HORTICULTURE NEWS
March, 2017
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NTNGA Tradeshow Highlights

       Thank you to everyone who helped make the 2017 NTNGA Trade Show a success!  We had a larger number of exhibitors this year and great  attendance numbers. 
        We hope that if you were in attendance, that you walked away with something new - a new piece of information, a new contact, a new excitement about our industry, a new friend, or a new outlook.
         This year we offered 4 educational classes, two on Thursday and two on Friday.  We appreciate our speakers for helping with this addition to the tradeshow.
         We enjoyed some great music during Thursday evening's mixer, and before the auction we took a minute for a rousing game of "Heads or Tails" with bandannas.  The money raised from the sale of the bandannas was added to the Mary Moser Scholarship Fund.
         There was good-natured bantering and competition over the auction items being sold.  Thanks to everyone's support between the bandannas, the silent and live auctions, we raised over $3700 for the Mary Moser Scholarship Fund. 
  
Meet our new members 

Coir America, Irving, TX
Contact: Sarath Bala 469-601-8201
   Provider of Coconut coir garden products

Integrated Crop Solutions, Jasper, MO
Contact: Russell Dintaman 417-825-3095
   Wholesale Nursery Crop Insurance    
Schooley Mitchell, N. Richland Hills, TX
Contact: Brian Johnson 817-928-4918
     Business Optimization Services

Tree Nutri, Houston, TX
Contact: David Gaona 877-365-8733
     Tree Fertilizers
 
In This Issue

Join NTNGA Today



A Big Announcement From Our NTNGA President 
          The NTNGA Board of Directors has decided to move our trade show to the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, Texas. This move is to help spur more members and attendees to come to the show. Attendance has been slowly declining, and a change in venue will help with this. Arlington is in the center of the Metroplex, making it easier for attendees to get to, and it has many more attractions to draw people to us.
           We also will be looking at changing the name of our trade show to better represent our diverse membership. It has been stated that "The Best Little Trade Show in Texas" doesn't really fit us any more and now would be a good time to change this as well. Rather than emphasize "Little", we want to promote "new" and "exciting" and "reachable"
           With this move, we will have to re-configure how the show is set up and re-allot show floor space. There will also be logistic differences in move-in, because of the size of the doors that products must be brought thru. Please be patient with us, as we will be working thru these changes.
           We have to notify our customers of this change as we have already publicized on our buyer's guide that the show would be in Mesquite. We are working on a postcard to mail out, bulk emails will be sent, and flyers will be given out at the TNLA Expo highlighting the change. Plus, as a group, we must let our customers know how excited we are about this change and that change is good. Please get in touch with Charlotte if you have any questions. And let's all get behind her and give her all the help we can.  
           Another item we need help with is items needed for the scholarship auction. Last years auction was smaller than in past and we need more items for both live auction and for silent auction. Please make these contributions early so we can have a more diverse catalog of items to auction off.  
           Again, thank you for your continued support of our Association and let's make our Convention and Trade Show a great success in 2018.
 
Nathan Hullum
Sunshine Farms
NTNGA Board President  2017
 
NTNGA Members in the News 
TreeTown USA CEO Jonathan Saperstein Awarded Forbes 30 Under 30
Saperstein Recognized for Contributions within Manufacturing & Industry Category
Houston, Texas (January 5, 2017) - TreeTown USA CEO, Jonathan Saperstein, has been named a recipient of the prestigious Forbes' 30 Under 30 award as one of 30 entrepreneurs and gamechangers within the Manufacturing & Industry category. Saperstein is one of a select group of young professionals chosen from over 15,000 nominees to be recognized in Forbes' 30 Under 30 Class of 2017.
           Saperstein was selected to be a part of the prominent Forbes list because of his contributions within the nursery and agriculture industries. At the age of 22, Saperstein began running TreeTown USA. Subsequently, at the age of 27, he engineered a management buyout of the business which was later awarded the "Agricultural Acquisition of the Year" by The M&A Advisor. Under his leadership, TreeTown USA has expanded significantly, both organically and through various acquisitions. With this recent growth, TreeTown USA is now the country's largest wholesaler of trees with seven farm locations across Texas and Florida, producing more than three million trees and plants annually.
           "I'm truly honored to be selected as an honoree of Forbes' 30 Under 30 and humbled to share this honor with the other incredible young professionals who are contributing to and leading innovation in their respective fields," said Saperstein, TreeTown USA CEO and "30 Under 30" award recipient. "My goal has always been to run a business that is not only green in its very nature, but that also promotes a safe, reliable, and caring work environment and culture for our incredible team. The fact that I have been recognized for the success I have helped TreeTown USA usher in, alongside our amazing team, is the icing on the cake."
            For the sixth year, Forbes' annual 30 Under 30 list (see page 68 of the January 24,
2017 Forbes magazine issue), features 600 young innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders who are challenging conventional wisdom and rewriting the rules for the next generation. The list includes 30 honorees for each of the 20 categories that make up the list, including Saperstein who is featured in the Manufacturing & Industry category. All honorees are under 30 years old, and were vetted by a panel of judges in their respective fields.
  
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 News and Articles from the Green Industry                 
 
Technology Overload.  Technology can be your friend or foe. Five tips to have it help, and not hinder, your business. by Carol Rin
         Technology has been a revolutionary thing over the past few years, allowing us to do many things once thought impossible. We can work from home; we can make phone calls from the grocery store when we can't remember the right brand of coffee; we can instantly communicate with people on the other side of the globe; we can seek out the latest trends; we can mobilize on issues we care about. It has enabled us to use our household wireless internet connection on our laptop to send emails while we catch up on our favorite TV shows, to conference into a meeting while we drive, and to receive emails while listening to a presentation at a convention.
        Unfortunately, though, too many people are overdosing on emails, social media, and online activities, causing real psychological disorders read more 

How Great Photos Can Help You Sell More Plants
by William Lenkin
        "Can I have a photo?"
         If you work at a nursery or garden center, you know that question all too well. Some of you may love the opportunity to share your beautiful plant material, while others may avoid the process like the plague.
         Whatever your feelings may be, the advent of email and online shopping has created a shift in how we do business. As more and more grower-retailers rely on email and internet search engines (Google, Bing, etc.), we are left with only one way to sell effectively. You guessed it, photos. read more 
 
5 Marketing Practices Most Landscaping Contractors Get Wrong  by Joy Gendusa
         In a hyper-competitive industry like landscaping, marketing your business is critical. Even if you think you have enough customers now, people move all the time - more than 35 million people move every year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau - and they take their business with them.
         To keep a steady flow of new customers calling, you need to make marketing your landscaping or lawn-care service as routine as maintaining your equipment.
         Here's the good news: It doesn't have to be difficult - or expensive. Some of the most effective marketing tools out there are free.
         To help jumpstart your marketing, here are five of the most common mistakes I see landscaping and lawn-care businesses make - and how to fix them: read more   
 
 Events around the area                
Thursday, March 23, 2017  
      Pesticide Applicator Training    
  Harrison County Extension Office, Marshall, TX  8am-12:30pm

Saturday, April 29, 2017  
     Bloom Dango Spring Festival.    
  Chambersville Tree Farms, Celina, TX  8am-4pm
Speaker: Dr Brent Pemberton


Thursday, May 18, 2017 
NTNGA/ TNLA III combined meeting    
Bruce Miller Nursery, Edgewood, TX  5:00pm  
 
If you know of any events in  your area, or if you are hosting an event, please let me know and we can post it here.
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It was great to see so many of you at the trade show!   Happy spring! 
  
Charlotte
 
Charlotte Yorkson
Executive Director
Northeast Texas Nursery Growers Association
903-272-0145