Young FFA members like what they see at GIE+EXPO
19 Nov, 2007 By: Ron Hall LM Direct!
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LOUISVILLE, KY — The annual National FFA Convention in Indianapolis attracts more than 50,000 FFA members, teachers, administrators and guests annually to Indianapolis. This year marked the 80th national convention of the organization that now numbers more than 500,000 members.
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Eleven of those FFA members, accompanied by their turfgrass instructor David Mellor of Saline High School, Saline, MI, took time off from the FFA Convention and bussed the 120 miles to Louisville to get a first-hand look at this year’s GIE+EXPO. They were guests of the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET). The FFA Conference and the GIE+EXPO took place the same week this year
“I wanted my agriscience students to get an idea how big the career opportunities are in the Green Industry,” Mellor tells Landscape Management. “They were impressed at not only the size of the GIE show and the opportunity to demo equipment outside, but they were flabbergasted by how welcome and important to the future of the industry the vendors and attendees made them feel.”
Mellow said that several Green Industry company owners came up to the high school students and gave them business cards and asked them to contact them if the ever needed a job. That — and the energy on the trade show floor and incredible display of equipment — has influenced several of the students to consider careers in the landscape/lawn service industry.
“The Green Industry company owners told me how they liked how the students looked them in the eye when they shook hands with them, and their cleancut image,” said the instructor
Mellor and the students made it a point to stop at the booths of FFA Foundation sponsors such as Ariens, John Deere and Cub Cadet to thank them for their financial support.
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