These are exciting times for the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), its members and its annual Elevate trade show — now in year three.
2024 Lifetime Leadership Award winner Jeff Buhler, the senior vice president of customer service for Massey Services, informed the crowd at Elevate 2024, which took place Nov. 3-6 in Charlotte, N.C., just how exciting these times are during his acceptance speech at the event’s Opening Session.
He asked the packed banquet hall at the Charlotte Convention Center to consider what 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.
The good vibes would continue from there. 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. Including the classes and “campfire conversations” — group discussions on the trade show floor — more than 50 educational offerings were available for attendees.
“This year’s Elevate event was truly a success, breaking attendee records, blending high-caliber educational programming, inspiring discussions and the latest technology and equipment and extensive networking opportunities,” Wood said.
Elevate 2025 takes place in Phoenix, Nov. 2-5.
