CANGC

California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers

CANGC Announces New Management Team Starting September 1, 2010

CANGC is beginning work with our new management team at the California Grain and Feed Association.  It is an exciting time, but one that has its own sets of issues and concerns, mainly centered on the question, “What happens now?”  In the past, a call to the office, or an e-mail to staff got you an answer.  That hasn’t changed! The person answering the phone has (yes, it will be a real person), but the results will not.  You will be helped as you need it and most importantly, what has not and will not change is the fact that we are still the California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers. 

 

In the past, a weekly publication came out to alert you of issues that may impact you, giving you valuable information and what you could do to avoid running into problems with that issue.  This will not change either.  An e-mail newsletter will be published on a regular basis.  Here, you will notice a difference.  In the past, you would have a single point of contact.  Now, you might have multiple contacts, depending on the issues.  Our new management team, the California Grain and Feed Association (CGFA) has multiple people covering many issues, most of which could impact our industry at one time or another.  So, while Chris Zanobini, who is our new President, will be the contact point for most issues, you may be directed to a specialist in a particular area that is part of the CGFA team.  In the past we have had to parcel information out on some issues that CGFA already understands and more importantly, has a strong relationship with the regulating agency that can be leveraged to help with your problem.  This is not to say that the answers will always please, but if you have an issue with the Dept of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) or the Dept. of Food and Ag (CDFA), there is a CGFA team that can help you through the problems and work with you on realistic solutions.  Likewise, as issues of potential impact start to show up on the horizon, you will know about them before they are a major concern just like in the past. 

 

Some of these challenges will be addressed before they are issues.  Many times in the past, even though you may not have been aware, corrective action was taken.  This will continue and improve with a larger more diversified team of experts. Our goal is to get ahead of the issues and create a proactive, effective organization that continues to provide increased value to the membership.

 

The CGFA team is just that, a team that can cover multiple issues at the same time, and will provide broader coverage of the issues in play than we have been able to do in the past.  We are not saying that the pest that just shows up without announcing its arrival will have a good plan, but we should be able to get a handle on them faster.  We should honor the past and now build a stronger future, not abandoning where we have come from, but rather add it to our experience and knowledge to move ahead faster and smarter.

 

Not everything is changing.  The phone number is the same.  Our relationship with George Soares, Louie Brown and Tom O’Brien is still intact, and will be strengthened, as we leverage our new management with the strengths of the legislative/regulatory team. 

 

Our challenges are many,  not only within CANGC, but in our industry.  There are water regulatory issues that some are currently facing and others will face in the future.  The Ag Commissioners are not happy with the current licensing scheme.  We have a Nursery Producer’s Commission to get passed and put in place.  There is a pre-notification requirement that is looming for those you grow Phytophthora ramorum host plants and ship out of state.  Invasive pests and the corresponding eradication/exclusion requirements continue to plague our nurseries throughout the state. 

 

These issues, along with the many others, will continue to be addressed; nothing will fall through the cracks, although we really need your help in making sure that there is nothing we miss.   Ultimately, CANGC is what you want it to be.  If you want us to serve you, please tell us what we are missing, so we can all improve and thrive, rather than just exist in this economy. 

 

Change is not always our friend and it breeds fear and uncertainty.  In this economy, the changes we have all faced in our businesses have been necessary to make.  CANGC is no different.  The changes we are making are are to better leverage our membership contributions and solve the challenges that confront our industry, and to defend our rights to grow and ship product.  Let us not fear change but instead face it head on with the resolve to make things better. As leaders, we must and will facilitate change, no different as leaders within our respective organizations.

 

We have high expectations for our new relationship with CGFA as outlined above; and ask for your cooperation to give them a chance to perform for you and continue to unify our industry.

 

CANGC is here to stay.  We are not going away; we are not abandoning our industry.  Please know that the team is different, but the goal is the same as it was in 1911 when the association was founded:  Our Mission Statement is” The California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers is a professional organization dedicated to the promotion and advancement of the nursery industry for its members and the public it serves”. Words we can still live by.

 

Chris Zanobini
President

Chris Rowe Martinez
Orchard Nursery, Chairman of the Board

David Cox
L.E. Cooke Co, Vice Chairman of the Board

Mike Babineau
Village Nurseries, Grower Member Director