WEDNESDAY EDUCATION SESSIONS

9:45 AM – 11:00 AM

Winning the Talent War

Neal Glatt, GrowTheBench.com

Utopia CD

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

Bad Ass Trees for Piss Poor Places

Scott Beuerlein, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden

Utopia AB

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

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

Nirvana BC

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

How Landscape Trees are Propagated and Why this is Important to You

Kris Bachtell, The Morton Arboretum

Nirvana A

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

Quick and Easy Landscape Planting Design Techniques for Crew Leaders

Lauren Howell, Stuber Land Design

Euphoria

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

1:30 PM – 2:45 PM

Plants, Placement, Perfect! Creating Inspiring Containers

Marianne Willburn, Author

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.

Creating Organizational Culture

Mark O’Brien, Stantec

Utopia AB

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

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.

Plants for Solutions

Allan Armitage, University of Georgia

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..

Tree Risk Assessment - How to and Why

Kris Bachtell, The Morton Arboretum

Nirvana A

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

Integrating Design Technology for Water Conscious Landscapes

Eric Gilbey, Vectorworks

Euphoria

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