My First Conference Paid for Itself

Rod Bailey, Landscape Industry Certified, Alder Springs Enterprises, LLC

Past ALCA president Rod Bailey, Landscape Industry Certified, remembers the early days of GIC. In fact, he was immediate past president when the first conference was held. “The catalyst for getting together the three major association players and forming GIC was the trade show,” he recalled. “I ran the trade show for the Green Team (ALCA and PGMS) a couple of years prior to  GIC and frankly I got tired of hearing suppliers complain about the lack of floor traffic and having to travel to a more than one trade show.

 

“Ron Kujawa was ALCA president in 1996 and it was through his efforts that ALCA, PGMS, and PLCAA joined together to create the precursor to not only what has become the industry’s premier educational conference but also its largest trade show.

At the time, Bailey was partners in Washington-based Evergreen Services, Inc. Both he and his partner had worked for a consulting firm for five years before deciding it would be interesting to actually run a company for just a few years. Those “few” years turned into 30 after which Bailey sold his company to True Green.

 

“For thirty years it was the most fun thing I could think of to do next,” he said. “Getting involved in this industry was the best decision I ever made.  There’s such great diversity and opportunity, not to mention it’s exciting to run your own company.”  

Having a background in finance and business management, the new owner lacked industry knowledge. So when friends encouraged him to attend an ALCA meeting, he obliged them. Added Bailey, “The first educational symposium I attended was several years before GIC, but it just blew me away with all the information.  While there, I learned how to save $7,000 a year on maintenance equipment alone, which was several times more than I paid for my trip.  That was the year I joined ALCA.  As a young owner, it was the best move I could have made.”

Bailey sold his company 15 years ago and resumed his consulting. “I still go to GIC,” he emphasized, “and I do for several reasons.  I enjoy seeing friends I’ve made over the years and if you’re involved in any way with the industry, GIC is where it’s at. I’m still learning, going to seminars, and attending the Breakfast with Champions.  It’s a way of keeping my hand in and staying current within the industry”.

He continued, “I remember when the first Breakfast was held. At the time, it was a way for formalize the real value of GIC, to meet new people and toss around ideas. Needless to say, the Breakfast has been and continues to be a prime attraction at the conference.”

Not to forget the catalyst, the trade show.

As he related GIE +EXPO is not only the largest green industry trade show in the country, it happens to be one of the largest shows period.  “The real interesting thing is that GIC, the educational conference, has grown right along with the show,” Bailey noted. “This is has turned into a true dual-sided event. Attendees get a double whammy for going, being able to attend both a first class conference and a first class trade show. It’s one heck of a bargain.” 

First Impressions Count

Kelly Dowell, Dowco Enterprises, Inc.

Kelly Dowell, business development manager for Chesterfield, Missouri-based DOWCO, doesn’t recall her first visit to GIC.  “I was in a stroller,” she laughs.  It wasn’t until she started working for her parents’ company after graduating from high school that her first impression of the event hit home.

“Everyone seemed to know my dad,” said Dowell, who, after graduation, worked four days a week while getting her degree in business administration and marketing.  “He had so many friends and everyone was so nice. Now, I’ve made my own friends there and again everyone is welcoming and willing to share.”

Dowell wears many hats at DOWCO, most of which fit somewhere under the sales and marketing heading.  She manages the sales process, oversees social media, and manages account managers among other responsibilities.  At GIC, you’ll find her at seminars and Breakfast with Champions networking sessions that focus on these topics.

“When I first started to oversee our account managers, I wanted to find out how other companies set sales, retention, and profit margin goals for theirs,” she relates. “So I sat in a couple of seminars and Breakfast with Champions tables that addressed the topic.  All companies operate a little differently, but you can always learn something that’s useful.”

She continues, “At the first of the year, we implemented a new, all-inclusive software program.  We learned about the program at GIC and talked with other PLANET members before implementing it. Getting the software up and running has been a challenge, but it would have been more of a challenge without them sharing their experiences; nobody wants to waste time reinventing the wheel.”

Dowell doesn’t waste any time at GIC either.  In addition to gleaning helpful information for her company, she likes to make new friends and acquaintances.  There’s a method to her approach.  “I meet new people and collect their business cards early on at the Breakfast with Champions and specialty group reception,” she explains.  “Then, I can say hello later during the conference and even compare notes with them.”

She also enjoys getting to know whom she terms “the industry all stars.” “They’re like the industry’s Oscar winners,” said Dowell, as she rattles off more than a half dozen names.  “Even though they’re so successful and so well-know within the industry, they always have time to talk. They offer me their cell phone numbers and encourage me to call with any questions. It’s really quite amazing.”

This willingness to give back is one reason Dowell said her father Maurice has always been and continues to be a big proponent of PLANET. “He tells me that of all his affiliations, PLANET membership is one he would never give up, noting there are three stages to being involved with PLANET and going to GIC.  As a new member, the first year or two you spend time sitting in seminars collecting information.  Then, you meet new people and collect shared experiences.  Finally, after learning and growing you will be able to give back and help other new members grow. I’m looking forward to reaching that point in my career.” 

My First Three Impressions of GIC

Jonas Pattie, Landscape Industry Certified, The Pattie Group, Inc.

Jonas G. Pattie, Landscape Industry Certified, was about 20 years old when he attended his first GIC.  “I was really blown away by how other industry professionals viewed my father, Steve, and our company.  So many flocked to meet him and gather insight into what he had done over the years to build and grow The Pattie Group.”

Now president of the Novelty, Ohio company, Pattie said his first impression was an understandable one for someone who grew up within a family-owned business. “For the first time I realized how special our company was.

“Then, I kept thinking what an incredible event this is, how professional this industry is, and how the people here truly care about what they do and are willing to share their best practices.  My third impression?  Wow, I have a lot to learn.” 

Since that initial eye-opening experience, Pattie has attended 8 or 9 GICs.  He usually travels to Louisville by van with at least half his management staff.  “During the ride, we go through the entire seminar schedule and decide who wants to attend what,” said Pattie. “The goal here is to maximize our time by dividing and conquering. Then, at the end of the day we join for dinner to discuss what we’ve learned that’s new and exciting.

“Attending the seminars, networking, looking at the new products and taking this time together to focus on our business is hard work if you take it seriously; we typically come home exhausted, with lots of new ideas to implement.  We also try to do a couple of fun things in the evening, and maybe even take in a concert on Fourth Street.”

Busy schedule

Two years ago, Pattie and his father presented a virtual tour of their facility for GIC attendees.  He has also recently facilitated two tables at the always popular Breakfast with Champions.

“Attending the networking events like the Breakfast and other receptions is always very valuable,” Pattie emphasized. “The seminars have been good, too.  One last year on the Affordable Care Act was very timely, and I’m always interested in the latest marketing innovations.  Most of us came into this industry because of a love for the outdoors, plants, and design.  Great business practices and strategy is what many most need in the industry, so hearing industry experts who speak on a wide variety of business-building topics is invaluable.”

Jim Paluch’s Come Alive Outside seminar also caught his eye last year. “Jim framed what we do as professionals in a different way, and I think it speaks to one of our industry’s biggest challenges,” Pattie added.  “There’s always been a misconception that all we do as an industry is mow lawn.  Yes, some of us mow lawn, but we also do so many other things. Jim challenged us to stop introducing ourselves as landscapers, and view ourselves as outdoor living professionals. He challenged us to be proud of what we do and articulate the importance of our work.”

Pattie mentioned that GIC and PLANET have an ongoing challenge to educate the general public about the industry, an effort that extends to school children who currently may not view landscaping as a profession.

“There’s no question our company’s biggest challenge is finding people,” Pattie emphasized.  “We need people at all levels who want to make a career within the industry”.

Not coincidentally, he said that PLANET also welcomes input from new members. “There’s an opportunity for young, second generation PLANET members like myself to step forward and volunteer for committees and at special events like GIC.”  As he pointed out new perspectives are welcomed and necessary whether you’re a young student learning about a changing and dynamic industry or an industry member learning about a changing world.  

GIC Provides an Industry Degree

Andy Doesburg, Landscape Industry Certified, Rick Doesburg, Landscape Industry Certified, Thornton Landscape, Inc.

Andy Doesburg attended his first GIC in 1999.  In his words, “the event was overwhelming.”  He was fresh out of college and new to the industry. Fifteen years later, as president of Thornton Landscape in Maineville, OH, he still regularly attends GIC with his father and former PLANET president Rick Doesburg, Landscape Industry Certified.

“I can stay categorically, and my dad would agree, that nearly every aspect of our operation carries an element of something we’ve learned at GIC or attending other PLANET events. In fact, we were just going over some GIC files we’ve referenced over the years, finally discarding the oldest ones.

“What we look for when we go to GIC depends on our mindset and the challenges we may be facing.  In 2008, for example, we had just purchased a maintenance operation to supplement our design/build service offering.  We walked the trade show that year with specific goals, to look at the maintenance equipment and talk with the suppliers.” As he pointed out, there’s no other place in the country where people can see so much equipment and actually try it out at an outside demonstration area. Because of their design/build background, they also enjoy walking the hardscaping portion of the trade show, one that Hardscaping North America co-locates with GIE+EXPO.

Doesburg graduated from Coastal Carolina with a degree in sports management, something rarely put to good use in the family business, he admitted. “By the time I graduated, I wanted to work in the industry with my father.  I knew the business after working there while growing up and going to school.  But I didn’t know the industry.”

That education came from going to GIC and being a PLANET member.  “I look forward to the non- event times now as much as I do the seminars and walking the trade show,” said Doesburg. “I’ve met so many people over the years who’ve shared their industry experiences with me. I may see them only once a year, at GIC, but they are like friends and family to me.”

He mentioned PLANET members like Kelly Dowell and her father Maurice from DOWCO whose company and operation he has followed for years. Being on GIC panel discussions like ones with former PLANET president Jason Cupp and Paul Fields, the president of Lambert Landscape, has further fostered his understanding of the industry. He later leveraged his 

PLANET experience while president of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA).

“Being involved with the industry is so important in many ways,” Doesburg emphasized. “Your company reaps dividends when you share experiences with other successful landscape contractors whereas volunteering on committees and participating in leadership help develop important leadership skills.  You learn so much from brilliant minds.”

GIC Closely Aligns with Our Core Values

Ken Taylor, Landscape Industry Certified, JOHN DEERE

Ken Taylor, Landscape Industry Certified, has been attending GIC since its inception. The company he works for, John Deere, has been the conference platinum sponsor for the last several years.  When asked about the reason for this high level of commitment, the General Manager for John Deere’s Corporate Business Division answers succinctly, “GIC closely aligns with our core values.”

The one he’s specifically talking about is the role education plays in developing talent and advancing an industry.  “There are two big reasons GIC delivers value for attendees,” he remarked.  “The seminars are timely and informative and the networking opportunities with peers are unsurpassed. Both are a requisite for learning about an industry if you’re just starting out or learning more about an industry if you’ve been involved in it for years.  In other words, GIC provides value to new and veteran attendees alike.”

Taylor attended GIC prior to the partnership with OPEI that brought the show to Louisville.  “To me, GIC had always been a traveling show, meaning its venue was strategically situated so many people could attend by driving.  That’s still the case in Louisville. It is located within a day’s drive for a high percentage of PLANET members and other landscape professionals.”

As a past president of GIE, Taylor pointed out that the networking opportunities at GIC extend beyond seminar rooms and receptions.  “From a supplier perspective, the trade show gives attendees an opportunity to see the latest and greatest equipment and to share their thoughts with company personnel.  There’s no question that GIC and GIE+EXPO brings the industry together in ways that benefit everyone.”

Taylor added that from John Deere’s perspective GIC and Student Career Days are the two of the premier events PLANET sponsors for the industry. While the former is an exceptional opportunity to learn from today’s industry leaders and experts, the latter helps prepare students to become tomorrow’s leaders. They both, he emphasized, share common ingredients of education and networking.