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.
Wednesday Education – February 1, 2023
Wowing Your Clients With Exceptional Service Every Step of the Way
Lauren Howell, Stuber Land Design
Room: Euphoria
We all know that keeping a client is better than having to find a new one. Taking care of our clients by providing exceptional service is a big part of keeping them! But what does good customer service look like these days? How can I deliver better service than my competitors? How do I keep my team excited about taking care of our clients? We will look at many aspects of providing customer service – from our office staff to our frontline crews and everyone in between.
This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s
Onboarding New Employees: Welcome to the Team, Now Grab a Shovel!
Kevin Battistoni, Hunter / FX
Room: Nirvana A
Finding the right employees is one of the most difficult challenges that companies are faced with today. You must hyper-focus on your onboarding processes and company culture during hiring, or else all the time you’ve spent finding those new team members will be wasted. During this presentation, Kevin will share strategic insights from green industry business owners, managers, and trainers who’ve built their companies through years of trial and error. From interviewing and onboarding to incentives and career path planning, you will learn proven tactics utilized by industry leaders today to successfully scale their workforces.
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
Groundcovers: Great Alternatives to Turf Grass
Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine
Room: Nirvana BC
Groundcovers are low-growing plants that serve many different purposes in the landscape from limiting weed growth to stabilizing slopes to adding texture to your garden. Kathy Jentz, author of the forthcoming book, “Groundcover Revolution,” will cover several of these beautiful, hard-working plants and the best kinds to use for specific situations.
This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s
Making Landscapes that Matter
Scott Beuerlein, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Room: Utopia AB
This session takes you on a fascinating horticultural journey. Scott connects evolution, art, genetics, natural history, food, wine and more with landscapes that make us feel more comfortable, happy and secure. He will make the case that green spaces and the plants that create them fulfill basic human needs, not wants, and clearly shines light on the elements that matter the most.
This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s
Designing for Curb Appeal
Vallari Talapatra, Eco Scapes, Inc.
Room: Utopia CD
We’re used to creating the backyard “oasis”. What about the front yard that makes the neighbors rubber neck as they drive by? Over the last ten years, Vallari has conducted workshops that discuss some of the common issues and challenges that homeowners face. And she’s bringing that feedback to you! We’ll learn how to design site specific front yards that use both hardscape and plants, while honoring the architecture. After all, getting the most functionality from the front yards is something that all of us strive for!
This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s
9:45 AM – 11:00 AM
Quick and Easy Landscape Planting Design Techniques for Crew Leaders
Lauren Howell, Stuber Land Design
Room: Euphoria
With everyone wearing multiple hats these days we find Crew Leaders and other field staff needing to create and sketch up quick designs on the fly many times. But how do you know where to put what to create a pleasing plant installation for your clients? Come join us for an overview of landscape design basics and learn how to put these methods together to create planting plans that work and look great!
This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s
How Landscape Trees are Propagated and Why this is Important to You
Kris Bachtell, The Morton Arboretum
Room: Nirvana A
There are various methods used to produce landscape trees, and each method is important to understand so that you know what you are handling when maintaining a specific tree. Through demonstrations, Kris will show you how to recognize how a tree was started and how this can help you to provide the best care possible.
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
The Pros at Home: From the Tropics to the Woodland
Nina Koziol, The Landscape Contractor Magazine
Additional Presenters: Bob Hursthouse, Hursthouse; Dan Biernacki, Ted’s Greenhouse
Room: Nirvana BC
The personal gardens of Bob Hursthouse and Dan Biernacki couldn’t be more different. One is a tropical paradise, the other a northwoods-inspired getaway. Both gardens have been featured in ILCA’s Gardens of the Pros series. See how an award-winning landscape architect and a long-time nursery owner shape their own outdoor spaces with unique plants. Discover their design choices based on how they want to spend time in their own home landscapes.
This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s
Bad Ass Trees for Piss Poor Places
Scott Beuerlein, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Room: Utopia AB
We put trees in some pretty difficult places, and then we ask a lot of them. This session will list some of the toughest trees for tough urban conditions. It will also discuss the importance of developing a broader list for the purpose of diversity and why we shouldn’t always rely on the toughest of the tough.
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
Winning the Talent War
Neal Glatt, GrowTheBench.com
Room: Utopia CD
Are you ready to start winning the talent war? In this session, Neal will help you get the recruiting and retention edge by discussing a modern approach to hiring. Attendees will learn what today’s workforce really wants in a job, how to write compelling job postings, how to leverage the latest recruiting technology, where to find workers, how to keep your best employees, and how to get the best from every worker. Attracting people to work in the green industry has never been more difficult than today. Yet, proven strategies leveraged by landscapers around the country do exist. This session will give you the tools you need to effectively recruit and engage today’s workers.
This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s
1:30 PM – 2:45 PM
Integrating Design Technology for Water Conscious Landscapes
Eric Gilbey, Vectorworks
Room: Euphoria
Designing landscapes with sustainability in mind is no longer a matter of preference but one of meeting jurisdictional requirements. As site designers increasingly lean on design software, online resources, and other digital tools to make their current design workflows easier, these can offer additional assists to help meet the new expectations in water-efficient irrigation and on-site water management. With the help of GIS integrations, plant databases and smart 2D/3D object design, creatively managing water in your proposed landscape design can be at your fingertips.
This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s
Tree Risk Assessment – How to and Why
Kris Bachtell, The Morton Arboretum
Room: Nirvana A
Trees, particularly large specimens, are an important component of a quality landscape environment. These trees have been proven to be valuable for their environmental function, as well as their positive impact to human health. To provide these functions trees need to be observed and assessed on a routine basis to make sure they are strong and resistant to structure failure. This presentation will cover the basics of tree health and structure assessment to help ensure your trees will provide the positive services we desire.
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
Plants for Solutions
Allan Armitage, University of Georgia
Room: Nirvana BC
Who is kidding who? No one walks into a hardware store and asks for a delicate and dainty, pineapple-sage socket wrench. They present a problem and ask for tools that provide solutions. People who purchase plants are no different. Customers, wholesalers, installers, and designers want plants that are native, plants that deer don’t eat, plants for fragrance. etc. They want solutions. Of course, we all want to know what cultivars are the next great thing, but let’s use our plant knowledge to plainly and clearly address the landscape challenges of our customers. Let’s concentrate on Solution Gardening.
This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s
Creating Organizational Culture
Mark O’Brien, Stantec
Room: Utopia AB
Every company has its own unique personality. The unique personality of an organization is referred to as its culture. In groups of people who work together, organizational culture is an invisible but powerful force that influences the behavior of the members of that group. This presentation discusses how company culture is built and how it can effect the performance of a business good and bad. Who within the organization has the biggest effect on culture and how can they build positive attitudes and a highly functioning team. We will go into depth about what are the building blocks to create a positive culture that will attract and retain quality people.
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
Plants, Placement, Perfect! Creating Inspiring Containers
Marianne Willburn, Author
Room: Utopia CD
If you’re staring at that cluttered jumble of pots in the basement and wondering what you can do with them this year that won’t have you yawning before you even start, let Marianne help you create something that goes beyond the tired and traditional annual combos and boring, predictable placement. Utilize edibles and perennials, discover tropical treasures, consider adding the magical element of water, and learn what to look for when grouping plants for a successful container that thrives.
This session has been approved by LA CES for 1.25 CEU’s
