From The Publisher: Nov. 1999

Quicker than you can read this column, the Internet is attracting several thousand first-time users. And many of those novice Internet users are also readers of this magazine.

While some aren’t as quick as others to embrace the efficiencies and the benefits of the vast Internet universe, there’s no denying the dramatic effect the Internet has had and will have on commerce.

Lawn & Landscape has invested tremendous time and resources into making our web site — www.lawnandlandscape.com – the leading vertical portal in the professional landscape marketplace. Our content – driven by our extensive copyrighted archives and only online articles, "push" technology to our readers’ desktops, business databases and energized bulletin board activity – is the backbone of our e-business success.

As a magazine and publishing company, we’ve embraced the business of e-communications. In fact, it’s a stand-alone division of our company. Further indication of our commitment to this critical area of business development is our recent hire of Patrick Toal as our Director of Web/Internet Sales dedicated fully to driving our e-business growth. We’re also in the process of staffing content editors exclusively for our Lawn & Landscape Market Portal.

Additionally, we’re excited to announce the conversion of T&O Service Tech magazine to an online interactive training product that will debut at the Green Industry Expo. Through the Internet we can now reach the estimated 300,000-plus industry technicians across the country and effectively customize content to meet their specific training and educational needs.

In short, we’re investing heavily in the power of the Internet to work more dynamically to compliment and strengthen our dominant print communications position. We believe the two entities will work hand-in-hand to provide our readers with the depth of content and range of services they are looking for to help them more profitably run their businesses.

I’m also proud to announce the selection of our Editor, Bob West, to Folio: magazine’s recent national coverage on "30 under 30." The article provided coverage of gifted up-and-comers in the publishing industry. Bob, who has been Lawn & Landscape’s editor for more than two years, has spent many long hours bringing you the kind of quality editorial that has had a significant impact on the visibility, credibility and national awareness of the professional lawn and landscape market.

Folio: magazine, a national trade publication covering the business-to-business industry, bestowed its national editorial excellence award to Lawn & Landscape a year ago.

There’s exciting developments occurring at Lawn & Landscape and www.lawnandlandscape.com.