FROM THE BOARD 



A Message from Your President 



BOB RIMOL 



As the big spring rush is about 

 to unfold, we all hope for a 

 healthy and prosperous season. 

 And before long, it will be over. 

 You'll have had a vision of what it 

 should turn out to be and then 

 you'll evaluate what really hap- 

 pened. We, as your board of direc- 

 tors, face a similar situation. 



Back in January, we set the 

 tone for 1999 with a vision for 

 the New Hampshire Plant Grow- 

 ers' Association while, at the same 

 time, looking back at what we ac- 

 complished in 1998. Last year was 

 a tremendous year for the 

 NHPGA. We began the New 

 Hampshire Horticultural Endow- 

 ment Fund, which will raise 

 money for the sole purpose of hor- 

 ticultural research to help improve 

 our businesses. We passed legisla- 

 tion exempting free-standing 

 greenhouses from taxation, saving 

 growers thousands of dollars. We 

 had two outstanding twilight meet- 

 ings, a great New England Green- 

 house Conference, and successful 

 Summer and Winter Meetings. 

 And our presence is getting into 

 more elementary schools through 

 Ag in the Classroom. A big thanks 

 to all of the people who helped 

 make this happen. 



1999 will present the NHPGA 



with new challenges which will 

 again require involvement from 

 you, our members, to be success- 

 fully met. Our primary focus will 

 be to improve our public image 

 and increase membership. Market- 

 ing plans include possible changes 

 with The Plantsman, a new logo, a 

 new trade show booth, and a com- 

 pletely different exhibit at Farm 

 and Forest. Hopefully, these 

 changes will increase membership 

 and increase public awareness of 

 horticulture in the State of New 

 Hampshire. 



Our first focus will be The 

 Plantsman. Unfortunately, we will 

 be losing our editor, Bob Parker, 

 after many years of outstanding 

 and dedicated service. A new edi- 

 tor, along with increased produc- 

 tion costs, could affect the format. 

 However, we remain committed to 

 providing our membership with a 

 first-class and timely newsletter. 



Next, a new logo will be de- 

 signed and will be used as the fo- 

 cal point of a redesigned trade 

 show display. This display is used 

 to solicit membership at regional 

 trade shows and meetings. After 

 many years of abuse, our trade 

 show booth has finally hit the end 

 of the road. Actually, it did fall 

 down a few times on the streets 



surrounding the Hynes Convention 

 Center. We are going to invest in 

 a new tabletop display that is 

 lightweight and more versatile. 

 Again, this will project a new, 

 fresh, and professional image. 



We're in the process of rede- 

 signing our display at the Farm 

 and Forest Show. Farm and Forest 

 is geared toward families. Our goal 

 is to incorporate a theme each year 

 to spark enthusiasm, provide edu- 

 cation, and get more people — 

 whole families — to enjoy gardening 

 as a hobby. Possible themes in- 

 clude: perennials, water gardens, 

 bulbs, etc. We want to get people 



le spring growing 



excited abc 

 season. 



All this leads into the final goal 

 of increasing membership. Over 

 the last few years, membership has 

 stagnated. We are doing more for 

 our members and for the industry 

 and we should be growing! Get 

 out and get friends and colleagues 

 to join the NHPGA. We now have 

 several categories, so membership 

 is affordable for everyone. Increased 

 membership will allow us to do 

 more marketing and we will all 

 benefit. Good luck in 1999! 



Bob Rimol can be reached at 6oj- 

 62 p -poo 4 



The More You Grow, The More You Know. 



(f^^fiortheast Nursery, Inc. 



W-. 



:'ve been in this business a long lime. We know our 

 customer's needs and demands, h doseni make a difference of the 

 tune of year or ttie size of the project. Northeast Sursery covers 11 

 all. With the widest selection in wholesale plant matenals and 

 landscape supplies in all of New England its no wonder many 

 consider Northeast Nursery the best One-Slop shopping for all 

 your landscape and green supplies. 



Supplying Fine Plant Material & Landscape Supplies 



234 Newbury Street, Rt. 1 South 



Peabody, MA 01960 



Tel. (508) 535-6550 Fax (508) 535-5247 



APRIL / MAy 1999 



