Education sessions for Spanish-speaking contractors added at Equip Exposition

Equip Exposition will offer select workshops in Spanish for landscape contractors and business owners during the show held Oct. 17-20 at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

“Hispanic landscapers represent a sizable and powerful segment in the landscaping industry. We are working to make Equip Exposition, the industry’s leading trade show, more navigable and welcoming for Spanish speakers,” said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), which owns Equip Exposition. “These new sessions are targeted to both Spanish-speaking business owners, as well as crew leaders and foremen who want to become better leaders. Attendees can easily add their seasonal and H-2B employees to their registration.”

Industry expert Armando Actis will deliver in Spanish two sessions of a two-hour workshop called, “From Worker to Leader: Landscape Crew Leader/Foreman Development (De trabajador a líder: líder de equipo de paisajismo/desarrollo de capataz).” How a customer perceives the foreman’s crew is fundamental to the success of a contractor’s business. In this seminar, foremen learn how to more effectively handle tight deadlines and tight margins and increase customer satisfaction. Actis’ sessions will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on Oct. 19.

Luis Magaña, director of operational improvement at Monarch Landscape Companies, will lead another workshop delivered in Spanish titled “Developing Your People (Desarrollando a su gente, Capacitando a su Personal)” from 1-2 p.m. on Oct. 19. He will provide tips on how to hire outside talent to grow your business and develop the employees you already have. He will discuss the challenges and investments needed to develop people and what works and what doesn’t. 

Also available in Spanish is a session from Expo partner PGMS (Professional Grounds Management Society). In “Selecting an Employment Agency that Best Fits Your Company (Seleccionar la agencia de empleo que mejor se adapte a su empresa),” attendees will learn how to decide which temporary labor agency is the best fit for their landscaping company. This session runs from 8-9:15 on Oct. 19.

Attendees can easily register to attend EquipExposition.com for $50 and on Oct. 16, prices double to $100. Landscape professional workshops (including those presented by Landscape Management) are $85 each. Hardscape professional workshops are $85 each. Technician training is $45 per course. The Hardscape North America demonstration upgrade is $85. Attendees must register for Equip Expo first and then will be prompted to register for additional educational sessions.