PLANET Becomes NALP

Nicole Wisniewski

It’s been 10 years since the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) and the Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA) merged to create the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET).

Then, the newly joined association chose a name that represented the many disciplines of its combined membership—from lawn care to maintenance to design/build to tree care to snow and ice management to interiorscaping to everything in between.

But a lot can change over a decade. While the 4,000-member association’s service makeup has only increased in variety as the industry has evolved, the name itself has become harder to understand. In a recent PLANET member survey, 90% of respondents said they have to always or usually explain what the name PLANET means. So on February 26, at PLANET’s Great Escape educational and networking event, PLANET unveiled the results of months of research and strategic planning: The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP).

“Over the years, we’ve been having a harder time explaining what PLANET is,” explained Sabeena Hickman, PLANET’s executive director. “As we’ve gotten more penetration into the consumer market, our PR firm spent more time explaining who we are as they pitched stories versus the benefits of what we provide to people.”

“In a day when quick hits and 140 characters are the norm, we don’t have the luxury of explaining what we do again and again,” adds Jim McCutcheon, CEO of HighGrove Partners in Austell, Georgia, and current president of PLANET.

When asked what the association could improve upon, the single most cited answer in the PLANET member survey was improving the perception of the industry and promoting the industry (25%). This goal was becoming harder to achieve with a name that was posing some hurdles when it came to explaining what the association does and what types of members it represents.

The association’s board knew it reached a time when a name change may help it grow, but it didn’t want to just change its name.

“We decided we needed to invest in a rebranding effort,” Sabeena said. “If we were going to change the name, we wanted that name to come with an image, a program and a strategy so we could create a more robust future for the lawn and landscape industry.” GT