Speakers

Keynote Speaker

How Innovation Fuels Results

Josh, a five-time tech entrepreneur, hyper-growth CEO, New York Times best-selling author, venture capitalist and innovation expert, will kick off the forum with a dynamic presentation on “How Innovation Fuels Results.”  Throughout the years, Josh has coined the phrase “everyday innovation,” whereby the principles of innovation can be applied to the daily work of all people inside an organization. When organizations unlock the creative capacity of all team members, they liberate progress and seize competitive advantage.

Featured Speakers

Bill Cohn, Massey Services, Inc.

Bill Cohn is the general manager of Massey Services, a landscape care and pest prevention company that employs more than 2,200 people and serves 650,000 customers across the southern United States. He started his career as a service specialist in 1998 and was soon promoted to service manager and, in 2005, to general manager. Having the opportunity to work in several roles, Bill has been responsible for all aspects of Massey Services' landscape irrigation operations, including managing team members, organizing and assigning routes, ordering and managing materials and equipment, budgeting, profit management, and maximizing productivity.

Pam Dooley, Plants Creative

Dooley is the owner of Plants Creative Landscapes. Her company takes a thoughtful, creative approach to designing, building and maintaining unique, custom-tailored spaces. Pam has worked in the landscape industry since she was 15, and her collegiate volleyball teammates nicknamed her “Plants.” She worked as a nursery manager and studied horticulture at the University of George before founding Plants Creative in 2005. She has since grown the business from a single truck and a lawn mower to a team of 50 who provide award-winning landscape services in the Atlanta region.

Matthew Dreiling, Mullin

Mathew Dreiling is the Maintenance Operations Manager at New Orleans-based landscape company Mullin, where he is responsible for all aspects of division performance including oversight of both production crews and account managers. He is a licensed arborist, irrigation contractor and commercial pesticide applicator.

Matt Gramer, NatureWorks Landscape Services, Inc.

Matthew Gramer is the president of NatureWorks Landscape Services, a high-end residential landscape firm that employs 85 people serving suburban Boston. He is chair of the NALP Education Advisory Council and past president of the Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals (MLP). In 2014 he received the prestigious Beacon Award from MLP, which is given to a person whose actions serve as a guide and a challenge to other members in the landscape profession. Matthew holds a B.S. in business management from Bentley University.

Graham Pellettieri, Pellettieri Associates, Inc.

Graham Pellettieri is the technology director and project manager for Pellettieri Associates, Inc. where he applies the use of virtual and augmented reality in landscape designs. Graham worked in his family’s landscape architecture design/build firm for more than 13 years while growing up in New Hampshire. He went on to integrate automated technology solutions into high-end residential houses. His passion for innovation, technology, and their practical application in real-world environments lead Graham to move back to New Hampshire and re-join the family business in 2018.

Becca Presley, Senske Lawn & Tree Care, Inc.

Becca Presley is the Director of Marketing & Communications for Senske where she oversees the marketing for two brands, with four major services channels spread across four western states. She has nearly 20 years of marketing experience in various service industries and holds a BA in Marketing and Business Management from Eastern Washington University.

Jeff Sebert, Sebert Landscape

Jeff Sebert launched Sebert Landscaping in 1985 and his commercial landscape contracting firm now stands among the top 40 largest landscape contractors in the U.S., with over $50 million in annual revenues. An undisputed leader in sustainable, eco-friendly landscaping, Sebert’s lawn equipment is propane-fueled and his entire inventory of Husqvarna hand-held equipment is battery operated and powered by solar panels and recharging stations affixed to on-site trailers. Sebert Landscape’s corporate headquarters is an eco-friendly building, certified LEED Gold by the US Green Building Council. The company continues to express its advocacy and support of creating a sustainable eco-friendly environment and reducing its carbon footprint through modeled action and education.

Zech Strauser, Strauser Natures Helpers

Zech Strauser is ‘chief inspiration officer’ at Strauser Nature’s Helpers. Whether it’s focusing on important issues like company skills and capability development, continuous improvement in risk management, snow and ice technologies, or leadership in environmental sustainability, Zech inspires a thriving workforce that’s always looking for new ways to learn. He believes inspiring from the top down but leading from the bottom up. Zech is a leading voice and advocate for bringing green practices to the landscape and snow management industry and for creating value through all-season eco-friendly best practices.


Productivity Speakers

Miles Kuperus, III, Include Software  
Miles has grown up in the green industry from working in the fields to roles as a business analyst, account manager at a couple different landscaping companies. During this time, Miles found a passion for solving business problems, software design and making people more efficient in their day-to-day work, especially in the green industry. Currently, Miles work as Product Lead at Include Software – helping develop and design for the future and training clients on how to utilize our products effectively.  

Kelly Dowell, Keldo Digital  
Kelly Dowell is the founder of St. Louis-based Keldo Digital, a marketing and consulting agency that helps landscape industry leaders achieve their dreams through scalable, repeatable, reliable processes for recruitment, sales and marketing. For more than 15 years she worked with one of the region's largest residential lawn maintenance companies. In 2015, she and her team were denied H-2B visas just days before the mowing season started. She learned some tough lessons that year and turned them into an online course called Recruit Like a Pro for the Green Industry, now offered through Keldo Digital. Kelly holds a BA in business administration and marketing from Lindenwood University. 

Keith Freeman, Green Group Holdings, LLC 
Keith Freeman is a talented and growth-oriented executive with over 30 years of experience managing commercial and residential services, marketing and sales. He has spent his career driving growth and efficiency and is highly skilled in bridging the gap between corporate strategy, operational requirements and sales performance. Currently, Keith serves as the Chief Executive Officer Green Group Holdings, LLC, which he founded in 2018.  Green Group partners with top-performing, established lawn care companies around the country to improve process and efficiency, while driving greater revenue. Keith is also an owner and founding partner of Greenview Partners, a Raleigh based regional commercial landscaping company.  

Ellen Moore, Lotus Gardenscapes  
Ellen Moore is the Chief Operating Officer of Lotus Gardenscapes and Greenstreet Tree Care in Dexter Michigan. Lotus specializes in design/build, maintenance and tree service for residential customers in the greater Ann Arbor, Michigan area. Ellen joined Lotus in 2019 as part of the company's growth plans to more than double the company over the next few years. Ellen practices continuous improvement and believes in technology while taking care to not let technology be the tail that wags the dog - she believes in people first, training second, programs and technology third. 

Caitlin Clineff, Myatt Landscaping  
Caitlin Clineff has been the Recruiting Specialist & Company Ambassador for Myatt Landscaping in Raleigh, North Carolina, for almost 3 years. Her primary areas of focus are recruiting and outreach, both of which heavily involve the use of social media. She has spoken at the NALP Workforce Summit, the NALP Webinar Series, and the ACT Workforce Summit on her extensive work in outreach to high school and college students for the green industry. She will be speaking about using the apps Canva and Buffer to help streamline and manage your company’s social media presence. 

Kevin Shackleford, Shakleford Landscape Group  
Kevin Shackleford is a seasoned veteran with 15 years in the green industry, Turf & Ornamental pesticide licensed applicator, ATSSA certified traffic control technician, ATSSA certified flagger and SIMA’s 2019 Alan Steiman award recipient. Kevin’s horticulture knowledge has been earned from field experience, coupled with classroom lead instruction from Rutgers University professors, on various topics such as proper pruning, irrigation monitoring and plant healthcare. Kevin has been a contributor to industry magazines featured in 2016 Landscape Management Magazine “Efficiency Tip: Using FaceTime in the Office.”