London this week: February 23, 2011

London Chapter this week
Add the London Chapter page and the LO events calendar to your bookmarks

London Landscape Symposium, Mar. 4
The second annual London Landscape Symposium will take place on Mar. 4,
at Ramada Inn, 817 Exeter Rd., London. Presentations will take place
from Unilock, Permacon, Boral, In-Lite, ICPI and Laguna. Featured speaker
is Jennifer Barlow of Lerners LLP. A buffet lunch will be provided, and
there will be lots of product giveaways. The event will run from 8 a.m.
to 12 noon; RSVP by Feb. 23 (limited space for two guests per invite)
to London@grandriverstone.com, or 519-652-5476.

Natural Solutions Symposium, Mar. 9

A series of speakers will discuss natural fertilizer and pest control
products and practices for the landscape and retail greenhouse
industries in London. The event will take place at Fanshawe College,
from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. For further information, or to register, check out
the Symposium website, or email Katherine Lomas at katherine.lomas@hotmail.ca.

CLP risk module overview, Feb. 25
The CLP module Risk, Contracts and Legal Requirements covers risk
management, contract law and business structures. This topic will help
the business owner to minimize day-to-day risk. The second part of the
day is geared towards the CLP module, Marketing and Sales Management.
Topics include pricing strategies, market research, promotion,
competitive bidding, contract negotiation, as well as customer service
and effective communication. The seminar runs from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m. at TLC Professional Landscape 2026 Oxford St. E., London. Cost is $115 for LO members, and $192 for non-members. For more
information and to register go to London seminars.

Permacon Spring Tour 2011

Permacon

has announced the dates for its Spring Tour 2011 Seminars. For London
Chapter members, the closest event is on Mar. 1 at Carmen’s, 1520 Stone
Church Rd. East, Hamilton. The program includes educational seminars on Sustainable Landscaping by Sean James, Pricing and Estimating for Profit
by George Urvari, Proper Installation of Polymeric Sand, Sealers, etc.,
and a keynote speech by Theresa Syer. The day is free of charge and
also includes product workshops, lunch, gifts, a mini trade show and even
a chance at a door prize. Register here.

London Chapter meeting, Mar. 8

Come to the Lamplighter Inn, Royal Palm Room, 591 Wellington Rd. S.,
London, and join the chapter at a social hour starting at 6 p.m.,
followed by an information meeting at 7 p.m., on How to Utilize Your LO
Membership Perks. Find answers to questions on how use your associate
supplier discounts, online website profile, getting certified and more.
This is a great opportunity to meet suppliers and members. There will
also be displays of new products from the London area. Come see what is
new. The meeting sponsor is OLS Canada. There is no charge for this
meeting. For more information, contact Wendy Harry at 519-488-0818, or
1-888-211-5606, ext. 2356, or wharry@landscapeontario.com.

LO this week

Garden Inspiration 2011: Order your bulk copies!

Once again, Landscape Ontario is producing Garden Inspiration, a
64-page, all-colour magazine, featuring award-winning landscapes and
exciting new plants for 2011. Its unique flip format also features the
Canada Blooms Show Guide. Cartons of 100 can be shipped direct in
mid-March, or picked up at LO home office in Milton. Cost is $67 per
carton delivered, or $54 per carton picked up in Milton, both prices
include tax. Download an order form, or contact Angela Lindsay, alindsay@landscapeontario.com , 647-723-5305.

Survive and thrive in today’s market, Mar. 2

Monroe
Porter, internationally-known business strategy speaker is coming to
Landscape Ontario! Learn to survive and thrive in today’s market in this
program that demonstrates how to establish goals and strategies to keep
pace with the lightning-fast changes in the green industry. Porter will
discuss how to combat shrinking margins, realistic budgeting,
profitable pricing structures, how to identify winning jobs and more.
This seminar takes place on Mar. 2, 1 to 4 p.m., at the LO home office.
Cost is $60 for LO members, and $96 for non-members. For more information, see the flyer. Space is limited to 15: register today at the LO seminar page.

Landscape Lighting Symposium, Feb. 24
Don’t miss your opportunity to attend the second annual Lighting
Symposium. You will learn about
LEDs, how to
properly shoot photographs of your night lighting projects, participate
in round-table discussions and visit the mini-trade show, all in one
building. Last year, the symposium was sold out, resulting in a move this year to
the
larger Grand Chalet venue in Milton. Register here, or view flyer for more information on this popular event.

Last chance to get involved in Canada Blooms garden
For members of Landscape Ontario, it’s the last call to get involved in the Canada Blooms garden build. If you’re interested in getting
involved in this exciting opportunity, contact Kathleen Pugliese.

Industry Canada creates SME benchmarking tool

Industry Canada has created a web page benchmarking tool which provides
background information on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The
program provides access to industry averages for income statement and
balance sheet items, financial ratios and information on profitability
for small- and medium-sized businesses, and features detailed financial
data on more than 600 industries across Canada, including more than 30
performance benchmarks to help small businesses determine how they
measure up to their competitors. To access the page go to
Benchmarking.

NEW employee handbook for garden centres

The Garden Centre Sector Group of Landscape Ontario has created a
template that all business owners can adopt and modify for their
business. This initiative was done to help you create consistency of
behaviour, training and job safety for garden centre employees. The
template is considered a guideline only, and employers are reminded to
make sure they are in compliance with up-to-date legislation. The
handbook template can be downloaded from Landscape Ontario’s website, Employee Handbook.