NC Nursery & Landscape Association

What NC Nursery & Landscape Association does

The North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association (NCNLA) is a 501(c)(5) non-profit trade association headquartered at 968 Trinity Road, Raleigh, NC, formed in October 2006 through the merger of the North Carolina Association of Nurserymen and the North Carolina Landscape & Grounds Maintenance Association. It serves North Carolina's "green industry" — wholesale, re-wholesale, and retail nursery growers; landscape installation and maintenance firms; retail garden centers; allied industry suppliers; horticulture students; and educators — through a vertically integrated membership model and a five-person staff led by Executive Vice President Katie Bennett. Geographic scope is single-state / domestic, with no international footprint.

The association's product portfolio centers on three pillars: professional certification, education events, and industry representation. Certification includes the Certified Plant Professional (CPP) program — a two-part exam with 100 written items and 125 plant identifications from a 267-species list requiring 70% to pass — and the Future Plant Professional (FPP) program launched Fall 2025 for high school students. Flagship events include Green & Growin' (annual January conference + Marketplace trade show in Greensboro with 2,700+ marketplace participants and 1,200+ education attendees in 2026), Carolina Nursery Summit, JoCoPlants Show, Robert Cagle Memorial Golf Tournament, and the NC High School Landscape Competition. Underlying technology is off-the-shelf: YourMembership.com AMS for membership/event/job-board/email, and peachnewmedia.com LMS for online learning. Publications include the quarterly Nursery & Landscape Notes magazine (1,500+ readership) and bi-weekly eNews (3,000+ distribution).

NCNLA monetizes through six revenue streams: tiered annual membership dues ($50–$525 depending on category and company size), event registration (e.g., Carolina Nursery Summit $150 member / $175 non-member), publication advertising (quarter-page member rate $280; back-cover $985; 10% annual discount), career-center job postings (free for members, $75/month non-member), certification exam fees ($100 CPP), and event/annual sponsorships. Go-to-market is community-led (member testimonials) and event-driven, with self-serve web enrollment and inside-sales phone support; no equity funding, acquisitions, or external capital are present in the data.

Name

NC Nursery & Landscape Association

Legal name

North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association

Website

https://ncnla.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association (NCNLA) is a 501(c)(5) non-profit trade association serving North Carolina's green industry — nursery growers, landscape firms, retail garden centers, allied suppliers, and students — through professional certification (CPP/FPP), annual events, publications, and advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF), Professional Certification & Training Content Publishing (Exam Prep, CE/CPD) (MPAJACAL)

Keywords

• Nursery trade association
• Horticulture certification
• Landscape industry services
• Professional credentialing programs
• Green industry events

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues tiered by company size. Rates range from $275/year (<10 employees) to $525/year (50+ employees). Additional categories include Associate Member (out-of-state), Supporting Organization ($325/year), Supporting Individual ($50/year), Student Chapter ($275/year), Sustaining Individual, and Honorary (complimentary).
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from educational conferences and trade shows including Green & Growin' Marketplace and Carolina Nursery Summit. Carolina Nursery Summit registration: $150 for members, $175 for non-members.
3. Publication Advertising: Nursery & Landscape Notes quarterly magazine with advertising rates from $280 (quarter page, member) to $985 (back cover, member). 10% discount for annual contracts. eNews bi-weekly newsletter also offers advertising opportunities.
4. Career Center Job Postings: NCNLA members may post job openings for one month at no cost. Non-members may run a job posting for $75 per month.
5. Certification Exam Fees: CPP exam registration fee of $100 per candidate. Renewal application fee is $100.
6. Event Sponsorships: Annual sponsorships and event-specific sponsorships (golf tournament, trade shows) provide revenue and support. Multiple sponsorship tiers for events like the Robert Cagle Memorial Golf Tournament.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

NCNLA is a non-profit trade association providing essential value to members through education, marketing, and advocacy for North Carolina's green industry. The association delivers tiered company memberships, professional certification programs (CPP, FPP), annual conferences and trade shows (Green & Growin', Carolina Nursery Summit, JoCoPlants Show), publications (Nursery & Landscape Notes magazine and eNews), scholarships, hurricane/disaster recovery resources, and a career center serving growers, landscape firms, retail garden centers, suppliers, students, and educators.

Product overview

NCNLA is a 501(c)(5) non-profit trade association providing essential value to members through education, marketing, and advocacy for North Carolina's green industry. The organization's product portfolio centers on professional certification programs (Certified Plant Professional and Future Plant Professional), major annual events (Green & Growin' conference and trade show, Carolina Nursery Summit, JoCoPlants Show, Robert Cagle Memorial Golf Tournament), educational competitions (NC High School Landscape Competition), publications (Nursery & Landscape Notes magazine and NCNLA eNews), scholarship programs, hurricane preparedness resources, and a Career Center for job postings. These offerings are designed to serve the vertically-integrated membership of growers, landscape firms, retail garden centers, industry suppliers, horticulture students, and educators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Certified Plant Professional (CPP): Industry certification program recognizing proficiency in plant identification and horticulture practices for green industry professionals in North Carolina.
• Future Plant Professional (FPP)
• Green & Growin'
• Robert Cagle Memorial Golf Tournament
• Carolina Nursery Summit
• NCNLA Scholarship Program
• Nursery & Landscape Notes

Products and services

• Certified Plant Professional (CPP)

Quantifiable outcome

• Green & Growin' 26 welcomed more than 1,200 education attendees and over 2,700 Marketplace participants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 2025 NCNLA Annual SponsorscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsors who support NCNLA's mission to advance the nursery and landscape industry in North Carolina. Sponsors play a crucial role in fostering growth, innovation, and education within the green industry.
• 2026 Robert Cagle Memorial Golf Tournament SponsorsminorGTM or Marketing Partner17+ hole sponsors including Bland Landscaping, Carolina CAT, Fairview Garden Center, Greenthumb Nursery, Gregory Poole, SiteOne, and others. Beverage cart, closest to pin, longest drive sponsors also listed.
• NC State University / JC Raulston ArboretumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMark Weathington from JC Raulston Arboretum serves as 2026 Educational Advisor on NCNLA Board. Partnership supports plant professional certification programs (CPP, FPP) and industry education.
• University of Mount OlivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Jason Davis serves as 2026 Educational Advisor and leads Future Plant Professional (FPP) program development. Timothy Warren from UMO received 2025 Kim Powell Award.
• Sandhills Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for NC High School Landscape Competition (Feb 19-20, 2027). Contact: Hilarie Blevins and Ginny Ferguson from Sandhills Community College coordinate the competition.
• NC State ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmanda Wilkins from NC State Extension serves on FPP Task Force and CPP Committee. Colby Griffin and Matt Jones from NC Cooperative Extension serve on CPP Committee.
• NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer ServicescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides disaster relief programs for agricultural businesses affected by hurricanes. Bill Foote from NCDA&CS serves on NCNLA Conference Committee.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tennessee Nursery & Landscape Association (TNLA): Tennessee state trade association serving nursery growers, landscape contractors, and garden centers with membership, certifications, an annual trade show, and legislative advocacy. Same basic operating model as NCNLA.
• California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers (CANGC): California state trade association for nursery and garden-center businesses, providing membership, advocacy, and education programs. Same structural role in a different (much larger) state market.
• South Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association: South Carolina state trade association for nursery and landscape professionals offering membership, events, education, and industry advocacy. Near-identical business model and membership base structure to NCNLA.
• Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN): State-level trade association for Oregon's nursery and greenhouse industry, providing the Certified Nursery Professional (CNP) program, the Farwest Show trade show, and advocacy. Strong functional analog on the certification-and-trade-show model.
• Georgia Green Industry Association (GGIA): Georgia's statewide trade association for nursery, greenhouse, landscape, and garden-center professionals. Provides membership tiers, certification, an annual trade show (GGIA Tradeshow), and advocacy — a direct functional peer.
• Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association (VNLA): State-level trade association serving Virginia's nursery, landscape, and garden-center industries with membership dues, certification, events, and advocacy. Closest geographic and structural analog to NCNLA with a comparable product portfolio.
• Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association (FNGLA): One of the largest state-level nursery and landscape trade associations in the U.S., offering the FNGLA Certified Horticulture Professional (FCHP) program, a major annual trade show (TPIE), and advocacy. Directly comparable mission and product set, at larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP): National trade association focused specifically on the landscape-services segment (rather than nursery/garden-center), offering education, certifications (e.g., Landscape Industry Certified), and the ELEVATE event. Overlaps with NCNLA's landscape-firm members at national scale.
• AmericanHort: National trade association serving the entire horticultural industry, including growers, garden retailers, landscape professionals, and suppliers. Directly comparable in mission (education, certification, advocacy, events such as Cultivate) but operating at a national rather than single-state scale.

Regional players

• Southern Nursery Association (SNA): Multi-state regional association serving the Southeastern U.S. horticulture industry with research dissemination, awards, and the SNA Conference. NCNLA operates within SNA's geography and shares overlapping grower audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ncnla

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NC Nursery & Landscape Association