We wanted to highlight what is going on the Green Industry, and we have lots to share! So much so, that we dedicated our February Video to this very topic.  Our winter travels have brought us to some cool trade shows & conferences where we have met great people & learned a bunch!

First up we went to the National Green Centre in St. Louis and went on a plant walk with Michael Dirr at the Missouri Botanical Garden – it was fantastic! They also released the new Dirr Tree & Shrub Finder App available for iPhones & iPads. We downloaded it, and it is really cool! From your phone, you can look up info & pictures on any woody plant & forward that info along through text or email – a very handy tool for only $15!

At the MidAm Trade Show in Chicago we enjoyed visiting with friends & attending some IGIA events.  The atmosphere around the show was very positive & upbeat. We definitely got the sense that things are looking up for 2011!

Last week, we went to the ANLA Management Clinic in Louisville. It’s hard to sum up the wealth of information & good ideas that are presented at the Clinic, but a good place to start is at the ANLA Knowledge Center.  Here the ANLA posts tons of great info & videos on many topics.  One of our favorite presenters each year is Dr. Charlie Hall, an economist from Texas A & M.  His blog Making Cents is always full of great info & his Value Proposition for the Future is both fascinating & relevant to anyone in the Green Industry.

A new technology that we learned about were QR Codes, specifically how we could apply the technology in the Green Industry.  You will see us start to use them more in the future, and if you would like to hear some ideas about how you might be able to use QR Codes just give us a call. We would be happy to pass along what we learned!

Next up… Pro Hort Education Conference March 1 & 2 in Peoria!