Get In the Game in 2024

The year is off to a fast start and we’re not slowing down. We’ve already had our kickoff meeting and first educational event of the year. If you didn’t make it to our February 15 Lunch and Learn at Ewing Outdoor Supply, you missed a great one. Attendees learned about soil type and how it impacts the drip design, how to properly design a system for correct pressure and flow, how to design for slopes and change of elevation, and how to fertilize with a drip system. Thank you to Netafim reps Allister Cooney, Bill Milward, and Carlos Lemos. The information they provided was invaluable!

The goal of your chapter board and the association is to supply you with educational opportunities that provide information geared toward helping you be successful. We also want to help you grow professionally by facilitating relationships with fellow contractors and vendors. We hope you’re taking advantage of these efforts.

As a CLCA member for almost 20 years now, not only have I learned a lot from attending these meetings but, more importantly, I have met some great people along the way. As a small business owner, you can sometimes feel all alone in a big competitive world. It feels good knowing that if you need some advice, have a question about a product, or need to learn how to do something, you can call on your fellow members. I know that I have used that lifeline multiple times over the years.

If sitting in a meeting is not your thing, we also offer several non-meeting events throughout the year. Our Golf Tournament, set for April 18, is always a great time and offers a chance to hang out with fellow contractors and vendors. Bring your employees too and enjoy a great lunch and maybe even win something in our raffle. If professional sports are your thing, we will have a sports outing in the fall where we will tailgate before catching a game. Details of what sporting event we will be attending is being confirmed. If enjoying a fun and relaxing night out is your thing, we offer a Beautification Awards Banquet in September and a Holiday Dinner in December. Bottom line...we have something for everyone!

On the topic of the Beautification Awards, I want to encourage all of you to enter at least one project into the competition this year. If you do nothing but one thing in 2024, please plan to make this it! It’s a great opportunity to test yourself against other quality contractors. If you have never entered and are not sure what it takes to do so, call me. I will go through the procedures with you and help in any way I can. I’d be happy to visit a job site with you too and offer pointers on how to prepare your project. Entry forms will be released in early April.

In closing, this year I’d like to see you get more involved in any way that suits you. Make some new friends, learn some new things and have some fun. It will give you a new bounce in your step.

~Sincerely, Dave, 2024 CLCA OC Chapter President