Viewpoint John Kmitta Heads of "State"
be very different from the view held by a dedicated irrigation contractor. It is for that reason that we tried to diversify this year's State of the Industry overview, and the industry responded in force (see Part 1 beginning on page 12). In our most in-depth State of the Industry coverage to date, we received feedback
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from all corners of the landscape and irrigation industries. The responses were so well thought-out and detailed that we have decided to publish the bulk of the com- ments in full. To paraphrase or cut comments altogether would have watered down the passion for the industry that this year's respondents exhibited. I extend a sincere "thank you" to all those who contributed to our discussion this
year, as the comments help paint a picture of the industry and its challenges with a much broader brush. And although most respondents were willing to state their opinions for the
record, we did receive feedback from others who wished to weigh in on the topic anonymously. Many are still feeling the impact of the troubled economy, and have seen other landscape industry businesses in their area go out of business. "I think there is still a lot of fear in our industry, so people aren't making invest- ments in their companies to help them grow," stated one source who wished to re- main anonymous. "While there has been business, most of it has been from 'old' demand that is finally coming through. Folks need to get out and start investing in sales, marketing, equipment, etc., to ensure continued growth." Although several respondents found it difficult to be optimistic about anything in
2012, others pointed to the upcoming election season as a potential game-changer, and were holding out hope for a good year. "2011 ended with a good swing," one source stated. "All info indicates that should sustain."
Some of these sentiments are echoed by those who went on the record for this
year's State of the Industry discussion. But there are many more diverse opinions to be found in Part 1 of our coverage in this issue, as well as in Part 2, which will ap- pear in the March issue. I hope that you take the time to read through the thoughtful commentary pro-
vided by your peers, and that you can gain some insight into the state of business in- dustrywide. As with any self assessment, the goal is to take stock of where we stand, and hopefully plan a course for future success.
If you would like to share your thoughts regarding the State of the Industry, please e-mail me at jkmitta@m2media360.com or "Like" us on Facebook at GreenMediaMags, www.Facebook.com/GreenMediaMags.
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he "state" of the industry is always difficult to diagnose — especially when factoring in the range of businesses and services being offered. Small lawn maintenance firms may very well view the state of the indus- try differently from full-service landscape design/build firms, which may
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