PLANT WNY MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, July 23 , 2025 – 7PM
Lakeside Sod Supply, 6660 Goodrich Road, Clarence Center, NY 14032
The meeting was called to order at 6:45pm by Ryan McMillan, president.
Crystal O’Hara, treasurer, presented the PLANT WNY financial report. The financials were emailed to the membership prior to the meeting and included the profit and loss statement for PLANT WNY and Plantasia, and the balance sheet.
Roger Restorff, vice president, updated the membership on a recent meeting with our accountant from Tronconi, Segarra and Associates. The meeting was called to review the Foundation’s public support requirement. According to the accountant, we need to have more outside support coming in as it could jeopardize charity status. In attendance at this meeting were Roger Restorff, Phil Colarusso, Matt Dore, and Joyce Janson. Both boards of PLANT WNY and the Foundation will need to discuss the accountant’s findings.
Committee Report
CNLP/Awareness & Promotion – Kim Schichtel has CNLP manuals for purchase. Ron Callea has offered to tutor for the CNLP exam. NYSNLA CNLP Day will take place September 12 on Long Island.
ED Day/Trade Show – The 2026 ED Day Conference will take place February 5 – 6. New for this year, Unilock is working on a speaker and class on U Vison, / real time design software.
Foundation – The Foundation operates on a $46,000 budget which comes from investments that are just over $600,000. The budget includes funds for the CNLP program, social media work, McKinley High School, SUNY Niagara, scholarships, Education Day, and more.
Golf Outing – The golf outing will take place Monday, September 22 at the Springville Country Club. Details are to be announced.
Historian – Matt Dore is the archivist of the Assocation. There are about 12 boxes of documents, photos, and newspaper clippings that need to be sorted and catalogued.
Social Media – Please share our postings and tag us in your posts. Maria Provenzano is currently promoting the snow conference. New members are being asked to provide content about their company and they will be highlighted on social media. Regarding social media, our views are very high right now. Instagram has 3,000 views. Reach is up 70%. Facebook has over 8,000 views and engagement is up as well.
Membership – The PLANT WNY vice president will be coordinating membership each year as part of their board responsibilities. This will include keeping track of membership renewals as well as promotion to potential members.
Plantasia – Jordan Simone presented the 2026 floor plan. Payment, membership dues, insurance all must be taken care of well before the show starts. The theme is A World in Bloom. Landscapers will choose a city/region around the world (no duplicates). Payment must be received before landscaper can claim that city/region. Once the Plantasia website is updated, past landscapers will be notified to apply.
Joan Mariea suggested having additional signage at Plantasia to indicate “sponsored by PLANT WNY.” There are a lot of people at Plantasia and we should take advantage of that to educate them on who we are and what we do.
State Reps – Nick Fleckenstein attended the June NYSNLA board meeting. The NY State Fair, held in Syracuse in August, is in need of help with preparing the courtyard gardens where the award ceremony takes place. The Green Industry Management Summit will take place at the end of October. There will be a dinner, a roundtable discussion with college students, exhibitors, and seminars.
Snow Conference – The third annual Buffalo Snow & Ice Management Conference will take place August 21 at Banchetti by Rizzo’s. It features a trade show, speakers, Jordan Smith (will speak on brine) and round table discussion. Member rate is $60, $75 non-member (includes lunch.)
Buffalo Zoo – The Buffalo Zoo will be participating in garden walk. Nathan Huff will be giving tours of the gardens along with providing historical information. Art Gone Wild and Zoomagination will be taking place soon.
McKinley High School – Ron Callea thanked the membership and Foundation for their continuous support including mulch and plant material from Plantasia. McKinley students would like to help with Plantasia. Ron Callea offered green house space at McKinley High School in January for landscapers that may need it.
New Business
- Hall of Fame – Congratulations to Sharon Webber, Lifetime CNLP. Sharon will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 20 at the State Fair in Syracuse
- Meat Raffle – Our very first meat raffle will take place November 8 at Wings Meeting Place. Cost is $15 per person. We are looking for sponsors and gift baskets. Proceeds go to the Foundation. Funds will be used for historical projects as well as off sets some of the cost of the Harvest dinner.
Ryan McMillan asked for a motion to accept the minutes of February 27, 2025. Roger Restorff motioned to accept the minutes of February 27. The motion was seconded by Jordan Simone. All were in favor.
Ryan McMillan asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Jordan Simone motioned to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Kim Schichtel. All were in favor. The meeting adjourned at 7:34pm.
Respectfully submitted: Joyce Janson