Owners and Managers Event
No Filter: How We Run Our Landscape Businesses
Real Leaders. Real Challenges. Real Solutions.
Join the Owners and Managers Committee for their 2nd panel and networking event. These events are for owners and senior leaders to promote professional development, share industry experiences, network, and advance best practices with one another.
This event is limited to owners and senior leaders and managers.
Note: Attendees must serve in an owner, owner-operator, or senior manager role that directly oversees people, departments, and/or budgets. Experience with project management, strategic planning, goal setting, client management, and employee recruitment and retention is preferred. Senior leaders/managers do not need to have an equity stake to attend.
Schedule:
3:00–3:30pm: Casual interaction, check-in
3:30–4:30pm: Panel (40 minutes + 20 minutes of Q&A)
I’m a Senior Leader – Ask Me Anything
This panel will use the no filter format where attendees get to ask what is on their minds. Panelists will have no knowledge of the questions ahead of time and must speak from their successes, failures, and lived experiences.
4:30pm–5:15pm: Structured networking/roundtables (45 minutes of networking with one rotation)
The six table topics will be:
- Production and creating efficiencies in my business (overtime, weather, fuel costs, KPIs)
- Sales, business growth, and expansion (sales strategies, client communication, prospecting)
- Business sense, pricing, and profitability (gross margins, contract balancing)
- Technology and systems (business management systems, EOS, AI, design)
- Management systems and the macrostructure of my organization (staffing, promotions, right seats on the bus)
- Labor management, culture, and onboarding (flexibility, incentives, accolades, and reprimands)
5:15–6:00pm: Drinks and socializing
Panelists:
Joe Haubert, General Manager and Director of Sales, Rosborough Partners, Libertyville, IL
Joseph Haubert, ASLA, PLA is General Manager and Director of Sales at Rosborough Partners, a Chicago-area full-service landscape design/build and maintenance firm. A licensed landscape architect in Illinois and Michigan, Joe brings more than 18 years of experience in residential landscape design, construction, sales, and business leadership, having worked with landscape architecture and design/build firms throughout Illinois and Ohio.
Tom Kusmerz, Owner, The Barn Landscape + Architecture, Barrington, IL
Tom Kusmerz is a third-generation landscape professional and President of The Barn Landscape + Architecture, a family-owned company with more than 50 years of history serving Chicago’s northwest suburbs. Tom is also President of Fox Ridge Nursery, an established Illinois wholesale grower of specimen trees, shrubs, and evergreens.
Christian Schloegel, Founder, C+I Services, Clarendon Hills, IL
Christian is founder and general manager of C+I Services LLC, a four-season landscape company serving residential and commercial clients in Chicago’s western suburbs. He brings a high-energy entrepreneurial spirit to his work and personal life. Christian’s calling to be part of the green industry began in middle school and continues to evolve as he focuses on client satisfaction while fueling growth opportunities for his company and crew.
Anthony Smith, General Manager, American Gardens, Elmhurst, IL
Anthony Smith, Principal at American Gardens, combines deep horticultural knowledge with a strong understanding of clients, design, and business. A double major in horticulture and business at Penn State, Anthony built his career around the connection between thoughtful landscape design and the relationships that bring those projects to life.
Moderated by:
Nick Surges, Owner, Night Light Inc., Lombard, IL
In 2001, Nick began his journey at Night Light digging trenches, putting himself through college while steadily advancing into leadership within the service department. Over the years, Nick has become the cornerstone of Night Light’s operations—motivating teams, shaping designs, and driving innovation across all departments. In partnership with Billy Oliver, Nick purchased the company in 2022 and now serves as Vice President and co-owner.
Interested in joining the Owners and Managers program committee?
Visit: https://landscapeillinois.org/committee_involvement/
Organizer: Scott Grams
Click here to contact [email protected] for further information about this event.
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