What happened in 1984?

• Clara Peller first asked, “Where's the Beef?”
• Republican convention nominated Ronald Reagan for president
• “Miami Vice” and “Cosby Show” premiered
• McDonald's made its 50 billionth hamburger
• Howard Cosell retired from Monday Night Football
• The Metro Atlanta Landscape and Turf Association was founded

Remembering the beginning:
The first MALTA presidents tell tales from the 1980s

“Spence Rosenfeld took over as president in 1990. At our first board meeting he handed out three-ring binders with the whole year laid out. Meeting dates, goals, anything and everything that we would need to run our particular committees in the most organized fashion possible. We all said, ‘Damn, this is the way to go.' We learned a lot about how to run our businesses from being involved in MALTA and getting mentored by those who were ahead of us.”

Dick Bare
MALTA President, 1984-85, 1993-94

“Of course, the reason we met and formed MALTA was in response to the drought in 1984. Water restrictions were being put into effect and our industry needed a voice to stop it (and we did). There was no destructive '18-months-and-counting' level four back then.

MALTA was a small group with no money and no staff. Building an organization involved creating value for the members. One of our goals was to build up money for an executive director, while developing programs (e.g. awards) to entice contractors to join. It took a bunch of effort, but look at us now!

I remember George Morrell (president #2) asked me to be #3 with the con ‘it only takes a few hours a week.' It was a lie, but something I remembered and used to recruit president #4!”

Barry Stern
MALTA President, 1987-88

“MALTA was still somewhat of a fledgling organization in the late ‘80s, trying to get its name out in the landscape community more than to the general public. That changed with the water crisis of ‘87 and ‘88.  MALTA, at that time under the leadership of Ken Chatham, became a voice for the industry through interviews on radio and television, promoting water conservation while trying to keep the legislature from turning off the tap completely. Ken spent an enormous amount of time and energy during his term as president on this issue, and I think it must have burned him out as he pretty much disappeared when his term ended.

“I vividly remember MALTA'S first Casino Night. We had a grand entrance with lights strung along the walkway. Lots of cold beer for sale and many great prizes donated by our vendors. Huge crowd.  That was one fun night and perhaps the best Casino Night we ever had.”

Rich Cordery
MALTA President, 1989-90

Remembering the 1990s:
MALTA presidents recall a decade of growth