Green Industry Expo Workshops Schedule Announced for GIE+EXPO

Back by popular demand for the second annual GIE+EXPO (Green Industry & Equipment Expo) will be the Green Industry Expo Workshops.  The trade show will be held at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Thursday – Saturday, Oct. 23-25. It is sponsored by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI); Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) and the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS).

The GIE Workshops provide a special introduction to PLANET’s four-day Green Industry Conference (GIC) education program.  These preview sessions are offered at $50 each and are open to all GIE+EXPO attendees.  Pre-registration for the sessions is required.  Register for the workshops at www.gie-expo.com or call the Show Management office to request a registration brochure – 800/558-8767.

Green Industry Expo Workshops Schedule

Thursday, Oct. 23, Session A, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Pricing and Profitability
Kevin Kehoe, Kehoe & Co., Laguna Niguel, Calif.

Learn the "real world" strategies used by successful contractors to increase sales and profits:

• Establishing a general pricing model and price levels
• Determining labor and materials rates for estimating
• Establishing service line pricing to maximize sales and profits
• Establishing a flexible job-size pricing structure with differential rates
• Determining total customer profit model
• Using price as a marketing weapon

Kevin Kehoe has been a consultant to the green industry for 18 years.  In that time, he has worked with over 200 companies in the industry, increasing sales and profits.  He provides strategic, financial, sales and operational consulting services, as well as helps owners with their exit plans when it comes time to sell or pass their businesses to the next generation. 

Friday, Oct. 24, Session B, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Building Leadership Through Personal Power
Chuck Zamora, Zamora Training, Mequon, Wis.

Would you like to be better at leading and managing your people? Would you like to have the most powerful tool for becoming a sales pro? If so, you can't afford to miss this session. Zamora will explore the three major components of personal power: communication, attitude and self-image, followed by goal setting. He will also drill down on the art of communication and teach you the power of a good self-image and how important attitude is in achieving your goals.

Zamora's background is in education, followed by a career in the business world where he rose to an executive position in a large multi-national corporation.  He then took his teaching background and corporate experience to found Zamora Training in 1984.

Saturday, Oct. 25, Session C, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Make Friends, Make Sales, The Art of Relationship Selling
Marty Grunder, Marty Grunder! Inc., Miamisburg, Ohio

The most successful sales professionals are those who understand the value of relationships. In this fun, fast-paced session, you will learn how to improve your selling efforts immediately by learning how to make friends and influence people, making money in the process.

Marty Grunder is the founder and president of Grunder Landscaping Co. in Dayton, Ohio. He started the business in 1984 with a $25 mower bought at a garage sale. In 1990 when Marty was a senior at the University of Dayton, his company grossed over $300,000 and his story appeared in The New York Times. Today Grunder Landscaping Co. employs 45+ professionals and enjoys annual sales over $4 million. Grunder Landscaping has won over 20 local and national awards for entrepreneurial efforts. Marty is a two-time Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the State of Ohio and also was awarded Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the entire Midwest by the Small Business Administration. He was recognized by Ernst & Young as a Dayton/Miami Valley Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001. In 2003 Marty’s company Grunder Landscaping Co. won the Better Business Bureau’s prestigious Eclipse Integrity Award, recognizing fair and honest dealings with clients and vendors as well as outstanding customer service.

In 1995 Marty formed Marty Grunder! Inc., a business consulting company offering entrepreneurs help with marketing, management and motivation. A highly sought professional speaker and authority on success, Marty has spoken all over the U. S. and Canada. Marty’s book The Nine Super Simple Steps to Entrepreneurial Success was named the Business Book of the Year at the 2003 Independent Publisher Book Awards.

For information about PLANET’s full GIC educational series, visit www.GreenIndustryConference.org. In addition to powerful education, GIC offers extensive peer networking, new green industry-related publications and valuable professional resources.

PGMS also offers education and peer networking during GIE+EXPO through their School of Grounds Management. Grounds managers can expand their career horizons and move toward certification. For school details go to www.PGMS.org.

Pre-registration for a three-day pass to GIE+EXPO is $10 per person. The tradeshow admission for those who wait to register onsite will be $50. To pre-register online for the workshops and the tradeshow and to reserve hotel rooms, go to www.gie-expo.com. Those who register online will be eligible for a drawing for Flight Certificates to the Caribbean, sponsored by Ariens and American Airlines.