Whenever you get a group of landscape and lawn care professionals together to talk shop and swap stories, you can almost guarantee those discussions will eventually turn to labor and the industry’s challenges in finding — and keeping — quality workers.
And when those same professionals look for real-world advice and assistance in tackling those challenges, you can be sure that Jeffrey Scott will be one of the voices they turn to. After all, he literally wrote the book on the subject.
Scott published “Become a Destination Company: A Roadmap to Attract, Motivate and Retain Great Employees” in 2018. That book laid the foundation for other efforts focused on labor and company culture, including his Destination Company program, which hundreds of landscape firms have adopted to help their hiring and retention efforts. And, of course, the topic has been at the top of the to-do list for the companies he works with through his consulting business, Jeffrey Scott Consulting, and his peer group program, Leader’s Edge.
Now, Scott will tackle the subject for attendees at Equip Exposition 2025 in Louisville, Ky., as he leads “Becoming a Destination Company,” one of 12 educational sessions presented by Landscape Management in partnership with OPEI and Equip Expo.
“Since I wrote the book, so much has changed in our industry and around the topic of labor. But in other ways, the pillars are still very much the same,” Scott says. “The need has not changed. The cost of turnover is still the same. There’s still a competitive marketplace out there, both within the landscape industry and with other industries looking for the same kind of workers. The issues are the same today as they’ve always been.
“The difference is … there are fewer people who want to do this kind of work than ever before. At the same time, though, there are more companies that have solved this problem. The better companies have tackled the issue by following what I will talk about in this session and creating a destination workplace that attracts great employees to plant and grow their careers and to flourish and recommend your company to others.”
Scott points to three key takeaways that those who participate in his session in Louisville can take back to their companies and use to inform their own approaches to tackling the labor conundrum.
“First off — and this requires a mindset shift — they need to believe these problems are actually fixable,” he says. “It’s not rocket science, but companies need to believe and understand that fixing these problems is within their control. They also need to realize that creating a destination company requires action on several fronts, some of which are counterintuitive. They’ll need to focus on a mix of strategies to achieve success.
“And finally, they’ll come away with an appreciation that marketing does help. Once things are in place, you have to get the word out there. If you don’t toot your own horn — and if your employees don’t talk about what a great place your company is to work — nobody else will. You will learn to build a better workforce by building a better company.”
Class is in session … again
Equip Expo 2025 marks the fourth consecutive year that LM has presented education sessions at the show through a partnership with the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), which owns and operates Equip Expo.
Sessions offered will focus on topics such as business management, staff development, employee retention and landscape industry innovations, offering invaluable learning opportunities for landscape and lawn care pros.
“We are in an uncertain and quick-changing business climate. There are extreme challenges associated with uncertainty related to tariffs, taxes and labor shortages. This year, landscapers can’t afford to not come to Equip, where they can learn how other contractors around the country and around the world are adapting to business challenges,” says Kris Kiser, president of OPEI and Equip Exposition. “Equip and Landscape Management are planning education to address these very challenges. This is the year to learn, this is the year to share and this is the year to come to Equip. With so many opportunities to learn, we recommend contractors bring their team so they can bring back as much knowledge as possible to their company.”
Bill Roddy, publisher of LM, said, “We’re grateful to continue our partnership with OPEI at Equip Exposition, delivering comprehensive educational sessions for landscape professionals and their teams. In 2025, we’ll offer sessions on industry trends, labor solutions and business strategies designed to help attendees grow their landscape businesses and overcome challenges.”
Only registered attendees for the show are eligible to take part in Equip Expo education. You can register here — plus.mcievents.com/event/equipexpo2025/summary — and receive a 50-percent discount by using the code LM50. During the registration process, you will be prompted to add educational sessions.
Here’s more information on the classes that will be offered at Equip Expo 2025.
Wednesday, Oct. 22
Become A Destination Company
9-10:30 a.m. Presented by Jeffrey Scott.
A Fireside Chat with Larry Ryan
12:30-1:30 p.m. In February, Larry Ryan, founder of Ryan Lawn and Tree, announced he was stepping down as the company’s CEO. The former pizza chain store owner built a behemoth of a lawn care company in the Midwest over the last 37 years, coming in at No. 51 on the 2025 LM150 list. In this fireside chat with Landscape Management magazine’s Seth Jones, Ryan will discuss his career, his beliefs on company culture and how he foresees the future of the industry.
“Lean” in the Landscape
2-3 p.m. Lean manufacturing production principles have led to an endless cascade of high-quality, safe, effective and affordable products and millions of dollars in profits for organizations all over the world. Can these same principles be applied to landscaping? Yes! This session outlines basic Lean principles and discusses applications for our industry. Learn about delivering what your customers want but without the steps and activities that provide no value in this Lean introduction. Presented by Ben Thomas and Ken Gandy, Envisor Consulting.
Your Company, Your Culture
3:30-4:30 p.m. Back by popular demand! Now in its fourth year, a panel of industry veterans and experts discuss everything they’ve seen and experienced that creates a positive culture. Part panel discussion, part question and answer session with the audience, these experts will offer tips and suggestions that can make an immediate impact on your workplace culture. This session will be moderated by LM Editor-in-Chief Scott Hollister.
Thursday, Oct. 23
Lead From the Middle — Yes, You!
9:30-10:30 a.m. Are you a second-in-command, production manager or a foreman? Then this class is meant for you. Sam Gembel, president, Atlas Outdoor, has been motivating his middle management to feel empowered and “lead from the middle” for years, and the results speak for themselves. In this session, you’ll learn why middle management is so vital to the success of every landscape operation and ways you can best make your mark on your company.
Labor Hour Management: The Most Important KPI in Your Business
11 a.m.-noon In this high-energy session — led by Justin White with K&D Landscaping — attendees will learn how to effectively track, analyze and optimize labor hours to boost productivity, reduce costs and enhance overall business efficiency. Through practical strategies and real-world examples, participants will gain insights into leveraging labor hour management as a key performance indicator to drive profitability and sustainable growth in their operations.
Sales Management for Dummies (and High-Flying Entrepreneurs)
12:30-2 p.m. OK, so you’re not a dummy … you’re a high-flying entrepreneur. But what are the most effective ways to manage your sales team — and yourself — so the company is on the right trajectory? Industry consultant Jeffrey Scott will share his methods for launching sales growth.
Every Day I’m Hustlin’: How to be Proactive on Relationship Building and Sales
3:30-5 p.m. The “order taking” of 2021-2023 is over. We have to go make sales, and that is a daily activity. In this session, Chris Psencik with McFarlin Stanford will show you the daily tasks you or your sales team needs to do to hit your goals and then some.
Friday, Oct. 24
Retiring in Place
8-9 a.m. You’ve put in the hours, the days, the years … is it time for the business to run without you? For business owners who are asking themselves this question, our panel of entrepreneurs who have successfully stepped away from their business discuss the biggest challenges they faced, the right time and why they ended up stepping away from the company they started. This panel discussion will be moderated by Jeffrey Scott.
Get on the Bus: Effective Onboarding for New Team Members
9:30-10:30 a.m. First impressions really do matter. If you want to stand out, grow your team and reduce turnover, you need an onboarding program. In this session, led by Barrett Chow from McFarlin Stanford, you’ll learn the key actions needed for a successful onboarding program.
Strategic Planning 101
11 a.m.-noon The word ‘strategic’ has become painfully overused, yet organizations routinely fail to develop effective strategic plans. What is strategic planning? Why should we do it? What are we trying to get out of it? Strategic planning should outline, prioritize and sequence the steps, activities and initiatives that will take your business to the next level. Join Envisor’s Ben Thomas and Ken Gandy for a dive into developing strategic plans that drive transformation and lead to success.
A One-Stop Shop versus Doing One Thing Well
12:30-1:30 p.m. The phone rings, and on the other end, someone asks if your company can help them accomplish this one goal. On the one hand, it’s revenue. On the other, it isn’t necessarily what your company is good at. In this presentation, Justin White, CEO of K&D Landscaping, discusses the value of being a specialist over a generalist.
