Doubling Down on Landscape Contractors

By George Schmok

Another Double Marker . . .

Being a huge fan of the ''Deadliest Catch,'' lately I've been watching the new fishing show ''Swords.'' When they pull in a fish over 100 pounds they call it a ‘Marker'. A 200-pound sword would be a ‘Double-Marker'. So, with that in mind, this is the second Double Marker of the Year for LC/dbm.

That's right . . . This is the second issue this year that LC/dbm has published more than 200 advertisements in a single issue.

Given that the economy stinks, we're pretty happy with our second ‘Double'!
The next closest publication in the industry has about 100 advertisements, so our Double-Double is double the competition as well!

Now, why is this important to you? Well, if you are looking for products to help you design, build or maintain a landscape, would you rather look in a magazine with half the ads? No, I think you would rather look in a magazine that has 200+, especially when a huge chunk of those ads are all displayed by product category in the market place on pages 78 to 101.

If you think LC/dbm has a lot of products to look through, you should also check out landscapearchitect.com where there are about 14,000 different product photos with weblinks to thousands of vendors across the country.

So, if you are looking for product as a landscape professional, you can pick up the other guys and see some products, or you can pick up LC/dbm and find them all . . .

Double Awards . . .

This is the first time we have done an awards' issue, so while the winners are definitely deserving of the attention, we look forward to receiving even more entries, and establishing a review panel to bring this competition to a higher level for next September's Annual Awards issue. Of course, it is great to receive your local awards, but even better to have that award recognized across the country in the leading magazine for Landscape Contractors!!!

If you wish to submit an entry or two or three, please contact LC/dbm Editor Bruce Fordyce at bfordyce@landscapearchitect.com. There is plenty of time to submit for 2011, but if this year is any indication, you will want to get us your material well before the deadline so we can properly review all the entries . . .

Double Show Issue . . .

Many of you may be seeing LC/dbm for the first time at either the GIE+EXPO in Louisville, Kentucky or at The Landscape Expo in Long Beach, California.

Actually . . . In keeping with the Double theme, the GIE+EXPO is already a double show, but now, at the same location, at the same time is the Hardscape Expo. So that show alone is a Double-Double.

Double Bonus Distribution . . .

LC/dbm is also doubling its bonus distribution at the shows to 5,000 additional copies, and is doubling that by adding another 5,000 new readers to the circulation.

That means our circulation has grown from 50,000 to Double-5's and now we reach 55,000 landscape contractors every month. That, of course, is doubly great for our advertisers and makes us feel doubly good inside . . .

Double the Space, Double the Impact . . .

OK . . . While this issue definitely has double the impact of any other publication in the industry, they won't let me double the length of this column (which is probably better for all of us ;-), so I'll have to sign off now by wishing you all a doubly profitable September, a strong fall and winter and a double-dip of growth as you enter 2011 ahead . . .

God Bless and see you at the shows . . .

George Schmok, Publisher