2020 Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference Presentations
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Click here to access a copy of our 2020 Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference Attendee List.
| Wednesday, February 19, 2020 | |
|---|---|
| 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM | Registration Open |
| 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Pre-Show Workshop: Embracing the Digital Workplace What’s available in tech to help run my landscape business? In this workshop, Ben will introduce you to simple and effective ways to integrate technology into your work environment with real world examples that you can start using immediately. Having a business in Austin, Texas allowed Ben to be exposed to various software applications that he used in his business at Native Land Design before partnering with Yellowstone. He will run you through best practices, pros and cons for implementing and sustaining your digital office. Speaker: Ben Collinsworth, General Manager, Yellowstone Landscape |
| 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Pre-Show Workshop: How to Move from Information to Execution When Integrating More Technology into Your Business So how do you use all this technology effectively? SEO, PPC, Websites, Social Media, Drones, AI, Digital Marketing, Paid Ads, etc, etc. There is so much technology to speak of, but what exactly do you need, what is your strategy, and how do you properly execute that strategy? This talk is given by a computer science grad, an former Silicon Valley technology leader who has worked for tech startups and Fortune 100 companies, and now runs a sales growth agency. He knows tech, and he knows sales, and he’ll show you how to take advantage of the new technology and how to generate new sales for your business…and will share what NOT to do as well. Speaker: Brian Williams, Sales Exec/Coach , Perspectivity International |
| 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Networking Refreshment Break |
| 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM | Keynote: The Future of Technology is People The future of technology can seem both exciting and scary. The rise of robots, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, ubiquitous algorithms, distraction, autonomous vehicles and more promise to reshape our lives, our society and our businesses. But how do we predict the future of technology and prime our companies for innovation instead of disintermediation? And how do we understand and factor the human element into the decisions we make - for user experience, added revenue and better performance. This talk reveals the true secrets of how Silicon Valley tech gurus predict and adapt to the future from an entrepreneurial insider who’s been at the forefront for nearly 30 years. We’ll reveal a framework for embracing new technology that also empowers customers, employees and executives alike. Attendees will leave excited about the future and armed with tangible tools they can use to improve their businesses for the long haul. Speaker: Gabe Zichermann, Author, Futurist & Entrepreneur, Keynote Speaker |
| 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Welcome Networking |
| Thursday, February 20, 2020 | |
| 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM | Registration Open |
| 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | Continental Breakfast |
| 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM | Saying ‘I Do’ Jason Cromley didn’t even have a budget before investing in software. In those days, he ran the $2-million Hidden Creek Landscaping in Columbus, Ohio. After making the investment, Hidden Creek is now a $12 million company, and continuing to grow. In his presentation, Jason will take the audience through the relationship he and his company have with software and technology, and why that relationship is like a marriage – It takes both sides willing to make a long-term commitment and sacrifices to make this partnership work. Sometimes it’s easy and both parties agree; other times it may be a small disagreement and there is a clear winner; or it may be best to agree to disagree. Speaker: Jason Cromley, Owner, Hidden Creek Landscaping Inc. |
| 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM | Predictable Profits Justin White took over his parent’s company and grew it from $2 million to $10 million, but more importantly, made it more profitable with the help of software. White will show the audience why it is important to have a five-year plan and how to prepare the next generation to take over and succeed as technology advances. He will also share the process of taking his budget from being a moving dart board to setting up a system for current and future success. Speaker: Justin White, CEO, K&D Landscaping Inc. |
| 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM | Networking Refreshment Break in Exhibit Hall |
| 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM | How Technology is Changing the Game… and Who's Going to Win Participants will learn what high performing benchmark companies are achieving, how they're achieving it, and how technology investments are reaping big returns. 1. Five keys to high functioning, high performing companies 2. Three KPIs that show why their margins are high and where they're investing 3. How to address the labor and talent drought with technology right now 4. How software becomes the system of record and basis for analysis and expertise 5. How to drive individual performance on the critical path: P&L > KPI > Dashboard > Practice > Behavior 6. Introduction to “Aspire metrics" 7. Five strategies you must embrace for 2020 Speaker: Kevin Kehoe, Founder, The Aspire Software Company |
| 10:50 AM – 11:35 AM | Converting the Old School to the New School One of the challenges we face when we upgrade our business software or other technology is convincing those who are skeptical that this is a good change. Many employees still prefer old school methods to new technology. How do we go about converting them to not only use, but also appreciate, the new technology? While we can't change someone's mind, there are things we can do to make it easier for them to make the switch. This session will equip you with a plan to do just that. Bringing a fresh perspective on this subject, you will head back home to your business with some ideas to implement in order to make upgrades as painless as possible for those employees who balk at change. Speaker: Leslie Allebach, Co-Owner, The Greenskeeper |
| 10:50 AM – 11:35 AM | Lawn Care Spotlight - Q&A: Attack on Lawn Care Eric Wenger, President of Complete Lawn Care, Inc., was on the forefront of defending the lawn care industry from a pesticide ban in Maryland's Montgomery county. Moderated by Cindy Code, Executive Director, Project Evergreen, Wenger will answer questions about what he learned from the process, what he would do differently, what LCOs can do to have a better perception by the public, and more. Moderator: Cindy Code, Executive Director, Project Evergreen Speaker: Eric Wenger, President, Complete Lawn Care, Inc. |
| 11:35 AM – 12:20 PM | Adding an Electric Crew When one of Eastern Land Management’s larger customers requested an electric crew, it forced Bruce Moore Jr. and his team to think about the ROI if they did equip a crew with only electric equipment. From weighing the cost of mowers and hand-helds to selecting who would be on the crew, Moore Jr. will take you through the process of making the switch, what it’s led to and where he thinks it will take the company in the future. Speaker: Bruce Moore Jr., President, Eastern Land Management |
| 11:35 AM – 12:20 PM | Lawn Care Spotlight - Recruitment and Talent Development The ability to attract, retain and develop team members is a vital part of a healthy, long term growth strategy. With effectively full employment in much of the country, job seekers have multiple options and are looking for more than a solid hourly rate. It’s a great time to be investing in growth but how do you find quality employees and develop leaders to scale the business? Best practices will be shared from Josh Willey (SVP) from Green Lawn Fertilizing. Josh led company recruiting efforts to hire >60 team members to drive the growth plan from 15.7M to 19.1M in 2019. Josh will share the company hiring strategy, what worked, what did not work and he will share the companies hiring plan for 2020 that includes 75 new hires (lawn technicians, customer care associates, managers and outside sales reps) to support the company’s growth plan of over 20 percent again in 2020. He will also share the program in place to identify and develop high-potential team members to fill leadership roles. Speaker: Josh Willey, Senior Vice President of Operations, Green Lawn Fertilizing/Green Pest Solutions |
| 12:20 PM – 1:30 PM | Networking Lunch |
| 12:40 PM – 1:25 PM | Use The Force: How Technology Can Be A Force Multiplier For You and Your Business Learn how the most innovative companies in the green industry are using technology to set record benchmarks for growth, profits, and productivity. And leave with practical strategies to achieve the same results with your business. In this talk, Sean McCormick, Founder and CEO of SingleOps, will walk through several new technologies that can be a force multiplier for each aspect of your business. ● How several green industry leaders are using technology to achieve more with less (and beat out the competition) ● Where are you on the tech curve? Why being behind should keep you up at night ● 5 key areas where specific softwares can be a force multiplier for your business today ● Practical examples that can benefit each member of your team (owner, office admin, estimator, crew, etc.) ● How to get your team to embrace new technology ● How you can maximize your tech ROI Sean will share what he’s learned by working with hundreds of green industry businesses to use technology so that they achieve more, grow faster, and realize new levels of profitability. Speaker: Sean McCormick, Founder & CEO, SingleOps |
| 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM | The Role of a Chief Technology Officer and Why You Need One Every day new technologies are developed that can help run a landscaping business more safely, with higher quality and better efficiency. From drones and robots, to cellular water sensors, to internal communication, to developing Apps – there are lots of choices to wade through. Many of these require a background in technology to set up, deploy and maintain. Learn why you need to give serious thought to putting one person in charge of the technology for your business. Innovation and creative adaptation of available tech are going to set companies apart – make sure you have somebody in your company that can help drive success using an understanding of how current and future technologies will change the shape of the industry. We will discuss what that person should be responsible for, where to look for them and how to maximize their strengths for your company. Speaker: Michael Mayberry, Chief Technology Officer, Level Green |
| 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM | Way Beyond Water It is a great time to be an irrigation professional or thinking about becoming one. Technology has allowed many industries to evolve and make significant leaps forward in regard to their product, how it's marketed, produced and delivered. The irrigation industry has slowly and cautiously moved forward with a few technological advances and John Taylor's presentation will focus on these key advances, how to market them and the hidden value they provide landscape irrigation companies. Even if you don't provide irrigation services, the advancements in technology may open your eyes to a new profit center. Speaker: John Taylor, VP of Operations, Zodega-TIS |
| 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM | Networking Break in Exhibit Hall |
| 2:25 PM – 3:10 PM | Harnessing the Power of Technology to Leverage Client Success and Sustainable Retention In this session Beth will share first hand experiences building sustainable voice of the customer programs leveraging technology. In the green industry client success drives retention, profitability and maximized service delivery schedules. This session provides tactical insights procuring and harnessing expressed and unexpressed voice of the customer and how to maximize this data in your business. Start 2020 with a structured approach to planning, delivering, measuring and managing customer interactions and touchpoints that are meaningful to your success. Speaker: Beth Berry, Vice President, Business Solutions & Software, Real Green Systems |
| 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM | Why Technology: The Path (and Pitfalls) to Creating The Ultimate Competitive Advantage As a team of small businesses committed to the relentless pursuit of “better,” Chenmark has seen businesses leverage technology in many different ways across a variety of industries. Over the years, they have developed a framework they use when thinking about technology in business, focusing on creating value and capturing more of the value they’ve created. Application of this framework helps clarify what technology companies should consider along the way and where they should apply the limited resources at their disposal. This presentation will take the audience from the blocking and tackling of using technology all the way though how to dominate in this space. Speaker: Dave Schwetz, Director of Technology and Innovation, Chenmark Capital Management LLC |
| 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM | Robotic Mowers: The Innovative Labor Solution Pam Dooley and her team at Plants Creative Landscapes installed and tested six automowers in the Atlanta market last year. Dooley will be joined by some of her team to discuss challenges they encountered, along with early wins they've experienced, while introducing the service. From marketing, to building pricing, to getting the mowers on lawns, you’ll learn how to think more strategically about the world of autonomous mowing and winning the labor battle. Speaker: Pam Dooley, Owner, Plants Creative Landscapes Speaker: Joseph DiPlacido, Landscape Sales, Plants Creative Landscapes |
| 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM | Networking Reception in the Exhibit Hall |
| Friday, February 21, 2020 | |
| 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Registration Open |
| 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM | Continental Breakfast |
| 8:30 AM – 9:15 AM | Recruiting and Retention in the Digital Age Finding and retaining labor – It’s the topic that is constantly on every business owner, manager and leader's mind. Now, that challenge comes in an ever-changing digital world, which raises the questions – How do you find quality workers in a world of millennials, and how does technology play a role in finding the best ones? This session will discuss how technology not only transforms the way you hire, but how you keep employees once you find them and how you grow those individuals into your future leaders. Speaker: Dani Collinson, Division Manager, Blades of Green Lawn Care & B.O.G. Pest Control |
| 9:15 AM – 9:30 AM | Networking Refreshment Break |
| 9:30 AM – 10:15 AM | Exceed Expectations: Innovative & Effective Insect Control Speaker: Melissa Barron, Territory Manager, Syngenta |
| 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM | Lawn Care Spotlight - The Digital Evolution Technology can be an integral part of any organizational transformation. Taha will show you how a digital transformation can play a role in not only in enabling business strategy, but also help drive growth and productivity. Speaker: Ayman Taha, Sr Vice President & Chief Information Officer, TruGreen |
| 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Legions Of Doom – How Much Should Your Business Worry About The Threats of Hackers, Data Breaches, and Privacy Failures, and Where Should You Focus Your Best Defenses? Wherever there’s data, there are security and privacy risks capable to taking down the most vigilant business. In this presentation, award-winning security and privacy veteran Neal O’Farrell explains why every business is vulnerable, no matter what the industry; what the top threats are; and the simple ways you should be able to deflect those threats without the need for a massive security budget. Speaker: Neal O'Farrell, Founder, Ethicause |
| 12:00 PM | Event Concludes |