Welcome to the Annual Equipment Issue of Landscape Contractor/DBM! Many of you are seeing LC/DBM for the first time at the GIE+EXPO in Kentucky, although we've been there for the past 16 years. That's OK though as the industry has gone through so many changes over the past few years that many of you are new business owners or are at least new to the business of landscape . . .

Well, that's why we're here . . . To give you . . . the landscape business owner . . . a hand in building your business. As you will notice, LC/DBM is not the typical magazine found at GIE+EXPO. You see, while around 70% of you offer landscape maintenance services (and it seems like 99% of the magazines focus on that end of the business) around 90% of you are installation contractors and for you we offer a unique tool for your shed . . .

Want to know what's coming down the pipeline this spring? Well in LC/DBM you will find the most complete and detailed reporting of construction industry statistics in the market. Increases in permits and starts today mean landscape installations in the months ahead, while "put-in-place' residential figures tell you what is about to be landscaped now. Want to know more? Contact LC/DBM's business editor Kyle Cavaness at 714-979-5276 x116, or email him at kcavaness@landscapearchitect.com.

Looking for new equipment or products for your next project? LC/DBM is the number one source of product information in the business . . . bar none! In fact, LC/DBM routinely carries two to three times the number of advertisements as the closest competitor. Just check out the LC/DBM marketplace in the back of this issue to find about 150 different vendors, selling just about anything you may want or need in the industry. For a quick reference, check out the vendor web-links/ad index, which lists all 225 ads in the magazine and is broken down by product category. In the digital version, sent to 14,000 additional readers every month, every link takes you directly to the vendor home page.

Need the info, but don't mind waiting a few days to get the brochure, or want to speak to a representative, but don't want to keep filling out web page after web page to make the contact? Just send in the response card (page 77) by Friday and we'll contact everyone for you over the weekend. Then, expect calls on Monday because the vendors who advertise in LC/DBM are here to do business . . . With You!

And check out the industry leading editorial in every issue, brought to you by Editor Mike Dahl. (714-979-5276 x124 / mdahl@landscapearchitect.com) Many of you met Mike last week at the Landscape Expo in Long Beach, or maybe you just met him as you picked up the issue at GIE+EXPO. Either way, in every issue LC/DBM talks about the issues, laws, upcoming legislation, techniques, products and events that affect the way you do or will be doing business in the landscape industry. And LC/DBM doesn't just talk one and done, we go in-depth and bring you comparisons, pricing, profit margins, et al.

In fact, check out LC/DBM's industry leading editorial team in the masthead to the right. Every member has his or her own specialty and they are here to serve you. And . . . Please know that we want you to feel free to contact us about anything you need to know or would like to see more of in the magazine . . .

So to all of you Newbies . . . Welcome to LC/DBM! And to all of you 59,000 loyal readers, thanks for helping LC/DBM become the number one resource for landscape business owners nationwide.

Equipping you for success . . . That's our motto, our promise and our product . . .

God Bless . . .

George Schmok, Publisher