NALP Elevate Conference recap

I attended the Elevate event put on by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). It’s half product expo, half education, and half networking. Yes, I did that math on purpose. This three-day event in Charlotte in November included a little bit of everything, maybe too much? I will break down in words and pictures the three themes I followed at this multi-personality event.  

Efficiency 

Accomplishing more without adding more people, that type of efficiency was on the minds of most attendees at Elevate. From autonomous vehicles to sustainability and plant health to software and AI, companies in attendance worked hard to show how they can help landscape pros increase efficiency.  

Robotic lawn mowers were one of the main talking points at both Elevate (like at Equip Expo). The discussions here were, according to Ben Houssa, robotics VP for Echo Tools, less about “what does it do?” and more about “how can I implement that?” Houssa added, “The pros here are asking better questions.” They are also discovering they will need new skillsets on their teams to fully gain autonomous efficiencies. “This is not just a new mower,” he said. “It requires a different type of logic for its problem-solving gains.”  

Husqvarna, Kress, and long-time autonomous enabler Wright Manufacturing among others talked about mowers that require fewer workers. “This is about both labor and technology, but first it’s about labor,” said Steve Uljua, Kress’s head of robotics and technology. Uljua said that robotic mowers will change the way homeowners design their lawns, and the way that landscape contractors work with homeowners. Discussions about robotics happened on the Elevate expo floor and in education sessions.  

Technology service providers were well represented at Elevate. Companies including Aspire, Fleetr, MindCloud, Proposify and others held education sessions and staffed displays on the expo floor. They discussed solutions such as simplifying proposals and estimates, communicating with customers, tracking staff time and benefits, and general business operations.  

Terms like “AI-enabled” were used freely. Too freely, according to keynote speaker Noelle Russell who said that all industry pros should ask more questions when technology providers boast about AI tools. Ask about data security, customization options, user experience, and performance metrics, for starters. Russell is an AI advocate and tech leader.  

Connections 

Elevate successfully enables professional connections with its focus on education sessions, group meals, and a smaller event footprint (than Equip Expo). At first, I thought the food thing was just a nice convenience for attendees. But by providing breakfast, lunch, and substantial happy hours at the end of each day, the event organizers create even more opportunities for people to meet and talk to each other right at the event.  

This is a people-focused event. I attended at least three education sessions each day; you could easily fit in one or two more. Many companies send multiple people to Elevate so they can cover even more education events and share the knowledge. Twenty-one companies had more than 10 staff members in attendance at Elevate. Landscape giant Mariani sent 49 people, and Yellowstone sent 35 people. The show limits expo room hours to times when attendees will not be in education events; that’s about four hours of display-room time each day. The event does schedule small-setting education events in the expo area called “Campfire Conversations.” With just a few seats available for each, these events filled quickly.  

With its relatively small attendance numbers, the Elevate expo area creates good conversation and connection opportunities. Stanley Black & Decker’s Hustler team showed a prototype tracked mower. “We brought it here to get feedback and have conversations,” said SBD’s Aaron Griffith. “It’s a crucial time in the development. We can take feedback and make changes if needed before we begin testing. So far, people like it and the market seems to need it.”  

Kubota reps were busy with conversations about mini excavators. The Wright team was talking with pro users about autonomous mowers. And a representative from Whisper Aero quietly walked the floor carrying its leaf blower to give people a closer look.  

Productivity 

Whether accomplished with new equipment, better hiring, the right liquid or granular applications, focused consulting services or through mergers and acquisitions, everyone in attendance shared a goal of increasing productivity. The first education session I attended taught me a lot about H-2B visas and hiring from across the border. This is a huge issue for landscape business owners in many parts of the country. This is a political issue, a human issue, and an administrative issue that requires expert guidance.  

On the political side, the Seasonal Employment Protection Act is a Senate proposal designed to bring more certainty and stability to the H-2B visa program; groups such as the NALP, the Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association and the Golf Course Superintendents Association have shown support for this proposal. “Call your elected officials; it does actually make an impact,” said Stephen Ward of Labor Consultants International at the education session.  

Bob Williamson, of Cetane Associates, led a discussion on growth where expert panelists discussed mergers and acquisition activity. Brett Stoehr, of Unity Partners, talked about the increasing interest investment companies are showing in the landscape industry.  

In more traditional landscape-productivity discussions, attendees and exhibitors talked about better applications and the equipment needed to apply them. From Turfco’s sprayers and spreaders to the fertilizers provided by Harrel’s, attendees were presented with end-to-end options.  

Who should attend Elevate? 

This is mostly an event for business owners and managers in landscaping, tree care, design/build contractors, and turf care. Yes, you can have discussions about equipment itself with manufacturers and distributors in attendance. But this is an event for learning, for operations and management ideas, and for meeting like-minded professionals.  

Awards of Excellence

• Judges’ Award, Ruppert Landscape for its Metropolitan Park Terraces project.
• Lifetime Leadership, Jeff Buhler of Massey Services
• Women Leader of the Year, Brigitte Orrick of the Davey Tree Expert Company
• Advocate of the Year, Nick Brummel of Brummel Lawn & Landscape
• Young Professional of the Year, Nate Farley of NationScapes

Safety Recognition Awards

• Brandon Rushing Lawn & Garden Care – Lorton, Virginia
• Curby’s Lawn & Garden, LLC – Olathe, Kansas
• Keep it Green Landscaping – Fair Lawn, New Jersey
• SchoggenScapes, Inc. – Clinton, Mississippi

Elevate 2025 will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, November 2-5, at the Phoenix Convention Center.