Green Industry Pioneer Matt Shooner Passes Away

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Cincinnati, OH – Green Industry pioneer Matt Shooner passed away peacefully on May 21 in Cincinnati after a lengthy illness. With his wife Irene, Matt Shooner founded Focal Point Communications in 1986. Focal Point was among the first companies to offer marketing and advertising services specifically for lawn and landscape contractors.
“My father spent 15 years operating a successful lawn care and maintenance business in the ’70s and ’80s, but he couldn’t find anyone to help him advertise his services,” remarked son Joe Shooner. “He saw marketing services as an underserved niche in the green industry, so he jumped in with both feet, starting Focal Point in our family living room. He wanted to offer even small businesses the opportunity to look good in front of their clients and prospects. He felt that if we made our clients look more professional, they could be more successful, and that the industry as a whole would prosper and grow.”
Matt saw association involvement as an important responsibility, and he often said that associations were the best way he had found to surround himself by people who were really smart. He was a member of PLCAA and ALCA as both a contractor and a supplier, as well as NALP (formerly PLANET) after their merger. He loved his involvement with TOCA because of his passion for good communication, and he was a founding member of Project EverGreen.
Focal Point Communications will remain under family ownership. Joe Shooner, who has been handling day-to-day operations during Matt’s illness has assumed the role of company president.
Funeral services will be held in Cincinnati on May 30. Additional inquiries can be directed to Joe