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This program is designed for landscape professionals from all areas of the landscape industry. From small in-design to large multi-million-dollar operations that primarily do install and build projects. This tour provides an up-close, behind-the-scenes view of leading operations in the Kansas City area. Learn best practices around morning roll out routings, use of innovative software and other technologies and tools, see equipment demonstrations and walk away with new ideas to enhance your own company’s bottom line. You will meet industry peers and build your professional network during the two days of tours.
Tour stops include the following businesses:
6:00 AM Board Bus
7:00 AM Tour Next to Nature Landscape
-Watch morning roll out procedures
-Experience their innovative equipment check-in and check-out system
-Learn about their tracking software
-Dive into their use of H-2B labor
8:30 AM Tour an active commercial build site by Next to Nature Landscape
10:00 AM Tour Belgard/Old Castle
– Get an insider’s view into their production silos
– Learn about Belgard’s history
12:00 PM Lunch and Networking at Suburban Lawn & Garden
1:00 PM Tour Suburban Lawn & Garden
– Explore their Yard Waste Recycling Center
– See the organization of their full-service landscape buildings and facilities
3:00 PM Tour Colonial Gardens
– Learn about their landscape division’s unique PlantRight system focusing on healthy soil to grow colorful plants
– Hear from their landscape designer on incorporating native plants in suburban locations
5:00 PM Networking Reception at Colonial Gardens
7:00 PM Return to hotel
6:30 AM Board Bus
7:00 AM Tour RYAN Lawn and Tree
– Get a wholistic, behind-the-scenes view of RYAN’s facilities, buildings, equipment, and processes
– Watch their morning roll out procedures
9:00 AM Tour Rosehill Gardens
– Learn about the vertical integration of a landscape, distribution, retail, and growing business
– See how a century-old facility continues growing and innovating
11:00 AM Tour Loma Vista Nursery
– Experience acres of nursery-grown crops
– Learn about their growing practices and plant material standards
12:00 PM Lunch and Networking at Loma Vista Nursery
2:30 PM Return to Hotel
The official hotel of the AmericanHort Landscape Operations Tour is the Embassy Suites Kansas City/Overland Park, located at 10601 Metcalf Avenue, Overland Park, KS 66212.
per room per night and includes a hot breakfast, evening reception, and wi-fi in guest rooms and lobby area.
*Does not include the occupancy and room tax
Registration includes bus transportation, lunch each day and a networking reception.
Registration includes bus transportation, lunch each day and a networking reception.
We look forward to connecting with you.
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Next to Nature Landscape has been setting the bar high for the past 20 years with their keen attention to details and superior business practices that contribute to their success of approaching $20 million in sales this year.
Next to Nature’s experienced team collaborates with leading developers, architects, and contractors in the Kansas City metro area where they offer design, build, irrigation, and maintenance for both residential and commercial properties. Although a significant percentage of their maintenance business is in the commercial sector, they maintain some residential maintenance work.
During the tour you will be able to tour their newly expanded location and will experience their innovative equipment check-in and check-out system during their morning rollout. This system was developed and implemented out of a need to track and maintain equipment use, which has helped improve operational efficiency. Additionally, Next to Nature uses Aspire software to track and review their crews’ work and gives them the ability to translate to Spanish using smartphones.
The company employs 145 employees at their peak season and has been participating in the H2B workforce program for the past seven years. The company takes pride in their company culture which is described as a calm, positive, and supportive atmosphere where employees are highly valued. The culture and company values contribute to employee longevity and low levels of turnover.
On this stop you will not only witness their morning rollout, but will also see their showroom and garages, as well as discover how they store plant material secured from local suppliers.
Oldcastle APG is North America’s leading manufacturer and supplier of concrete masonry, dry mix, mulches & soils, and hardscape products. APG operates across thirty-six states and 5 Canadian provinces through a network of over 195 operating locations with more than 6,500 employees.
Belgard® is a brand of hardscape products within the Oldcastle portfolio. Known for their innovative permeable pavers, Belgard® products are backed by more than 20,000 hours in research and development each year and have been known to help contractors use land more efficiently. Sold through a network of 120 sales representatives and numerous dealer partners, Belgard® products are available for both residential and commercial use. Since 1995, Belgard®’s products have transformed thousands of residential and commercial properties across North America.
You won’t want to miss this behind-the-scenes tour of the Bonner Springs, KS manufacturing facility to learn about their newest innovations, their research processes, and to see how more than fifty Belgard® products are made.
Colonial Gardens is one of the DCA Outdoors brands. DCA Outdoors, with locations in six states, was founded in 2016 by owner Tory Schwopes, and is made up of a portfolio of twelve brands that connect production, landscape distribution, retail, agritourism and transportation industries through vertical integration. DCA’s goal is to streamline the production and distribution of landscape products, and is focused on growth, innovation, and collaborations.
Located in Blue Springs, MO, Colonial Gardens is an independent garden center with a focus on food, entertainment, events, education and agritourism. Colonial Gardens is not your traditional garden center, they are dedicated to offering an unforgettable experience. They are proud to offer their community access to some of the top experts to answer questions about landscape design, gardening, plant care and more through their robust calendar of workshops and events. They have a farm-to-table restaurant that serves an assortment of dishes using the freshest selection from local farmers who are working towards restoring the soil to its natural state through use of regenerative and sustainable agriculture practices. It is here where the vision and belief that “soil is life” and experiencing the outdoors and all it has to offer comes true.
On this tour you will learn about their landscape design and installation business that focuses on earth enhancing features and their unique PlantRight system that starts with healthy soil to grow colorful plants. PlantRight uses a unique soil and compost mix designed to reduce transplant shock, grow stronger roots, boost color, and create longer lasting blooms. Committed to running a sustainable operation, you will see their four-acre pond supplied by water runoff from their parking lot, nursery, and farm. You will also hear from their landscape designer who will share his design approach to create a tailored-for-you design based on a customer’s style and property’s unique characteristics and needs. Find out how their landscapers incorporate native plants in suburban locations, and about their relationship with sister company, KAT wholesale outdoor, who is known for their expansive selection of premium-quality plant material and hardscaping products who distributes in Missouri and Kansas.
RYAN Lawn & Tree has been an industry-leading lawn care company since they started in 1987. With six branch offices and hundreds of local RYAN Pros in Kansas City, Omaha, Tulsa, St. Louis, Springfield, MO and Wichita, KS, Ryan Lawn & Tree is uniquely positioned to provide industry-leading lawn care results throughout the entire Midwest. The company is employee-owned and made up of trained lawn care specialists, arborists, certified pest control technicians, and more. RYAN’s believes in paying well, hiring the right people, caring about their staff, and striving to help each person be the best that they can be.
A top-rated landscape company, RYAN Lawn & Tree has been recognized in rankings like the Lawn&Landscape Top 100 companies, the Landscape Management Top 150 Largest Companies, and have earned many leadership and excellence awards.
During the Landscape Operations Tour, attendees with get a behind-the-scenes view of RYAN’s Kansas City location serving the Johnson County, Jackson County and Wyandotte County. Their expertise in lawn care, irrigation, tree & plant care, landscaping, and pest control helps their customers create and maintain envy-worthy landscapes, lawns, and outdoor living spaces.
Rosehill Gardens is a century-old company in Kansas City. Since 1914, they have been a staple in the area and have built their reputation around providing customers with the highest quality landscaping products and services. With humble beginnings, the company now has several divisions including Landscape Design, Maintenance, Irrigation and Lighting, over 1,000 acres at Rosehill’s Farms, as well as a full-service retail Garden Center and a new Event Center. Each of these areas work together to provide customers with the best possible landscaping experience.
With over 100 years in business, Rosehill is proud to be able to use their history, experience, stability, and relationships to provide the best customer experience. Rosehill employs a staff of over 150 individuals. Their teams of designers and crews provide the inspiration people see, whether shopping on the Country Club Plaza, or taking in a game at Kauffman Stadium.
Loma Vista Nursery is a Midwest grower committed to healthy plants, strong customer relationships, employee success, and community and industry involvement. They offer a full product line of container and field grown plant material. Founded in 1991 by Mark Clear, a former MLB Baseball star with a passion for plants, the nursery has grown into the expansive operation they are today.
Loma Vista’s container facility is located in Ottawa, Kansas and sits on over 300 acres. There, you will find a vast selection of pot-in-pot trees, shrubs, roses, grasses, perennials and groundcovers. Approximately 20 miles north you’ll find their ‘Field of Trees’ in Willow Springs, Kansas. Loma Vista Nursery produces field-grown shade & ornamental trees, upright junipers and spruce, as well as many other deciduous and evergreen varieties on over 600 acres of perfect Midwest soil.
Their Kansas City location is centrally located to the many markets they serve, including major markets like Chicago, Denver, Des Moines, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, Oklahoma City, Omaha, and St. Louis.
Suburban Lawn & Garden is multi-faceted green-industry business with several locations in the Kansas City area that distribute plant material, hardgoods and bulk materials to the trade and retail public. Suburban also runs a full-service maintenance division that includes everything from weed and insect control to bed maintenance. Since its inception in the 1950’s, Suburban Lawn & Garden has maintained a reputation for quality, dependability, and value.
Starting in 1989, Suburban has been processing and recycling Kansas City’s organic plant waste at their Yard Waste Recycling Center, keeping millions of tons of waste out of landfills, and turning it into compost and mulch instead. This facility is open to both residential and commercial customers 7 days a week in the spring, summer and fall, and 5 days a week in the winter. Suburban Lawn & Garden offers their customers the ability to reserve mulch, decorative gravels, or soils online for delivery to their homes or jobsites.
