AmericanHort reveals workshops, tours for Cultivate trade show

COLUMBUS, Ohio – AmericanHort has announced its lineup of more than 150 educational sessions, as well as half- and full-day workshops and production tours to provide knowledge, training and sharing of best practices within the green industry.

“Bringing knowledge so green industry businesses can perform better, grow faster and be prepared for the future is our primary focus,” said Ken Fisher, president & CEO of AmericanHort. “We are proud of the quality education programing, workshops, and industry tours available at Cultivate’19.”

This year’s workshops include:

Biocontrols Workshop – The How-to's of Quality Control and Application Methods: Participants will learn skills like applying beneficials and receiving biocontrols, which can be used back in the greenhouse. Kits will be provided with the tools needed for implementing strategies learned during the workshop. Workshop speakers are: Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, Buglady Consulting; John Sanderson, Cornell University; and Rose Buitenhuis, Vineland Research & Innovation Centre.

CareerUP – Setting You UP for Future Success: CareerUP is a day-long workshop designed to teach emerging professionals the softer or intangible skills needed to be successful. This year’s speakers will focus on improving team dynamics and communication; highlighting the skills needed to resolve conflict and have tough conversations and discuss how to better deal with change and let go of the fears that may be holding somebody back. CareerUP speakers include Leslie Halleck, Halleck Horticulture LLC; John Kennedy, John Kennedy Consulting; and Neil Glatt, GrowTheBench.

Creating A Modern Garden Center Workshop: Held at the Franklin Park Conservatory, this full-day, peer-to-peer workshop includes a panel of retail experts from around the world who will share their inspiration, plans, hurdles, and how they stay relevant to today's consumer. Moderated by Katie Debow, Garden Media Group, program speakers are: Tammy Behem, MayPop; Chris Satch, The Sill; Martina Mensing-Mecklenburg, Verband Deutscher Garden-Centre e.V.; and Jessie Jacobson, Tonkadale.

It’s All About the Workforce: Designed for horticulture HR, safety professionals, and green business owners, this workshop is for those who source, recruit, onboard and train employees. Topics to be covered include H2A Reform, Recruiting and Engaging Seasonal Labor, and Creating a Culture of Safety in the workplace in an nteractive seminar that will promote sharing of lessons learned and successes in attracting and keeping a well-trained labor force. Speakers include Patrick Berschauer, Safety and Wellness Manager at Smith Gardens, Inc. plus a panel discussion on immigration labor with expert attorney Chris Schulte of CJ Lake LLC, a leading firm and long-time partner of AmericanHort, Ann Margaret Pointer and Josh Viau attorneys with Fisher Phillips, another leading firm specializing in human resource and labor relation issues.

The Art of Giving Great Service Workshop: Zingerman’s is an experienced presence in the specialty food industry. This success comes from combining an innovative service philosophy with practical working systems, all of which will be shared in this garden retailer facing workshop. This seminar will teach the "Steps to Giving Great Service" and how to effectively handle customer complaints. The trainer is Elnian Gilbert of ZingTrain.

In addition to these workshops, industry production tours will take place on Saturday July 13 providing a unique opportunity to visit and learn firsthand from businesses in several green industry segments:

Garden Retail Tour – Tour stops include: Berns Garden Center, Delhi Flower & Garden Center, and White Oak Garden Center, a Top 100 Garden Retail Center.

Greenhouse Production Tour – Tour stops include: Green Circle Growers, Corso’s Perennials, and Corso’s Greenhouse.

Innovation Tour – This new tour goes through the Scotts Miracle-Gro headquarters to learn how they bring new consumer horticultural products to market and to share their organic nutrient research.

Nursery Production Tour – Tour stops include: Willoway Nursery, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, and Davis Tree Farm & Nursery.