These are exciting times for the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), its members, and its annual trade show, Elevate, which is now in its third year.
2024 Lifetime Leadership Award winner Jeff Buhler, the senior vice president of customer service for Massey Services, informed the crowd at Elevate 2024 just how exciting these times are during his acceptance speech. He asked the packed banquet hall at the Charlotte Convention Center to consider NALP is currently experiencing:
- A 52 percent increase in revenue
- Contractor member growth of 53 percent
- A member satisfaction rate of 80 percent
This was just the beginning of the good news shared at Elevate 2024. The opening day keynote speaker was New York Times bestselling author Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage and Big Potential. Achor talked to the room about the science behind happiness and advised attendees on how the mind perceives challenges and how positivity can be spread with a simple smile.
In one example, he asked the room to break up into groups of two and then asked one person to remain stone-faced while the other smiled. The result? Within seconds, both people were smiling.
“Think about the problems in your life, think about the challenges in this world, and some guy comes to a conference and says, ‘Hey, why don’t you be just a little more grateful?’ That’s not what we’re talking about here,” Achor told the room. “What we’re talking about is training the brain to change. Train the brain to change, to scan for three things you’re grateful for. The point is … your brain will take a shortcut … and it basically passively scans your brain for the pin pricks of the good.”
The good vibes would continue from there.
A historic first
NALP CEO Britt Wood announced that the association’s board of directors made a change recently and moved away from the format of having a president, a vice president, a secretary, etc., for its elected officers. Moving forward, it will have a chair, vice chair and directors.
He then introduced the first chair of NALP — and also the first female chair: Pam Dooley, the owner of Plants Creative Landscapes in Scottdale, Ga.
“I had no goal to be the first chair of the NALP. I had no goal to be the first female chair,” said Dooley, who is also on Landscape Management’s Editorial Advisory Board. “But I would say I’m proud to represent the industry I love and the people I love.”
From there the meeting went into busy mode, mixing classes with trade show floor time and networking opportunities. Classes included sessions such as “A 12-point guide to successful transitions,” “H-2B Visa Outlook,” and “Harnessing AI for success.” Including the classes and “campfire conversations” — group discussions on the trade show floor — more than 50 educational offerings were available for attendees.
In the “How to support team members as they become managers” seminar, hosted by Marty Grunder, founder and CEO of Grunder Landscaping Co. and president of The Grow Group, Grunder promised attendees that through focus and good decision-making, growth was an achievable goal.
“Great leaders with great information make great decisions,” Grunder, a columnist for LM, said. “I don’t care how old you are … surround yourself with good people who believe in you and you can do it. You can grow your business.”
Sisler adds the sizzle
Add in a reception at Charlotte’s NASCAR Hall of Fame, and attendees came away motivated and inspired by their time at Elevate. The event’s final speaker was sportscaster Lauren Sisler, best known for her work on ESPN and The SEC Network. She spoke to the group about the importance of owning your own story and learning to love it.
“Every single person has a story,” she told the Elevate audience. “There are chapters where we find joy, excitement and laughter. And there are chapters we’d like to rip up and throw in the trash. Own your story — fall in love with it. Recognize that not everything in life is a victory.”
This was the first Elevate for Ryan Westhoff with Ryan Lawn & Tree in Mission, Kan. He said Sisler’s closing speech was the highlight of the event.
“I’ll be back in the future for sure,” Westhoff said. “Lauren Sisler closing out that conference … she did a beautiful job, she has a beautiful story. I’m happy I got to know her and got to be inspired by her.”
Jonathan Zeyl, the president of LandscapeCreations, a landscape construction firm based in Saundertown, R.I., was impressed by the Charlotte edition of Elevate.
“I’ve been to Elevate all three years, and the education is awesome,” Zeyl said. “Some things I learn are new to me, others are a good refresher — or a good kick in the butt, as one of the presenters said — but it’s all valuable. I bring my team, too, and it helps us all get jazzed up about the industry. It re-energizes us all.”
Sam Rankin, the president of Etch Outdoor Living based in Exley, Iowa, appreciated that this Elevate was a little less practical and more inspirational.
“I thought it was awesome, especially the (Shawn Achor) opening keynote,” Rankin said. “A lot of focus on mental health and happiness this year, which I thought was really cool. A little bit different than in years past — a little bit less nuts and bolts — but a lot of good concepts, leadership techniques, and topics that everyone can take back and expand on.”
Rankin added that the education was top-notch. His highlight was listening to Taylor Milliken, owner of Milosi in Nashville, Tenn., talk about scaling strategies with a softer demand in 2024.
“With the changes that came about, people had to adjust quite a bit,” Rankin said. “Learning what some of those bigger players in our industry are doing to adapt for what’s to come was awesome to see.”
Landscape Management saw Milliken at the end of the show and asked him for his thoughts on Elevate 2024.
“It was well executed once again. The (NALP) team put together great learning events,” Milliken said. “I like how, even though it’s getting bigger, the show floor and the way it is set up still feels intimate.”
For Milliken, the talk from Sisler was the highlight of the event.
“Lauren Sisler, her talk, that’s where our minds need to be right now — we’re all going through something,” Milliken said. “But it’s a way to look at things; don’t be ashamed of anything that’s going on. Your family, your life, your business … she has a great outlook on life.”
Elevate 2025 takes place in Phoenix, Nov. 2-5.
