Seminars

Events

Views Navigation

Events Views Navigation

Today

Filters

Changing any of the form inputs will cause the list of events to refresh with the filtered results.

  • Purchasing 101: Horticultural Professionals Discuss Purchasing

    Room B110

    Panel: Representatives from Growscape, Monrovia Nursery Company, Smith Gardens, Al’s Garden & Home, Anderson Pots, OBC Northwest Inc., Simplot Turf & Horticulture.

    Panel discussion on basic purchasing and receiving processes and best practices from three growers and two manufacturers/distributors. Principles and processes that ensure efficient operations by securing the right product, right customer, right quantity, right condition, right place, right time, a

  • How We Relate to Plants Today — and Why We Buy Them

    Room B116

    Speaker: Erica Grivas, garden journalist/speaker

    Plants are more than decorations, they function as companions, wellness tools, and lifestyle statements. This session looks at how today’s buyers relate to plants, from food growers and pollinator supporters to low-maintenance gardeners and self-described “plant parents.”

  • Best Practices for Water Management and Recirculation in Nursery Operations

    Room B119

    Speakers: Tim Reusch, national sales manager at Dramm Corporation, and Alex Ramos, operations manager and co-owner of Walla Walla Nursery Co.

    Alex Ramos and Tim Reusch will review how effective water-use strategies are crucial to promoting plant health and sustainability. Cultural and mechanical best practices to implement in the nursery can help ensure growers understand the tools and techniques available.

  • How Diseases Hitch a Ride: When Insects Act as Plant Pathogen Vectors

    Room B113

    Speaker: Sierra Laverty, assistant professor and horticulture educator, University of Idaho Extension

    Some of the most common greenhouse, nursery, and landscape pests are also harbingers of plant diseases. Certain insect pests act as pathogen vectors, spreading fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases from plant to plant like wildfire through a growing operation or landscape.

  • Purchasing 102: A Deeper Dive

    Room B110

    Panel: Representatives from Growscape, Monrovia Nursery Company, Smith Gardens, Al’s Garden & Home, Anderson Pots, OBC Northwest Inc., Simplot Turf & Horticulture.

    A deeper discussion of today’s supply chain and how it’s affected by issues like tariffs, price, environmental legislation, and long lead times.

  • Listen Up! Garden Podcasts are in Your Customers’ Ears

    Room B116

    Speaker: Kathy Jentz, author, podcaster, Washington gardener, GardenDC Podcast

    Garden podcasts are wired directly into your customers’ brains. Their hosts are telling them what to grow and purchase on this unique medium. You need to get hooked on them to reach this growing audience and spread plant knowledge.

  • Navigating The Use of Wood Fiber in Your Growing Media

    Room B119

    Speaker: James Owen, Ph.D., technical manager, Profile Products LLC, Professional Growing Solutions

    Attendees will review the physical and chemical properties of conventional Pacific Northwest growing media components. Attendees will also be introduced to wood fiber(s) and its impact on physical and chemical properties of the growing media.

  • The Art of Chemical Application

    Room B113

    Speaker: Edgar Tuna, greenhouse and nursery crop specialist, area sales manager Western U.S., Envu

    Effective chemical application is far more than simply operating a spray gun or pulling a boom. It is both an art and a science. It requires a good understanding of the equipment being used, the products applied, the environmental conditions at the time of treatment, and the specific characteristics of the application site.

  • Hands-On: New Ways to Host High-Profit Creative Workshops at Garden Centers

    Room B110

    Speaker: Katie Elzer-Peters, CEO, The Garden of Words LLC

    Attendees will learn about the rise of maker spaces at retail and how a garden center can hop on board this emerging, profitable trend driven by the age 25–45 demographic. They will learn how to teach two types of garden-adjacent creative art projects that use the same low-cost

  • Beyond the Hype: Targeting Trends that Matter

    Room B116

    Speaker: Erica Grivas, award-winning garden journalist

    Garden trends don’t move in a straight line. Why do some fade quickly while others persist? In this session, a national garden journalist presents a curated roundup of garden trends showing signals of staying power, drawn from reporting and industry observation.

  • Chaos to Clarity: Building an AI Stack for Growers and the Green Industry

    Room B116

    Speaker: Chris Sabbarese, co-founder, Infusion Management Services

    Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how businesses operate, but many organizations struggle to move from curiosity to practical implementation. This session provides a clear framework for understanding and building an AI technology stack that supports marketing,

  • Soil, Systems, and Sustainability: Transforming Landscape Practices for a Changing Climate

    Room B119

    Speakers: Marie Chieppo, partner and Trevor Smith, regenerative landscape designer, CFS Regenerative Design Studios, LLC

    As climate pressures reshape plant performance and client expectations, landscape professionals must align ecological function with profitability. This session explores soil-centered design, resilient plant communities, and strategies for building a niche market through sustainable materials, including native

  • The Retail Playbook: Strengthen Sales Without ‘Selling’

    Room B110

    Speaker: Neal Glatt, founder and CEO, Neal Glatt Sales & Strategy

    In this extended session for retailers, you'll learn to build a practical retail playbook to help your team confidently guide customers to increased ticket volumes without making customers feel sold to. Explore how customers shop, decide, and engage with your team. Learn how to use

  • Mastering Career Development Planning Part 1: The Foundations of a Career Advancement

    Room B110

    Speaker: Neal Glatt, founder and CEO, Neal Glatt Sales & Strategy

    Employees don’t just want a job — they want a clear pathway for growth. A career advancement plan gives them a documented roadmap for developing skills, earning new responsibilities, and achieving meaningful progress in their careers. When implemented well, it creates consistency

  • Promoting Soil Health: A Prescription for Landscape Success

    Room B116

    Speaker: Bryce Lane, distinguished professor emeritus, North Carolina State University

    As landscapers, and gardeners, we typically spend most of our time thinking above ground. We spend countless hours selecting the right woody plant, considering the right exposure, combinations, size, color, and textures. Woody plant’s success is equally dependent on what is going

  • From Manual to High-Tech: How Automation Empowers Growers

    Room B119

    Speaker: Raymond van den Berg, sales manager Americas, TTA-ISO

    In this session the speaker will discuss and explain the challenges, practises and benefits of introducing (high-tech) technology into a greenhouse or nursery.  Introducing technology into your operation does not only mean buying machinery, but will also challenge you to look more

  • Vascular Streak Dieback (VSD): What Growers Need to Know

    Room B113

    Speaker: Luisa Santamaria, Ph.D., professor, Oregon State University

    Vascular streak dieback (VSD) is an emerging disease affecting woody ornamentals in several regions of the United States and has raised concern for nursery production systems. Increased awareness is essential for early detection and prevention in the Pacific Northwest.

  • Mastering Career Development Planning Part 2: Designing Clear Roles, Skills, and Pathways

    Room B110

    Speaker: Neal Glatt, founder and CEO, Neal Glatt Sales & Strategy

    Employees don’t just want a job — they want a clear pathway for growth. A career advancement plan gives them a documented roadmap for developing skills, earning new responsibilities, and achieving meaningful progress in their careers. When implemented well, it creates consistency

  • Lawn Alternatives: Hot Design Style, or Challenging for Homeowners and HOA’s?

    Room B116

    Speaker: Sue Goetz, garden designer, consultant, speaker and author, Creative Gardener

    You’ve heard the buzz words — rewilding, regenerative, and naturalism Ripping out traditional lawns and creating magical meadow plantings, no-mow-seed mixes, and more. It is all getting attention and becoming more mainstream, but is it sustainable for customers and landscape

  • Consumers and Environmental Health: How Growers Can Respond to Changing Market Demand

    Room B119

    Speaker: Marie Chieppo, partner, and Trevor Smith, regenerative landscape designer, CFS Regenerative Design Studios LLC

    Climate change and rising environmental awareness are reshaping how plants and horticultural products are selected, specified, and purchased. Designers, municipalities, and consumers are prioritizing climate-resilient, ecologically functional plant material while also examining

  • Wrecking Root Rots

    Room B113

    Speaker: Janna Beckerman, ornamentals technical specialist, Envu

    Root rots are some of the most devastating pathogens that growers face but often remain under and misdiagnosed. This talk will review the diagnosis and integrated disease management of the most common root rots grower face, including Fusarium, Phytophthora, Pythium and Rhizoctonia.

  • Avoid Costly Delays: Spec-Correct Sourcing for Landscape and Municipal Projects

    Room B116

    Speaker: Cameron Korta, director of bulk sales, Swanson Bark & Wood, a Denali Company

    Project delays in landscape and municipal work often begin during the specification stage, long before construction starts. This session examines why material specifications fail in real projects, using practical examples that leads to change orders, rework, and schedule impacts.

  • Annual Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Training for Handlers: (Spanish session)

    Room B113

    Speaker: Vanessa Vassilaros, outreach specialist, Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Note: This session will be presented entirely in Spanish. English translation will not be available. Attendants will receive their annual training on pesticide safety according to the Worker Protection Standard (WPS).

  • How to Upsell Existing Customers with Engaging Email

    Room B110

    Speaker: Katie Elzer-Peters, CEO, The Garden of Words LLC

    In this session, attendees will learn how to engage their existing customers to sell more services, higher tiers of service and raise average order value. During the session they’ll also learn and take home templates for batching their email campaigns

  • Plant Health and Efficiencies That Can Be Achieved Through Irrigation

    Room B119

    Speaker: Andrew Van Geest, sales, large projects, AdeptAg-Zwart Systems

    In this session Van Geest will discuss common issues that he sees around the country among nursery producers as well as the different types of irrigation tools and their proper application in the nursery. We will touch on automation of irrigation cycles, use of booms, sanitization,

  • There is No Such Thing as Dwarf: Compact Plants for the Landscape

    Room B116

    Speaker: Bryce Lane, distinguished professor alumnus, North Carolina State University

    Home landscapes are shrinking, the average residential property size is now less than a quarter of an acre. More and more people are living in the city and have less and less space for plants. This has resulted in an increasing demand for dwarf/compact, self-contained plants. In this talk

  • Deep Dive into Displays for the Retail Garden Center

    Room B110

    Speakers: David Williams and Erik Dietl-Friedli, partners, Garden Center Consultants LLC

    An inspiring and highly visual presentation showcasing innovative display strategies that drive customer engagement and increase sales.  Learn how to design intentional merchandising experiences that convert browsers into buyers.

  • Who You Gonna Call? Where to Find Reliable Information on IPM Tools

    Room B113

    Speaker: Kirsten Pearsons, IPM coordinator, T&L Nursery

    Growers and pest management professionals have access to more pest management tools than ever before, but how do we pick the best strategies for our operations? This session is designed to give an overview of the tools and resources that we can use to decide our best course of pest

  • Future of Plastic and Bioplastic Horticulture Containers

    Room B110

    Speakers: Tom Marting, director of sustainable solutions, and Grace Hungerford, sustainability analyst, Growscape

    This session explores rising consumer demand for more sustainable packaging materials, with a particular focus on bioplastics. We will examine the current landscape of bioplastic technologies available in the market today, including their regulatory pressures, performance, benefits,

  • From Awareness to Action: Preventing Pesticide Resistance in the Nursery Industry

    Room B113

    Speaker: Silvia Rondon, Ph.D., professor and director of the Oregon Integrated Pest Management Center, Oregon State University

    This presentation focuses on translating awareness of pesticide resistance into practical management strategies for the nursery industry. Participants will learn how resistance develops, how integrated pest management (IPM) practices can reduce selection pressure, and how

  • Benefits of Using Vast Numbers of Microbial Strains vs. a Few Strains

    Room B119

    Speaker: Kevin Johnson, president, Microbial Science Laboratories, LLC

    The first part of the slide presentation will focus on individual strains, describing how each one functions in the soil around the roots. The second part of the presentation will focus on groups of microbes and how they interact with each other. Microbes being discussed are Bacillus,

  • Future of Plastic and Bioplastic Horticulture Containers

    Room B110

    Speakers: Tom Marting, director of sustainable solutions, and Grace Hungerford, sustainability analyst, Growscape

    This session explores rising consumer demand for more sustainable packaging materials, with a particular focus on bioplastics. We will examine the current landscape of bioplastic technologies available in the market today, including their regulatory pressures, performance, benefits,

  • How to Recruit, Train and Retain Talent in the Post-Baby-Boomer Era

    Room B110

    Speaker: Erick Harris, nursery sales director, Breezy Hill Nursery

    Companies all over the world have to contend with the fact that Baby Boomers are about to sail off into the sunset. By 2030, all of the Boomers, the second biggest generation ever, will be 65 or older. Because our industry is such a special place to work, we probably have more

  • Breaking the Cycle: In-Season Sanitation for Liverwort, Moss, and Algae

    Room B113

    Speaker: Josey Heston, technical representative, BioSafe Systems

    Liverwort, moss, and algae thrive in the Pacific Northwest’s cool, wet climate, disrupting crop quality, irrigation efficiency, and production flow. This session explores how sanitation and irrigation practices drive infestations and outlines practical prevention