Happy National Landscape Architecture Month!

April has been declared National Landscape Architecture month by the ASLA (see the full news item on page 114); many of you will be visiting schools and participating in civic functions to help promote the vital role and vitality of the profession. And what a perfect month to have it . . .

With spring upon us, the landscape industry is beginning to pick up again across the country. Having made it through a busy winter trade show season, LASN spoke to literally thousands of professional from all corners of the country. From almost every viewpoint, 2004 looks to be a great year for the business.

In fact, 2004 could be just the beginning of several years of moderate to strong growth. The Portland Cement Association recently predicted that the full recovery wouldn?EUR??,,????'?????<

The PCA is not the only one predicting growth for the business . . . The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its projections of employment growth for the years 2002-2012 on February 11. According to their findings, ?EUR??,,????'?????<

But not all is perfect in the town of Perfection, for along with growth comes competition . . . As one survey conducted by the LASN research team at the CLCA show revealed . . . 37.9 percent of the attendees surveyed (those that came by the booth . . .) indicated that they had been in business for less than five years. Of those, 63.4 percent had five or fewer employees. So my interpretation is that a lot of you who used to work for established firms are packing it up and striking out on your own.

It will be interesting to see if the increasing number of firms will drive the price down or if there?EUR??,,????'?????<

Due to rising fuel costs and (no kidding) demand for steel in China, the cost of building buildings is rising. Over the past six weeks (today is March 11) the cost of steel has risen by 25 percent and the cost of fuel has jumped some 20 percent. No one is yet saying these prices have hit their apex . . . This means more money spent on materials and deliveries and less on landscapes. If interest rates suddenly start to jump, the cost of doing business could be something that gets adjusted on a day-to-day basis.

So with one eye on opportunity and the other on the road, the next few years will be full of growth (don?EUR??,,????'?????<

See you next month . . .

God Bless