Thursday Education – February 2, 2023

BELOW IS THE 2023 INFO. 2024 INFO COMING SOON!

 

Landscape Architects – The entire program has been submitted to LA CES for CEU’s.

Program is subject to change. Please check the website, mobile app or on site signage for updates.

8:00 AM – 9:15 AM

Estimating Jobs for Profit and Growth

Weston Zimmerman, SynkedUP
Room: Euphoria
Overhead is the #1 profit killer. Learn to solve that problem in your estimating to ensure that every proposal is priced for profit. Weston will cover common pitfalls that sabotage your profits when quoting jobs. Wrap it up with learning how to job cost to ensure you are on track and achieving your goals for growth.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s

Reimagining an Urban Frank Lloyd Wright Landscape

Tony Gomez-Phillips, Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center
Room: Nirvana A
Monona Terrace horticulturist Tony Gomez-Phillips discusses the process of redesigning Madison’s downtown convention center’s landscape on the belief that the benefit of Frank Lloyd Wright’s strong organic architecture is the ability to pursue the “wildness” of the gardens and their interpretation of the site. Partnering sustainable plantings with Frank Lloyd Wright’s design principles, learn how designed lines and forms engage the prairie plant palette to connect people with what the architect envisioned as an inviting and beautiful community destination.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s

State of the Green Industry

Kevin Battistoni, Hunter / FX
Room: Nirvana BC
The 2022 Green Industry survey results are shared here for the first time! Once again, over 1,600 industry professionals have participated in the annual survey, providing critical measurables on all areas of concern ranging from wages to profitability and the outlook for 2023. Expanding the survey results will share relevant economic data from new construction to disposable personal income. In addition, the audience will have an opportunity to anonymously participate (via text message) in a similar industry survey with real-time results, leaving you with an accurate temperature reading on how your company lines up against the rest of the industry.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s

This session has been approved by ISA for 1.25 CEU’s

Gardens of the Pros: Prairie Two Ways

Nina Koziol, The Landscape Contractor magazine
Additional Presenters: Dean MacMorris, Night Light, Inc.; Jack Pizzo, The Pizzo Group
Room: Utopia AB
The fascinating home landscapes of Dean MacMorris and Jack Pizzo were featured in the Gardens of the Pros series in ILCA’s magazine, “The Landscape Contractor.” Both rural properties feature prairies but each site is quite different. One includes a Civil War-era house, barn, outbuildings, borders and containers filled with colorful annuals. The other features a new house surrounded by more than 40 acres of restored prairie. And both properties illustrate how two green industry pros approach design at their homes based on their own needs and preferences. Discover how they plant and maintain these sweeping properties.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s

Why Do Trees Fail? Summary of Concerns from Industry Professionals

Melissa Custic, Chicago Region Trees Initiative/The Morton Arboretum
Room: Utopia CD
The Chicago Region Trees Initiative, including Green Industry partners, is focused on improving the health and longevity of urban trees. In December 2022, a roundtable forum was held with members of the green industry, including growers, contractors, designers, and foresters to identify and address the hurdles to tree health throughout a tree’s life. This session, will report out the outcomes of that meeting and on causes and solutions to tree stressors to improve canopy cover and longevity. Including urban tree stressors, stock with poor root architecture, improper planting techniques, poor site assessment and remediation, and ineffective maintenance practices. Understanding and improving the process from growing trees to planting and caring for trees can improve the health and longevity of urban trees.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s

This session has been approved by ISA for 1.25 CEU’s

9:45 AM – 11:00 AM

Building a Budget to Price Jobs Profitably

Weston Zimmerman, SynkedUP
Room: Euphori
Ever get to the end of the year and your books show you made profit, but you have no cash in your bank account? The number one reason hardscape contractors have the “show profit- but-no-cash-in-the-bank” symptom is: overhead expenses. Overhead, if not properly accounted for, will crush you. Weston will teach you how to solve this dilemma by showing you how to build a company budget that ensures you are pricing your jobs for profit, charging the correct rate per man-hour, and making sure your overhead and all costs are factored in. And you’ll go home with free tools you can use to build your budget and start earning the profit you want from your business.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s

Time Management – Taking Control of Your Life

Judson Griggs, Harvest Landscape Business Consulting Group
Room: Nirvana A
How many times during your typical week do you find yourself asking, “Where did the day go?” Throughout the day, you are inundated with requests for your time and attention. Emails, texts, meetings, employee problems, client requests, project issues and so on. Join Judson, as he teaches you how to manage your time better so you can begin enjoying life again and prosper. In this session, you will understand urgent vs. important tasks, how to set and meet goals and determine where you are spending your time and where to best spend your time using tools that will help you gain control of your professional and personal life.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s

This session has been approved by ISA for 1.25 CEU’s

Gaining TRACTION™ in Your Business with EOS®

Matt Zega, EOS Worldwide
Additional Presenters: Dean MacMorris, Night Light, Inc.
Room: Nirvana BC
Based on the best selling book TRACTION: Get a Grip on Your Business, this session will get to the core of what gaining TRACTION™ in your business with EOS® (The Entrepreneurial Operating System) comes down to. Three things we call vision, traction, and healthy. Vision from the standpoint of getting everyone crystal clear on where your organization is going and knowing exactly how you are going to get there. Traction from the standpoint of instilling discipline and accountability throughout your organization so that you are gaining consistent traction. Healthy meaning helping you to build a healthy, cohesive, functional team. At EOS® we empower you to live your ideal life, the EOS Life as we call it.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s

This session has been approved by ISA for 1.25 CEU’s

Why Plant Ho-Hum Trees & Shrubs

Nina Koziol, The Landscape Contractor magazine
Additional Presenters: Mike Cook, Cedar Path Nursery; Jim Matusik, The Tree Connection; Jeff Kramer, Kramer Tree Specialists; Julie Janoski, The Morton Arboretum
Room: Utopia AB
If you’ve been using river birch, red maple, spruces or honey locust as dependable choices, you’re not alone. But, there are many good reasons to try something different, even something better. Your projects will stand out from others, especially in residential subdivisions where these trees appear again and again. And, there’s the need for diversity in plantings. If a serious new insect pest or disease affects red maples and everyone on the block has one—well, you get the picture. To provide some inspiration and encourage the use of broader plant palettes—especially in light of plant shortages for many of these often-used trees—we’ve assembled an expert panel for their recommendations.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s

This session has been approved by ISA for 1.25 CEU’s

Nativars and Their Value in the Landscape

Ryan McEnaney, Bailey Nurseries
Room: Utopia CD
This session explores the phenomenon of cultivated native plants, their benefits, and the ecological impact on the surrounding habitat. By reviewing a combination of scientific research and anecdotal narrative, Ryan will provide a look at how nativars fit into a modern landscape and what data shows about their comparison to native species. In addition to the background on nativars, we will look at a selection of exceptional varieties available in the trade and how to communicate their benefits to trade and consumer audiences.

  • Research on cultivated native plants in comparison to native species, especially focused on pollinator interaction.
  • Key nativar varieties currently available for sale within the industry.
  • Communications tactics to support sales of nativars within the horticultural trade and with home gardeners.

1:00 PM – 2:15 PM

Practical Advantages of Concrete Pavers

Andrew Vear, AndrewVear.com
Room: Euphoria
As co-founder of the Advanced School for Advanced Segmental Paving, Andrew has learned a thing or two about pavers. In this session, attendees will take a deeper look into pavers, including how they work, basic installation, and how they work with freeze thaw. He will also share easy sales tips that will help grow your business and your bottom line.

Building the Ultimate Butterfly Garden

Daniel Gerdes, Christy Webber Landscapes
Room: Nirvana A
Starting with the keystone species that the ecosystem will largely depend on, you will learn about their plant profiles. Then you’ll understand where and how to use annuals and herbs. Finally, Daniel will discuss the role of host plants and which North American butterfly types are drawn to them. By the end of the session, attendees will have a step-by-step guide on designing a pollinator friendly garden.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s

Creating and Curating an Urban Oasis: The Meadow at the Old Chicago Post Office

Mike Ciccarelli, Ann Weiland, Shawn Weidner, Hoerr Schaudt
Room: Nirvana BC
Hoerr Schaudt’s Horticulture, Site Works and Continued Landscape Management team share the process of transforming the rooftop of a desolate, unused industrial building into the nation’s largest private rooftop garden atop a modern workplace. The Meadow sets the standard for how rooftops can restore and protect ecosystems and improve tenant health and well-being as employees begin to navigate the return-to-work post-quarantine.  Overcoming historic preservation and structural constraints, the success story of The Meadow and its four-season horticultural interest will continue to inspire for years to come.  Gardens are dynamic and change over time.  Much of the artistry of a landscape lay in its evolution; how it is cared for and chooses to grow.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s

Social Media Tips & Tricks

Ryan McEnaney, Bailey Nurseries
Room: Utopia AB
This session explores social media as a cost-efficient, engaging way to acquire new customers and create “raving fans” out of existing customers. But in the craziness of the busy season, there may not be a lot of time to spend on creating and executing social media content. This session provides the audience with specific tools to create captivating content that drives business in a time-efficient manner. The presentation will also include quick-hitting, actionable steps to make attendees successful in their business for the long term.

  • How to develop a consistent voice and presence on various social channels.
  • Tools to efficiently create social media content.
  • Difference in platforms in an ever-changing digital environment.

Fountain of Maturity: What We Can Do to Grow Old, Healthy Trees

Michelle Catania, The Morton Arboretum/Chicago Region Trees Initiative
The Morton Arboretum is focused on improving the health and longevity of urban trees. Healthy, undisturbed soil is a key component to achieve future tree canopy goals. Unfortunately, soils with ideal characteristics at supporting long-lived trees are becoming increasingly rare in the built environment. As we continue to emphasize the ecosystem services our urban trees provide, understanding below-ground conditions should be a key component to this discussion. Healthy soils offer greater stormwater storage during rain events and can provide sufficient reservoirs of water to get trees through prolonged periods of drought. Improvements to urban soils in the built environment will lead to healthy trees. Healthy, diverse forests are also better at combating pest and disease outbreaks as they have greater resources to overcome a potential infestation if they are not stressed. To achieve our canopy goals and make the Chicagoland forest structure exceptional, we need you, the Green Industry, to help us improve our urban forest canopy through improved urban soils.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s

This session has been approved by ISA for 1.25 CEU’s

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM

Recovering Lost Revenues Through Hardscape Maintenance

Andrew Vear, AndrewVear.com
Room: Euphoria
All Hardscape will need some maintenance at some time. Learn how to get started with a hardscape maintenance division, cleaning, repairs and sealing. Make sure you are set up to service what you sell. This session will give you the tips to retain customer loyalty and the tools to recover revenues and profits.

Natural Lawn Care Practices for a Healthy Environment

Sarah Zack, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
Room: Nirvana A
You don’t have to choose between an attractive lawn and protecting water quality. Many natural lawn care practices can help you work with nature to grow a healthy landscape while still protecting water resources. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant promotes sustainable lawn care practices at the household level to reduce the impact of fertilizer and pesticides in the Great Lakes Region and beyond. This presentation will dig into the science behind natural lawn care and give attendees some simple and effective natural lawn care tips.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1 CEU

Ponds: When is Dredging Necessary and What are Your Options?

Keith Gray, ILM Environments
Room: Nirvana BC
Do you manage the landscaping for a property with a pond that needs help? Are you wondering if it needs to be dredged and what on earth to do about it? This session will give you answers! Whether we are talking about a small retention pond or a large natural lake, decades of sediment accumulation eventually dictates the need for dredging. We will discuss how to know when it’s actually time to dredge and then consider the different methods available for removing sediment from a waterbody. Innovative options for reusing the dredge material onsite to keep down costs will be explored. Be the hero by helping your client revitalize their degraded waterbody and turn an eyesore into an amenity they will love!

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1 CEU

Understanding Construction Impacts to Trees

Joe Hansen, Village of Wilmette
Room: Utopia AB
Many think construction projects like new developments, buildings and houses are driving forces behind utilizing tree preservation measures, however flatwork, grading and storm sewer installations may be silently causing even more damage. In this presentation you will learn why damage is occurring, what type of damage is occurring and how trees respond to damage. Joe will provide examples from a plan reviewer perspective and what we typically look for during the permit review process. By understanding how these projects may be negatively impacting your clients trees, you will know what different options may exist to facilitate these projects and be better prepared to answer their client’s questions and be ahead of the curve in the design phase.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1 CEU

This session has been approved by ISA for 1.25 CEU’s

Growth on Purpose

Vanessa McQuade, Intrigue Media
Additional Presenters: Rob Murray, Intrigue Media
Room: Utopia CD
This session will introduce the concept of the Growth Triangle. You’ll learn how building a more purpose-driven company will attract the best customers and talent for your business and accelerate your growth.

This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s

This session has been approved by ISA for 1.25 CEU’s

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