The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association (ONLA) secured a slew of presenters for the 2015 Central Environmental Nursery Trade Show (CENTS) Marketplace & University, held Jan. 7-9 at The Greater Columbus (Ohio) Convention Center.
“We are delighted to host such exceptional presenters and content at CENTS University 2015,” said Lisa Larson, education director of ONLA. “We’re committed to delivering vital, practical education to every level of green industry professional; so we’ve collaborated with allied associations across Ohio to draw experts to present at CENTS University.”
2015 CENTS will feature the following speakers.
A consultant for garden retail and hardware industries, Ian Baldwin specializes in profitability, strategic planning, training and financial analysis. At CENTS, he will show retailers how-to be competitive, earn higher margins and build loyal customers in the retail sector, drawing on his 34 years’ experience to “make more money with less stress.”
Peter MacDonagh, director of design and science at Kestrel Design Group, will share his global expertise in low impact development, urban forestry, stormwater management and green roof technologies. A registered landscape architect in seven states and one Canadian province, MacDonagh will touch on the skills needed to tap new green-technology markets in the commercial and residential sectors.
Tony LoBello, design director for Mariani Landscape, will hit on best practices for leading a team that sells, designs, plans, installs and maintains award-winning residential, commercial and municipal landscape projects.
James Urban is a recipient of the International Society of Arboriculture’s Award of Achievement for long-term contributions to arboriculture. He also received American Society of Landscape Architect’s Medal of Excellence. At CENTS, Urban will encourage professionals to shift practices/paradigms as they explore new roles growers, buyers and designers can play in planting, specifying and cultivating healthy trees for urban and residential landscapes.
Kirk Gibson will teach leadership skills and the TRUST Selling methodology. A sales skills development manager for Doosan lnfracore Construction Equipment, Bobcat Co. and Gibson Consulting Group, Gibson will detail how to communicate effectively while generating sales results and building long-term relationships with team, business sector and customer base.
