May 15, 2009
By Denis Flanagan and Lee Ann Knudsen

These are exciting times at Landscape Ontario! We are seeing members across the province embrace the Green for Life promotional initiative, with gusto.

LO’s membership and chapter coordinator Stephanie Smith says, “Everybody loves it! I am getting phone messages about the new marketing materials all the time. The new, bigger stickers look great on trucks.”

Members from all sectors are co-branding with Green for Life. Some of those recently on board include Phil Dickie of Fast Forest in Kitchener; April Cotroneo, Reeves Florist and Nursery, Woodbridge; Tom Henderson, ProScape Land Design and Construction, Oakville and Perry Grobe, Grobe Nursery and Garden Centre in Breslau.

But Green for Life is much more than a logo. Members are also giving rave reviews to the revamped consumer website, www.landscapeontario.com.

Judith Humphries of A Garden for All Seasons, a landscape design company in Mississauga, depends on the “Find a professional” section of the site for all of her new business. She says, “That is where I get people! They tell me they found my name through LO.” Humphries is candid in explaining that she spends nothing on outside marketing — a big reason she values her LO membership is because it means, “I don’t have to spend money anywhere else.”

Humphries gives the Green for Life program high marks. “It’s great! LO had a somewhat un-green image before. I like the promotion. It fits with the times.”

Another member endorsing the program follows a very different business model. Harold Deenen of Hank Deenen Landscaping in Scarborough leads one of LO’s larger member companies. While the target audience for the GFL marketing initiative is younger,
female homeowners, Deenen works exclusively with commercial maintenance and construction clients.

“The new website is beautiful,” says Deenen. “We got a call from a commercial prospect that had seen our profile on the site, and was impressed with the certifications and awards listed. It has turned into quite a nice relationship.”

Deenen worries his trucks could easily become too cluttered with stickers, including important certifications, but his company is making room for the Green for Life message — it recently ordered 60 decals.

Everyone is busy, but NOW is the time to take advantage of this powerful promotion, designed specifically for the horticulture industry. Momentum is building to spread the benefits of Green for Life across Canada! Get on board today — see specifics you can use at
www.horttrades.com/gfl.