January 15, 2010
Theme for 2010: Prosperity through Engagement
Tom Intven
LO President
It is with a great deal of humility and appreciation that I assume the presidency of Landscape Ontario. Thank you for your confidence and support. It is an honour and a privilege to serve you all in this capacity.
Last September, as the economic crisis was making headlines, I asked our executive director and board of directors the question, “What will Landscape Ontario do for its members in tough economic times?” The answer was not immediately forthcoming. After living through a year of the recession, to me, the answer is slowly precipitating out.
I have chosen the theme ‘Prosperity through Engagement.’
It reflects the answer, for both us as members and for our association’s direction in the near future.
These three words are an attempt to blend the themes of the successful presidencies of the past that focused on the prosperity and professionalism of our members. It is my observation that the most successful (prosperous) members are those who become engaged. The message I would like to emphasize to our members and prospective members is the more they become engaged in what our community has to offer, the more success they will achieve and the stronger our association will become, especially in these rapidly changing times. The best way to face the challenges of the new 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. Now more than ever, the value of membership in Landscape Ontario will be made evident to those who, not just participate, but become fully engaged.
In these uncertain times, we need to return to our core values. Landscape Ontario, by definition, is an association, or more simply put, a community. When we renew our membership, we declare that we believe that we can be more successful with the help of like-minded professionals in our community of Landscape Ontario, than by working alone. Synonyms of ‘association’ include: camaraderie, coalition, co-operative, partnership, friendship, assistance and agreement. We are better positioned to face the challenges of uncertain times if we stand united with friends, partners and colleagues, than if we stand alone.
As president, my goal is to ensure that we the board, our members and staff work collectively to first, get this message of strength in community out to members and prospective members, and second, to ensure that the all the components of our community are working harmoniously and diligently toward our common goals.
This past year we focused on professional development of our members, branding of LO and chapter relevance.
Next year, professional development and education of all sectors will continue to be a foundational priority, especially in the area of business. We must also continue the good work on the Green for Life campaign, first by encouraging all members to utilize the brand for their benefit and secondly by promoting it successfully to the public. I also see the need to continue our attention on membership recruitment and retention. The planning work done to date has been outstanding.
It is a rapidly changing world, and the pace of change is accelerating. We must focus our resources toward helping our members to position themselves in the best way to survive and thrive in these uncertain economic times.
As we move forward, our priorities will shift, but our vision will not. We all share the mission to be leaders representing, promoting and fostering a favourable climate for the advancement of the horticultural industry in Ontario. Our endpoint is a prosperous, professional, ethical, recognized, trusted and valued industry. It will be my job to ensure we keep focused and on track to achieve our vision and our priorities.
We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated and capable staff at LO. As members, we need to become more aware of who they are, what they do and how hard they are working for us. To that end, I have asked our publishing department to feature our staff in the upcoming issues of Horticulture Review. Please, take the time to become better acquainted with them. They are your employees trying hard to help you achieve success. Only good things can come from improved communication with our staff.
As the new president, I am truly blessed with having dynamic and talented board members with whom to work. I admire their willingness to give so generously of their time, efforts, and resources to the advancement of our association. I hope to work toward enabling them to become fully engaged in all of our meetings.
It is the incredible spirit of volunteerism found in ALL of our members who give of their time in chapters, committees, sectors and events. This is what makes Landscape Ontario one of the largest and most successful horticultural associations in the world. To all of you, THANK YOU, for the gift of your time, talent and resources. This is truly YOUR association. Let’s move forward together with confidence.
I have come to the realization that the position of presidency is one of ultimate servitude. I promise to do my best to serve you, the members, board and staff of LO, in the pursuit of our common goals. My door will always be open, and my phone and email always ready to receive. I enthusiastically invite you to join with me to become engaged in our pursuit of success.
Tom Intven may be reached at 519-631-1008, or tintven@landscapeontario.com.
LO President
It is with a great deal of humility and appreciation that I assume the presidency of Landscape Ontario. Thank you for your confidence and support. It is an honour and a privilege to serve you all in this capacity. Last September, as the economic crisis was making headlines, I asked our executive director and board of directors the question, “What will Landscape Ontario do for its members in tough economic times?” The answer was not immediately forthcoming. After living through a year of the recession, to me, the answer is slowly precipitating out.
I have chosen the theme ‘Prosperity through Engagement.’
It reflects the answer, for both us as members and for our association’s direction in the near future.
These three words are an attempt to blend the themes of the successful presidencies of the past that focused on the prosperity and professionalism of our members. It is my observation that the most successful (prosperous) members are those who become engaged. The message I would like to emphasize to our members and prospective members is the more they become engaged in what our community has to offer, the more success they will achieve and the stronger our association will become, especially in these rapidly changing times. The best way to face the challenges of the new 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. Now more than ever, the value of membership in Landscape Ontario will be made evident to those who, not just participate, but become fully engaged.
In these uncertain times, we need to return to our core values. Landscape Ontario, by definition, is an association, or more simply put, a community. When we renew our membership, we declare that we believe that we can be more successful with the help of like-minded professionals in our community of Landscape Ontario, than by working alone. Synonyms of ‘association’ include: camaraderie, coalition, co-operative, partnership, friendship, assistance and agreement. We are better positioned to face the challenges of uncertain times if we stand united with friends, partners and colleagues, than if we stand alone.
As president, my goal is to ensure that we the board, our members and staff work collectively to first, get this message of strength in community out to members and prospective members, and second, to ensure that the all the components of our community are working harmoniously and diligently toward our common goals.
This past year we focused on professional development of our members, branding of LO and chapter relevance.
Next year, professional development and education of all sectors will continue to be a foundational priority, especially in the area of business. We must also continue the good work on the Green for Life campaign, first by encouraging all members to utilize the brand for their benefit and secondly by promoting it successfully to the public. I also see the need to continue our attention on membership recruitment and retention. The planning work done to date has been outstanding.
It is a rapidly changing world, and the pace of change is accelerating. We must focus our resources toward helping our members to position themselves in the best way to survive and thrive in these uncertain economic times.
As we move forward, our priorities will shift, but our vision will not. We all share the mission to be leaders representing, promoting and fostering a favourable climate for the advancement of the horticultural industry in Ontario. Our endpoint is a prosperous, professional, ethical, recognized, trusted and valued industry. It will be my job to ensure we keep focused and on track to achieve our vision and our priorities.
We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated and capable staff at LO. As members, we need to become more aware of who they are, what they do and how hard they are working for us. To that end, I have asked our publishing department to feature our staff in the upcoming issues of Horticulture Review. Please, take the time to become better acquainted with them. They are your employees trying hard to help you achieve success. Only good things can come from improved communication with our staff.
As the new president, I am truly blessed with having dynamic and talented board members with whom to work. I admire their willingness to give so generously of their time, efforts, and resources to the advancement of our association. I hope to work toward enabling them to become fully engaged in all of our meetings.
It is the incredible spirit of volunteerism found in ALL of our members who give of their time in chapters, committees, sectors and events. This is what makes Landscape Ontario one of the largest and most successful horticultural associations in the world. To all of you, THANK YOU, for the gift of your time, talent and resources. This is truly YOUR association. Let’s move forward together with confidence.
I have come to the realization that the position of presidency is one of ultimate servitude. I promise to do my best to serve you, the members, board and staff of LO, in the pursuit of our common goals. My door will always be open, and my phone and email always ready to receive. I enthusiastically invite you to join with me to become engaged in our pursuit of success.
Tom Intven may be reached at 519-631-1008, or tintven@landscapeontario.com.