PLANT WNY MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Experienced Brick & Stone – 268 Central Ave, Buffalo, NY 14206
The meeting was called to order at 6:06pm by Steve Sypniewski, president.
It was determined we had a quorum.
Thank you to Experienced Brick & Stone and John H. Black for sponsoring our event.
In the absence of Peter Burke, treasurer, the profit and loss statements and balance sheet for PLANT WNY were reviewed by Lou Sardo, vice president.
Committee Reports
CNLP Awareness & Promotion – Annual CNLP Day will take place on Friday, September 15 at Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua. Register online at nysnla.com.
Ed Day/Trade Show – We have secured the dates of Thursday, February 1 and Friday, February 2, 2024. The committee is currently looking for a keynote speaker. Ed Day committee will be meeting on Monday, July 24.
Erie County Fair – Lisa Kiec-Maliszewski has stepped aside and we are currently in limbo. Steve Sypniewski is hoping to gather information from Valley View Nursery as to when setup is needed. There is a sign-up sheet for anyone is available to help with setup and tear down. The Fair takes place August 9 – 20, 2023.
Foundation – Matt Dore, Foundation treasurer, gave a recap of the Foundation and how it generates income. We awarded a scholarship to Meredith Rose Preve, student at NCCC and employee of Lavocat’s Nursery. A small separate fund was started at Wells Fargo this year with donations made in memory of Mary and George Schichtel.
Harvest Dinner– The dinner will take place on Friday, November 3 at Wurlitzer Events on Niagara Falls Blvd.
Membership – As a member firm, your staff/crew can participate in PLANT WNY events and can get involved with committees. The 2023 Membership Guide is now available Reach out to potential members and invite them to an upcoming meeting or event.
Nominating Committee – Annual board elections will take place at the October meeting. Please consider joining our great board of directors. Talk to a nominating committee member if you are interested.
Plantasia – Every aspect of what we do is important to PLANT WNY and the Foundation. Chris Zeisz explained how the profits of Plantasia are disbursed per Plantasia’s Policies and Procedures – $25,000 PLANT WNY, $15,000 seed money for 2024 show, $14,317 Foundation and funds are set aside for capital improvement and community affairs. This year we did some cost saving on plant material and cut back on advertising which helped to give us the largest disbursement so far with 2023.
Policies & Procedures – We would like to have the revised Policies and Procedures presented to the membership in October and then voted on at the following meeting which will be in February.
Professional Development/Media/Marketing – The Executive Board thought it would be appropriate to combine professional development with media and marketing. We are considering hiring someone to do social media and manage content. They would be tasked with creating videos, such as for training purposes, that people will want to watch and pay for that service. The seminars at Ed Day can also be recorded. The Executive Board will need to come up with a budget and investigate this further. Need to put together a request for proposal. Anyone looking to get involved and join a committee should consider this one. We are looking for new ideas on bringing professional development to the membership.
State Reps – Kim Schichtel is the secretary of NYSNLA and at the state level, our region is very strong. Other regions are growing as well. Volunteers are needed for clean up at the NYS Fairgrounds to get ready for the State Fair in Syracuse – go to NYSNLA.com for more information.
Summer Picnic – By a show of hands it was determined there is not enough interest for a summer picnic or event in August.
Cultural & Educational Reports
NCCC – PLANT WNY and the Foundation has kept the horticulture program going. The students have benefited from our support from scholarships, field trips, and internships with member firms. October meeting will take place at NCCC – there will be tours of the courtyard and a culinary demonstration.
Buffalo Zoo – Zoomagination is currently taking place. Nathan Huff is proposing the Zoo as a membership meeting location next year.
New Business
Court of Honors – Congratulations to David Clark. David is the NYSNLA CNLP of the Year. It would be nice to have our membership show support and join us at the Fair. Find all the details at NYSNLA.com.
Green Industry Management Summit – The NYSNLA Green Industry Management Summit will take place Monday – Wednesday, October 23 – 25, 2023 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in downtown Saratoga Springs. Go to NYSNLA.com for more information and to register.
PLANT WNY Display – A member expressed the need for an updated PLANT WNY display that is more relevant to our association. The Executive Board agreed with this.
Roger Restorff motioned to accept the minutes of March 2, 2023. Ed Dore seconded the motion. All were in favor.
Steve Sypniewski motioned to adjourn the meeting. Matt Dore seconded the motion. All were in favor. Meeting adjourned at 7:10pm
Respectfully submitted by: Joyce Janson