Recently, PLANET’s Board of Directors put together a special task force to focus on strengthening the communities within our specialty groups. I was fortunate to participate, and it was a powerful discussion with exciting outcomes and potential for PLANET and its members.
PLANET’s membership is contained within four areas — Design/Build/Installation, Interior Plantscaping, Landscape Management, and Lawn Care — each represented by a specialty group. This specialty group strives to ensure that the member companies that fall under its umbrella get the most from their membership. An open communication with this portion of the membership has been established to improve PLANET’s offerings according to their needs and desires, as well as to increase their participation in the programs and services offered by the organization. Furthermore, the specialty groups allow for a greater sense of community among the specialties, added value to members through the networking and focused agendas on unique items germane to the specific group.
PLANET is the unified voice for our industry. However, we are aware that every group has some specific needs. In response to this, PLANET created niche educational and networking opportunities, such as The Lawn Care Summit. This gives you the best of both worlds: a united green industry that harmonizes different voices, and focused events and education.
The Lawn Care Summit, co-hosted by PLANET and the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), is a national forum on current trends and future developments in the lawn care segment. At the Summit, there is a huge emphasis on education, which is delivered through technical and business management sessions. You can learn how to add lawn care or pest management services to your business, learn about the application of emerging trends to your business, tap into the minds of industry experts, and even earn recertification credits at the same time.
The event doesn’t stop at educational sessions. You’ll have invaluable opportunities to network with industry professionals and to check out the newest, hottest lawn care products and services. This is the time to learn from peers and compare things like business operation, efficiency, or equipment.
The Lawn Care Summit is an example of how we are bringing specific market segments together. Other ways we are meeting the “niche need” is by continually developing our Landscape Management, Design/Build/Installation, and Interior Plantscaping Specialty Groups, whose mission it is to temperature check their segment and provide insight into how PLANET can better serve their needs. Find out how you can get involved by visiting the About PLANET section on PLANET’s LandcareNetwork.org Web site.
