The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) doled out a few awards and swore in its new board last week at the Leaders Forum in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Jan 12-14. Jon Cundiff, owner of Weed Man in Kansas City, will be the association’s next president.
Award winners
NALP honroed Jim McCutcheon, CEO of Atlanta-based HighGrove Partners, with its Lifetime Leadership Award.
McCutcheon is a past president of NALP, he was the chairperson of the National Collegiate Landscape Competition, has been president of NALP’s Foundation and is also a Platinum Donor. He also served for many years on the Crystal Ball Report committee as well as many other committees in NALP and in other professional associations. He is a Trailblazer and a mentor. He is a founding member of the Industry Growth Initiative and the current chair-person of NALP’s Public Affairs Advisory Council.
Abby Santos, co-owner of No Ka Oi Landscape Services, received NALP’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Santos and her husband, Frank, started No Ka Oi Plants on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, in 1977, as a side business – to supplement her nurse’s salary. Her love of plants propelled her to grow the business into a commercial installation and maintenance powerhouse on Kauai, managing the landscapes of many of the top resorts and commercial properties on the island.
New board
The 2017-2018 NALP board of directors includes the following members, who will begin their terms in May.
Officers:
- President – Jon Cundiff, LIC, Weed Man;
- President-Elect – Jeff Buhler, Massey Services;
- Secretary/Treasurer – Andrew Ziehler, LIC, Ziehler Lawn & Tree Care; and
- Immediate Past-President – Brett Lemcke, LIC, R.M. Landscape.
Directors-At-Large:
- Jason Becker, LIC, Caterpillar;
- Mike Bogan, LandCare;
- Jim Campanella, LIC, Lawn Dawg;
- Joy Diaz, LIC, Land Care;
- Pete Farno, Bayer;
- Paul Fraynd, LIC, Sun Valley Landscaping;
- Bob Grover, LIC, Pacific Landscape Management;
- Roscoe Klausing, LIC, Klausing Group;
- Joe Kujawa, LIC, Kujawa Enterprises;
- Zach Johnson, LIC, Colorado State University;
- Frank Mariani, Mariani Landscapes;
- Shayne Newman, LIC, YardApes; and
- Barb Stropko, LIC, New Desert Gallery.
Photos: NALP
