Bay Breeze

Barry and Mary Cohen, Co-Presidents

Greetings to our dear CLCA friends!

With spring now in full bloom and summer at our doorstep, we hope you are enjoying ultra busy days and restful nights. A great big “Thank You” to Beth Valdez, Jackie Marsey and Scooter Wren for organizing a great Giants ballgame event honoring our Partners for Success, who provide support, both financial and with their time. Those who attended were treated to a delicious lunch at a special patio area on the ground floor next to first base. What a perfect location to enjoy the game! We missed the rain by just one day and the Sun God showered us with a beautiful sunny day. If you couldn’t make it, you missed another wonderful opportunity to spend social time with fellow contractors and suppliers, the perfect time to develop personal relationships. The secret to our Chapter’s success is the building and nurturing of these personal relationships, but in order to do this, it takes commitment from both sides. We promise to continue having events like this and PLEASE make the effort to participate and be part of the party.

Speaking of party, IT’S PARTY TIME! Make your reservations and mark your calendars for the Chapter Legacy Celebration, Saturday, June 15 at Michael’s at Shoreline starting at 5:30pm. Bring your whole family…spouses/partners, kids, grandkids, employees…EVERYONE! This will be the first Celebration of our Chapter, for our Chapter and by our Chapter in a very long time. In lieu of the Awards Banquet, Partners for Success may use their free tickets and/or flex points for this event. Reserve your spots today!

Celebrating our 77th year, the SFBA Chapter is where it all began in 1947, when a small group of contractors had the vision and desire to elevate the landscape contracting industry to an exemplary professional level. You’ll learn about our rich history and the individuals who paved the way. Many of these individuals have special named scholarship funds in CLCA’s Landscape Educational Advancement Foundation (LEAF) established by our Chapter to show gratitude and respect for their love and commitment to the organization and the people in it. These scholarships are awarded each year to deserving students majoring in landscape contracting and related fields within the Green Industry. As part of our Celebration, you’ll have an opportunity to include your personal thanks and appreciation by donating to these funds. Elsewhere in this issue of the Breeze, you can read about each of these individuals and see who has impacted your business and personal life. Contractors and Suppliers, have you thought about establishing your own fund, either your company or your family or yourself? This would be a perfect time to do this! If you have questions, need more information or want to donate an auction item, just call us.

In closing, as usual, there will be no dinner meetings during the summer months, but there are a couple of events you won’t want to miss:

1. The Auxiliary Potluck in August at the Cohen Residence is a very popular event for Auxiliary members and their spouses/partners. If you aren’t a member and would like to join, please contact Lesley Peters-Auxiliary president and come to the Potluck!
2. The Chapter Picnic on September 8 at Cuesta Park is open to all members, their families and employees. Festivities will include a great BBQ lunch, the ever-popular horseshoe tournament and the delicious dessert competitions.

Lastly, we still need a speaker, business related subject or product presentation for the October Dinner Meeting. Is there a subject or speaker you think would be a good one for a future dinner meeting? Please let any Board Member know and we’ll definitely look into it.

Take care and Happy Summer!

Barry and Mary Cohen
Co-Presidents