Trying to make your company reach the top? The Professional Landscare Network (PLANET) held its Green Industry Conference (GIC) again this year, in hand with GIE+EXPO. Workshops featured a number of landscape and business professionals, each imparting knowledge on how their companies exceeded expectations, drove profits and made a mark on the green industry.

A Case Study in Business Transformation
Jeffrey Scott of Jeffrey Scott Consulting started his talk by explaining the 1 percent rule: If you can improve your company 1 percent every day in less than 100 days, then your company will improve astronomically. Scott further explained that the best ways to accomplish goals is to set 1-2 goals at a time, rather than setting your standards higher than can be accomplished. “Find out what’s working. Do more of it. Become a leader in that aspect,” he said.

How to Get Jobs Done on Time, on Budget
Mark Bradley, president of TBG Landscape and the Landscape Management Network (LMN), discussed how to get jobs done on time and on budget. Bradley emphasized the importance of companies that offer low prices and high quality. Some of the best companies in the industry are low price— not low quality, he said.

A Critical Analysis of the Six Estimating Systems Used in the Landscape and Lawn Care Industry Today
Jim Huston of J.R. Huston Consulting gave a step-by-step comparison on the six most commonly used estimating systems:
- Factoring
- Market-driven unit pricing
- Single overhead recovery system (SORS)
- Dual overhead recovery system (DORS)
- Multiple overhead recovery system (MORS)
- Overhead labor per hour system (OPH)

3-Centered Leadership
Scott Jamieson, president of Bartlett Tree Experts, shared his firsthand experience using the enneagram to grow his business. Theresa Gale of Transform, Inc., helped introduce it to the company and keyed in the PLANET GIC audience to how to leverage its three centers of intelligence—emotional, mental and body.