as the number of companies greaten that work with SCF. Contact Tod at (602) 631-2600 to enroll in ANA’s group.

Safety newsSCF Changing to Improve Service for You Provided by Tod Dennis

CChase Paymentech understands that your payment acceptance needs vary according to your business size and industry. So they offer solutions for almost every major type of business with flexible payment methods to support how your customers prefer to pay.

With Chase Paymentech, you can provide the payment options your customers look for, including Visa®, MasterCard®, American Express®, JCB®, Discover® Card, debit cards and gift cards. And your customers can pay at the point of sale, over the Internet, or with mail or telephone order options. Their knowledgeable

experts will work with you to identify the most appropriate payment mix for your business needs. Benefits include:

• Next day funding of your merchant processing1

• All major credit and debit cards accepted

• Customizable gift card programs to build loyalty

• Fast Funding for better cash flow • Easy to read statements and online

reporting to reconcile your payments • Free 24/7 technical support • Superior reliability, service and

system uptime

Many ANA members use Chase Paymentech and agree that they are very competitive to other credit card processing groups. In fact, they say Chase Paymentech offers better services. Note from ANA:

Did you know that by signing with Chase Paymentech for your credit card processing, ANA receives a small part of the money? What may seem to be a very small amount of money grows as the number of companies greaten that work with Chase Paymentech. Contact Kenneth Lopez at (480) 570-7684 to enroll in ANA’s group.

Monthly $avings Through Membership


AAn increase in price contributes more to net profit than do either a sales increase or cost cutting. This math never changes. Unfortunately, raising your price is not always an option in a tight economy such as in a recession. For many businesses, the temptation is to cut prices to revive sagging sales. However, when you cut prices, it comes straight off your net profit.

For example, if your business operates at a 67 percent gross profit margin and you give a 10 percent price cut, your sales will need to increase by 17.5 percent to make up the margin you gave away. And in tight times, who can get a 17.5 percent increase in sales?

Panic price cutting is the way to join those broken companies making the headlines daily, except you won’t make the headlines doing it. When you take this path, the way back to a healthy bottom line is made so much more difficult.

Of course, if you are at subsistence levels, you may have to take sales at any price you can get. But if you have suffered the average percentage downturn that the industry has suffered as a whole, there is something you can do to revive your numbers. Let’s call it plan B.

Plan BIn tough times, reduce your fixed costs and retain as many

sales as possible at the best price to maintain the right margin. So first, you need to know your costs and model them so that your margin covers your overhead and leaves some net profit.

Second, you must be able to calculate gross profit margin, both as a percentage and in dollars. I have come across business managers who do not—cannot—determine the margins they

generate in their own businesses. The easiest way to calculate gross from your revenues. To figure the percentage, it’s the revenues minus all costs, divided by the revenues.

If your margins are below average or declining in tough times, all it means is that you’d better make cuts in your fixed cost structure to regain profitability. When the market recovers you can start spending that money again if you need to, or pocket the savings. Preferably, leave your prices where they are and take less business. With less business, you will have lower variable costs of doing business.

Your staff is mostly in the fixed cost structure. Cutting them will reduce morale. What really great leaders do in hard times is to start at the top of the ladder, not the bottom. The chief leads by example by taking a savage cut, and so on down the echelons. Next come the miscellaneous costs like the administrative expenses and all the little luxuries, extras, and marginal expenses; these are all trimmed. Fewer newspapers, magazine subscriptions, club memberships, corporate jets, company cars, free medical, free school fees, free food at work, free travel, free credit cards for executives, frequent flyer points for staff, coffee with chocolate cookies, cream doughnuts on the company, and so on. Now when all that has been excised, then and only then do you start cutting staff—as a last resort, and after all the other cuts have been taken first.

Profit is a thing, and people matter more than things, and in the tight times you cut your costs not your prices.

Graham Foster 2008Motivational Speaker, CEO, and Expert on Improving Your Bottom Line Profits

The effects of Price Cutting on the bottom Line By Graham Foster

Continuing a 28 year tradition of excellence and innovation in the salvage, growing and care of desert trees.Providing the highest quality site development services for architects, developers and landscape professionals.

Supplying specimen native and desert adapted plants to the industry.

910 N. Alma School Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85256 • P.O. Box 10309, Scottsdale, AZ 85271-0309 • Phone 480-423-0202 • FAX 480-423-0303 ROC 235834

www.desverde.com


II was going to write about how health reform is going to affect employers in terms of penalties, taxes, number of days, mandates, etc. However, at print, there are so many versions of this that are totally unanswered, I could be dead wrong. So I am going to get into something that nearly everyone asks me about, “what is the Insurance Exchange”?

From what I can tell the dawn of health insurance reform will bring a whole new day and a whole new way of obtaining health coverage. We will have to learn new terms, calculate new taxes, watch how many days we employ people and others. The insurance exchange will be one of the new resources put in place to provide access to medical coverage. How popular and how well it will perform is yet to be determined.

More or less the insurance exchange is a system like a clearing house or a place to go explore and purchase health coverage if your employer does not provide it. Under the bills in the House and Senate, at least one insurance exchange would be created to help you compare and purchase a policy. The exchange would function much like a travel website by allowing you to compare the costs and benefits of each plan.

Policies offered on the exchange would be regulated by the government and they would set standards designed to protect consumers from financial bankruptcy due to large bills. The exchanges would be open to those who do not get medical insurance through an employer or cannot afford their employer’s coverage.

How the exchange will perform and its status as a federal program or a state by state program is still up in the air. We can count on the fact that the plans offered on the exchange will be mandated with certain features such as no pre-existing condition limitations or limits of coverage on plan maximums. We can still expect also, that the out of pocket exposure an individual person would pay for catastrophic claims would be set again to avoid financial bankruptcy.

One question I have been unable to answer is are these exchange plans more of an HMO type plan that only has co-pays associated with costs or are they more PPO or HSA in nature where you have deductibles and co-insurance and networks to work within? HMO’s have seemingly gone extinct in most parts of the country but they were awfully popular at first with their simplistic ,“co-pay-covers-all” plan design. PPO’s evolved to be more cost effective and now HSA’s are showing a national average or renewal rate at 6%, hard to ignore for the plan administrator and actuary looking at the effects up front out of pocket exposure.

To recap, it does appear that the dawn of a new age of health insurance in America is upon us. The insurance exchange is a tool to use, a resource if you will to buy our newly packaged government approved health benefits. Hopefully they get it right.

Note from ANA:Did you know that by signing with Western Growers for your health benefits and property casualty insurance, ANA receives a small part of the money? What may seem to be a very small amount of money grows as the number of companies greaten that work with Western Growers. Contact Matt Bigham at 602-266-6147 ex 203 to enroll in ANA’s group.

Insurance updateMatt Bigham, Regional Sales ManagerWestern Growers You can reach Matt at 602-266-6147, x. 203.

Western Growers is endorsed by the ANA to provide health benefits and property and casualty insurance to its members.

Health Reform:What is an Insurance exchange?


OOn February 18, 2010, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the issue of employer defenses to disparate impact age discrimination under the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).

The EEOC issued the revised rules in response to two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Smith v. City of Jackson (2005) and Meacham v. Knolls Atomic Power Lab (2008). Both cases involved the question of when an employer is liable for age discrimination when a facially neutral policy or practice has a disparate impact on age-protected employees.

In Smith, the Supreme Court held that an employer can defend a policy that disproportionately affects older workers by showing that the policy is supported by “reasonable factors other than age” (RFOA). According to the EEOC, this standard is lower than Title VII’s business necessity test.

Meacham involved a reduction in force in which supervisors ranked employees based on performance, flexibility, and criticality of skill sets. More senior employees received additional points for years of service. The lowest-ranked employees were laid off. Of the 31 employees selected for layoff, 30 were over the age of 40, even though only 58 percent of the employer’s workforce was over 40. The older employees claimed that the facially neutral selection process had a disparate impact on them. The Court held that the employer bears the burden of demonstrating that its selection

system was based on reasonable factors other than age.In light of these decisions, the EEOC decided to amend the

ADEA regulations to address the RFOA defense. The proposed regulations define the phrase “reasonable factor” as one that is “objectively reasonable when viewed from the position of a reasonable employer.” The factor must be reasonably designed to further or achieve a legitimate business purpose and administered in a way that reasonably achieves that purpose in light of the facts and circumstances. Reasonableness, according to the EEOC, will be judged from the perspective of a “prudent employer mindful of its responsibilities under the ADEA.” A prudent employer knows or should know that ADEA prohibits facially neutral employment policies or practices that disproportionately impact older workers.

The EEOC will consider public comments on the proposed ADEA rules for a 60-day period following publication today in the Federal Register. If you have views that you wish to be heard by the EEOC, you can submit your comments in writing to the EEOC within the 60-day comment period, which expires on April 19, 2010. The attorneys of Ballard Spahr’s Labor, Employment and Immigration Group are able to assist you in preparing comments.

Provided by: Ballard Spahr; for more information call (215) 665-8500.

It’s the law

Intelligent Irrigation Solutions™

800.322.9146 www.digcorp.com

Economic Versatile Green

LEIT-2®

2-station ambient light powered irrigation controller. Handset operates up to 99 controllers or 198 valves. No valve wire runs and no AC power needed increasing versatility and dramatically cutting installation costs.

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Advertiser IndexMarch/april 2010

A & P Nurseries ........................................... 18

All Season Wholesale Growers ....................... 4

Arid Zone Trees .............................................. 4

Arizona Big Tree Movers............................... 13

Arizona Wholesale Growers ........................ IFC

CANGC ........................................................ 12

Desert Tree Farm ............................................ 8

Desert Trees Nursery ...................................... 3

Desierto Verde Inc. ....................................... 17

DIG Corporation ........................................... 19

Ewing ............................................................. 7

Flower Carpet ................................................. 5

Kornegay Design .......................................... 20

Paradise Wholesale Nursery ........................... 7

Plants for the Southwest ................................. 8

SCF Arizona ................................................. 20

Southwest Forest Products .......................... IBC

Swan Hill Nurseries ....................................... 6

V&P Nurseries ............................................... 9

Western Growers ......................................... BC

WestCoastTurf/WesternSod ...................... IFC

Western Tree Company ................................... 7

Zvida Growers ................................................ 3

Spray Tech

Company Name: ISS Grounds ControlDuties: Application of chemicals in landscape and/or turf areas.Salary: $12.00-$15.00/hour Depending on ExperienceBenefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Vacation, Sick, Holiday payRequirements: Licensed applicator in weeds and turf or must be able to obtain applicators license in 90 days from employment. Must have a valid, clean, AZ driver’s license. Available: Immediate openingApplication Deadline: Open until filledComments: Full time positionSend, Fax or Email Resume to: [email protected] 602-243-7631 • Cell 602-670-9554

Position: Outside Sales Representative

Location: Field/Commission based

Sunrise Tree Farm is looking for energetic, self-starters with experience in wholesale nursery sales to develop accounts in the Southwest. Candidates must have excellent interpersonal and communication skills with good attention to detail and follow-up. Although a Horticultural degree is not required, plant knowledge is a definite plus.

Essential functions of this position will include:Generate sales by obtaining leads from industry and community resources including calling

on prospective clients - Provide up to date information on product varieties, availability and prices, as well as staying abreast of developments in the industry - Gather and analyze customer needs and interests; build strong business relationships and provide solutions to challenges - Provide customers with clear and easy to understand information pertaining to all of our plant material. - Provide appropriate level of communication with internal staff - Participate in professional and industry events and trade shows

-Support credit department in the collection of credit applications, processing credits (returns and keeping accounts current.

Requirements:-Business to business sales experience.

- Excellent oral and written communication skills - Experience managing multiple projects and ability to multi-task - Industry of local knowledge and contacts preferred

Please submit your resume to [email protected]

Classified Ads

Southwest ForestProducts

Serving Arizona, Southern California and Las Vegas

With Consistent Virgin MulchFor propagation and canning.In 1/4, 5/8 and 3/4 Inch.

Includes approximately 15% bark

Custom blends ready to use

Also bagged products including private label

We CareOffice Telephone: (602) 278-1009 Fax: (602) 278-0398

Jessica Van Der Toorn’s Cell: (602) 820-9178

ArizONA NurSEry ASSOciATiON1430 West BroadwaySuite 110Tempe, AZ 85282

change Service requested

Health Benefits | Automobile Insurance | Directors & Officers | Employment Practices Liability Insurance Errors & Omissions | General Liability | Property | Umbrella | Workers Compensation

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A Fu l l Ser v i ce Agenc y

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to offer a variety of

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health benefit plans

designed for our industry.

Contact Matt Bigham [email protected]

800-333-4WGAwww.WGInsuranceServices.com

QuAlIty CoverAGe, CompetItIve rAteSFor all your insurance needs

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage

PAIDPhoenix, AZPermit No. 1

southwest horticulture march - april

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