NEWSLINE WINTER 2026 | Page 9

Bob Mann to Receive Beacon Award
The Beacon Award is the highest honor the Association can bestow on one of its members. Established to recognize truly outstanding landscape professionals, the award celebrates individuals whose accomplishments and leadership serve as both a guide and an inspiration to members of the green industry.
This year’ s Beacon Award will be presented to Bob Mann, Senior Director of Technical and Regulatory Affairs at the National Association of Landscape Professionals( NALP).“ Bob has been a guiding force in MALP’ s local government relations efforts for years,” said MALP President Miriam Hellweg.“ He generously contributes his knowledge and time to move our industry forward, and we are grateful.”
Please join us in celebrating Bob and his many achievements, as well as the lasting contributions he has made to our industry at the MALP Dinner Meeting on Wednesday, June 17, at the Elks Lodge in Natick, MA.
Beacon Award Recipients
2001
Owen Regan
2002
Roger Cook, MCLP, MCA
2003
Virginia Wood
2004
Dan Foley, MCLP
2005
Mike Lueders, MCLP
2006
John Filias, MCLP
2007
Rudy Piantedosi, MCLP
2008
Mike Davidsohn, MCLP
2009
David Rykbost, MCLP
2010
Jon Ciffolillo, MCLP
2011
Genie Holland, MCLP
2012
Monique Allen, MCLP
2013
Roger B. Sturgis, MCLP
2014
Matt Gramer, MCLP
2016
Carol Robertson, MCLP
2017
Stephen L. Crowe, MCLP, MCA
2018
Joann Vieira
2021
Joe Szczechowicz, MCLP
2022
Doug McDuff, MCLP, MCA
2023
Brian Paige, MCLP
2024
Tim Dolan, MCLP
2025
Bob Maffei, MCLP
Expanding the Workforce
In 2026, the National Collegiate Landscape Competition( NCLC) marks its 50th year of developing careers and strengthening the industry’ s workforce pipeline. Each spring, nearly 800 students from more than 60 horticulture and landscape programs gather together to test their skills, learn from industry pros, and connect with landscape companies from across the nation.
NCLC isn’ t just an event, it’ s a strategic workforce advantage. Participating companies gain early access to emerging talent, strengthen their brand among future hires, and help shape the highest level of industry professionalism.
MALP is proud to support Mike Davidsohn, MCLP and the student team from UMass as they travel to Michigan State University for NCLC on March 18 – 26, 2026. For details visit landscapecompetition. org.