For more than 30 years, Arbor Age magazine has been covering new and innovative products, services, technology and research vital to tree care companies, municipal arborists and utility right-of-way maintenance companies
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1030 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 230, Park Ridge, IL 60068 www.arborage.com jkmitta@m2media360.com Integrated Content Team Executive Vice President Charles Forman Editor John Kmitta Editorial Direction Richard Brandes Production Team Art Director Adam Lane Production Manager Karen Kalinyak M2MEDIA360 President/CEO Marion Minor Vice President, Finance and Operations Gerald Winkel Vice President, Circulation and Collateral Services Joanne Juda-Prainito Production and Operations Director Mary Jo Tomei Direct Mail List Sales Cheryl Naughton, 678-292-6054, fax 360-294-6054 e-mail cnaughton@m2media360.com Reprint Service Cheryl Naughton, 678-292-6054, fax 360-294-6054 e-mail cnaughton@m2media360.com For subscription inquiries and customer service questions please call: 845-856-2229; 845-856-5822 (fax) ARBOR AGE SALES TERRITORIES Charles Forman, Executive Vice President Advertising Account Managers Glenn Datz ph: 213-596-7220 fax: 213-624-0997 gdatz@m2media360.com 626 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 500 Los Angeles, CA 90017 Joy Gariepy 16267 W. 14 Mile Rd., Ste. 202 Beverly Hills, MI 48025 248-530-0300, ext. 1401 jgariepy@m2media360.com Bruce Loria 626 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 500 Los Angeles, CA 90017 213-596-7226 bloria@m2media360.com When I arrived at my downtown Hartford hotel on Nov. 2 for the 2011 TCI Expo, I was greeted with, "I see your reservation in the system, but I don't have a room for you." A short while later, I realized just how fortunate I was compared to many others in Connecticut at that time. Although I was shuttled to another hotel in Windsor Locks, Conn., at least I had a warm room and a bed. This was not the case for some TCI Expo attendees — and it definitely was not the case for many residents of the northeastern United States. On Oct. 29, several days before TCI Expo was set to kick off, a major snowstorm hit the region. The storm, which dumped more than two feet of snow in some areas, resulted in snapped branches, downed trees and downed power lines. More than 3 million people from Maryland to Maine lost power (more than 800,000 of those people were located in Connecticut, and many ended up being without power for more than a week). Adding to the challenges, several area hotels were without power. At least one hotel was handing out flashlights to guests who decided to stay there despite the lack of electricity. One attendee told me that he spent the first night of the show in his truck. Through it all, TCI Expo 2011 and its attendees persevered. According to the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), 177 companies exhibited at the show, and 1,937 tree care professionals attended the trade show, work- shops, seminars and demonstrations. In addition to the trade show and conference, TCI Expo hosted a Student Career Days (SCD) event, which drew 230 college and high school tree care students from throughout the United States. Many of the sponsoring tree companies organized a last-minute cleanup of Bushnell Park, site of the SCD competition, which was heavily damaged by the storm. Students pitched in to help and spent hours working side- by-side with industry professionals. Later, the students participated in tree climbing competitions, educational seminars, workshops and a job and internship fair. According to TCIA, many tree service companies that came to Connecticut for the show also performed double duty, carrying out tree work for local residents hit hard by the storms. On Nov. 5, TCI Expo opened the show floor and gave free admission to all tree care crews who were working to restore essential services to the region. "No other industry bonds together like Publisher's Notice: We assume no responsibility for the validity of advertising claims in connection with items appearing in Arbor Age. Reader Service Numbers are given to facilitate further inquiry. Commercial product names are used for the convenience of the reader. Mention of a commercial product does not imply endorsement by Arbor Age or Bev-Al Communications, or preference over similar products not mentioned. 360 1030 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 230, Park Ridge, IL 60068 John Kmitta Editor 847-720-5613 jkmitta@m2media360.com www.arborage.com ours," said Bill Weber, team captain for Arborwear. "Where else can you find exhibitors sharing their hotel rooms with last-minute attendees because hotels were without power, or have residents opening their homes to crews that have been working through the night?" In the end, despite all of the challenges, TCI Expo was once again a great source of information, education and networking. And this time, perhaps more than ever, it showed the determination, camaraderie and true personality of the Tree Care Industry. Arbor Age / November/December 2011 5 FROM THE EDITOR TCI Expo Perseveres Despite Unforeseen Challenges