Experts agree that a dense coverage of turfgrass reduces
pollution and non-point sources of runoff that would otherwise flow into the waterways. The FDEP Model Ordinance
offers the best protection to Florida’s water resources and
is endorsed by the Florida Department of Agriculture &
Consumer Services, FDEP and UF/IFAS.
As part of our efforts on the “turf is good - turf is bad”
debate, industry persons are working hard to educate the
end users on benefits and proper care, to educate turf
professionals on Best Management Practices that are developed for each segment of the industry, and to perform
research that may support our position. We must build our
tool chest and continue fighting to slow anti-turf opponents
and prove that properly-applied fertilizer on turf and
landscapes is not the problem.
If you are interested in getting involved, I suggest you look
into the Environmental Research & Education Foundation
(EREF). The EREF was formed to provide urban landscapes
and the turfgrass industry with a strong public voice; to
provide funding for research; to promote turfgrass and
urban landscape research; education and outreach; and to
advocate for the turfgrass and urban landscapes with elected officials and regulatory agencies. If you are interested in
becoming a part of the EREF or in joining the Industry
Advocacy group, please contact one of the following
supporting associations: FTGA, TPF FSTMA, FPMA, or
,
myself.
Protecting Florida’s waterways is a goal we all support and
healthy lawns provide a way to achieve that goal.
EMPIRE Preferred Installer Program
CHRISTIAN BROUCQSAULT
was that while some Authorized Distributors provided installation services,
most did not. Instead, many of them
worked with a third party for installation. Our solution was to put homeowners directly in contact with these installation companies.
This past fall the Florida EMPIRE
Marketing Group (FEMG) trialed a new
on-line marketing program that directed interested homeowners to “EMPIRE
Preferred Installers” for the purchase
and installation of EMPIRE Turf. The
program was limited to select Florida
markets with a limited number of
installers. This next spring, however, the
program will be expanded to all major
metro markets in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and select metros in
the Southeastern US.
The
EMPIRE
Preferred
Installer
program was born out of the Authorized Distributor program and was
developed as a solution to address
three unique challenges.
Not all Authorized Distributors do
installation
For the last three years, the Authorized
Distributor Program has directed
homeowners to retail outlets where they
could purchase EMPIRE. The problem
vehicles with several installation crews.
This meant we were unable to list these
companies in the Where to Buy section
of our website. Our solution was to add
to our website a separate area for
homeowners to search for installers.
Instead of entering a zip code, the
homeowner enters their city to request
a quote from a company that offers
installation services in that city.
Some regions of the country are more
heavily populated by Installers than by
Authorized Distributors
Many Installation companies do not
have a physical address
Another limitation we encountered with
the Authorized Distributor program was
the fact that the Where to Buy section
of our website directed homeowners to
enter their zip code to find nearby
locations to purchase EMPIRE. The
problem was that many Installation
companies have decided to have a
strong virtual presence (on the internet)
but no physical presence (no store-front
location) other than a large fleet of
In the past three years we have set up
over 120 Authorized Distributors in
Florida and nearly 100 in Texas. But in
North and South Carolina, there seems
to be relatively fewer nurseries, mulch
yards and sod depots when compared
to Florida and Texas. The solution was
to set up more Preferred Installers in
the Carolinas and to re-direct our
marketing dollars from Point of Sale
material (counter-top displays, in store
signage and road side banners) to
marketing material for fleet vehicles
and trucks (auto stickers and window
decals). The result will be rolling
billboards in those markets with
EMPIRE
Preferred
Installers
but
relatively few EMPIRE Authorized
Distributors.
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