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Joining TNLA • Membership application • TNLA Forms and Applications • About TNLA Membership

Knowledge The power to work smarter Pre-qualified business services to save you time and money		Connections The people who can help Marketing opportunities to help you reach your Texas Green Industry customers
	Professionalism The difference that makes the sale		Legislative & Regulatory Representation The protection of a united front

TNLA is over 1400 Landscape Contractors, Growing Nurseries, Retail Garden Centers, and Green Industry Suppliers in Texas dedicated to succeeding together in the Green Industry. Success comes when we invest in our own knowledge, connections, professionalism,and legislative and regulatory representation. As an association, we take advantage of economies of scale to drive down the costs of these programs, succeeding both individually and as an industry.

Once your company joins TNLA, everyone who works at your company is eligible to receive the following benefits.

Knowledge – the power to work smarter

Throughout the year, TNLA’s unique education programs offer members a range of comprehensive technical and business management training opportunities. TNLA education events keep members abreast of industry developments, help with employee development, and generate employee loyalty and enthusiasm. All education programs qualify for TNLA Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Please refer to the TNLA Calendar or call 800.880.0343 for more information. Education for Managers & Owners • Education for Employees

Connections – the people who can help

Sometimes it’s who you know that makes the difference. TNLA members profit by staying connected with industry leaders. As a TNLA Member, you’re part of a community of Green Industry business owners. Whether you’re confronting a challenge or an opportunity, you can call on a support group of over 1400 other TNLA members to help you. TNLA’s numerous region and statewide events facilitate the industry’s most profitable relationships.

Please refer to the TNLA calendar or call 800.880.0343. For a description of TNLA regions, please click here . For a list of TNLA members in your region, please click here to request a directory or do an online search .

TNLA Members Connect Regionally by

• Attending monthly meetings (in most areas)
• Joining regional committees*
• Maintaining relationships at Social Events
• Patting backs at Employee Appreciation Events
• Seeing what’s happening via Regional Newsletters*

TNLA Members Connected Statewide by

• Meeting and greeting at the Annual TNLA Awards Banquet http://www.tnlaonline.org/education/mgtworkship.html#awards
• Seeing what’s new at the Nursery/Landscape Expo
• Keeping up by reading TNLA Green magazine* http://www.tnlaonline.org/publications/green-mag.html
• Seeing who’s who in the TNLA Membership Directory http://www.tnlaonline.org/publications/index.html
• Finding vendors at tnlaonline.org http://www.txnla.org/search/index.html

*denotes member-only opportunity

Professionalism – the difference that makes the sale

One of the biggest challenges for any business is finding ways to show you’re a cut above the competition. Why should a consumer choose your company over someone else’s? How can you show that your company is more professional, reputable, and skillful? In order to sell yourself and your company as being professional, it is important to take every opportunity to be professional. TNLA Membership shows that your company cares about its professionalism. It says, “You can count on our integrity.”

Ways TNLA Members Exhibit Their Professionalism

• Getting listed in the Landscape Texas Guide and LandscapeTexas.org
• Displaying TNLA Member only plaques and stickers
• Using TNLA logo on bids, business cards, yellow pages, web, etc
• Adhering to the TNLA Code of Ethics
• Winning TEIL, ARP, Staff, and Young Leader Awards
• Attaining TNLA Certification

If you need additional copies of the TNLA logo, member cards, or certificates, please call 800.880.0343 or e-mail marisol@tnlaonline.org.

TNLA Awards
TNLA recognizes outstanding work in support of the Green Industry by issuing its annual awards. Awards represent a valuable symbol of excellence to show to potential clients and are a great way to build company spirit. TNLA members receive significant discounts off their submission fee and discounts at the awards dinner.

Texas Excellence In Landscaping (TEIL) Award
The TEIL Awards are the landscaping community’s chance to show off outstanding projects from the previous year. Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honorable Mention awards are given to as many deserving recipients as apply.

Texas Excellence In Landscaping (TEIL) Award The TEIL Awards are the landscaping community’s chance to show off outstanding projects from the previous year. Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honorable Mention awards are given to as many deserving recipients as apply. Arp Award Issued once annually to an individual who has given outstanding service to the industry. Young Leader Award Given annually to an individual who has shown extreme leadership in the Green Industry.

TNLA Certification Programs
For half the cost paid by non-member applicants, TNLA members can maximize their competitiveness and gain instant credibility by completing a certification program.

Over 6,000 individuals in Texas have already deemed professional certification to be worth their while. These certified professionals have a valuable edge over non-certified competitors. A professional certification sticker in their window shows customers why their services are worth more.

We support professionally certified individuals and the companies that hire them by providing online verification of certification, stickers, logos, certificates, and other collateral. Using these items will make any flier, yellow pages listing, proposal, resume, storefront, truck, or bid stand out from the competition.

Click here to search for a TNLA certified professional.

• Texas Certified Nursery Professional (TCNP)
  Designed for nursery staff and management, this certificate is recognized by consumers and peers to signify a high degree of professionalism.
• Texas Master Certified Nursery Professional (TMCNP)
  The elite in the nursery industry attain this certification to signify mastery of their craft.Texas Certified Landscape Professional (TCLP)
  Landscape contractor supervisors and owners acquire this certification to show that they have the skills necessary for success in the increasingly complex world of landscape contracting.

Legislative & Regulatory Representation – the protection of a united front Green Industry businesses are particularly vulnerable to legislative and regulatory action related to irrigation, labor, immigration, pesticides, air quality, and a host of other hot-button issues. TNLA is the only organization representing the Green Industry at the state capitol year-round. TNLA is actively involved in lobbying and currently represents the Green Industry on seven legislative advisory committees. TNLA is Working For You! Recent Legislative Accomplishments TNLA blocked passage of a bill that would have prevented everyone except degreed, licensed landscape architects from selling the service of drawing plans for commercial landscapes. TNLA achieved removal of a requirement in the state implementation plan that would have prevented the use of two-stroke engines between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon during daylight savings time months. TNLA served as the voice of the Landscape Industry on the Water Conservation Implementation Task Force, ensuring that Water Conservation Best Management Practice guidelines are not detrimental to the industry.

TNLA’s Current Legislative Priorities

• Water Use and Availability
• Pesticide Use
• Labor
• Immigration
• Insurance
• Taxation
• Air Quality
• Professional Licensing
• Invasive Plants

Political Action Committee (PAC)

TNLA’s PAC encourages the passage of quality legislation by helping to elect quality lawmakers. By contributing to the PAC, TNLA members have the opportunity to take even more responsibility for ensuring that the laws affecting the Green Industry are not harmful.

To learn about PAC contribution levels and to make a donation, please click here.

TNLA Marketing Opportunities – reaching the Green Industry

The Texas Nursery and Landscape Association offers a host of ways to help you communicate with Green Industry Buyers. TNLA members receive complimentary use of the TNLA logo to increase their prestige. Supplier, Grower, and Out-of-state members receive free listings in the buyers’ guide section of the TNLA Membership Directory and the online version as well . Members also receive $150 off each of their booths at the Nursery /Landscape Expo, $125. off ads in the TNLA Green Magazine, $50 off ads in the TNLA Membership Directory & Buyers’ Guide and the Nursery / Landscape Expo Program , and the exclusive opportunity to purchase the TNLA mailing list . Finally, companies that want to show a strong alliance with the industry have a host of sponsorship opportunities that put their company name directly in front of Green Industry players.

Complimentary TNLA Marketing Opportunities

TNLA Members get many free opportunities to reach the Green Industry in Texas.Free listing in the Membership Directory and Buyers’ Guide
TNLA Supplier, Grower, and Out of State Members list their plants, products, and services in this annual publication. Members: simply pick the products you sell from this list and return to TNLA to have your company and its phone number listed in this publication at no cost. Additionally, your company and contact information will be listed in the “Members Alphabetically” section and the “Members by Region” section.

Free online product listing
Green Industry buyers use TNLA’s online product search to find companies to buy from. As a complimentary service, TNLA makes all Supplier, Grower, and Out of State member’s searchable by product. Click here to download the form for adding products to your Directory listing.

Free use of TNLA logo
Boost your credibility by using TNLA’s logo on all your collateral.

Free sign at Expo
If you’re a TNLA member and you have a booth at Expo, you’ll automatically receive a free sign to hang in your booth letting people know that you support the industry by being a member of TNLA.

Nursery / Landscape Expo
TNLA proudly produces the Nursery/Landscape Expo. With over 300,000 sq. ft. of exhibits devoted exclusively to nursery and landscape related products and services, Expo offers attendees the opportunity to search for new products and to compare values.

Expo attracts approximately 10,000 attendees annually from America’s Green Industries. The dollar volume of the nursery industry in Texas alone exceeds $7 billion annually, making Texas the third largest Green Industry market in the country. Expo provides exhibitors the unique ability to economically reach both Texas and surrounding states’ marketplaces in one convenient location.

TNLA members enjoy discounts of $150 or more off each booth at Expo, making an already great value even better. Smart marketers know the best way to reach their audience is at the Nursery/Landscape Expo, and the best way to show at Expo is to be a member of TNLA.

Advertising Opportunities

TNLA publishes a monthly magazine, TNLA Green , the Membership Directory and Buyer’s Guide , and the Nursery / Landscape Expo Program which also serves as a guide to products and services of Expo exhibitors.

TNLA Green Magazine TNLA’s full color monthly trade association magazine serves all segments of the nursery/landscape industry in Texas. It is the official publication of the Texas Nursery & Landscape Association.
Editorial content includes methods of growing and distributing horticultural products and services, events calendars, Nursery/Landscape Expo information, and relevant legislative and regulatory information. Distribution is to all TNLA member businesses, plus all Texas Certified Nursery Professionals, Texas Master Certified Nursery Professionals, and Texas Certified Landscape Professionals. Members save $125 on each ad placed in Green Magazine.

TNLA Membership Directory & Buyers’ Guide
Mailed to all TNLA members and distributed at Green Industry trade shows, this reference sits on people’s desks for years, giving advertisers multiple exposures over time. Members save $50 on ads placed in the Membership Directory.

Nursery / Landscape Expo Program
Distributed to buyers and all exhibitor companies participating in the annual Nursery / Landscape Expo representing 43 states and 13 foreign countries, this program lists all exhibitors, booth numbers, exhibitor contacts, and Expo / hall information. Includes a products and services guide used for location of product/services and sales during and after the Expo. Members save $50 on ads placed in the Nursery / Landscape Expo Program.

TNLA Mailing List
TNLA Members and current Nursery / Landscape Expo exhibitors are the only people eligible to purchase the TNLA mailing list.

Sponsorship
Sponsorship is a great way to align your company with the Green Industry in a way that will get noticed by the industry’s biggest players. Almost every TNLA meeting, Event, Certification, and Publication can be sponsored. Call 800.880.0343 to find out which sponsorships are currently available.

Hotlink
When Green Industry Buyers come to TNLAonline.org to do a product search, they’ll find the TNLA Member Supplier, Grower, or Out of State member company they’re looking for. If that member company has purchased a hotlink for $35.00, then Green Industry buyers will be able to click the link for that member and go directly to their site.

Business Services

TNLA companies have banded together to maximize their buying power, research and select quality vendors, and take advantage of discount programs offered to associations.

Best of Texas Landscape Guide
Prepared by Texas Certified Nursery Professionals, this book features 100 pages, full color photos, and over 350 plant descriptions including: form, color, temperature needs, water needs, soil needs, and culture needs. It’s everything you need to know to start on the path to success in your home garden or landscape.Retailing the Best of Texas is a great way to serve your customers, support your association, and make some money for yourself.

Endorsed Services The Texas Nursery & Landscape Association words hard developing partnerships to benefit our members. Vendor partner companies are selected to meet needs expressed by TNLA members. TNLA has two levels of vendor partnership. endorsed Services vendors have a contractual relationship to provide services specific to the industry. Doing business with an endorsed Services vendor provides two benefits: vendors have been reviewed and recommended by a committee of industry professionals and a percentage of the money spent through these vendors goes directly to benefit the industry through TNLA programs and services. Member Benefit Partners offer member discounts for products and services that may be general or may be specific to the industry.

TNLA Endorsed Services Vendors (1/08)

Electricity Provider
Profit Recovery
Insurance
Internet and Web Development Service
Credit Card Processing
Wage and Employment Law Consultant
Workers' Compensation Insurance
E-Commerce