Of all of the numerous meetings I attend each year, this one is a favorite of mine, not just because of the positive attitudes, but because of the verification that the programs' sponsorship dollars have indeed made a difference in the lives of citizens all across America and have furthered the use of flowers, shrubs, turfgrass, and trees around the country. Let me express a huge thank you to all previous AIB sponsors (and encourage those who have been on the fence to go ahead and make the sponsorship that truly makes a difference).

Now in its fourteenth anniversary, the program has not only conveyed the message of beautification, but one of economic development, provision of environmental amenities, and enhancement of health and well-being as well. Over 232 cities and several million citizens in 39 states have been exposed to AIB's message, undoubtedly benefitting countless local businesses in those trade areas. While this alone is impressive, it is exciting to consider that as AIB continues to expand, even more synergistic benefits will likely result.

Speaking of expansion, the AIB is in the midst of a strategic planning exercise to determine the best pathway to sustainable growth of the AIB program in the future. We have proposals on the table at this moment that will enable us to grow without overtaxing the board, judges, or in-kind contributors. More on that later!

The education at this year's symposium was exceptional with lots of good tips for communities to use in their own local programs. It was definitely worth the price of the ticket just to listen to the great insights offered by the speakers. Of course, the awards portion of the symposium was the icing on the cake. While everyone inherently knows that there are no losers in the program (given that communities obviously gained directly from all of the hard work put in by AIB volunteers), it is still nice to be recognized in some way.

Taking that to heart, one special part of the program involved every single community receiving recognition for something the judges felt was outstanding about their respective communities. Everyone learned a lot just from hearing the judges' comments about what they considered unique and special about each community!

I also wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank each of the 40 communities that participated this year and also extend a special thanks to the 21 judges that gave so much of their time and talents to evaluating and providing recommendations to these communities!

In case you missed the symposium this year, the entire awards event (more than two hours worth) was videotaped by Holland, Michigan, cable TV and resides on the AIB website. But if you are short of time, the entire event was edited that down to just the highlights of the acceptance speeches. A quick shout-out to Chris Beytes and Dr. Marvin Miller for pulling this off!  Check it out if you want to see how much an AIB award means to these towns and cities.