President’s Column by Tom Estabrook, Estabrook’s Farm and Greenhouses, Inc.


MELNA President Tom Estabrook


Dear MELNA Members, I hope you have had a great season this past


year. I am at the end of my time on the MELNA executive committee. Before I got involved with MELNA I had no idea how much the organization does on a yearly basis or how much needs to be done. Well now I know! For however many years I have served the list is long. I was the guy on the side lines saying why doesn’t MELNA do this or that? Well it comes down to the problem we all have. Time, money, experience and labor to name a few examples of what hold us back at times. What I will tell you is that I have had the pleasure of serving with great people that have put aside their agenda and did what is best for MELNA at all times. Tere have been many discussions with respect, honesty and how everyone feels on an issue and then we come to a common resolution and move forward. Tis has been the reason for so many great things that have happened while I served! I want to thank all the board members and volunteers that have worked with us. Te dirty work for MELNA takes a team. Tat team is based on the executive committee and our executive director Don Sproul. I would like to personally thank Don for all of his hard work. He deserves it more than all of our members will ever know. Don is one to bring great ideas to the table and make sure we are always moving forward and staying on track. Tanks Don and please take time as a member and thank him next time you see him also.


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As I look back I want to highlight a few things we have worked on over the years being on the board! Tis by all means is not the whole list. MELNA has come a long way in a short few years. We have reengaged our


members thru education and twilight meetings that have been great. Our annual trade show not only has grown but also merged with the Arborist association. Tis has brought more profits to both organizations and helped bring our organizations together. We got back involved with the Portland Flower Show to promote our industry along with other trade shows and fairs. We are looking forward with excitement to a MELNA owned flower show for 2017. I could go on and on but last but not least is the Plant Something program. MELNA for the first time will have a marketing budget to advertise our industry! Tis is the one thing I am most excited about! With a 60,000 grant for MELNA and another 30,000 from Independent Garden Centers of Maine. We finally have money to scream plant something! I will be continuing on to work on this project of marketing MELNA in the future years to come. My passion is plants and marketing our industry. Without a voice we can’t tell our customers how great we are as a group and with my time spent in this industry. WE ARE GREAT and we need to show it and tell ever one about it!


With all that said, I want to say thank you for letting me be the president of this great organization. It truly is an honor to do so! Tanks again!


Tom


Winter2016


(photo by Edith Ellis)


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