The Green Industry and Equipment Expo (GIE+EXPO) will be held October 29-31 in Louisville, Ky. It is your chance to see what the industry will be buzzing about in 2010. The New Products Arena, featuring only new equipment, will be prominently located on the show floor. Manufacturers’ newest items will be displayed side-by-side. And, for the first time ever, visitors are invited to attend product launches and supplier announcements.
GIE+EXPO also features a 19-acre outdoor demonstration area that is open the first two days of the show. See the new products indoors; then try them for yourself and compare them with the competition in the demo park.
With 600 exhibiting companies covering about 500,000 square feet inside the Kentucky Exposition Center and about 125 of those companies providing two days of demos, GIE+EXPO is the industry’s largest showcase for outdoor power equipment, lawn and garden products, and light construction and landscape equipment.
During GIE+EXPO, the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) will once again present the Green Industry Conference, a one-of-a-kind program designed to focus on education and networking. Intensive sessions and workshops are combined with opportunities to engage in a personal dialogue with leading industry, government, consumer, and academic experts.
PLANET has assembled a roster of experts who will provide attendees with information, ideas and contacts that will be essential to success for 2009 and beyond.
Below you will find an overview of the GIC schedule. For more information, or to register, visit www.landcarenetwork.org/cms/gic.html.
(Note: most sessions run concurrent with other sessions.)
Green Industry Conference schedule at a glance
Wednesday, Oct. 28
9 a.m. – noon
Optional Workshop A
What Lean Really Means to Those Who Work Smarter and Create a Sustainable Business
Jim Paluch, JP Horizons, Inc.
Optional Workshop B
Creating Your Future: Strategic Business Planning for Entrepreneurs
Phil Harwood, CLP, Pro-Motion Consulting, LLC
1 – 4 p.m.
Optional Workshop C
Benchmarking to Improve Your Business
Kevin Kehoe, Kehoe & Company
Optional Workshop D
Introduction to Optimum Provision Management(SM)
Robert Hayter, The Hayter Firm
Thursday, Oct. 29
9:30 – 11 a.m.
Why Buyers Buy
Tom Woodcock, Seal The Deal
Developing A Sales System
Michael Rorie, Brickman — Ohio Division
Changing Technology and Its Impact on PLANET Members
Bill Poppei, DePaul University
Consumer Trends: What to Learn, What to Leave
P. Allen Smith, P. Allen Smith Gardens
Make Your Customers Say WOW! With Outdoor Living Spaces
Panel of Industry Experts
Leadership & Spirituality in an Era of Economic Despair
Param Srikantia, Ph.D., Baldwin-Wallace College
The Sustainable Sites Initiative: How the Green Industry Is Critical to Meeting the Sustainability Challenge
Steve Windhager, Ph.D., Lady Bird Wild Flower Center
Green Industry ECOnomics: Innovating Toward a Sustainable and Profitable Future
Jim McCutcheon, CLP, HighGrove Partners, LLC
Comprendiendo las Decisiones de Negocios — Un Perspectivo Financial
Understanding Business Decisions — A Financial Perspective
Elias Godinez, CLT, Pacific Landscape Management
SESSION TAUGHT IN SPANISH
2 – 3:30 p.m.
Business Development
Selling Smarter
Jim Paluch, JP Horizons, Inc.
Selling in a Slow Economy
Tom Woodcock, Seal The Deal
Business Systems — Creating and Maintaining Order
Jennifer Lemcke, CTP-CSL, Weed Man USA/Turf Holdings Inc.
Population Trends and Their Impact on PLANET Members
Bill Poppei, DePaul University
Consumer Trends: What to Learn, What to Leave
P. Allen Smith, P. Allen Smith Gardens
Global Voyages and Leadership Breakthroughs
Param Srikantia, Ph.D., Baldwin-Wallace College
Working on Your Business, Not in It!
Michael Rorie, Brickman — Ohio Division
Sustainability in Practical Landscape Management A Kinder Way to Care for the Landscape
Panel of Industry Experts
Greening your Company — A Case Study of Ruppert Nurseries Sustainable Efforts
Chris Davitt, Ruppert Landscape Company
Esto no es Solamente un Trabajo; es Mi Carrera — Como Puedo Subir en la Escalera de la Compania?
This Is Not Just My Job; It Is My Career — How Can I Move Up the Company Ladder?
Rey Castillo, Precision Landscape Management
SESSION TAUGHT IN SPANISH
5 – 6:30 p.m.
Keynote (Louisville Downtown Marriott)
CEOs of three of our industries most prominent companies will discuss the current state of the green industry and give insight into how to survive and thrive in our current economic conditions. This unique opportunity to hear from the legends of our industry is not to be missed event.
Friday, Oct. 30
9:30 –11:00 a.m.
Proven Marketing Strategies to Survive and Prosper in an Uncertain Economy
Michael Jeffries, Rivers of Revenue LLC
Marketing in the green industry How to Use e-mail, Web and Social Media to Grow Your Business!
Jeffrey Scott, Landscape Success Systems
Results of the Operating Cost Study
Al Bates, Profit Planning Group
How to Develop a 1st Class Account Manager
Bill Arman, The Harvest Group
Anti-Icing 101: Anti-Icing Strategies for Snow & Ice Control
Dale Keep, Ice & Snow Technologies, Inc.
Small Fleet Management
John Dolce, Wendel Companies
Leadership Foundations: Turning Daily Accountability and Teamwork Into Profits
Wally Hauck, Supertraining, Inc.
“Greener” Principles in Landscape Design
Richard Heller, CLP, CLT, Greener by Design
Los Verdaderos Costos de Accidentes
The True Costs of Accidents
George Ortiz, CLT, Signature Landscape Services
SESSION TAUGHT IN SPANISH
1 – 2:30 p.m.
Marketing, Public Relations & Sales How They Work Together
Mike Sisti, LebanonTurf and Tom Mentzer, Mentzer PR Group
Thinking About Selling Your Business or Growing Through Acquisition?
Mark Long, BlueSky Group, LLC
Budgeting for Success
Al Bates, Profit Planning Group
Weathering the Storm
Charles Vander Kooi, Vander Kooi & Assoc. Inc.
Anti-Icing 102: Strategies for Snow & Ice Control
Dale Keep, Ice & Snow Technologies, Inc.
Conserving Water With Efficient Irrigation Practices
Lynda Wightman, Hunter Industries
Advanced Leadership: Performance Appraisals That Actually Improve Performance
Wally Hauck, Supertraining, Inc.
Building Effective Training Programs
Bill Arman, The Harvest Group
Greenroofs, Greenwalls, Rain Gardens
Richard Heller, CLP, CLT, Greener by Design
Manejando a la Gente — La Posición mas Dura y la Responsabilidad de el Supervisor
Managing People — The Toughest Role and Responsibility of a Supervisor
Veronica de Hoyos, Lawn Management Co., Inc.
SESSION TAUGHT IN SPANISH
2:45 – 4:15 p.m.
DB/I Sales Systems — A Repeatable Process to Take Your Design/Installation Business to the Next Level!
Jeffrey Scott, Landscape Success Systems
Benchmarking What Counts
Al Bates, Profit Planning Group
Creating Your Future: Strategic Business Planning for Entrepreneurs
Phil Harwood, CLP, Pro-Motion Consulting, LLC
Today’s Technology for Today’s Landscape Contractor
Panel of Industry Experts Moderator: Jody Shilan, Jody Shilan Designs, LLC
Using Social Media Marketing to Get New Customers Now!
Jeff Korhan, CLP, True Nature, Inc.
Repair vs. Replace vs. Rebuild vs. Sell vs. Scrap
John Dolce, Wendel Companies
Innovative Sustainable Practices in Landscape Design
Robert Schutzki, Michigan State University
How Do You Stay in Business in Today’s Environment?
Fred Haskett, CTP, U.S. Lawns of West and St. Charles County, Moderator; John Buechner, Lawn Doctor; Tom Mauer, CLP, Weed Man/Springfield (MA); and Alan White, Turf Systems Inc.
Protecting Your Business Through Contractual Risk Transfer
Tony James, CNA Business Insurance
Elementos Esenciales Para Ser Un Buen Líder — Algunos ya los Tenemos y Hay Otros Que Necesitamos Desarrollar
Key Traits of a Good Leader — Some You Have and Some You Have to Develop
Damon Peabody, Vila & Son Landscaping Corp.
SESSION TAUGHT IN SPANISH
Saturday, Oct. 31
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Blogging Your Company Website to Page One of Google
Jeff Korhan , CLP, True Nature, Inc.
New Employee Safety Orientation for the General Industry
Gary Clevenger, CNA Business Insurance
Be Targeted: How to Effectively Target and Communicate With Customers in Any Economy
Marlene Olsen, Olsen & Associates
A Journey Through a Sprayer
Garry Palmer, GNC Industries, Inc.
Sustainable Landscape Practices
Rex Bishop, Chattahoochee Technical College
How Does the Green Industry Fit Into Green Building, LEED, and Sustainability?
Greg Malone, Kurtz Bros., Inc.
Practical Tools for Assessing and Obtaining Sustainability in Landscape Design
Robert E. Schutzki, Michigan State University
The Cutting Edge of Irrigation
Andrew K. Smith, CIC, CID, CLIA, Irrigation Association
El Impacto de Daños a Propiedades Ajenas — Como Pueden Ser Evitados?
The Impact of Damage to Personal Property — How Can It Be Avoided?
Anthony Zertuche, Brookway Horticultural Services
SESSION TAUGHT IN SPANISH
10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
Be Creative: How to Create Awareness for Your Company With Low-Cost Tactics, Including Online, Social, and Traditional Media
Marlene Olsen, Olsen & Associates
Operating Tree Care Equipment for Increased Productivity and Safety
Mark Rieckhoff, Vermeer Environmental
GPS Fleet Tracking-Benefits, Implementation, and Return on Your Investment
Chris Sergant , GPS Fleet Consulting
What Sustainability Means to the Landscape Industry
Robert E. Schutzki, Michigan State University
The Bottom Line Impact of Safety’s Best Practices
Laurie Erdman, The Bruce Company of Wisconsin, Inc.
Irrigation and the Sustainability Movement: What It Means to My Business
Andrew K. Smith, CIC, CID, CLIA, Irrigation Association
Blogging Your Company Web site to Page One of Google
Jeff Korhan , CLP, True Nature, Inc.