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Contact: Sherry MacDonald
Phone: (703) 736-9666
E-mail: sherrymacdonald@landcarenetwork.org

For Immediate Release

PLANET LEADERSHIP MEETING AND LEGISLATIVE DAY ON THE HILL BRINGS HUNDREDS OF GREEN INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS TO NATION’S CAPITAL

Herndon, VA, August 1, 2005 — The Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) held its Summer Leadership Meeting, Legislative Day on the Hill, and Renewal & Remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery events on July 14-19, in Washington, D.C. The timing gave everyone an opportunity to attend all three events, and those who did left the nation’s capital with a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment.

The leadership meeting brought together green industry service providers, suppliers, educators, and state association executives from across the United States and Canada, who met to plan new programs, products, and services to benefit PLANET members and the green industry. Fred Haskett, U.S. Lawns, of West St. Louis, Missouri, praised the effectiveness of the meetings. “This was my first leadership meeting with PLANET and it was absolutely great,” he relates. “I believe that whenever you meet with industry leaders, it is re-energizing. Their enthusiasm and knowledge rubs off on you. I look forward to next year’s event.”

After several days of meetings, attendees shifted gears to participate in Renewal & Remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery. Gerry McCarthy, CLP, president of Mac’s Landscaping in Stoneham, Massachusetts, spent six days in D.C. He attended the Arlington Cemetery event for the first time. Says McCarthy, “I really enjoyed remembrance at Arlington. It was just a tremendous experience, and the volunteers accomplished so much in such a short time on such a hot day. They worked several hours installing new shrubs and other plant material and liming virtually the entire cemetery. This was very, very impressive and one of the best examples of the industry giving something back to society.”

Many of the other participants at Renewal & Remembrance traded in their shovels and spreaders the next day for a trip to Capitol Hill. They spent the day meeting with congressional representatives and their staff members discussing key issues affecting the green industry. Michael Becker, CLP, Estate Gardeners, Inc., Elkhorn, Nebraska, says he left the day of appointments with not only a better understanding of legislative issues and how “the system” works but also feeling good, too. “It’s kind of good to know that a company like ours that generates less than $1 million in sales can have a seat at the table and have some impact on what is being done.”

Tom Delaney, PLANET’s director of government affairs, summarizes the importance of Legislative Day on the Hill, “This was an opportunity for our members to see how Congress works and to lobby their elected officials on issues facing our industry.” Delaney adds, “This is how legislators become aware of the issues facing small businesses as well as larger corporations in the green industry.”

For more information about PLANET visit www.landcarenetwork.org or call (800) 395-2522.

PLANET represents approximately 4,000 green industry service provider companies and suppliers nationwide that specialize in design/build/installation, interior plantscaping, lawn care, and maintenance. These firms and their employees represent more than 100,000 green industry professionals.