Brandon Rushing, owner of Brandon Rushing Lawn and Garden Care in Lorton, Va., has been in the green industry for three decades. His favorite part? Transforming properties.
“Taking a yard that’s not very good and turning it into a beautiful property is special,” he says.
The lawn care products and equipment he uses play an important role in making that possible. Choosing the right tools also can help save on labor, make the team more efficient and provide a better outcome. As a result, it’s important to him to stay up to date on new offerings that could help him improve his services. One way he does that is by attending one or two industry events each year.
He says they’re also a good way to network with other business owners, hear new ideas, learn more about technologies and discuss challenges they all face. So, when he learned about the Landscape Management Growth Summit from a past attendee and the event’s focus on lawn care products, Rushing says he was interested in learning more.
“He told me it was a good, informative event, and I’m glad I did it,” Rushing says.
New equipment demos
Hosted at Reunion Resort in Orlando, Fla., the 2024 event welcomed 36 lawn care professionals for three days of networking with other owners, learning about lawn care products, educational sessions, equipment demos and one-on-one meetings with leading supplier partners.
Rushing says he especially appreciated how the event highlighted lawn care products and equipment, and he plans to add some of the tools he saw to his services. One of them is Greene County Fertilizer Co.’s granular compost, which Rushing says he’s excited for since it can be used in a spreader.
“We want to see if it can be an additional item in our lineup or as a substitute for a more labor-intensive product,” Rushing says.
He also demoed new equipment like Stinger Equipment’s ride-on aerator, which he plans to trial this year on his properties. The aerator’s maneuverability, variable speeds and efficiency were all standout features that he says would work well on the types of properties his company services, which are mainly small residential yards.
The thoroughness and level of detail shared by the product and equipment suppliers during the one-on-one meetings and sessions were a welcome surprise, he adds.
“Those meetings were pretty informative and exceeded my expectations,” Rushing says. “The equipment demos were also really nice. Not only did I get to see the equipment, but I also got to demo it on turf.”
Time to connect
During the LM Growth Summit, Rushing also met with other professionals from across the country, including one from his own market he hadn’t met before and has stayed in touch with since.
He encourages other lawn care professionals to apply to attend the LM Growth Summit, which is the only industry event that pairs leading supplier partners with lawn care operators in a relaxed, professional setting. Whether they come for the products, like Rushing did, or to network with others in the industry, attendees will leave with tangible ways to improve their services, fleets and businesses.
“It’s definitely worth checking out,” Rushing says. “For the time spent, it was very worthwhile. The time of the year is pretty good because it’s warm there, but most other markets are winding down. (Early December) was a nice time to have it.”
