By Tom Intven
LO President

This will be my last message to you, as my term as president of Landscape Ontario comes to an end.

First, let me say that it has been an honour and privilege to serve as your president. I enjoyed meeting many members in all the chapters involved in different sectors. While our members are diverse in their businesses, our strength lies in our common mission. Most of all, I have enjoyed working with the board and staff to help navigate our association through two very difficult and challenging years.

My father used to say, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” My luck has been more serendipitous. By my simple election as president, I have lucked into a position that is surrounded by gifted volunteers and staff. It has been a privilege to have served with an exceptional provincial board composed of passionate, committed volunteer leaders.
 

Volunteer spirit

I have been absolutely blown away by the volunteer spirit observed at every level of governance — those members who have the ‘Landscape Ontario Gene.’ That is, they believe that by working co-operatively for a common goal, they will accomplish more than by working alone. This strong and passionate belief, found in so many of our members, is at the very heart of Landscape Ontario’s success. To all of our members who have given so generously of their time and resources over the last two years, I would like to sincerely say, THANK YOU!

I would like to commend all of our staff on their contributions and work ethic over the last two years. Special recognition should be given to our executive director, Tony DiGiovanni. Tony has been inspirational in his continued and undying commitment to the development and prosperity of our members. His intelligent, adaptive, congenial and visionary management has been key to LO’s ability to navigate these rapidly changing. I encourage Tony, and all of our staff to stay committed and keep up the good work.

If you would indulge me, I have a few closing recommendations to all of you that I would like to make.
 

Strive for excellence

I encourage all of our members and staff to strive for excellence in all aspects of your work. In order for our industry to become more appreciated and command higher wages and prices, we need to demonstrate excellence and professionalism in every sector and at every step of the way. We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go in this regard.
 

Fight for our relevance

If we are to survive as an industry with the changing demographics of North America, we need to be adamant about our story. In this world of information overload, we need to be actively and aggressively, preaching the benefits of the goods and services that our industry provides. We need to support the relevance of the activities of the green industry in our local communities, in our daily conversations with people, and in all of combined efforts. If we do not, our industry will lose its relevance in a technology dominated world.
 

Get involved with your association

My theme has been ‘Prosperity through Engagement.’ The concept presented in January of 2010 was that the more our members become engaged in what our community has to offer, the more success they will achieve and the stronger our association will become.

The best way to face the challenges of the rapidly changing economy is to fully embrace Landscape Ontario, its culture, its programs, its network of members and staff and their touch points, and its sense of community. I still firmly believe this to be true. I have observed that many of our members have become more engaged in Landscape Ontario in the last few years, despite the increase in demands from our businesses. To all of you who are so committed, I would like to extend a sincere THANK YOU! for your continued expression of your passion for our industry through your engagement.
 

We are blessed

The work of association development is ongoing and challenging. We are again blessed with a talented and committed volunteer provincial board that represents our many and diverse interests and areas. I know that our new president will experience the same feeling of being lucky to be surrounded by many dedicated volunteers and staff in the pursuit of our mission.

Please join me in wishing the new president, Phil Charal, the board of directors and all of our governance the best of luck in the coming years. 

---