Hall Of Fame Inductees

Sharon McGuire

Past executive director of the California Landscape Contractors Association, Sharon McGuire has built an infrastructure of excellence for a trade association that has fostered professionalism and provided more and better services for its members.

Born in Soda Springs, Idaho, Sharon began her CLCA career in 1980. After working her way through several staff positions, she was promoted to executive director in 1986. She is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of the association, which has approximately 3,000 members, 17 chapters, nine in-house staff members, $5 million in assets, and an annual budget of $1,750,000. She also serves as treasurer of the association's political action committee and as chief financial officer of the association's educational foundation.

Prior to her tenure as executive director, the association did not have a lobbyist or staff person in charge of governmental affairs. CLCA now has both, and it has become well known in the halls of the state Capitol in Sacramento, as well as with business groups and coalitions working on issues of concern to landscape professionals. CLCA also has become more involved at the national level the last several years--on immigration issues.

As executive director, Sharon has overseen a vast expansion and improvement of the association's communications arsenal. CLCA brought its trade magazine in house several years ago; California Landscaping currently has a circulation of 16,000+ landscape industry professionals. CLCA also publishes an information-packed monthly newsletter, The Cutting Edge, as well as regularly issued information via e-mail. CLCA's website is state of the art, and its direct mail and other marketing materials are first class.

Sharon was instrumental in the development of a popular new program giving CLCA employer members free access to an "on-call" service for guidance in the important, high-liability areas of employment law and human resources management. Hand in hand with this program is CLCA's Attorney on Retainer Program benefit, which allows members to speak with an attorney about primarily construction law matters at no charge.

Over the years, she has been a driving force in efforts to develop green industry professionalism. CLCA developed a multitude of innovative training and educational programs, including How to Make Money in a Landscape Business, Your Training Toolbox, and Better Than a Thousand Words. During her tenure as chief executive officer the association's Landscape Industry Show has grown from 100,000 square feet to 222,000 square feet of exhibit space.

She also has provided a steady hand for CLCA's substantial efforts to improve professionalism through California-grown certification programs. CLCA greatly improved its nascent Landscape Industry Certified (CLT) Program during her tenure as executive director and ultimately sold it to ALCA. More recently, CLCA has developed a very unique Water Management Certification Program, which received EPA WaterSense labeling this year.

Sharon is just completing a two year term as chair of the Association Executives Committee with the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), and was named Executive Director of the Year by PLANET in 2010.

She moved CLCA's headquarters' office out of two creaky buildings during her time as executive director and, finally, into a modern building that was soon surrounded by a "practice-what-you-preach" spectacular landscape.

Past presidents of the association praise Sharon for her thoughtful analysis, long-time vision, and prudent financial management, which have allowed CLCA to weather tough economic times and continue to provide excellence for landscape professionals.

She will say that it is CLCA volunteer leaders who are responsible for the association's success during the past 24 years, but the truth is that it takes good executive as well as volunteer leadership to succeed in the demanding association world these days.