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.   

GIC: Part of a Greater Whole

Miles Kuperus, Landscape Industry Certified, Farmside Landscape & Design

How does one elevate an industry? “You work to make participants even more professional,” said Miles Kuperus, Landscape Industry Certified and a PLANET member and GIC attendee since 1991.  In fact, the owner of Farmside Landscape & Design in Wantage, NJ, has never missed a GIC.  For the first 10 years, he went there to learn about the industry and build new relationships with landscape contractors and suppliers. Later, after becoming involved in PLANET leadership, his education kicked into high gear.

Over the next decade, Kuperus would chair the Executive Forum and Design/Build committees, serve as vice-president of AEF, and sit on the safety and government affairs committees and the PLANET Board. “It’s very important to be engaged in Leadership from several perspectives,” he emphasized. “Doing so allows participants to develop closer relationships with other PLANET members and get their arms around some of the big issues that impact our industry. Furthermore, participating in Leadership is one way to give back. I’m a firm believer in giving back, not only to your industry, but your community, as well.”

Kuperus and his wife Lisa, who is Farmside’s office manager, also participate in Renewal & Remembrance, something they have done since the merger of ALCA and PLCAA to form PLANET.

“PLANET does a great job at professionalizing the industry,” added Kuperus.  “The networking, just as the education at GIC, is invaluable.  If you attend two Breakfast with Champions morning events and sit at a table with six other landscape professionals, your network just expanded by 12 people.  GIC also provides certification testing, the gaining of which offers an important level of credibility among peers, customers, and those outside of the industry.”

When asked about GIC and PLANET’s impact on his company, Kuperus said categorically “we wouldn’t have the systems and programs in place that we do today without the two.”  He quickly doubles back to the importance of doing more than simply attending PLANET-sponsored events.  Involvement is key, he reemphasized.  “Being on committees and participating in strategic planning and group problem-solving sessions have all contributed to lessons I’ve learned and have implemented in our business.  No, you can’t quantify the experience, but I know that it has made a significant impact on my development as an industry professional.”

For Kuperus, the path to becoming more professional is laid out in a roadmap offered by PLANET.  Important markers along with way include education, certification, giving back, and building a network comprised of like-minded individuals who want to advance their careers and the industry. GIC, albeit important, is only part of a greater whole, a roadmap that industry professionals need to embrace.  

You Have to Keep Learning

Chris Senske, Senske Services

Chris Senske, president of Senske Services in Kennewick, WA, has been in the industry all his life, yet he hasn’t stopped learning.  That’s one reason he continues to go to GIC and to send his key people, as well.  “The industry is always changing, which means education is ongoing,” said this industry veteran.  “I always take home ideas from the seminar program, and recently have concentrated on those sessions that discuss HR issues, share benchmarking data, and provide tips on how to deal with the increasing number of government regulations.”

Senske’s, whose company has eight branch locations primarily throughout the northwest, recalled his first PLCAA conference, a precursor to GIC. “It was 1981 or ’82 and I met a competitor there who had some of the same turf disease challenges I faced,” he recalled. “Even though we operated in the same market, it didn’t stop us from sharing ideas. There was also a speaker who predicted the industry would always face an incredible turnover in employees. I disagreed with him at the time, and today we have several long term, even second generation employees.” 

Fast forward thirty-plus years and the conference has changed dramatically.  The joining of PGMC, PLCAA, and ALCA strengthened the trade show and broadened the seminar offerings, Senske noted. Yet some things have remained the same.

“My involvement with PLCAA, GIC, and PLANET over the years has given me the opportunity to build some invaluable relationships with folks around the country.  In fact, 10 of us, who once served on the PLCAA Board, still get together for a weekend during the winter, hopefully someplace where it’s warm. Today, GIC is a magnet that not only attracts old friends and associates but also continues to provide a venue to meet new people. One cannot overestimate how important that is to individual company owners and to the industry as a whole.”

In addition to the seminars and walking the trade show, Senske also enjoys conference innovations such as the CEO Forum that was introduced five years ago. “The information attendees receive there is very high level and we get to meet several key industry executives.  It’s fun, entertaining, and educational.” 

GIC, he emphasized, is part of a valuable legacy that PLANET has given the industry. But there others, he added, not the least of which is its role as industry advocate.  “We depend on PLANET to represent us in front of legislators and regulators, to keep us informed and to help mitigate regulations and restrictions that make it increasingly difficult to do business today.”