Assembling Boards and Bikes

When I was a kid, I was always good at engineering, breaking things down and putting them back together. When it came to paper airplanes or changing a tire on my bike, I always figured out how to make it work with what I had.

Working at a gym in Simi Valley in my early 20s, I learned how to talk and connect with people, hearing stories of families, fitness goals, sports, and life all together. I listened, made good and bad choices, and I learned what people were going through. This gave me the opportunity to help and have some really good relationships with people I otherwise would have never talked to.

Now today, I work hard to support the people, businesses and organizations I believe in. I work for my church, for my family, for SPJ Lighting and for this organization. I would like this chapter to thrive and be a good place where people can join together, help one another, and work as volunteers for the betterment of current and future landscapers.

With the most severe Covid restrictions behind us, we are now able to have in-person educational and fun meetings and programs once again. These events bring members, friends and family together to learn from one another and just enjoy the good times now that we are free from forced hibernation.

My challenge now is to draw on some of those engineering skills I used as a kid to put a bike together, by bringing the ideas and energies of our fantastic board together. We are all working hard to get the events ready that we have scheduled for the rest of the year. Please support our efforts by attending…maybe even bringing a friend or staff member with you so that we can again enjoy good people, good stories, and good business.

~Kyle Hillendahl, 2022 Channel Islands Chapter President