Workshops and Tours You Can Take at Cultivate'19

Jennifer Zurko

AmericanHort 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.

This year’s workshops include:

•  Biocontrols Workshop: The How-tos of Quality Control and Application Methods: Participants will learn many useful skills, such as 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 and progress in your career. 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 you 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 top retail experts from around the world who’ll 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 H-2A reform, recruiting and engaging seasonal labor, and creating a culture of safety in the workplace in a highly interactive 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; along with Ann Margaret Pointer and Josh Viau, attorneys with Fisher Phillips, another leading firm specializing in human resources and labor relations issues.

• The Art of Giving Great Service Workshop: Zingerman’s has set the standard for great customer service 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 you the steps to giving great service and how to effectively handle customer complaints. You’ll leave with a plan to create a culture of great service in your garden center. The trainer is Elnian Gilbert of ZingTrain.

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

• Garden Retail Tour: Tour stops include: Berns Garden Center, Delhi Flower & Garden Center and White Oak Garden Center.

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

• Innovation Tour: NEW this year, tour 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.

There’s an additional registration fee for these tours and workshops, which can be purchased when registering for Cultivate’19. All-Access pass holders can attend any of the more than 150 education sessions that take place during Cultivate with education tracks specifically planned for the Greenhouse, Landscape, Nursery, Garden Retail, Interior Plantscape, Generation Next and Business Plus audiences.

General registration for Cultivate’19 is open now. You can register at Cultivate19.org/Reg. GT