President's Letter: Mission and Intentionality are Key

When we left Ocala on Tuesday, we hit the road wearing sweaters and coats with rainy, frigid conditions only to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale greeted by 80-degree temperatures. We immediately peeled out of the wintry weather layers. Wednesday morning for the start of TPIE was much different as the weather followed us down. The rest of the week provided the same colder temperatures and cloudy skies as we left in Ocala.  

The 2025 Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE) was a remarkable success. Day 1 of the show kicked off with the TPIE Opening Session, where filmmaker Bret Culp shared some amazing stories of empowerment. Culp stated at the beginning of the presentation, and I paraphrase, that he was amazed at the spirit of competitiveness we all shared as an industry, and by the true comradery and passion we all have for one another. I could not have said it better, and this industry continues to show it. There is competitiveness across all segments, but we all genuinely care for one another. We have all gone through storms, droughts, and diseases and all share our experiences with the intention of helping our fellow Green Industry partners.

In the Opening Session, Culp also mentioned we must “stay anchored in our mission.”

This makes me think of the struggles we see county-to-county with land and water use issues. We see this in disease outbreaks and storms, and now snow, might I add. The recent snowfall which hit areas of north Florida and Georgia and left behind much destruction. Yet we need to stay anchored in our individual missions and know better days lie ahead. Something else Culp said that resonated with me was that leadership involves being present. It reminded me of something instilled in me by my father at an early age. We must be present with our families, and work and lead with intentionality. So often we go through the day, we meet people, and we can easily tell who is for real, who is serious, and who is just there without being intentional. We need to be sure we are present in our industry and let those around us know we are intentional with our actions and our words - but also humble enough to admit when we are wrong. So many good nuggets came from Culp’s presentation at TPIE. If you missed it, you missed a good one.

The National Horticulture Foundation (NHF) hosted breakfast on Friday morning, the final day of TPIE. NHF President Ed Bravo provided details on the foundation’s growth from beginning to present. According to Bravo’s account, NHF is strong and growing. If you know any collegebound students looking for scholarship money, NHF has a host of scholarships which may be a fit. After breakfast, there was the FNGLA Horticulture Career Fair at the show. In attendance were administrators from local technical adult community campuses, Atlantic Technical College, and five area high schools. Matt Roberts of Central Florida Ferns & Foliage opened the program by asking students “What they thought about when they heard the word. ‘Horticulture?’”

This was exactly what I was going to ask the students. Replies from the audience involved words like plants, farms, and greenhouses, but as Roberts spoke, it seemed like he read from my playbook. Horticulture is so much more than plants, farms, and greenhouses. Florida’s Green Industry generates more than 266,000 jobs statewide, and totals $31.4 billion in sales output.

FNGLA Members: we are the biggest of the ‘BIG 6’ in Florida agriculture in sales volume and we need to shout this. We need to stay anchored in this! The future is bright, thanks to the teachers and administrators who share their passion for the Green Industry.

Turning an eye toward upcoming events, FNGLA’s Northeast Chapter will hold the annual Jacksonville Landscape Show Feb. 6 - 7 at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds. To register, visit www.nefngla.org. Attendees can take advantage of CEU classes for FDACS, FNGLA, L&O and CORE certifications. 

And FNGLA’s next Board of Directors meeting is slated for Feb. 18 - 19 in Tallahassee. This will include FNGLA leaders’ annual visit with local lawmakers at the state’s Capitol Building. Also in attendance during this multi-day event will be  FNGLA Emerging Leaders . There are so many things to address with lawmakers to note.

As always, it will be a trip well-worth the time. The words Culp imparted at TPIE Opening Session have come at the perfect time as the advice to ‘be present’ will invariably yield positive dividends when employed during this upcoming trip to Tallahassee. FNGLA’s presence is strong in Tallahassee, and we will be glad to be there.

And hopefully Florida will not see any more snowstorms this winter. After talking with some of our FNGLA Members from the frozen tundra of north Florida, it seems nature threw a curve ball. Some areas were hit with 6 - 7 inches of snow! Collectively, member companies in affected areas saw damage to shade structures, and pole barns took a hit. I am sure several Members also saw crop damage. We are thinking of all who were impacted and wish you and your team the best. Your FNGLA leaders have been reaching out to affected members to see how our association can assist in this extremely uncommon occurrence. Please feel welcome to contact association leadership any time to share your story by calling the office at: 407-295-7995. 

To end on a lighter note, I will share how FNGLA Past President Eric Smith threw me a jab. He told me Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium saw more in inches of snow this year (3) than the Florida State Seminoles saw in wins (2).  Yet, I still bleed garnet and gold…GO NOLES

Your FNGLA 2024-25 President,

Phillip Hisey