From The Publisher December 1997 You know, LASN really has three different readership groups. The first, of course, is the Registered Landscape Architect. Next comes the commercial specifier whether that be a landscape designer, facilities manager, park superintendent, city planner/official, developer, etc. The third group consists of the many manufacturers, vendors and suppliers who do their best to reach the first two groups with their message and ultimately with the sale of their products or services. With the first two groups LASN reaches and gets response from more of those than any other targeted publication in the world. With the third group, we are still number two and I have to admit that sometimes I get so wrapped up in competing against the other main publication that I let that competition overpower these publisher columns. Many of you can relate to the feeling of working so hard to become number one that when you get there you don't know how to turn it off. Well, this time, I'm the guilty one. LASN has become, actually has been, the leading publication in reaching the Registered Landscape Architect, and now it's time to stop focusing on beating the competition and start focusing on solidifying our position, servicing the readership, and promoting the whole profession, even if it means reaching back and lending a hand to the other guys. Now, don't get me wrong . . . . this doesn't mean that we've gone soft on the ASLA, nor are we about to slow down our growth, our investigative reporting or any element of our intensity. It just means that it is about time we re-evaluate our position and redefine our goals for the years ahead. As such, we have formulated a four-part statement of vision which will guide us in this column and throughout the publication. I met with several of the ASLA officials and others of importance over the past months and while I still believe that trust is more of a long-term commitment than a handshake and an apology, I've agreed to relinquish a little trust and remove some of the attack from this column. I still plan on communicating with the ASLA trustees about abuses and weaknesses, but rather than hang out the dirty laundry in the magazine I will limit (most of) my comments to direct communications. For those who want to keep tabs on that end of the business, I will keep you posted through LANDSCAPE OnLine (log on to www.landscapearchitect.com and look for the "From the Publisher" section). There, rather than in the magazine, you can stay in the loop and, even better, participate in the conversations. Does this mean that this column will become the hum drum babble of what to find inside? Don't count on it. I've found a few other fish to fry . . . or in this case Schmok. (For those who don't know, my last name sounds like smoke.) You'll still find the heat rising from the fire but with the following vision in mind . . . . Vision 2000: 1) Unify the Landscape Architectural Profession. This means to bring all the disciplines/doctors of Landscape Architecture into the same hospital where all the specialties are needed and desired and when working together makes for a healthy community. 2) Reconcile the Registered Landscape Architect with the ASLA. Right now only 1/3 of the RLA's are ASLA members and thus exists a huge canyon of conflict between membership and legal status. Both sides need to work towards a strong front and LASN will work to help bring these sides together. 3) Elevate the Society and the Profession to its highest potential. In my mind, this means for the unified, reconciled profession to lead the development community and become first in the eyes of the public. 4) Ensure that the Society presents itself and the profession in a manner above reproach. It is better to say that you can only lift two hundred pounds today and then show the growth as you work to lift more, than it is to promote that you can lift three hundred pounds now, for when you finally reach that point you'll have shown no growth. Worse yet if you only make 250 pounds, for then, even though you've grown, it appears as if you've fallen. The facts have to be straight, the facts have to be specific and make the growth the object of praise. So, I wouldn't count on LASN being a kinder and gentler publication, only a publication more focused on the things that help the profession to experience a rate of growth that exceeds all others. That may be a huge order, but then so is the impact of this Hospital on an ailing earth . . . . George Schmok