 Sandy Munley, Executive director, Ohio Landscape AssociationPhoto: OLAWhat have you been up to since you won the award in 2009? Pretty much the same thing. Enjoying life and trying to keep the association on track. It’s been good. How have associations like the Ohio Landscape Association faired in the last two years? Well, we get the trickle down from what the contractors are experiencing. Membership has been a little tougher. As far as member numbers, they had been down. But actually, this year we are trending up, which is a very exciting thing because I think that shows that there is recovery in our industry. But throughout, our education has actually gotten stronger. More of the contractors are attending educational events and sending their employees. So I think that is another really good sign that our industry is on the right track. Are you offering more educational programs because of the increasing attendance? Yes, we have actually. That was our strategy. When we saw the economy going down, we felt that the contractors would need some extra help, so we increased the offerings that we had and have had quite a number of new educational events. And as I said, they’ve been very well attended and very well received. How have you seen the industry change in just the last two years? Well, the economy has been tough and it has been very tough on our industry. I’ve seen a lot of companies get a lot leaner, and they’re very cautious with their spending so that they’re ensuring that, in the future, they’ll continue to operate in a strong fashion. It’s been interesting to see the changes – there have been a few companies unfortunately that haven’t survived and many companies have grown stronger because of it. What do you think will be the biggest issues the industry and OLA will face in the next five to 10 years? I think it continues to be the same old story. I think the most difficult thing that we face, and have faced for years, is finding a labor force. It’s very difficult to find Americans that want to do labor jobs. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to use the legal programs that are in place, because of regulations and such, and to import labor from other countries. So I think labor continues to be the biggest challenge. What is the eventual solution to that problem, then? I think we need to continue supporting these schools that teach horticulture and landscape contracting, work on getting young people involved in the industry and excited about working outdoors and realizing that our industry is a great career. What is your typical day like running OLA? I don’t have a typical day. Every day is so different. We do have a small staff, so one day I can be helping with a mailing that has to get out – kind of all hands on deck to put it together – and the next day I can be in Washington D.C. speaking with a senator. So, every day is different, and I love that there is a lot of variety in the different things that I do. I guess you’ve learned to be flexible? Yes, very flexible, very flexible. But as I said, I enjoy the variety that there is no typical day. What has been your favorite part about working in the green industry? Oh, the people. There are just great people in this industry, really down-to-Earth, friendly people. And I think people are happier in this industry. They get to work outdoors and make our environment more beautiful for everyone to enjoy. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? That is a tough one. But I guess I would have to say be honest, because then you never need to keep track of your story. You always know what you said and to whom because it never changes. |
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