But what is this magazine you are reading now . . . Well, waddaya know . . . It is Landscape Contractor National . . . Only now it has a handsome face to go with its chiseled body ;-)

You know those artists . . . We had a client (Berkshire Products) make a comment that LCN wasn?EUR??,,????'???t as good lookin?EUR??,,????'??? as its sister publication Landscape Architect and Specifier News . . . Not that big brother wants to start looking pretty or start looking for work on Brokeback Mountain . . . That just ain?EUR??,,????'???t right . . . But once the artists heard the challenge, they set to straighten that crooked nose, comb the curls and put on a fresh pair of Levi?EUR??,,????'???s.

So here you are with a brand spankin?EUR??,,????'??? new, nine-year-old publication . . .

But now . . . What is a magazine dedicated to the Landscape Contractor doing spending an entire issue on Turf and Ornamental maintenance? LCN has always prided itself on being the premier publication for the installation contractor, leaving all that gardening stuff to the maintenance books out there . . . Just ?EUR??,,????'??cause we put on a new set of jeans doesn?EUR??,,????'???t mean we have to start ballroom dancing and such . . .

Well, the fact is, LCN is also the magazine that does the most research in this segment of the market . . . and we found that more than 72% of you also do landscape maintenance. And while we will continue to niche the publication toward the finer art of constructing
and engineering, we?EUR??,,????'???ve dedicated this and two more issues in 2006 to the field of maintenance.

By the way, that?EUR??,,????'???s T&O not T& . . . Never mind . . . We?EUR??,,????'???re not going there. Instead LCN is moving forward with its first major redesign . . . A sign that the magazine is starting to stretch its wings . . . Feel its oats . . . Kick it into high gear and even higher ground.

While some magazines will cuss you into taking part, LCN wants to make you think. This new look also coincides with a growing profession. A profession where business is big, professionals need to be professional and the lay of the land is that the landscape is one of the most important and influential elements to any development.

The landscape industry is no longer a few good o?EUR??,,????'???le boys slapping backs, swearing like a truck driver and drinking away the profits . . . Today?EUR??,,????'???s Landscape Contractor is as much a businessman as he is family man. He is an investor in people and ideas . . . and at a growing rate, an investor of his profits.

I recently saw statistics that said the development industry is in solid shape for at least another decade . . . After that who knows, but that?EUR??,,????'???s a lot of growth ahead of us.

I understand that in the good old days . . . to me they started about 25 years ago . . . Anyways . . . In the good old days we didn?EUR??,,????'???t need signed papers. A handshake sealed the deal. We didn?EUR??,,????'???t need insurance. Anyone got injured and they were too embarrassed to admit it and if they really were injured they were taken care of . . . That?EUR??,,????'???s not today, though.

Today the Landscape Contractor has to be in business and business today demands attention. Today you need to know how to make a profit installing, maintaining, pushing snow or tuning an irrigation system. Today?EUR??,,????'???s Landscape Contractor needs to be educated and that?EUR??,,????'???s where LCN steps in.

Sure we?EUR??,,????'???ve done a little surgery on the old bones, but more importantly we are working for you. Digging up the fertile soil that will assist your efforts in supporting your family with a profitable business . . . And all the while making sure that you keep a little smile on your face . . .

?EUR??,,????'??+God Bless