… the terms “fiscal cliff,” “mini cliffs” and “debt ceiling” are eliminated from our vernacular thanks to sensible solutions in Congress that include spending cuts and not merely raising taxes on

job creators. And let’s hope it happens even before this magazine hits your desk.

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… the winter makes rather than breaks the year for professionals on the “white” side of the Green Industry. C’mon, Old Man Winter. Please deliver enough snow to keep crews working until spring.

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… no workers die or are injured on the job due to preventable safety infractions like a lack of training or personal protective equipment or poorly maintained vehicles and equipment.

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… more firms decide to up the ante with companywide charitable acts or contributions, which could motivate others to “pay it forward.” (Need inspiration? See page 10 to learn about the impressive impact Harrisburg, Pa.-based Utopian Landscapes is having.)

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…of comprehensive immigration reform. Congress is expected to take up the topic early this year, but taking it up isn’t enough. There must be a solution. As the American Nursery & Landscape Association’s Craig Regelbrugge said in a blog post last month, “Fixes to America’s broken immigration system must include future worker programs that actually function, as well as solutions for current, experienced immigrant workers in the industry. Stronger enforcement will be part of the package, so the reforms have to work.”

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… state and local officials consider all stakeholders—and science—before haphazardly implementing noise ordinances, irrigation restrictions, fertilizer regulations or other rules that could hamper business owners. (If you’re experiencing these challenges, see how Florida professionals have dealt with fertilizer ordinances on page 34.)

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… the Grass Roots exhibit at the U.S. National Arboretum gets built, putting a positive, research-based face on the turf industry.

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…students—and their parents—see the Green Industry as a legitimate career path with many educational choices to pursue.

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… we quit having to modify so many statements we make with the phrase “in this economy” and the impacts of The Great Recession—joblessness, a depressed housing market and others—no longer plague our P&Ls.

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… you meet the goals you’ve laid out for yourself and your company, whether they’re in your long-range plan, scrawled on a cocktail napkin or tucked away in your mind.

 

Here’s to a great 2013!