Lou Manfredini joins The Lawn Blog

I am very excited to welcome Lou Manfredini as a guest author to The Lawn Blog. Lou Manfredini is the do-it-yourself extraordinaire and the 'Helpful Hardware Man' of Ace Hardware. Lou will be contributing articles with the green industry in mind with topics such as, Pruning Techniques, How to Take Care of Your Garden Tools and Irrigation and How to Conserve Water. Make sure add The Lawn Blog to your RSS feeds using this link. http://feedproxy.google.com/TheLawnBlog Here is a little background about Lou Manfredini and his amazing journey. From early on, houses and the art of building captivated Lou Manfredini. As a teen, the Chicago-area native went to work at a local Ace Hardware store to learn about housing structures, the tools of the construction trade and home improvement projects. Later, during college, he decided to put what he had learned to practical use and began working as a carpenter's apprentice. In 1985, Manfredini went out on his own and launched a construction company in Chicago. He not only built and renovated people's homes; he tried to leave people with a better understanding of how their houses worked. After more than 10 successful years in construction, Manfredini had gained a tremendous amount of knowledge on homes that he began to consider ways to more broadly share his expertise with others. He believed that a house "was more like a living entity than an inanimate collection of lumber, wiring and plumbing." By showing people how various systems and components in a house rely on each other and instilling a greater understanding of a house as a "whole," Manfredini thought everyone could have greater success in their home improvement and do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. Armed with his expertise and enthusiasm, Manfredini began his media career when WGN Radio in Chicago launched his idea for a home improvement call-in radio show. The show quickly caught on: today, The Mr. Fix-It Show is the number one Saturday morning radio program in Chicago. Not long thereafter, Manfredini branched into television and print media. Currently, he is the official home improvement expert for NBC's Today Show and a frequent guest on numerous network television stations across the United States as well as programming for CNN, HGTV, Discovery, and the History Channel. Most recently, Manfredini is the host of his own television show, HouseSmarts, which airs on the NBC affiliate in Chicago. Reaching millions of DIYers every month with his friendly persona and down-to-earth project advice, Manfredini also has authored these successful DIY books: Lou Manfredini's Bath Smarts (2004), Kitchen Smarts (2004), Room Smarts (2004) and House Smarts (2002); Mr. Fix-It Introduces You to Your Home (2002); and Mr. Fix-It: 101 Answers to the Most Commonly Asked Questions About Repairing Your Home (2000). These books have been featured in national magazines such as People and Newsweek, as well as major-market newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. Manfredini is a nationally recognized DIY expert, sought after both for his expertise and his energetic, entertaining style. In an extension of his ongoing effort to help people maximize the value and enjoyment of their homes, he is also Ace Hardware's "Helpful Hardware Man" and editorial media spokesperson. Along with his wife and four children, Manfredini lives in Chicago, where they also own and operate a neighborhood Ace Hardware store.

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Richard, Did you ever think about contacting your local radio station and doing some kind of weekly call in show like the way he got started? You know a lot about home and lawn care! You could do this.

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I have been on the local cable news and talk shows talking about lawn care and landscaping...a very nervous experience. I have never tried radio, but now you have me thinking. I sent off a few emails to see if there is any interest.

We have also been featured in 2 local magazines by submitting articles about organic care and fall clean up.

This new advancement with Ace Hardware is really going to be great. I have also contacted Home Depot again to see if they are interested in any more content.

It is amazing on how many people want to share information and you would be surprised on who answers your calls to do so.

[Steve]

We have also been featured in 2 local magazines by submitting articles about organic care and fall clean up.

Oh that is fantastic! What advice do you have for others looking to get such publicity? How should they go about getting their article published? Do you have any screen caps of the article in the magazine? I'd love to see how it all looked!

What did you think of the response you got from publishing those articles and would you do it again?

I have been on the local cable news and talk shows talking about lawn care and landscaping...a very nervous experience. I have never tried radio, but now you have me thinking. I sent off a few emails to see if there is any interest.

This is awesome! Did you get any feedback from this? Did you get noticed anywhere after doing it? Have you used it in your marketing material or on your website? I'd love to see some screen caps of this!