FROM THE CHAPTER PRESIDENT
Francesca Corra, APLD
Welcome to the Fall 2018 Business-themed edition of our newsletter!
The 2018 APLD Landscape Design Conference has just wrapped up in Toronto. Once again, as in previous conferences, I return inspired and rejuvenated. It was wonderful to see so many designers from California there, as well as meeting up with old friends from around the country and meeting new people.
California came away with lots of awards, which we are happy to brag about in this issue. I had the very distinct pleasure of being asked to present The 2018 Award for Leadership in Landscape Sustainability. This and the few other service awards are like the Oscars—kept secret until the actual presentation. The winner this year was Cheryl Buckwalter. People are mostly unaware of all that goes on behind the scenes, so it was very satisfying to see Cheryl’s efforts being recognized on a national level.
The lineup of speakers was excellent and quite diverse. Paul Zammit, Director of Horticulture at the Toronto Botanical Garden, had us practically falling out of our seats laughing the whole time. Another speaker that was very inspiring was Javed S. Khan, who discussed digital marketing trends. I came away with two words that I will share with you….
1. LinkedIn
2. Videos.
Get yourselves ramped up on LinkedIn and start practicing doing short personalized videos, Facebook Live, etc.
Another highlight of the conference happened during our private tour of the Toronto Music Garden. In the Gigue section, we were delighted by two private and spontaneous performances: a Puccini aria by Laura Morton, APLD, and a poem recited by new friend and Kentucky designer Andrea Mueller, APLD.
The 2019 Conference is being held in Seattle July 25–29, so mark your calendars now.
As I write this, the email came in asking for submissions for the 2019 APLD International Landscape Design Awards. The deadline is December 16, 2018. I have said this before—and I will say it again—I know that there are designers out there who have award winning gardens who are not submitting. I urge you to consider this. Go to https://www.apld.org/design-awards/ to see all the different categories. There are different ways to submit. For instance, “Details” and “Specialty Projects” could include just a specific section of the garden.
I truly believe that being a member of APLD—and taking advantage of the educational and networking opportunities, forging relationships, and being involved on a leadership level—has been the single most important aspect in the growth of my business.
I would like to end by saying this: We are in the business of Landscape Design. This is not a hobby, at least for most of us. We need to treat it like a business and the rewards will be greater still.
Cheers!
Francesca Corra, APLD
APLD California Chapter President