Mr. Jorge Abreu
West Kendall Nursery, Inc.
10100 SW 177th Ave
Miami, FL 33196-2902
Ph. 305-387-2181
Fx. 305-387-9527
westkendallnursery@att.net
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Kathryn Walters
FNGLA Dade County Office
18710 SW 288th St #38
Homestead, FL 33030
Ph: 305-248-1117
Fax: 305-247-7677 info@nursery-report.com |
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| The Grapevine July 2008 |
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Thank you for the opportunity to be your 2008-2009 President. As I look back at our past Presidents, my challenge will be to fill their shoes as each of them have made a difference during their term. It is great to see the past Presidents stepping up and offering their assistance and knowledge as well as the rest of the industry. I will not be able to do it without our members and our Board of Directors: Ivonne Alexander of Happy Days, Raquel Brookins of Triple-O Nursery, Mick Gnaegy of Mix’d Greens, Keith Lane of Signature Trees & Palms, Doug Miller of Bernecker’s, and our newest edition to the board Neal Spencer of Bayside Tree Farms. Our first and second Vice President is Steve Leonard of Sturon Nursery and Allyson Humphries of Larry’s Cap Rocks. Our job will not be complete without the assistance and knowledge of Lisa Greer as our Treasurer, Jane Spurling our Secretary and the ones that hold down the fort everyday, Kathryn Walters and her counterpart Christy Mella. Sandy “Big Bro” Stein is not out of the picture either and will be helping us along the way. Nine years ago, I was faced with a decision to change my career path from pharmaceutical sales to joining the family business. I gained knowledge through trials and tribulations at the nursery and earning a degree in Environmental Horticulture at UF/IFAS TREC and certifications through the UF/IFAS Extension office. I have also learned a great deal from my colleagues, my vendors, distributors and manufacturer representatives. These individuals specialize in different aspects of the industry but have a passion and knowledge of agriculture that is essential in order to overcome the obstacles we face as an industry. As President of FNGLA my first goal is to motivate our members in joining our monthly meetings in order to learn from each other and the guest speakers. This will help us get through these times and make us a stronger industry by coming up with new ideas and strategies. I look forward to seeing you at the Installation Banquet to meet you personally and to provide the board of directors with ideas and recommendations of what you would like to see in the coming year. Sandy, Mary Schneider and Jane attended the ceremony in Tampa for Colleen Boggs as Charles Bronson, the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture proclaimed her the 2007 Florida Agriculture Woman of the Year. There were eight scholarships of $2,000 each given to Dade students from the Day on the Bay Fishing Tournament this year. The Chapter presented $8,000 to the NFF in honor of the Dick Fuhr Fishing Tournament. We sponsored the test site of the TREC experimental plot for water needs of plants in order for us to grow a quality product using the least amount of water. The Dade Chapter helped and sponsored the Girl Scouts Sensory Garden for Dolphins Plus Handicapped Facility in the Keys. Sandy was named the FNGLA Chapter President for 2007-2008. He was honored at the state convention in June which was held in Palm Beach at the historic Breakers Hotel. Sandy presented the slate of officers as it appears on the front page. The newly elected officials were introduced to the membership and duly voted into office. The Babe Greer nominations for Dade’s Service Award were; David Baskin, Erik Tietig, and Ron Weeks. The result ballots were sealed was taken to the accountant to be counted and will be announced to the membership at the installation banquet on July 29th at the Speedway. The evening closed with a “fun-filled” plant auction with everyone bidding for the plants members brought. Another goal is to reintroduce to the members the Miami- Dade Ag Practices Study Board. This board meets the first Wednesday of every month in the Extension Auditorium to discuss situations and opportunities and pass them on to our County Commissioners. Ivonne Alexander, Erik Teitig, John DeMott and myself are members of this board along with other colleagues in the agricultural industry. If you have an issue you would like to bring up, please let any of us know to have it added to the agenda. Topics that we have recently discussed have been the water shed issue, trash pickup after a hurricane, animal control and theft to name a few. The people I truly need to thank are those who put up with me everyday. For those that know my parents Jose and Ana know they are “good” people and have made me who I am today. Last but not least, I want to thank my wife and first lady Ady and my son D’Angelo for supporting me with this new responsibility. Plagiarizing my big brother, “Ask what not your FNGLA chapter can do for you, but what you can do for your FNGLA chapter.” See you at the Homestead Speedway for the Installation.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
July 29, 2008 FNGLA Installation Banquet Homestead Speedway
TBA Jose Costa Memorial Golf Tournament
Sept 25-27, 2008 The Landscape Show
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