GIE+EXPO released its workshop and hardscape demonstration schedules for lawn and landscape professionals. The show will be held Oct. 19-21 in Louisville, Ky., at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
“This year’s show is a must-attend event for lawn and landscape pros who are looking to move their businesses to the next level,” said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute. “With the combination of new products, educational opportunities and the co-location of Hardscape North America (HNA), GIE+EXPO is this industry’s No. 1 business investment.”
Highlights include:
- Nine GIE+EXPO workshops;
- Keynote presentation featuring Papa John’s Pizza founder and CEO John Schnatter;
- Free access to the indoor displays at Hardscape North America;
- School of Grounds Management educational sessions and networking;
- Hardscape Installer Championship;
- Three free concerts (The Crashers on Wednesday, Joe Nichols with Brooke Eden on Thursday and Wax Factory with Kirby’s Dreamland on Friday);
- The New Products Showcase; and
- The Fabulous Friday $10,000 Giveaway.
The GO EXPO mobile app will be available in August. App users will have access to the real-time exhibitor list, interactive floor plan and session schedule along with planning and networking tools.
2016 GIE+EXPO Workshops
Thursday, October 20
8-9 a.m.
Opening Keynote: John Schnatter, Founder and CEO, Papa John’s
Fee: $15 donation, which will benefit The Louisville Zoo
Sponsored by Hardscape North America
The Papa John’s pizza business was founded in 1983 when “Papa” John Schnatter knocked out a broom closet in the back of his father’s tavern in Jeffersonville, Indiana. He then sold his 1971 Z28 Camaro to purchase $1,600 worth of used pizza equipment and began selling pizzas to the tavern’s customers out of the converted closet. His pizzas proved so popular that one year later he was able to move into an adjoining space. In 2009, Schnatter got the Camaro back by contacting the family that he sold the car to in 1983. Today, the company is the third largest take-out and pizza delivery restaurant chain in the world with headquarters in Jeffersontown, Ky.
10-11:30 a.m.
Hardscape Workshop: Secrets Every Contractor Ought to Know About the Hardscape Business
Frank Gandora, President, Creative Hardscape Co.
With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Gandora has worked with some of the best manufacturers, CEOs and contractors in the business. He combines their strategies and best practices to run his own successful business. In this session, you’ll learn the tips, tricks and secrets he and other top contractors use to set themselves apart as leading hardscape contractors.
1-2:30 p.m.
NALP Workshop 1: 50 Shades of Gray – Identifying, Clarifying, and Choosing Marketing Strategies that Work
Kent Kohn, Pro-Motion Consulting
This presentation will address the biggest marketing challenges by examining the latest trends and reviewing tried and proven methods. Attendees will learn about marketing strategies, target marketing and 5 simple practices to increase sales.
3-4:30 p.m.
NALP Workshop 2: 5 Steps to Increasing Your Profitability with QuickBooks
Monica Muir, Muir & Associates
Learn five steps that can help you increase your profitability with desktop QuickBooks. With just a few changes in setup and procedure, you’ll have more reporting options and new ways to streamline your workflow.
Friday, Oct. 21
8-9:30 a.m.
NALP Workshop 3: How Not to Sell Your Business
Ron Edmonds, Principium Group
Learn why businesses don’t sell and why they do. This session will focus on how you can improve your odds of a successful exit from your business–on your terms and timetable.
8-9:30 a.m.
NALP Workshop 4: Coach, Evaluate, and Manage Your Employees the Right Way – They Will Give You the Results Your Company Needs to Go to the Next Level!
Steve Cesare, The Harvest Group
This hands-on workshop will give you the key components of employee discipline, performance management and evaluations. Participants will learn how to improve employee job performance, increase procedural consistency and sustain organizational success while being legally compliant and meaningful for the employees.
10-11:30 a.m.
NALP Workshop 5: Building Your Proposal the from Ground Up
Richard Arlington, of Rich Arlington & Associates
In this session, attendees will learn how to calculate their breakeven point, the difference between markup and margin, and how to account for efficient factors.
10-11:30 a.m.
NALP Workshop 6: Make More Profits, Create More Free Time, and Grow Your Landscape Business Organically by Avoiding These Three Massive Mistakes
Domenic Chiarella, 7 of 7 BEST Business and Life Strategies
Learn the three mistakes that are present in every company, how to avoid them and tools for solving them. Find out why it is important to have these areas working for you in order to grow profits and gain an understanding of real tools in each area that can be implemented immediately into your business.
1 – 2:30 p.m.
NALP Workshop 7: 10 Things Every Land Care Operator Needs to Know About Financial Statements
Dan Gordon, Turfbooks.com
In this session, attendees will gain an understanding of these important financial concepts in order to evaluate where their business has been, where it currently is, and if and how it will progress in the future.
3 – 4:30 p.m.
NALP Workshop 8: Optimize Your Cash Flow and Get Paid Faster
David Tulkin, Fundbox
This session will cover key steps to taking control of your cash flow and utilizing technology to optimize your invoicing workflow. It will also cover traditional and alternative types of financing available to landscape owners.
Registration Details
Registration in advance is required. NALP Workshops: $85; Hardscape Workshop: $50; Opening Keynote: $15 (to benefit the Louisville Zoo). Those who register for the Hardscape Workshop listed above will also be admitted free to the technique demos in the HNA Outdoor Arena tent. See below. Those who only want to attend the HNA Demonstrations and tradeshow can upgrade their registration for $25 to include all the following demos. Register for all sessions online at www.gie-expo.com.
Hardscape Demonstrations
The format for the Hardscape Demonstrations will be a continuous build, which will happen during show hours in the HNA Outdoor Arena with 1-hour featured demonstrations starting at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 20
11 a.m.-Noon
Paver Installation
Bill Gardocki, owner, Interstate Landscape Co.
Marc Larsen, owner, Mountain West Paver Specialists
1-2 p.m.
Tools of the Trade
Bill Gardocki, owner, Interstate Landscape Co.
Tom Gardocki, hardscape operations foreman, Interstate Landscape Co.
3-4 p.m.
Basic Wall Building
Bill Gardocki, owner, Interstate Landscape Co.
Friday, Oct. 21
11 a.m.-Noon
Permeable Paver Installation
Bill Gardocki, owner, Interstate Landscape Co.
1 – 2 p.m.
Pillar, Step and Specialty Applications Installation
Tim Huinker, construction specialist, Anchor Wall Systems
3-4 p.m.
Lighting & Water Feature Installation
Jeff Hesser, Mid Atlantic regional sales manager, Cast Lighting
Rene Gingras, landscape professor, Thompson School at the University of New Hampshire
Each HNA demonstration is eligible for one ICPI Certified Installer Continuing Education Credit.
