MGGC was asked to testify on the effects of the Governor’s EO’s on the greenhouse industry by the Chair of the House Agriculture at a joint meeting of the Agriculture and Commerce committees on June 23rd. Chris Schwartz and I gave an overview of the problems that were created by the EO and the lack of information we received on when and if our retail outlets would be able to sell the products that were ready to be shipped. We also brought up the fact that Michigan was an outlier in the nation in not recognizing that greenhouses and retail sales were essential services like all but one state did. The Spring/ Easter plant problems were brought up with the fact that greenhouses were essential but retail was not created a huge problem for the greenhouses that specialized in these products. MGGC’s communication and media campaign was brought up as our successful answer to getting the Governor to relax the shutdown on retail sales for the industry and keeping our retailers from having more of a crisis season. Several of the lawmakers commented on the quality of the presentation by Chris. Thank you and great job Chris!
Today the Governor put out an Executive order making all retailers deny entrance to anyone not wearing a mask and putting a misdemeanor charge and $500 fine for someone not wearing a mask in public indoor and crowded outdoor spaces. Businesses must refuse entry to those not wearing a mask and may be subject to their license being pulled if they don’t. There was no penalty for violating the order before. We are at a point that we don’t want to regress into having businesses closed again for a spike in the cases of COVID so make sure you have everything you need to keep your employees and customers safe and healthy. If you need any PPE, check the SBAM website or call us for supplies. SBAM has many suppliers listed that will have what you need.
On Monday the Detroit Free Press did a hit piece on one of the industry leaders about migrant labor. The article was totally slanted and written for the workers and they only looked at their side of the issue. There may be more articles so be ready for questions about labor from the press.
We will be sending out the sign up soon for the MGGC annual meeting in Traverse City at the Park Place Hotel. We have a great line up of speakers for the event and it is a great opportunity to network with the state leaders in the industry. Make sure you put October 19-21 on your schedule to hold the date!
I hope everyone is having a healthy and prosperous summer. Don’t hesitate to call if you have questions or issues we can assist you with.
Goeff
Author: Cindy Ray
Cindy has years of experience in association management and administrative support.
