?EUR??,,?? Wow . . . Have we been busy at LCM . . . Hopefully by now you all have received your LCM 2002 Buyer?EUR??,,??s Guide and found a good place for it on your desk or in your truck . . . That issue always throws us back a week or two as every year it contains more and more information. So, if you are receiving this July issue a little late, give us another month or so and we?EUR??,,??ll be back on track . . . If you notice any E&O?EUR??,,??s or wish we had something in it that you can?EUR??,,??t find, please use the comments section on the back of the Marketplace Response Card (see page 61) and let us know. Every year we receive dozens of helpful comments and suggestions and those improvements invariably end up in the next year?EUR??,,??s additions. ?EUR??,,?? Also . . . Keep your eye on landscapearchitect.com . . . While it is fully functional today, we are making major renovations to the site and when complete landscapearchitect.com should be a very useful tool to find thousands of products, professionals and research on any and everything green. ?EUR??,,?? Speaking of keeping busy . . . While much of the business world is hovering around sea level, the landscape industry continues to show strength if not steady growth . . . Every single issue of LCM has been a record issue in 2002, but more importantly the LCSI (Landscape Communications Stock Index), which monitors 65 or so industry related stocks, is up more than 12% since January 1st. The LCSI did tumble a bit during the pre-July 4th stock drop . . . In mid-June the growth for 2002 was better than 15%, however the DOW has dropped from around 10,000 on 1/1/02 to a low of less than 9,000, so 12% growth is not bad at all . . . I?EUR??,,??ve said this many times but the mild slump in the construction industry that started in March 2001 was predicted 5-6 years earlier by LCM and so was the slow but steady growth that we are experiencing now. Recently, I?EUR??,,??ve noticed a couple of TV ?EUR??,,??Talking Heads?EUR??,,?? say that the growth of the construction industry and the increasing housing prices cannot continue in the face of the slacking tech and travel markets . . . However, what those TH?EUR??,,??s have not mentioned (or maybe they just don?EUR??,,??t know) is that the construction industry and housing prices are growing from an increase in demand. This demand is generated not from increased purchasing power, per se, but instead is fueled by an increasing population . . . The United States will continue to see population increases and a corresponding demand for housing, business facilities and durable goods will continue to increase . . . ?EUR??,,?? So keep your eyes focused on the future, and while doubling your warehouse space may not be an immediate need, good management and expanded service will keep this business of landscaping in the green for years to come . . . God Bless . . .