SUNDAY
8 am – 11 am
"Lean Flow for the Green Industry: a 3-Hour Workshop"
Presented by Gary Cortez, partner at FlowVision
Lean Flow is not just for manufacturing companies. The benefits that hundreds of manufacturing companies have achieved are now being realized in the green industry. As the global market gets more competitive and profit margins shrink industry leaders are looking at Lean Flow to help them be more competitive and profitable.
FlowVision® has become the leader in the application of Lean Flow in Nurseries and Greenhouses. From orchids to cuttings to woody bushes to cut flowers we have successfully implemented the Lean Flow techniques and methodology in Nurseries and Greenhouses throughout the world.
Gary Cortés, partner at FlowVision
Enjoy this article from the WESTERN Magazine, click here.
2 pm – 3 pm
"Are Your Insurance Costs High?
Learn the Tricks to Lowering Your Costs."
Presented by Jill Hoffmann with Hortica Insurance
Are you meeting OSHA requirements? Find out what the industry’s most frequently cited OSHA standards are so that you can better avoid citations.
Is equipment theft a problem for your company? Find out why it happens, and how to better safeguard your equipment and operations.
Drivers are four times more likely to be in a vehicle accident when they are talking on a cell phone. What’s your cell phone policy? Come to the 2010 WESTERN to review a sample cell phone policy, learn about driver safety programs including written policies and procedures, monitoring programs, and what to do in case of an accident. A good cell phone policy and monitoring program can help reduce motor vehicle accidents and save you money.
Jill Hoffmann, Hortica Regional Loss Control Manager (www.hortica-insurance.com)
3 pm – 4 pm
"How to Get State Incentives for Your Business"
Presented by J.R. Robl with the Kansas Department of Commerce
There are state incentives available for your business. Make sure you know about all of the tax credits and incentives that can help your business. The Kansas Department of Commerce will offer information on income tax incentives, property tax incentives, and sales tax exemptions.
J.R. Robl is the Regional Project Manager for the Kansas Department of Commerce (KDOC), representing a six county metropolitan area. KDOC administers programs through Business Development, Community Development, International Trade, Tourism and Workforce Development. The focus of these programs is to promote the growth and retention of existing businesses. J.R. has been with the agency since 2003, specializing in tax credits and business incentives. He also leads up the advisory board for community development assistance, which authorizes nearly $10 million in annual tax credit funds for non-profit organizations.
A native of Great Bend, Kansas, Robl holds a B.S. in Political Science and Marketing from Kansas State University and an M.P.A. from the University of Kansas. He is a certified administrator for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and a frequent presenter to the non-profit community.
4 pm – 5 pm
It's All About the ROI: Top 10 Ways To Improve Your Bottom Line with Technology Solutions
Presented by Mike Mendon and Michael Turner
In these economic times, business is more competitive than ever and garden retailers have to make sure they are being as profitable as they can while still maintaining a high level of customer service. The leaders in the market have been using technology to their advantage for a long time but there is no reason for anyone to be left out of the value provided by the affordable and powerful systems out there today.
Join us as we will review 10 ways your business should be using POS and inventory management tools to improve your bottom line today. If you are not using these ideas to increase sales, control inventory costs and stay close to your customers today, you are leaving money on the table. Come ready to discuss practical ways to improve your business and make your life easier with strategic use of technology solutions.
Mike Mendon has over 20 years of experience in the systems consulting business with an emphasis on accounting and point of sale (POS) applications. For many years he managed his own business and guided the sales, implementation, training and support for his many clients. In 2006, Mendon merged his firm with MainSpring, LLC and is now the Sr. Sales Manager over MainSpring’s Kansas City office. An MBA with a degree in Economics, Mendon has a wealth of experience to share with his clients.
Michael Turner is a CPA with many years of business consulting and public accounting experience. Turner works with customers to review their business processes and technology tools to ensure they are prepared for success. He is also a CounterPoint SQL Certified Installer. Turner joined MainSpring in 2003 and leads the firms marketing and business development efforts.
MainSpring Retail Solutions is an Elite Retail Partner for Radiant Systems, Inc. and a Certified Microsoft Partner. MainSpring is a member of the WNLA and a consistent exhibitor/supporter of the WESTERN show. MainSpring is also the preferred technology partner of the Lawn and Garden Dealers Association.
MONDAY
"The Garden Center Business Development Program:
5 Sessions"
Presented by Robert Hendrickson and Sid Raisch
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Attendees should bring their financial information (2009 P&L, department sales figures, property size used for retail sales, number of parking spots, marketing material currently being used and monthly sales figures to be used to budget)
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Program is targeted toward both owners and key department manager personnel
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Program is inter-active
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Attendees will receive handouts for future reference
It should be obvious to anyone in retail that business is no longer being conducted “as usual”. For that reason, any approach to doing business the way it’s traditionally been done is to ignore all the changes taking place at what seems to be at a faster and faster pace. Often garden centers find themselves pushed to the limits trying to keep up with an ever-changing list of demands. Competition and the increasing cost of doing business have created the necessity for garden centers to be in a perpetual state of re-invention.
Spend the day with two of the industry’s leading business advisors as they take you through the process of how to succeed when facing some of your company’s greatest challenges.
8 am – 9 am
“If Looks Could Sell…” Robert Hendrickson
There’s a big difference between decorating your store with merchandise and creating displays designed to sell. Once the difference is understood, it will be easier the next time a shipment of new product arrives to make sure it all gets sold.
See how garden centers in all sizes, shapes and colors position themselves from the really good to the “what were they thinking!” Discover how signage, benching, traffic flow, impact and inspiration can work into a cohesive package that brings out the best you have to offer. The industry may be complaining about shrinking sales, diminishing customer count and squeezed margins, but there are centers across the country that are moving in the exact opposite direction by putting the principles discussed in this session in place.
9 am – 10 am
“Part 1: A Step By Step Approach To Result Marketing… the Only Kind That Matters” Robert Hendrickson
10 am – 11 am
“Part 2: A Step By Step Approach To Result Marketing… the Only Kind That Matters” Robert Hendrickson
Each day garden center owners are faced with the same advertising and marketing dilemma… so many options, so little money. This introspective workshop addresses requirements many companies ignore when developing a marketing program. Interactive discussion will focus on identifying company strengths, creating methods needed for gathering new customers and developing programs designed to keep the customers you already have.
- Learn how to position your company in a way that connects with the best customers
- Discover marketing messages that resonate with those searching for what you provide
- Uncover the motivation behind every customer’s desire for what gardening can offer
Participants should bring…
- samples of 2009 marketing pieces
- (newspaper ads, direct mail, radio/TV spots, etc)
- monthly sales for 2009
- monthly sales for one key department for 2009
- marketing expense report for 2009
2 pm – 3 pm
“All That You Believe About Making Money In the Garden Center Business May Be All Wrong” Sid Raisch
Face it, these are challenging times! Garden centers cannot afford to do things they cannot afford to do. Doing what we believe is necessary may not be profitable, affordable or business-sustainable. There are cold hard realities inherent to the business that actually prevents most garden centers from making a true profit.
In this session we’ll examine commonly mistaken counter-intuitive beliefs such as:
- Why Full-Service Is A Mistake
- Why You Can’t Afford To Bootstrap Today
- Why You Can Never Make Up For Lower Prices With Volume
- Why Profit Is NOT An Accident
We will share proof that others are not doing what you were always told you had to do and finally making money. You can too.
3 pm – 4 pm
“How Will You Get Anywhere If No One Comes With You?” Sid Raisch
What owners and managers are doing always gets in the way of who they should be-coming. In companies where one or a few people are doing it all we don’t need to talk about where they might be going, because they are already there.
Our industry generally accepts (and takes great pride in) process leadership –growing, buying, scheduling, and merchandising stuff and services while we should put even more importance on people leadership – growing and developing ourselves and our people to lead other people.
Learn to overcome the three show-stopping, Business Killing Attitudes:
- We must work harder to do better
- It’s lonely at the top
- I may as well do it myself
In this session you’ll learn what an Executive Leadership Mindset is and how to keep it, and the basic and necessary skills for clarifying, communicating, and getting alignment in your company.
Presenters:
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Robert Hendrickson, with more than 30 years experience assisting garden centers of all sizes with operational issues that could become deciding factors between owners making money or getting a real job, Robert spends most of the year traveling across the U.S. and Canada helping companies focus on the business side of their business. As Managing Director of The Garden Center Group, an alliance of more than 100 garden centers, consultants, service providers and preferred vendors, he created the Business Development Program which assists garden centers with marketing, site development, financial analysis and benchmarking, human resource standards, media placement, mystery shopper service and business strategies.
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Sid Raisch, is the founder and President of Horticultural Advantage, a consulting firm for independent garden centers and their suppliers. He has taken his 28 years of experience assisting a wide range of green industry companies and has formulated it into a systematic program designed to help garden centers make the kind of decisions that drives sales, improve operations and focus on profit. He is a key Service Provider for The Garden Center Group.