[MAIPC] MAIPC Board Introductions - Steve Manning

Tue May 15 13:06:21 PDT 2018

Yes this is great! I remember you and Lee from years ago in Nashville!

From: MAIPC <maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org> On Behalf Of Foster, Donna M -FS
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2018 3:36 PM
To: maipc at lists.maipc.org
Cc: steve at ipc-inc.org
Subject: Re: [MAIPC] MAIPC Board Introductions - Steve Manning

Thanks for sharing Steve. Really wonderful story.

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Caring for the land and serving people

From: MAIPC [mailto:maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org] On Behalf Of Steven Manning
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2018 12:14 PM
To: maipc at lists.maipc.org<mailto:maipc at lists.maipc.org>
Subject: [MAIPC] MAIPC Board Introductions

Hi MAIPC members,
My name is Steve Manning and I'll be introducing myself today.  I'm currently acting as the VP of MAIPC but my term ends this year so if you have been considering stepping up and becoming more involved with MAIPC this might be your opportunity.  I've been participating with MAIPC for many years now and hope to be involved with it for the remainder of my career.  I've been involved long enough that I am beginning to feel like one of the old guys around.   I'm also the President of the Pacific Northwest Invasive Plant Council (PNWIPC) and have been a co-chair of the National Military Fish and Wildlife Association's Invasive Species Working Group for the last three years.
The reason I'm so geographically disoriented is because of the business I own, Invasive Plant Control, Inc. (IPC). Our projects and staff range from the Virgin Islands to Maine all the way to the states of Oregon and Washington.  I started this business in 1997 with my business partner Lee Patrick.  Since the invasives industry is so young we have spent more than 20 years going to where the work is.  Unfortunately, there is never enough in one place to put down roots, but so far, it has made for an exciting career.  We have been able to work with some fantastic people in the Mid-Atlantic and are working in DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland throughout the entire year with full time staff in the region.
I remember about 30 years ago standing in a hole I had dug to remove a huge bush honeysuckle from a private resident's home in Nashville, TN.  She had 10 of the largest bush honeysuckle bushes I had or have ever since seen.  It was pouring down rain and she was adamant about not using chemicals so there I was digging deep holes and leveraging these large bushes out of the ground.  At the time I had just finished my undergraduate degree with the intention of someday becoming a director of parks for some municipality or state organization.  Before I headed off to graduate school I thought it would be  good idea to get some work experience so I had secured a job at a local Not for Profit called the Friends of Warner Parks.  This friends group worked closely with the TN IPC which was my introduction to EPPC's.  As their volunteer coordinator one of my jobs was to train volunteer crew leaders to assist in invasive plant events at this 3,000-acre natural area.  At just about every event someone would ask me if I could come to their house and help them with the invasives in their yard.  It sounded like a great way to make a little extra money so I turned it into a part time business.  It was standing in that honeysuckle hole in the rain that I decided to try and make something bigger out of that part time business.  Within a few months I had applied for graduate school and attended the University of Utah to receive my Masters in Parks and Recreation and went directly from Salt Lake City to the University of Oregon to work on my MBA.
Part of the MBA curriculum at the University of Oregon allowed us to develop a business plan and compete in regional, national and international competitions.  Our team developed Invasive Plant Control, Inc. and placed 2nd nationally and 2nd in the international competition.  This gave us the knowledge and support needed to start the business.  Within one month of graduation we had secured our first project at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville and have hit the ground running ever since. Since then we have controlled hundreds of species on many sites throughout the US with a fantastic team at IPC.  We have also been able to travel to Africa, Hawaii and other places teaching courses pertaining to invasive species such as the port of entry prevention course we hosted in east Africa.   My latest training project is the annual Innovations in Invasive Species Conference we host in December.
While the past twenty years has certainly brought its struggles (as any business owner will tell you), it has also been quite an adventure.  I would say the most rewarding part of the past twenty years had been the people we have met and built relationships with and seeing the invasive species industry grow alongside us.  When we first started in 1997, we visited many municipal, state and national parks.  There was rarely a time when the managers we visited knew very much about invasive plants.  Those were the days of slide shows containing the standard "what is an invasive plant" slides.  Fast forward to 2018 and we have seen incredible changes and growth in this industry.  My favorite example happened last month.  I have 16-year-old and 13-year-old daughters.  My 16-year-old was participating in youth legislature this year in downtown Nashville with hundreds of bright young students from across the state.  She actually decided to present a bill that would increase the number of invasive plants deemed illegal to sell in the state.  Twenty years ago, this bill wouldn't have made it to the floor because no one knew what it was pertaining to.  In 2018 the bill passed 152-2 with no debate.   Often, we ask ourselves if our efforts are worthwhile.  This real example is proof to me that everything we do with the Invasive Plant Councils is worth the effort.  We have successfully reached the younger generation.
Let's all keep up the good work.

Steven T. Manning
President
Invasive Plant Control, Inc.

e-mail:  steve at ipc-inc.org<mailto:steve at ipc-inc.org>
web:  www.invasiveplantcontrol.com<http://www.invasiveplantcontrol.com>
cell:  615-969-1309
office:  615-385-4319

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