Q&A with Bob Lyons

In January, the American Nursery & Landscape Association announced a joint venture with OFA, the Association of Horticultural Professionals, which could lead to a future merger. Nursery Management publisher Todd Davis caught up with Bob Lyons, ANLA president and owner of Sunleaf Nursery in Madison, Ohio, to find out the implications of this joint venture.

Q: So let me get this straight, this new joint venture doesn’t mean the end of ANLA and its 135 years of history?

A: You are correct. ANLA is not going away. We are combining some of our strengths with theirs to provide the members of both organizations a combined 215 years of leadership, service, knowledge and history to better meet the needs of both groups in these challenging times.

Q: How long have these discussions been going on with OFA, and how were they different from the merger discussions you had with PLANET several years ago?

A: We have been having discussions about working with them since 2008, but with the untimely death of their executive director, John Holmes, it was not until 2011 that we renewed our discussions in earnest.

With PLANET we were seeking a true merger in short order. The proposed joint venture with OFA will focus at first on education and advocacy. As we move forward, if it makes sense to collaborate on more things, then we will certainly consider it. Both organizations have many strengths and we want to focus on those strengths and avoid duplication of efforts. It’s the same sort of thing that’s going on with strategic alliances in our industry businesses.

Q: The ANLA Management Clinic is your organization’s premier educational event. Do you see it continuing beyond 2012?

A: We are in the process of deciding what will follow this year’s Clinic. This joint venture offers some exciting opportunities for a premier educational event in 2013 that will attract both organizations’ owners and senior management teams using the strengths of both the ANLA and OFA staffs.

Q: How do you think ANLA’s lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill be affected by the joint venture? Will our leaders in Washington have to be reintroduced to our industry association?

A: There will be no re-introduction.The ANLA’s lobbying and regulatory staff will remain in Washington, D.C., and will be configured to meet the needs of both ANLA and OFA members. Many of the concerns of government intrusion and regulations are the same for members of both organizations so it is a natural fit.

Q: Will there be a joining of the boards of directors of both OFA and ANLA? Is there going to be a new leadership structure?

A: There are no current plans to join boards and leadership structures. It is easy for the mind to jump forward and say, “This is going to be one organization.” At some point in the future it might be, but currently we are focused on education and advocacy. We need to be successful at these things before we think about doing more.

Q: What about the Wholesale Nursery Growers of America and the Horticultural Research Institute? How will these groups that share ANLA staff be affected?

A: The same holds true for these groups along with the retail, landscape and distribution divisions. The “community within the community” that they represent will remain an important part of our organization. It is our hope that HRI will attract new donors as we do more activities with OFA, and their members see the valuable research that is being done.

For More: Bob Lyons, bob@sunleaf.com.