SAINT THOMAS, USVI – The annual Leaders Forum opened Thursday night with a keynote from Daniel Levine, director of the Avant Guide Institute in New York, who spoke to about 200 attendees about major trends his firm is tracking in 2017.
Green is getting greener. “Green and the ‘eco’ trend is probably among the top trends that we see in our office everyday and will be with us for the rest of our lives,” Levine said. This runs the gamut from entire countries trying to reduce their carbon footprint to zero, to individuals thinking more about where their food comes from. Especially with the Millennial generation and younger, he said, “this idea of leaving the world a better place than we found it will be even more powerful 10 years from now than it is today.” He challenged attendees to think about how they, as members of the original green industry, can maintain a leadership position in this area.
Living spaces are getting smart. Wearables like smart watches continue to grow in popularity, and that functionality is already spreading to home tech like the Nest thermostat and irrigation systems that can be monitored and controlled via smartphones. As customers gain high levels of control in other areas of their home, they’ll come to expect the same from their landscape and lawn care, Levine said. “We are being trained by companies outside of our own industries ... customers are being trained to have certain expectations and expecting to have these same trends in other parts of their lives,” he said.
Simplicity is paramount. As customers lives continue to grow more hectic, Levine said many are looking for ways to simplify, and landscapers can help by removing what he calls “pain points” from their operations. “Simplicity is something you all should be selling,” he said.
Corporate social leadership is next. Companies should be responsible to the world around them, not exist just for profits, Levine said, and that means leading by example and not just donating part of their profits to charity. He cited companies like Toms Shoes, which donates one pair of shoes to someone in need for each pair purchased, and the recent decision by CVS to stop selling cigarettes and turning down the $2 billion in revenue they brought in. “I don't think as an industry you're telling your customers enough,” he said “We need to share the good we’re doing with our customers, because our customers care, too.”
Wellness is evolving into well being. Customers are more cognizant of their mental and spiritual health, Levine said, and are interested in improving their overall health and making connections with other people. “This is what greenspaces are all about,” he says. “You are in a leadership position in this trend already. Everyone is nipping at your heels.”
During the first night of the leaders forum, the new NALP board was installed. It includes:
President Jon Cundiff
President Elect Jeff Buhler
Secretary/treasurer Andrew Ziehler
Immediate Past President Brett Lemcke
Directors terms begin May 1
Jason Becker, Caterpillar
Mike Bogan, LandCare
Jim Campanella, Lawn Dawg
Pete Farno, Bayer
Paul Fraynd, Sun Valley
Rosco Klausing, Klausing Group
Joe Kujawa, KEI |
Zach Johnson, CSU
Frank Mariani, Mariani Landscape
Shane Newman, YardApes
Not pictured
Joy Diaz, Landcare
Barb Stropko, New Desert Gallery
Bob Grover, Pacific Landscape Management
The event is sponsored by Caterpillar, Bayer, John Deere, Bartlett Tree Experts, Syngenta, Toro, GIE+EXPO, Gravely and Aspire. It continues through Saturday.
