Back to School

Pat Jones
Editorial Director and Publisher

I just spent the better part of the morning swearing furiously at my computer while setting up the “easy-pay” process that will allow me to “conveniently” send every dime I have to John Carroll University to further the education of my oldest son.

Yes, friends, summer is drawing to a close and it’s back-to-school time.

I miss the days when late August simply meant buying the little tyke a couple of boxes of crayons and a new Barney t-shirt. Instead, it’s back-breaking tuition checks and new laptops capable of running a space shuttle. Hmmm…I wonder what I’ll eat when I can no longer afford the luxury of Ramen noodles?

I suspect many of you with kids are going through your own rituals right now. But, back-to-school time means more than just No. 2 pencils and lunchboxes in our market.

Gearing Down/Up. This year, instead of brutal summer weather roaring in from the moment the first daffodil emerged until the last sprig of burnt-up Poa died about Independence Day, the nastiness was delayed by one of the soggiest springs ever. For many north of the Mason-Dixon line, April and May were quite literally washed out. No rounds, no revenue, no chance to do anything but survive.

Down south, I hear y’all are surviving the summer a little better than last year. Many followed the lead of Ken Mangum at Atlanta Athletic Club and others and switched over to Bermuda greens. It’ll be fascinating to hear the report card from their first year of summer school.

Return on Investment. Back-to-school time means it’s also time to start thinking about budgets for next year. What worked? What didn’t? What would you do with more or less money?
 

I wonder how much budget impact the loss of revenue at Northern/Transition Zone courses will have on spending into 2012. Could more facilities be dialing back on labor or pushing back capital improvements because the cash flow just wasn’t their this spring?
 

(By the way, we’re going to answer part of that question this fall by conducting what might be the first major budget and spending study in the market since before the recession. I hope all of you will take the time to pull out your budget books and give us a little extra time so we can find out what’s really going on with labor costs, capital investments, chemical budgets, etc. If you do, we’ll send you a copy of the results so you can benchmark your operation against others. Stay tuned for details soon!)
 

Oh, if you like bargains, check out our October edition. We’re planning a special report on Payback Products. We’re challenging industry suppliers to make their best case about how their products and services pay for themselves. What’s the ROI on that new aerification unit? They’ll tell you. That’s info you can use to help justify your needs with your ownership.

Feeding Your Brain. Fall also means conference season. My big question this year is how the regional shows will fare. Lots of folks have predicted that as the national conference becomes more difficult for superintendents with modest budgets to afford, the regional events would benefit and grow. The problem is many are not well-run and often rely on the same formula, the same speakers and the same 50 or 60 exhibitors that sponsor everything.

I have news for you folks: those 50 or 60 companies are growing impatient with poorly-attended trade shows and are starting to rethink which ones they support. The show you and your pals decide to skip this fall might not make the cut. Not a fun fact, but true.

On a happier note, I’m pleased to report GCI will continue to offer our free webinar series. We have two more of our well-received Strictly Business webinars – sponsored by our friends at Syngenta – scheduled this fall and winter and we’ll be offering more new topics, as well. Look for more about that in coming issues of our Fast & Firm and Strictly Business e-newsletters.

That’s all for now from the publisher’s desk…because the publisher needs to go sell some plasma or something to get enough cash to buy Ramen noodles.