The Breakfast Club

More than 40 years ago, green industry professionals had a dream of sharing their successes and not-so-fruitful ventures with each other. This exchange of experiences and knowledge transformed from a simple idea into a formalized reality when a handful of business owners gathered to discuss their past year of business. Each morning began with a group of men clustered around the breakfast table hashing out ideas and candidly discussing their trade and its unique challenges.

From these humble beginnings, the Breakfast with Champions held each year at The Green Industry & Equipment Expo, Louisville, Ky., was born and continues today thanks to the guidance from sponsoring associations – the Professional Landcare Network and the Professional Grounds Management Society. While each association has its own focus during their respective breakfasts, GIE+EXPO attendees to both events can leave with full bellies and a lot of good information to help grow their businesses.

BREAKFAST WITH PLANET
When the doors swing open to PLANET’s 20th annual gathering on Oct. 23, event planners are expecting more than 800 attendees from the landscaping and lawn care industry. In order to make this year’s breakfast another popular success, three vital ingredients must be incorporated – facilitators, industry professionals and stimulating topics.

More than 80 facilitators are on hand to spark the breakfast discussions. These facilitators are active experts in the green industry who possess valuable information based on their years of industry experience. These aides help foster relevant and intriguing discussions through a two-fold approach. First, they must collect pertinent information on a certain topic to share with the members at their table. Second, they must be able to identify each member’s talents and skill levels in order to draw out even the most reserved personalities. The belief that eight minds are better than one is a core value of a facilitator. They don’t lecture or even present to the attendees but rather help moderate the discussion and encourage all members to contribute to the conversation. It is not surprising for a facilitator to leave the event with a sense of having learned more than they could have taught.

For this year’s Breakfast with Champions many industry-relevant topics are planned, including “A Competitive Advantage No One Can Steal,” “Diversifying Into New Services,” and “Growing From $1 to $2 Million.” Among some of the latest additions to the itinerary are themes focusing on increasing sales in tough economic times and health care.

Those who wish to take part in this year’s breakfasts can purchase their tickets at the registration table the morning of the event – tickets are $100 for PLANET members and $175 for nonmembers. The three-day event typically sells out, so get tickets early. In past years, attendees have lined up as early as 6 a.m. to get through the doors and grab seats at specific tables.

Members with experience advise the most important items to bring for the day are business cards and an open mind. Attendees are encouraged to consider new ideas and possess a willingness to share the good, bad and ugly with others for an open, honest and valuable discussion.

BREAKFAST WITH PGMS
The PGMS Breakfast of Champions gatherings have goals similar to PLANET’s Breakfast with Champions. Also stretching over three days, Thursday will feature the association’s Green Star Awards Ceremony, Friday will consist of the annual PGMS Business Meeting and Saturday is the educational breakfast meeting, which will focus on the association’s “Sustainable Sites Initiative.” No tickets are required, but attendees must be PGMS members.

On Thursday, attendees will gather to listen to the grand award recipients of the association’s 2008 Green Star Awards Program, which honors the best in grounds management. The award nominees are typically professional groundskeepers who take care of different property types, including universities, hospitals and small college campuses. They may share how they convinced a college dean that a well-manicured campus has a positive impact on prospective students or how they addressed the issue of funding in these tough economical times. As with any award, the perks of winning include sharing successes but, more importantly, winners also share their tips to becoming an award recipient so others can improve their chances.