THE NALPEXPERIENCE
The Future Looks Bright at the 47th National Collegiate Landscape Competition
By Jill Odom
THE 47TH NATIONAL COLLEGIATE Landscape Competition (NCLC) had 1,300 attendees, including students, faculty and members of the industry. The event returned to Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, where the competition originated as ALCA Field Days.
Nearly 600 students from 47 schools
attended to network and challenge their knowledge and skills. Two schools attended for the first time: Tuskegee University and Alamance Community College – Career College. NALP CEO Britt Wood says NALP is planning to continue to work to make NCLC bigger and better by getting even more colleges involved. Roger Phelps, corporate communica- tions manager for STIHL Inc., says he is particularly excited about NCLC as the new generation brings a different mind- set to the use of technology, methods of communication and their attitude towards the planet. “At the heart of our company is the
power to grow and to help others grow,” Phelps says. “There’s no better place to help people grow than right here.” Many of the industry professionals
who attended have competed in NCLC themselves. This includes NCLC’s chair, David Grover. He says he first competed in 2010 as a sophomore. “My general overall experience was
great,” Grover says. “I was blown away at the first event I went to. To be quite hon- est, I thought, at the surface level, a land- scape competition didn’t sound like a great event. It kind of sounded dorky. But when I came to it, it blew me away with just how professional this event was, the involvement from all the industry professionals and just their willingness to give back to the future of the industry. They had a true desire to help students develop and gain real-life experience that would translate into the skills they needed to further their careers.” Grover says being able to serve as the
14 The Edge May/ 4 The Edge //May/June 2023 /June 2023
chair of NCLC brings things full circle as he gained so much from the event as a student and now he is able to give back to the future of the industry. “To be able to help these students gain the skills, even if they don’t come work for your company, you’re elevating the industry as a whole,” Grover says. Wood notes NCLC is a trigger for many people to embrace the landscape indus- try and become a part of it. “The CEO of one of the largest land- scape companies in the United States of America got interested in this industry when he was here at Mississippi State competing and he got to host and wel- come everybody to this competition this year,” Wood says.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS On March 16, students were encouraged to engage with industry professionals at the career fair and grow their networks. Close to 100 lawn and landscape companies, manufacturing brands and related industry organizations were present to show the variety of career paths available. “The opening ceremony was really
eye-opening for me for just how much support you have in this industry,” says Lilian Perkey, a plant and landscape systems major at Brigham Young Uni- versity – Provo. “It’s invigorating to feel the energy and how excited everybody is and how they view us. Usually, I feel like, in so many places, you’re trying to sell yourself. It’s so hard to get noticed or
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
