GROW! 2025

Breakout Session I: More Sessions to come

Cultivating Connections: The Networking and Business Development Basics That Lead to Landscaping Sales
Grunder Landscaping Co.'s rapid $200%+ growth in the past three years has been fueled by success in business development activities. In fact 1 lunch, which cost less than $70, led to nearly $2M in work in 2024 alone. It's all about identifying people to network with, being in the right place to make connections, and then being professionally pushy when it comes to asking for business. In this session, Marty Grunder will share what's working for the GLC team and what they plan to do in 2025 to continue winning.

From Leads to Landscapes: Effective Marketing Strategies for Commercial Maintenance Growth
As Landscape Workshop expands rapidly and sets impressive growth goals in their existing branches, marketing to the decision maker for commercial landscaping has been key. In this session, Taylor Langley will share the tactics that have been most effective for them at generating leads for commercial maintenance work across the country.

Crew Leadership in 2025: 10 Must Have Operational Skills for Construction and Maintenance
We all know that we have to GROW our team in order for them to be successful. In this session we will show you the 10 skills that your crew leaders need to possess to bring success to themselves, the job, and their crew. This session will be led by Jason New and Tommy Cole.

Stop the Madness! Managing Up for Success
Successful careers are built upon being able to work well with others, and managing up is as important as managing down for yours, and the company's, success. In this session, Vince Torchia of The Grow Group will share his strategies for team members to structure their relationship with their manager so that everyone succeeds.

Phantom Stock: What to Know Before you get Ghosted your Team
How many of us have had a key team member leave us? It is hard. In this session with Jennifer Murray you will learn a popular tactic to secure team members and have them thinking and behaving like an owner. Whether you have current team members looking for more or you are curious about ways to lock them down; this session will show you how to keep them around, motivated, and rewarded for doing so. 

Breakout Session II: More Sessions to Come

Selling the Vision: How Grunder Landscaping Co. Gets Their Team Bought in On Growth
Clarity of vision and mission has driven decision-making for the Grunder Landscaping team for years, and it's allowed for scalable growth because ALL leaders are capable of making decisions consistent with what the top brass would do. In this session, Seth Pflum, President & COO at Grunder Landscaping Co., will share how they use information sharing, monthly meetings, and ongoing communication to clarify their vision so their team understands and is onboard with doing what it takes to grow.

Every Day I'm Hustlin': How to Generate Sales Daily
The "order taking" of 2021-2023 is over. We have to go make sales and that is a daily activity. This session will show you the daily tasks you need to do as a salesperson to hit your goal and then some in 2025. This session will be led by Chris Psencik.

Strategies for Visuals, Copywriting, and Targeting Social Media Ads
As Grunder Landscaping Co. expands into a new market, the marketing tactics they're relying on have expanded. Using social media ads as a way to reach new prospects and create brand awareness has been important as the company has grown. In this session, Emily Lindley of The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping Co. will share how she selects ad images and videos, what strategies she uses for writing ad copy, and how she sets up targeting for maximum impact.

Cultivating a Culture: Building a Thriving Landscaping Team
Are you building a culture or a “cult-ure” in the best sense of the word? Join us for a fresh look at fostering a like-minded, cohesive, and fun-loving team from our GROW! 2024 Tour Hosts, RJ Lawn & Landscape. In this session, their team will outline what they do to continually foster a work environment where their team genuinely connects and how it's led to their success as a company. They'll share the tactics that have worked for them including using a culture index, educating the team on how to work better together, and creating space for their team to be their fun, goofy selves.

Case Study: What You Can Learn from an Award-Winning Facility
Your facility represents your brand, your work, and your team. In this session, you will see how our hosts, Hidden Creek Landscaping, have accomplished their goals by using their facility as a conduit for their success. This session will be moderated by Tommy Cole. 

Split Schedule
Groups will rotate between sessions at The Hilton and traveling out to tour Hidden Creek Landscaping and learn from their team onsite. The timing will vary by assigned group, but this time will include:

An Onsite Tour of Hidden Creek Landscaping

Hidden Creek Landscaping Tour, Continued at The Hilton

Breakout Session III: More Sessions to Come

Building an Onboarding Program for New Team Members
With Barrett Chow. First impressions really do matter. If you want to stand out, grow your team, and reduce your turnover, you need an onboarding program. Join Barrett Chow as he walks you through the key points and actions needed for a successful onboarding program.

10 Hour Work Week: Build a Business, Not A Job
Michael Bosco will take you through the journey of truly working ON your Business and not IN your business. This session will show you how to leverage your time and your team to grow the business and create more opportunities for the team by doing so. 

Mastering Client Communication: Easy Strategies to Stand Out and Delight Your Clients
Communicating well with clients can be a differentiator when they're deciding who to do business with, and here's a secret: this doesn't have to be hard. In this session, Emily Lindley of The Grow Group & Grunder Landscaping Co. will share what they've done to make communicating with clients an easy, and often automated, part of their process.

Keynote Address

Lunch

Breakout Session IV: More sessions to come

Q&A with the Hidden Creek Landscaping Team
Join Tommy Cole of McFarlin Stanford to ask the Hidden Creek Landscaping team any additional questions you had after learning from their team on Tuesday. 

Marketing Agency Red Flags: How to Avoid Costly Mistakes
Picking the right partner for marketing work is so important, but how do you know the right questions to ask when you aren't an expert in marketing yourself? In this session you will learn to identify warning signs when working with marketing agencies and gain actionable strategies to avoid mistakes that can drain your budget and hinder your success. This will be led by John Dalton. 

Exit Strategies: What Owners Who've Sold Learned in the Process
Gain insights from those who’ve successfully navigated the sale of their companies. Discover lessons learned, pitfalls to avoid, and best practices for a smooth transition. This will be led by Jennifer Murray. 

How to set S.M.A.R.T. Goals
How many times have you set a goal and not been happy with your outcome? Do you know why you missed? In this session with Barrett Chow you will learn the art of setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals to drive meaningful progress for yourself and your business.

Finding the Funny in Winning: How to lead with Confidence and a Swagger
Join Michael Bosco and Kevin Keim to learn how humor and confidence can transform your leadership style, create a thriving team culture, and enhance client relationships in this engaging and dynamic session.

Breakout Session V: More sessions to come

Closing the Big Fish: How Hidden Creek Landscaping Finds and Sells to Clients with Big Budgets
Hidden Creek Landscaping excels at big residential landscaping work, but where do they find the leads and how do they close these sales? In this session, owner Jason Cromley will share the strategies, tips, and tactics that work for him and his sales team to find the right prospects and close these sales.

Working Better Across Generations: Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z
Dive into a lively panel discussion exploring the unique perspectives, strengths, and challenges of Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z in the workplace. Learn practical strategies to bridge generational gaps, improve collaboration, and create a more cohesive, productive team environment. This will be moderated by Vince Torchia, and include: Tommy Cole, Barrett Chow, and Paul Myers. We are also looking for a referee if we have any volunteers!