HOT TOPICS

Straight Talk: Examining the Business of Our Businesses

About the Program

The old mantra of are you working in your business or working on your business will be taken a step further. Are you working in your industry or on your industry? Landscape companies do not exist in a vacuum. The decisions made by one company impact all companies. Every company is unique but what are some of the prominent paradigms in the marketplace.

ILCA has gathered landscape contractors with a unique and different perspective on the landscaping industry. All panelists have unique worldviews on the people, products, art, and science that make up the Illinois green industry.

This is a 35,000 foot level view of the various perspectives that make up the green industry. Many times these views mesh but often they clash. This session will attempt to wrap its arms around a topic as massive as “who and what is the landscaping profession and how can we ensure its health and survival?’

Topics to include:

• Customer and client behavior and attitudes
• Labor and labor shortages
• Mergers, acquisitions, and succession planning
• Professional stress and burnout
• Margins and pricing
• The 4th Season – the viability of snow
• Electric equipment, robots, and technology