great example of the SMA effort to foster the sharing of ideas and expertise with other green industry profession- als—an effort that will propel all of us forward.
It was an honor for J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. to serve as a sponsor, and for me to co-present with Friends of
Trees Executive Director Scott Fogarty. I came home with many new ideas and am already planning for a “can’t- miss” meeting in Milwaukee.
—Nancy Buley, Hon. ASLA, Director of Communications, J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.
For me, the chief highlight of attending this year’s SMA conference was connecting with old friends and making new ones! When SMA says we are “Leading the world in building the confidence, competence, and camaraderie of the family of professionals who create and sustain community forests,” we mean it! The annual conference always has a way of fitting all of these needs. The educational components of the conference, includ- ing the resources, research, and collaboration methods available to our family of professionals were exceptional. And the camaraderie ... it is always the best for me ... and this year was no exception.
Mary Fraiser of Traverse City, Michigan considers her bid at the Urban Forest Foundation silent auction. Photo by Steve Cothrel
I serve as the committee liaison for SMA, herding the 10- plus committees to produce some outstanding work and bodacious programs! It was a surprise to me this year in that I didn’t consciously realize that I didn’t know what many of the committee members looked like. I feel as though I know them all because we visit often (usually monthly) via conference call and talk about work, the
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