The California Landscape Contractors Association incorporated in April 1952, bringing together three regional trade organizations for the purpose of presenting a united front for the industry in the face of challenges from other trade groups that sought to lute the scope of the C-27 license.

The organization had existed as a non-incorporated entity since the prior September, when it held its charter meeting in Yosemite that was attended by eight contractor delegates from the original three trade groups (San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, which became CLCA's first three chapters). Co-founding the new statewide association were Paul Moulder, Dana Tyson, Harry A. Moore, Blair Burkhardt, Bailey Justice, Henry C. Soto, R.B. Gregory and Kenneth E. Jenner.

Baey Justice was elected the association's first president in 1951 before it incorporated, and finished the last three months of his term under its new legal structure. Henry Soto became CLCA's second president in 1952, and Ken Jenner would later assume the role of executive secretary.

Seeds of Growth

Former president Keith Card remembers the association's second meeting held over a half-century ago Southern California. At the top of the agenda: setting up the new organization, discussing what needed to be done to promote the landscape contractor's business, and developing a plan to deal with illegal operators.

"In those days there was a large non-licensed contractor [base] participating in our business, and we needed an organization to combat that," Card recalls. "There were a lot of cutthroat types of things going around. We wanted to have the business run on an up and up scale, and I thinke did a pretty good job of that."

Card was recruited into the fledgling group - then numbering around a dozen - by Henry Soto, who Card describes as "a very strong, good person who did a lot for the association."

Card remembers the founders as being driven, dedicated people who sought to develop the industry's stature. "Bailey Justice was very smart." (1962 president Chuck Armstrong describes Justice as having been "the Adalai Stevenson of CLCA" for his skills as an ator.) "Same with Soto, Jack Brem, Jerry Schromm ... all of the early members who drove forward the industry." The founders' experience in their local trade groups helped catapult CLCA to its first victories. By 1953 the new organization had defeated efforts by the C-27's oppressors and quickly became known and respected at the Capitol, even though it had grown to only 30-40 members in its first two years.

"We had very good relations with Sacramento through Ken Jenner," says Card. "His brher was one of [then-Governor] Goodwin Knight's lieutenants. There was also a fellow named Ford who was registrar of contractors at the time. Through him we got our license defined, the scope, and we got the tests that you had to take to become a licensed contractor [in place]."

Card became CLCA's sixth president in July 1956, the same month he turned 29, and has the distinction of being the youngest of the association's 50 presidents to date. He is the only surviving member of the 1950s presidential fraterny.

"The early members were all depression kids, or thereabouts, and I strongly feel that contributed a lot to the early success of CLCA." Card says his background of working on a farm in Montana since the age of 5 or 6, when children were expected to carry the workload of an adult, helped him to develop the work ethic that brought him through his years in business - an ethic shared by his fellow early members.

"They were far seeing people," Card says. "I take my hat off to tho guys."

Business Basics

In addition to the unlicensed operator problem and defining the C-27 license, CLCA immediately set to building the industry's professionalism and starting an education program.

"There were few people - myself included - who knew how to put a bid together," recalls Card. "When we were bidding as a sub under general contractors,here were a lot of last-minute cuts. So we formed a bid repository, which kept the prices where they belonged. It was a tough business back then - I'm sure it still is - but there was no collusion. This system of bidding worked to the general contractor's benefit as well as to ours.

"We held classes and seminars to educate the contractors on bid preparation and so forth. I'll never forget this one guy who worked for me and conducted one of the classes. He brought a bottle of Jim Beam, set it up there and said'We don't want to get carried away with this stuff while we bid.' That's one thing that will never fade from my memory."

New Levels of Professionalism

The campaign against unlicensed operators led to other efforts toward putting a new face on the landscaping industry. Lobbying to define licensing parameters and establishing standards of professionalism served to distance legitimate contractors from their illegal competitors, but more was required.

CLCA lears determined that to build the industry's credibility, two approaches had to be taken. One was to implement an effective public relations campaign, which would involve media coverage of member achievements and establish a recognition program for outstanding performance (the Trophy Awards). The other was to pursue prosecution of illegal operators.

Card teamed with fellow members John Moulder (1955 president) and Jack Anderson (1957 president) to form the first Trophy Awards committee. The initial program, which took place in 1956, included awards for public works, commercial and residential projects, a sweepstakes award, and the President's Cup. "We started it as part of our program of education," recalls Card. "We were trying to upgrade the professionalism of the landsca contractor. If you in those days won a trophy, even a second or third place in your category, it was quite prestigious. People used that in their advertising - I'm sure they still do today."

CA featured Trophy Awards winners in its annual directory, which also contained valuable articles on the business of landscaping and highlights of the association's activities during the previous year. It was the forerunner of the much expanded coverage found in today's California Landscang. The association made many efforts toward defining the industry to the public in the 1950s. Part of its image problem was that landscaping was seen as a subcontracted ancillary service, and not as an industry in its own right. One step toward resolving this was to establish recognition for the landscape contractor as a separate entity from other construction fields. In 1957 CLCA prepared a resolution and sent it to Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company requesting a change in the directory classification from "Landspe Construction" to "Landscape Contractors."

In the matter of the unlicensed operator, CLCA focused on building relationships with elected officials and regulators to define rules and laws that would make it more difficult to conduct business illegally in California. The association sponsored a bill in 1957 to make it a misdemeanor for any person to advertise as a contractor who didn't hold a valid license, and in the '60s worked with the California State License Board on a public awareness campaignncouraging people to report unlawful operators to the state. CLCA's work on the issue continues to this day.

CLCA's Role in Inmate Rehabilitation

In the mid-'50s, CLCA began working with the state to bring vocational training to inmates who were preparing to reenter society. The CLCA State Education Committee, chaired by Merrill Winans, coordinated the association's efforts. Following the initial meeting at San Qntin in July 1955, which was sponsored by the San Francisco-Bay Area Chapter, a permanent Vocational Landscape Trade Advisory Committee was formed with Bailey Justice as its chair.

Ernest Higgins, who had served as the chapter's organizing secretary, was the instructor for the challenging 18-month course. The majority of students were classified as medium- or maximum-security inmates, which increased the likelihood that they would remain in the program and become hired upon their release. By 1957, seven parolees d secured jobs in the industry.

The success at San Quentin led the director of the California Department of Corrections, Richard McGee, to request further CLCA support at other penal institutions. A second program got under way at Chino State Prison in 1957. "The landscape and horticultural program offers something to the inmate that other trade programs cannot," McGee is quoted as saying in an article appearing in the 1957-58 CLCA directory. "It provides the inmate an opportunity to work with [hishands, with living plants, which tends to have a quieting influence and brings out the latent ability and initiative in many cases."

The article closes with an observation that ties the landscaping industry into the betterment of society as a whole, calling the program "an effective rehabilitation in action [that] is contributing, along with other far-sighted groups, towards the redemption of those less fortunate, and their return to society and their needed place in business and industry."

The Bond of Brotherhood

Keith Card remembers that even with all of CLCA's accomplishments in the years he was involved, the best part of membership was getting together with fellow contractors."Asell as being competitors - fierce competitors - for the limited amount of work that was around (public works, residential and commercial), everybody seemed to be on the same plane as wanting to have a little fun," Card says. "That's what the original conventions a quarterly board meetings were all about. We always had an annual softball game, which developed camaraderie and helped spur the association on."

Chuck Armstrong also remembers the North-South softball games. "Back in those days, Mantle and Maris (New YorYankee players) were known as 'The Two M's' of baseball. CLCA's 'Two M's' were (Harold) Mendon and (George) Morgan, both from the South, who at one time in their lives had been either semi-pro or pro baseball players. Hi Kellogg was the fast-pitch pitcher from theouth; I was the North's pitcher." The game later became slow-pitch. Armstrong pitched from 1954-1985, and claims the North won most of the games played during his tenure. (The South had no comment.)

"I think everyone who was dedicated looked forward to evy meeting, to get together with their competitors," says Card. "I got a lot out of CLCA by listening to my competitors, how they did business. I got to know them on their jobs and learned a lot of things that way. I think everyone had the same motivation I did: toee what was going on and to have fun. They were a real social 'high' and served to build a strong sense of community."

Today, a half-century later, camaraderie remains the number one benefit of membership in the California Landscape Contractors Associatio

"I firmly believe," says 2002 president Jay Tripathi, "that the strength of this organization - even with all the great programs we have today, and all the great things we do - is found in the conversations you have with one, or two, or ten people [at CL events]."

"I learned, at a very early age, that the more you put into an organization, the more you're going to get out of it," says Card, who today is CLCA's elder statesman living in a beautifully landscaped home in Murrieta. "I'm very proud of what weid. Thanks for the opportunity."

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