CNGA Looseleaf Dec 2018 Jan 2019

colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf  December 2018/January 2019 4 CNGA— HERE FOR THE MEMBERS By Allison Gault, MBA, CAE CNGA Executive Director Developing Strategies for Labor, Drought & More As we approach a new year (where did 2018 go?), it’s time to reflect on what went well, what you would do better, and the opportunities that lie ahead in 2019. Many members I’ve spoken with have com- mented on another great year for the industry. The labor issue remains ever present, but overall it sounds as if our industry had another ban- ner year. At the same time, we are concerned about and closely moni- toring the reservoir storage levels and our snowpack to ensure everyone is prepared in the event of a drought. The CNGA Board of Directors is working on strategies and tactics for tackling the labor issue. From smaller, low-hanging fruit to larger, multi-year opportunities, we are looking at several options to help you manage the lack of labor and find ways to increase the labor pool over time. We discussed our ideas with members at the Horticulture Lead- ership Retreat, gathered input, and will report our next steps and plans in the February/March issue of LooseLeaf. The CNGA staff is looking forward to seeing many of you at Pro- Green EXPO! This year, we’ve created tracks for several segments of our industry. Our hope is that you’re able to send more of your staff to the event, even if it’s for one day. We’ve scheduled the tracks so that a staff member can attend one day (or more) and leave with a complete education on a topic, such as nursery operational efficiency or proper greenhouse growing techniques. We will be highlighting the tracks over the course of a few weeks in the eLeaf. I would encourage you to attend the Industry Celebration on Thurs- day, February 7 at the Rhein Haus in Denver. It’s always a great event to catch up with colleagues, have a drink or two, and bid on silent auction items to support CHREF. We’re looking forward to another great year and seeing all of you at our events.