Prelay evaluates rain, wind, heat, cold, ice and ground wetness at individual jobsites, providing morning and afternoon assessments tailored to the work scheduled there. Conditions are graded as good, marginal, poor or unsuitable. The service is available now for self-service sign-up, with landscaping contractors as an initial focus.

Built around the work, not just the forecast 

A generic forecast says it might rain. It doesn’t say whether the ground will be too wet for equipment or whether overnight temperatures will be too cold to pour concrete. Prelay grades the weather for 62 work activities across 12 trades, day by day, at each jobsite. 

Prelay also estimates ground conditions, which a forecast alone can’t show. A clear day tomorrow doesn’t mean a site will be dry enough to work after a week of rain. Prelay’s custom ground model combines recent weather, including rainfall estimates derived from NOAA radar and rain-gauge observations, with evaporation and modeled soil moisture to estimate how wet each site’s ground is now. It then projects the next seven days so contractors can see whether a site is drying out or getting wetter. 

Every grade below a good rating comes with the reasons behind it. For wind and rain, Prelay uses a 31-member weather forecast ensemble to estimate the probability that conditions will exceed an activity’s limits during working hours. Customers can adjust wind limits, risk tolerance and working hours within set guardrails. When essential weather data is unavailable, Prelay marks the assessment as limited rather than assuming conditions are favorable. 

Customers can also set up “prelays,” alerts that fire once when a condition turns true, such as ground dry enough to work, rain-then-shine, first-frost lead time or a heat streak. Grades and alerts arrive by email, through signed webhooks to the customer’s own systems, in scheduled site reports or in a team portal. 

“Every morning, someone at a roofing or landscaping company stands in the yard and decides whether to send crews out, usually on a gut read of a phone forecast,” said Matt Simmons, founder and president of LWNN. “A wrong call either way costs real money: A crew gets sent home, a job gets rained out, materials get ruined. Prelay gives that person a clear grade for the exact work on the schedule, the reasons behind it and a warning when it changes. That’s the same discipline we brought to critical systems in aerospace, applied to the weather decisions small businesses make every day.” 

Prelay is built on the forecasting and data work behind LWNN’s local weather coverage for smaller markets and news deserts, communities that no longer have a local meteorologist. 

Availability 

Prelay is available now. Initial focus is roofing and landscaping contractors, but Prelay also supports site prep and excavation, concrete and masonry, paving, exterior painting, tree care, utility, solar and electrical and more. Pricing is a flat monthly subscription based on the number of sites monitored.

<p>The post Local Weather News Network launches new tool for weather and site forecasting first appeared on Landscape Management.</p>

Now available within Deep Lawn’s software, the integration helps contractors show homeowners and property managers how the lawns, landscapes and trees they maintain sequester carbon and contribute to cleaner air. The partnership connects property measurement technology with environmental impact data, giving professionals another way to demonstrate the value of their work beyond curb appeal. 

The collaboration supports Project EverGreen’s mission to create a greener, healthier, cooler Earth while giving Deep Lawn customers a practical tool to communicate the importance of professional lawn and landscape care. 

“Healthy green spaces do more than beautify a property. They help clean the air and create healthier places to live, work and play,” said Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen. “Deep Lawn is helping us bring that message to more people by putting the Clean Air Calculator into the hands of professionals who care for these spaces every day.” 

Launched on Earth Day 2025, the Clean Air Calculator translates scientific research into accessible information about the environmental contributions of green spaces. Integrating the tool into Deep Lawn’s platform expands its reach and makes those insights part of a contractor’s existing workflow. 

Contractors can use the calculator’s results to educate customers, strengthen proposals and explain how maintaining healthy green spaces benefits both individual properties and surrounding neighborhoods. 

“Technology should help landscape professionals work smarter and clearly demonstrate the value they bring to customers,” said Joel Northrup, CEO of Deep Lawn. “By bringing Project EverGreen’s Clean Air Calculator into our platform, we’re helping contractors show how their work contributes to cleaner air and healthier communities.” 

<p>The post Project EverGreen and Deep Lawn partner to expand Clean Air Calculator reach first appeared on Landscape Management.</p>

The headline finding: Growth ambition is nearly universal, and the systems underneath it haven’t caught up. Of the businesses surveyed, 89 percent are growing by adding new customers, 67 percent by expanding existing accounts and 52 percent say running more efficiently helped drive growth over the past year, close behind the 58 percent who credit winning more customers. Yet 26 percent still manage the business on spreadsheets, and 10 percent use paper or no software at all. 

“Nearly everyone we surveyed is growing. The question is what they’re growing on,” said Drew Wagner, founder and CEO of LaunchPad, who ran Auburn Lawn Solutions and developed several other platforms for outdoor service contractors before starting the company. “When the schedule lives in one place, the customer list in another, and the invoices in a spreadsheet, someone ends up spending their time stitching it all together. That works until you add your next crew, open your next location or make your next acquisition. If you’re planning to grow in 2027, decide now what you’ll build the business on — before the growth starts.” 

Labor is the squeeze: 61 percent of respondents name finding and keeping labor as their biggest challenge, more than double the next answer, attracting new customers (28 percent). Behind it sits a cluster of everyday tasks that slip in a busy week: managing leads and inquiries (21 percent), estimating quickly and accurately (18 percent), post-job follow-up and review requests (18 percent), invoicing and getting paid on time (17 percent) and tracking job expenses from the field (15 percent). According to the report: “The costliest failures aren’t skill gaps; they’re dropped follow-through.” 

“Technology isn’t replacing the need for people,” Wagner said. “It’s giving landscape leaders more time to focus on their people, their customers and their future.” 

The sharpest pattern in the data splits businesses by the systems they run. Respondents on dedicated business software are far more likely than those on spreadsheets and paper to be adding new services (59 percent vs. 35 percent), opening new locations (22 percent versus 3 percent) and growing through acquisition (19 percent versus 6 percent) — the growth moves that demand the most coordination. 

AI adoption, meanwhile, is running ahead of comfort with it. Nearly half of respondents (46 percent) already use ChatGPT and 22 percent use Google Gemini, yet 18 percent name implementing artificial intelligence (AI) among their biggest challenges. Chat tools answer questions, but because they aren’t integrated natively with the business’s systems and data, they cannot proactively track the tasks most likely to slip, surface the things that need immediate attention and do the next thing without being told. 

That’s the gap LaunchPad OS was built to close. Traditional systems of record capture what already happened. LaunchPad OS is a system of intelligence, built on an agentic AI foundation that acts on what it collects: It flags the estimate that went quiet, the invoice that’s overdue, the upsell opportunities that were overlooked and the renewal coming up. The business can decide whether to follow up itself or let the software handle it. 

The report also profiles Capstone Landscape Management, a 20-year-old company in Greenville, S.C., that moved from clipboards and spreadsheets through several platforms before landing on LaunchPad OS. “I used to quote in all different kinds of software, and it would take me roughly forty-five minutes to an hour for one quote,” said Christian Frist, sales and marketing specialist at Capstone. “Within LaunchPad, I’m creating quotes in five to 10 minutes.” 

The Technology Gap is free at launchpados.com/growth-index. The 2026 Green Industry Growth Index surveyed 100 green industry businesses. Respondents ranged from businesses under $500,000 in annual revenue to companies above $10 million; 26 percent report revenue above $5 million. The Growth Index returns in 2027, and companies can sign up on the same page to take next year’s survey and receive the 2027 report before anyone else. 

<p>The post LaunchPad survey finds software gaps restrict 2027 green industry growth first appeared on Landscape Management.</p>

Let me start with the conclusion I have come to after 60 days: I believe every owner, CEO or founder of a privately held business should take at least two months of leave every three years. Not a vacation where you check email from the beach. An actual leave, where someone else runs the company, and you are not in the room. 

I know how that sounds when you are buried in August and September, and I know most of us have never done it. I hadn’t either, and I have been the CEO since 2015. But after two months on the other side of it, the positives dramatically outweigh the negatives, and I want to walk through both. 

What you gain

Your team gets to truly speak their mind and showcase what they can do. When the leader is in the room, people defer. When the leader is gone, you find out who cares about the systems you built and keeps using them and who quietly reverts to the old way of doing things the minute you are not looking. At our August town hall, the team put the vision on the table, the $100,000 minimum salary, and worked through the hard questions without me in the building.

You find out how your marketing works. In most of our companies, the founder is the brand and the face. When you step out, you learn whether your customers trust the company or just trust you. The true ones will build relationships with other people on your team, and they will appreciate it.

You prove the company is worth more. Often, the CEO is the one pushing growth. If you step out and the company keeps growing — not just off the tailwinds you left behind, but off new opportunities the team went and found — you know you built something real. Someday, when you sit across from an investor or a buyer, that is the story they want to hear.

You become a better version of yourself. This one surprised me the most. I have read more books and listened to more podcasts in the last two months than in the last two years. I have journaled more, written more and thought more. I am eating better, training harder and meditating daily. I have been able to deposit time back into my family and the people who have cared for me, trusted me and supported me through this whole ride. When I come back, I will have energy and a fierceness that are impossible to replicate without time away.

What it costs

Let’s be honest: It’s not all upsides. You will likely feel like you are falling behind. Expect to face lost revenue, cancellations or stalling momentum, and you might even lose a major customer. Furthermore, your team may struggle to fill the relationship gaps you leave behind, slowing down your cultural progress.

Expect to feel guilty every day. You will feel like you should be in the trenches, and you will want to jump in. Recognize this urge and be honest and vulnerable with your team about what you are doing and why.

And the biggest one is watch out for what I call the whiplash CEO. You come back, and everything is not exactly how you left it, and you freak out. You want to start making changes immediately. That approach never led to anything positive. The decisions your team made while you were gone are their decisions. Respect them.

Looking back, my leave didn’t create any of these challenges; the 10 years before it did. The leave simply shed light on them.

So, here is my challenge to you: pick a date. Put a two-month leave on your calendar sometime in the next three years. Then, get to work building the team and systems that can handle it. You will be a better leader for it, and so will they. 

<p>The post The power of the hands-off business first appeared on Landscape Management.</p>

Begin with the fuel source 

One of the first decisions is whether the fire pit will use natural gas or propane. Natural gas offers an uninterrupted fuel supply for permanent installations, while propane provides flexibility when utility lines are unavailable.

Gas line sizing is equally critical; a fire feature can only perform as well as the fuel supplied to it. Before construction begins, a mechanical contractor must calculate pipe diameter, total run length and the property’s combined BTU demand. In the U.S., piping must comply with NFPA 54 (National Fuel Gas Code) or the local code adopted by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).

Select an appropriate ignition system

Ignition systems range from simple match-lit burners to sophisticated electronic controls. Match-lit systems remain a reliable and economical choice for many residential projects. Push-button spark ignition provides additional convenience while maintaining mechanical simplicity.

For luxury residences, hospitality spaces and commercial developments, electronic ignition systems offer enhanced safety and ease of operation. They feature automatic gas shut-off via flame-sensing technology and seamlessly integrate with smart home automation, remotes, timers and wall switches.

When specifying electronic ignition systems, designers should confirm component compatibility with the fuel type and environmental conditions. Choosing American National Standards Institute- or Canadian Standards Association-certified fire features and components ensures the system meets recognized safety standards.

Understand BTU requirements

BTU output is often viewed as a measure of fire pit performance, but higher numbers do not always translate into a better fire. Burner design, fire media, wind conditions and gas pressure all contribute to the final flame presentation.

Most residential fire pits operate between 65,000 and 200,000 BTUs, while larger custom installations may require significantly more. Coordinating the desired flame characteristics with the available gas supply early in the design process helps prevent disappointing results after installation.

Evaluate site conditions

Every project site presents unique challenges. Prevailing winds can influence flame stability and fuel efficiency, making wind guards or thoughtful placement worthwhile considerations. Proper drainage is equally important, particularly for electronic ignition systems, to prevent water from collecting within the enclosure.

Designers should also provide adequate access for future servicing. Gas valves, electrical components and ignition systems should remain accessible without requiring the fire pit to be dismantled.

Clearances and ventilation

Every fire feature should be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s installation instructions, applicable local building and fuel gas codes, plus all clearance and ventilation requirements. Minimum clearances to combustible materials, nearby furnishings and overhead structures vary by product and should always be incorporated into the construction documents. 

For propane installations, ventilation within the enclosure is essential to allow any escaping gas to dissipate safely.

Partner with a specialist early

One of the most effective ways to avoid delays is to involve a fire feature specialist early during the design stage. An experienced supplier can help verify gas requirements, recommend ignition systems, review manufacturer installation requirements, confirm applicable code requirements and identify potential issues before they become costly. Early collaboration allows landscape architects to focus on creative design while helping ensure the finished installation performs safely and as intended. 

<p>The post Designing gas fire pits: Key specifications for safety and performance first appeared on Landscape Management.</p>

President and CEO 

Myatt Landscaping and Construction

Raleigh, N.C.

1. Tell us about Myatt Landscaping and Construction, and how did it get its start? 

I grew up farming; I was always outside. As a teenager, like a lot of other people, I started cutting grass around the neighborhood, cleaning gutters. And then after high school, I was just kind of bouncing around. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do, and then I got a job working for an actual landscaping company, and I just fell in love with it. The guy that I was working for was going to go back to work for his father in the grading and development business. He asked if I wanted to join them, and I said no, I really have fallen in love with landscaping. This is really what I want to do. So, at 19, I started my own business. We do design/build and maintenance. We were about half and half between design/build and maintenance. And then we’re split again evenly between commercial and residential.

2. What’s been the biggest change that you’ve seen in the industry over the years? 

From a business standpoint, it’s amazing how big some of these jobs get, especially residential. When I first started, I never thought we would ever do a project over a million dollars for a residential client, and now there’s that plus even bigger. That is just crazy to me the things people want to do on their property — which we love. This is great for us. Construction is a big part of what we do with pools, patios, cabana houses, all that sort of stuff. But it’s amazing how big these projects have gotten.

3. Do you have a most memorable day at work? 

Yes, and this happened within the last year. One of our team members celebrated his 30th anniversary with our company, and that was a really, really big deal for me to have someone here that was willing to work so hard for all those years and stick with us through thick and thin — really thin at times. Hector Lugo, he’s just an amazing person, and we’re just so fortunate that he’s been with us for 30 years.

4. What are some of your favorite tools to get the job done? 

Toro has always been a great partner with us, and Stihl. We use those two exclusively on the lawn maintenance side, and then we also love Ditch Witch and John Deere. I think equipment advancements have changed our business as much as anything. I’ll give you two on the maintenance side: I think the stand-on mowers have been a game changer. The production rates are higher. I think the guys like using those because it’s easier to get on and off. On the construction side, the mini skid-steers — those are amazing. Our guys love them. The productivity that we’ve got from both of those has been amazing.

5. I know you hate turnover at your company, but it’s a difficult thing to combat. What do you do to minimize it? 

It’s very tough, and that’s why it’s really important us for us to keep it to a minimum. I think first and foremost, people just want to be respected. Treat people the way you want to be treated. It makes all the difference in the world. In addition to that, you have to give them a job and let them do it. That’s another part of it. And you have be there to help them. If they’ve got questions or any problems, be there to help. Also, you have to have room to grow. Nobody wants to come in and stay at the same position. They want to grow. They want to make more money. They want to provide more for their family. I think if you do those things and just give them opportunity, I think it makes all the difference in the world. 

<p>The post Five Questions: Scott Myatt on growing Myatt Landscaping and Construction first appeared on Landscape Management.</p>

But don’t settle in just yet, because while landscaping slows down this time of year, the opportunities to grow as a leader and as a company only come at you faster. And soon, another industry staple will be taking center stage: Elevate. 

Noteworthy newcomer

Despite only being in its fifth year since its separation from GIE+EXPO (now Equip Expo), Elevate has quickly established itself as a mainstay for the landscaping industry. Hosted by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) and moving to new locations around the U.S. each year, the conference and trade show is set for Nov. 8-11 at the Tampa Convention Center in downtown Tampa, Fla. 

Elevate separates itself from other industry events thanks to its focus on networking and education for executives, CEOs and other management positions, creating a space where the top decision makers can soak in high-quality content and ideas. 

“Elevate is primarily a business development conference, so Elevate is geared toward CEOs, high-level managers, bringing in all the education and networking to help grow your business,” says Lisa Stryker, senior vice president of membership, marketing and communications for the NALP. “The content is targeted specifically for landscape professionals, by landscape professionals, and we’re also happy to bring in experts from other areas.”

But just because the conference is designed for the top of a landscaping operation’s leadership pyramid doesn’t mean that it’s a small, exclusive event. Attendance for 2026 is trending about 8 percent ahead of the 2024 event in Charlotte, N.C., which has been the largest to date at about 2,500 attendees. Stryker says the trade show floor will also be the largest it’s ever been, and any company size, big or small, will be able to find value at the show. 

“Elevate is where various landscape professionals come to tackle their biggest challenges, learn from peers and return home with ideas that drive growth,” she says. “We are very focused on bringing landscape companies of every size together to learn from each other.”

From startup to standout

With a long list of industry trade shows, conferences and events happening in the fall and winter, what makes Elevate a must-attend for landscape executives?

For one, it still incorporates many of the staples of a traditional trade show and conference, including a trade show floor to see the latest innovations and products and a stacked lineup of speakers and education sessions. For Jay Worth, regional business development manager for Down to Earth Landscape and Irrigation’s construction division in Maitland, Fla., these elements are only getting better over time. 

Worth attended the first Elevate conference in 2022 and made the trip to Phoenix last year to go again, and he says the size and education opportunities at Elevate both grew and improved. 

“I think the show has grown over the years, and it seems to me like the quality of the content for attendees has really gone up,” Worth says. “I think the show floor has improved too (and) the quality of the vendors.” 

Worth says he’s learned a lot from attending different education sessions in the past — including some on acquisitions and cybersecurity — and this year, he’ll be hosting his own presentation, “Stop Losing People: A Complete Playbook for Recruiting and Retaining Green Industry Talent,” set for Nov. 9 at 11:15 a.m. 

This session will be one of several aiming to tackle a staple industry challenge: labor. Worth says one of the key reasons why attending Elevate is important for landscape leaders is because there’s a high priority on addressing the most pressing topics in the industry. 

Austin Ashmore, CEO of Sunrise Landscape in Tampa, also attends Elevate to tackle the biggest industry issues. Ashmore first attended GIE+EXPO in 2017 before even entering the landscaping world and has been attending that show and now Elevate most years since. Some of the topics he’s been most interested in are the advancements in artificial intelligence and the onset of private equity. 

“(Elevate) has done a good job of adapting content to the current environment,” Ashmore says. “You can see how the content has developed since back then, where there are specific workshops and roundtables around AI, around private equity and the private equity experience, investing and selling your business and all these things that, 10 years ago, didn’t really exist.”

New connections

Elevate has always been an advocate for the importance of networking and making connections at the conference, but this year, that goal is being taken to a whole new level. 

“We built Elevate to be 24/7 networking through all the parties, networking events,” Stryker says. “You pay one fee to get in, and it’s all your drinks and food for the week, because we want to create that space to talk to others, meet people and network — from the hotel to the convention centers to the networking events in the evening.”

No initiative better shows that networking commitment better than the new Elevate Connect umbrella, which Stryker says includes multiple new and fan-favorite ways to encourage peer-to-peer learning, role-based roundtables and meeting others in similar job positions. 

Elevate Connect opportunities include:

• Peer Circle Chats: Intimate interactive sessions on the trade show floor with a small inner circle of people who discuss a specific topic while the outer circle listens to the conversation. These are the successor to the prior Campfire Sessions.
• Role-Based Roundtable Discussions: Focused roundtable discussions with peers who share similar roles, allowing attendees to connect and learn from peers facing similar challenges. 
• Let’s Talk Shop Specialty Roundtable Discussions: Peer-driven roundtable conversations with companies across the country focused on key topics within your specialty area, including design/build, lawn care, landscape maintenance and irrigation. 
• Hot Topics Roundtable Discussions: An initial discussion with a panel of industry experts sharing insights on key issues facing landscape pros today, followed by small-group discussions to dig deeper. 

And while the scheduled networking and programming is top-tier, Ashmore also says Elevate creates a space where spontaneous and impromptu meetings and connections are not only welcome, but also incredibly valuable. 

“I spend so much time during Elevate just in one-off meetings with people, friends, folks that I haven’t caught up with, different folks who are interested in the industry. So, really those ‘side meetings,’ if you will, have become a bigger event in some ways than even the programming, though the programming is really good as a standalone,” he says. “That certainly, as you get more ingrained in the industry, develops over time, and that has had numerous spillover, beneficial effects to our business.”

Also new this year will be the event’s co-location with the Professional Grounds Management Society Annual Conference. Previously hosted alongside Equip Expo, PGMS will now share the Tampa Convention Center with Elevate, and Stryker says attendees will be able to attend education sessions for both shows. 

“They have experts in some topics that we didn’t have and vice versa, so we’re happy for attendees to be able to go to both types of sessions, and then they’ll join us for all the social events,” Stryker says. 

Keeping with the theme of inaugural education opportunities, one new kind of presentation will be Elevate’s Innovation Stage Education Sessions. These will be hosted at the Innovation Stage on the trade show floor and will feature contractors partnering with suppliers to share their success stories, ultimately highlighting a specific industry pain point and the collaborative solution that addressed it. 

Advocacy also remains an NALP goal and a focus at Elevate. Attendees interested in advocacy and public affairs can join the new and complimentary Advocacy Academy pre-conference event, Nov. 8 from 2-4:30 p.m., to workshop how to talk to state and national legislators on behalf of the landscaping industry.

A fan-favorite

On top of a slew of new initiatives, tours and classes are the return of many fan-favorite events at Elevate. As a signature pre-conference event, the NALP Women’s Forum will kick off the week on Nov. 8 from 1-4:30 p.m., giving a unique opportunity for women in the landscape industry to network, share experiences and empower both personal and professional growth. TEDx speaker and Forbes Next 1000 honoree Rachel Druckenmiller will give its keynote speech on how to lead effectively with more confidence and less self-doubt. 

“(She is) someone I’ve followed and been connected with on LinkedIn for years,” Worth says. “She’s a tremendous public speaker.”

Many of the returning highlights at Elevate are still getting some kind of refresh or expansion, such as the post-conference On Tour event, which will now feature a guided facility tour of Ashmore’s Sunrise Landscape, including discussions with Sunrise leaders and insights into the company’s growth strategy, talent development, operational consistency and more. The On Tour event is separately ticketed and will be hosted Nov. 11 from 12:15-4:15 p.m.

“We’re excited about it. It’s an opportunity for us to share a little bit about what we’re doing and, frankly, hopefully get some feedback and ideas from (attendees),” Ashmore says. “We’re really proud of what we’re building here at Sunrise.”

The speakers, educators and session topics are also vetted to ensure high quality and the most updated, relevant information for today’s landscaping needs. This year, Elevate’s keynote speakers include best-selling author and executive coach Ryan Leak, who will lead the opening Main Stage discussion on embracing resilience and innovation, and youth motivational speaker Juan Bendana will close with lessons in confidence and a high-performance mindset. 

“Look over the schedule because there are almost certainly education sessions for people at every level,” Worth recommends. “No matter what size you’re at, you will walk away from this conference with insights, with conversations, with actionable (ideas).” 

And to help keep the conference fun and the connections flowing, the NALP is bringing back its Elevate Bash party on Nov. 10 from 7-10 p.m. at Splitsville Tiki + Social, which will be in walking distance from the convention center. 

“The Bash is Elevate’s signature party and networking event, held the evening before the conference’s final day,” Stryker says. “People look forward to the Bash every year; it’s extremely popular.” 

Take me to Tampa

One reason why landscape pros should attend Elevate is because it changes location each year, meaning it’ll eventually make its way to a state or city near you. 

Lisa Stryker, senior vice president of membership, marketing and communications for the NALP, says host cities are chosen based on a variety of factors, such as the area’s transportation infrastructure, how much people want to go there and its ability to access new markets of prospective attendees from across the country. This year, the show is heading to Tampa, Fla. 

“Our first Elevate was in Orlando, so we’re very happy to be returning to Florida this year for our fifth Elevate,” Stryker says. 

But outside of Elevate hours, what is there to do in Tampa? For those seeking recommendations on the best things to do, see, eat and drink while in this Sunshine State city, these Elevate pros have you covered.

Austin Ashmore, CEO of Sunrise Landscape in Tampa, recommends:

• Seeing a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game
• Walking/running the Bayshore
• Linear Park Trail
• Eating at On Swann in Hyde Park Village or at Rocca (Ashmore’s pick for best restaurant in town)
• Paddleboarding or kayaking around Weedon Island
• Exploring the many nearby beaches

Jay Worth, regional business development manager for Down to Earth’s construction division in Maitland, Fla., recommends: 

• Eating at Salt Shack On The Bay — get a table on the water and watch the swaying palm trees
• Exploring Ybor City and its large Cuban community for some great food and an even better cultural experience

Lisa Stryker, senior vice president of membership, marketing and communications for the NALP, recommends: 

• Exploring the waterfront areas for great food and drinks
• Taking part in Elevate’s networking and social events which prioritize both on- and off-campus fun in the area

<p>The post Elevate 2026 preview: Why landscaping executives can’t miss this conference first appeared on Landscape Management.</p>

The company’s customers are 60 percent residential and 40 percent commercial, and they offer services including landscape design/build, landscape lighting, irrigation, lawn care and maintenance.

From 2024 to 2025, Next to Nature saw a bit of a slowdown in revenue because of the extended timeline with their new construction projects and the housing market, but that’s picked back up, says Austin Hall, director of operations of Next to Nature, based in Spring Hill, Kan., just outside of Kansas City.

The company also works to boost its efforts by investing more in labor and hiring additional account managers for the maintenance department, which has experienced year-over-year growth. In the design/build division, which is about 15 percent larger than maintenance, it worked to maintain client relationships and added some new construction builders. 

Quicker responses

The team also put more emphasis on improving lead response times. In the past, it could take up to a week for the company to respond to a lead. By that point, the potential customer usually found someone else.

“We want to get back to them within 48 hours and start the meeting and bid processes,” Hall says. “Customer service has to be at the forefront of everything we do. Getting back to potential customers much faster than we had been doing was one of the key things we learned. We just want to continue to improve and have top-tier customer service to retain our clients.” 

Next to Nature also refreshed its online presence and social media with help from an outside marketing firm. Additionally, the company now sends bi-monthly emails to customers about upcoming services.

Using site audits in Aspire, it keeps a log of each property so it can send customers photos of any issues it’s seeing to keep the client updated and to generate revenue. The team also builds lasting relationships with clients that keep them coming back for future projects.

“The customers we have are the biggest reason for our success,” Hall says. “On the design/build side, we have a lot of customers who come back for their second or third homes for us to install.”

Always learning

Providing services since 2002, the team at Next to Nature continues to network with other owners, stay up to date on technology and incorporate new practices. Hall meets with owners from different companies to gain their perspectives on the best ways to manage employees and clients to see if there are ways they can improve.

“Always be willing to learn from others inside and outside of the industry, and don’t be afraid to make changes,” Hall advises. “Sometimes sticking with a person or structure for too long can slow the growth of the company if you don’t make the difficult decisions.”

Coming together

Seeing employees advance and achieve success are some of the most inspiring parts of the job at Next to Nature for Hall. The team recently moved into a new headquarters, so the sales, office and production staff are together in one location, which has helped with communication.

To retain team members, the company offers competitive pay, benefits and monthly “shoutout” recognition awards that include new uniforms for outstanding work.

“We’ve learned that taking care of our employees comes first,” Hall says. “It’s one of our top goals to continue our efforts to build our team and retain our employees. Things are always a work in progress, but we’re happy with where we’re at.” 

<p>The post Next to Nature Landscape climbs LM150 ranks through customer focus and team growth first appeared on Landscape Management.</p>

A: I hear a version of this question every fall, and here’s what I tell owners I coach: Strong revenue and disappointing profit isn’t a mystery, it’s a pattern. But it’s a fixable one if you’re willing to look closely at where the money goes between the top of your P&L and the bottom.

Gross profit isn’t the end all be all

A lot of owners look at a healthy gross margin and think, “The rest takes care of itself.” 

Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. Through quarterly financial reporting from all our ACE Peer Group members, we compile benchmarking data across hundreds of landscape companies. I find the difference between top performers and everybody else is what happens below gross profit. Among our ACE Peer Group companies between the $2 million to $5 million revenue, top-quartile companies keep 53 cents of every revenue dollar after direct labor, materials, subcontractors and rentals. The bottom quartile keeps 38 cents. That adds up. Plenty of companies land right in the middle on gross margin and still watch net profit shrink to nothing by the time it hits the bottom line.

If your gross margin looks fine but your net profit doesn’t, stop staring at the top of the P&L. The leak is between gross profit and net. Find your leak and build next year’s numbers around it.

Revenue doesn’t equal cash

Let’s add one point here before we continue to focus on profit: You must separate it from cash flow. They both say different things about your business. A commercial client who pays you 90 days after the work is done can make one month look great on a cash basis and the next month look terrible. You provided strong, profitable work. Start running on an accrual basis, recording revenue when the work is done, not when you get the cash. It’s the only way to know if the job was profitable.

Then there’s the collection side. Across ACE Peer Groups, AR days for the most efficient companies range from 7 to 14 days. Heavy commercial work can stretch to 40, 50, even 60 days. You want that number to be as low as possible to help keep your cash flow steady.

Find where the money is leaking

Three places I’d check first: overtime, job costing accuracy and unbilled extras.

Overtime is the obvious answer but the hardest to manage, because a couple hours here and there is normal during busy season. However, it’s a problem when it’s a habit.

Job costing is where a lot of companies lose money without ever seeing it happen, because they’re not consistently comparing what a job was bid against what it actually cost. Some common items we discover in job costing include missed items in estimating, subcontractors billed more than they should have, the plants purchased came in higher than was budgeted, scope creep was not managed appropriately and you did not get paid for the changes to scope. If that loop isn’t closed on every job, you’re bidding next year’s work off guesses instead of history.

Unbilled extras are the silent killer. Don’t get it wrong – extras are good. That work is easily forgotten on an invoice because it’s a scope decision made in the field or a change order nobody wrote up. Add that up over a full season, and its money gone with the wind.

Overhead isn’t always fixed

Overhead feels “insane” with no obvious place to cut, and I understand why. Rent, insurance and salaried staff don’t move month to month, so it starts to feel untouchable. But overhead isn’t necessarily fixed. It’s the sum of decisions you made when the business looked different than it does today.

The best time to revisit those decisions is at the end of the busy season. Is that growth shown on the bottom line or are you carrying capacity you don’t need yet? Not sure? Then you need clearer financials, reviewed monthly.

Start your 2027 now

The companies that walk into January with a solid budget build it in October, not December. Talk to your managers now about what’s in the pipeline.

Your game plan: make a draft budget, turn it into a rolling forecast, compare it to actuals every month and ask why when the numbers don’t match.

You had a good season; don’t let it get away from you. 

<p>The post How to turn busy-season revenue into net profit for your 2027 budget first appeared on Landscape Management.</p>

The 2026 edition of Elevate is heading to Tampa, Fla., Nov. 8-11, with attendance trending about eight percent ahead of the 2024 event in Charlotte, N.C., which has been the largest to date. Elevate 2026 also brings a co-located conference from the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS), a new emphasis on role-based networking and a revamped innovation stage on the exhibit floor.

Landscape Management spoke with NALP CEO Britt Wood about Elevate, the new features on display in Tampa, the work the NALP team puts into planning and executing the event and where it’s headed in the future. The conversation, which took place in early October, has been edited for length and clarity.

LM: A big-picture question to start: How are things for you and your team as we ramp up for Elevate in Tampa?

Britt Wood: Preparation has gone swimmingly. The good news is that attendance is trending ahead of the largest conference we’ve ever had, so we’re up about 8 percent from Charlotte. We’re a little bit later in November this year — generally, we’re in the first week of the month, and we had to drift into the second week this year — but everything is going well. We think the landscape community is enthused about the event, and we’re excited to see everybody.

LM: As you take a holistic view of the entire event, what is working well at Elevate, and what areas are you looking to tweak or improve on over the next several years?

BW: You’re always going to see an event like Elevate evolve and change over the years, and we’re really excited about where things are going and the response that we’re getting from the industry. That’s been excellent.

One of the things that we’ve really tried to place an emphasis on, especially this year, is creating opportunities for people in similar roles to connect. In Tampa, we’re calling it Elevate Connect, and the idea is that if you’re someone who’s in human resources, you have the opportunity to connect with other people who are working in human resources. If you’re an executive, same thing. We still want people to mix and mingle … but we’ve found that it’s really been helpful to folks when we can connect people who are in similar roles. That’s something we placed a special emphasis on this year, and thus far we’re getting some pretty exciting results from that. 

For the association as a whole, we feel it’s a big opportunity to provide more value to the industry by connecting people at similar levels and in similar roles and allowing them to share information. That’s what’s so great about this industry. It’s full of really wonderful people who are all about sharing and helping each other out.

LM: PGMS is co-locating its annual conference with Elevate. Why does that make sense for both groups?

BW: Not everyone knows this, but we were partners with PGMS when we were a part of GIE+Expo (now Equip Exposition). When we left, PGMS stayed, but now they’ve asked to come to our event. This conversation really started about 2 ½ years ago, and I think it makes sense because its members were also eager to attend events in different locations. That was a driving motivation for NALP when we started Elevate, and this shows that our members and their members have a lot in common.

We think it’s an excellent opportunity, especially for some of our exhibitors, to have a whole new audience come in and see what’s going on. We’ve been very deliberate about not letting the exhibit hall get too big so people can have real conversations. That’s something PGMS members were looking for, too — deeper conversations with supplier partners.

One of the things we were very deliberate about when we worked with PGMS was to create an opportunity for their members to attend some of our sessions and our members to attend some of theirs. Everyone will be in the general sessions together, but when we break out and go into our different sections, we wanted the opportunity for the people to again cross-mingle and learn from each other. PGMS also brings a nice angle of getting back to some of the basics behind landscaping and lawn care that’s still incredibly valuable. It’s a nice match, and they’ve been wonderful partners in the past.

LM: Education and professional development have always been at the foundation of Elevate. What’s NALP’s philosophy behind planning and executing the sessions there?

BW: A founding core principle of Elevate is that contractors plan the meeting. A committee composed of contractors and a few suppliers is responsible for the education. They get together and make the decisions about the content. We also have contractors doing a lot of the presenting. We think all of that — making sure contractors are at the forefront of the education at Elevate — is so, so important.

This year, we also have a return of something we’re calling the “Innovation Stage,” which is in the exhibit hall. In the past, we would just let suppliers get up and present. Now we want suppliers to present new, innovative concepts, but they must co-present with a contractor client. That gets more contractors front and center and featured on the stage.

Ultimately, this is an event designed for contractors and planned by contractors, and I think that’s what sets it apart. These are the issues they deal with on a regular basis, and they want to see solutions, answers and conversations take place about them.

LM: You’ve made a conscious decision to keep the exhibit hall at Elevate smaller. How have exhibitors responded?

BW: We get feedback on it a lot, and it’s been very positive. Exhibitors enjoy the chance to have conversations and to spend real time with the contractors who are there.

Part of that is a credit to the exhibitors who return to Elevate year after year. Roughly 80 percent of our exhibit hall is made up of companies that have been to Elevate before, and they keep coming back because they see the value. We like to keep a little churn, though, because we think having some new exhibitors come in every year is healthy for the event and allows us to grow the hall in very small increments. We want to be able to bring in new, innovative companies and give them the chance to show their wares to some of the leading contractors in the United States.

There’s a time and place for very big shows where you have to strap on a pair of walking shoes. But I think what people have found is that we provide unique value because we’re not a massive hall. You can find the people you want to talk to and have those conversations, and you also have time to meet a few new folks.

LM: You have a pair of dynamic keynote speakers, Ryan Leak and Juan Bendana, on tap for the Opening and Closing Sessions at Elevate. What can attendees expect from those two?

BW: We’ve been trying to get Ryan to Elevate for almost three years, and schedules just haven’t aligned, so we’re super excited he’ll be joining us in Tampa. He’s got a really good message about how important failure is in building toward success. He’s getting a lot more notoriety nationally and appearing on more national TV broadcasts.

With Juan, the goal is to wrap up the event with some enthusiasm and a message about how you can focus on leadership and motivate yourself as well as your team. He’s relatively new to the speaking scene, but we’re excited about what we’ve seen from him.

At every Elevate, we try to make sure we kick the week off by getting the crowd energized, but we always want the last thing they see from us to be something that helps motivate them as individuals. We think people are really going to enjoy both keynotes.

LM: Elevate is more than just the education, the exhibit hall and the big events. What networking and social events are planned?

BW: Tampa is a fabulous city, and the convention center is right on the water, so for people who don’t get to see the water a lot normally, you’re going to see a ton of it. From the opening reception on, attendees are going to find themselves in a town that is designed around natural beauty, which is a really nice part about going to Tampa.

When it comes to the social events and networking opportunities, we always try to make sure there’s a little something for everyone. At the Elevate Bash at Splitsville Tiki and Social in the heart of Tampa this year, if you want to go bowling or play games, you can. There will be entertainment, singing and, of course, always a few surprises.

The nice thing this year is that everything is close together. We’re not going to have to put you on buses and take long trips, which we try to avoid but sometimes can’t. There was no way we weren’t getting you on a bus for the rodeo last year. But this year, everything’s going to be close by, and it’s really designed so you can have fun, meet people and create new friendships and new relationships.

As I always like to say, we want to educate you, and we want to entertain you. If we do both correctly, we’ll leave you inspired. That’s always been the overarching goal of Elevate. The social events, the happy hours in the exhibit hall, are the icing on the cake.

LM: Elevate is headed to Anaheim next year, then Pittsburgh and Austin, Texas. What challenges and opportunities for Elevate and NALP do you see ahead?

BW: First, we’re going to keep alternating events between east and west locations so our West Coast members don’t have to come east all the time. That was a challenge in the past, and we’re very cognizant of it.

The event will continue to evolve. We’re always looking at new ideas and opportunities. I’m hopeful that Elevate Connect will generate positive energy we can carry through the year. As an organization, one thing we have to keep improving is that you don’t think of NALP just once a year when you come to Elevate. We want to provide value throughout the year.

We’re hoping to foster the connections created at Elevate as we develop what we’re calling peer-led networks, which give peers a vehicle to bounce challenges and ideas off each other all year, not just at Elevate.

We’ll keep looking for new, exciting locations for Elevate where people can have a wonderful time. But at the end of the day, we want to make sure NALP is providing value to this industry and helping it grow, and Elevate will keep responding to those needs.

<p>The post All grown up: A Q&A with NALP CEO Britt Wood first appeared on Landscape Management.</p>

Launched at Equip Expo, Oct. 20-23, in Louisville, Ky., TrackIQ further accelerates the design process by providing detailed trade-off analyses that enable OTR engineers and customers to compare tread patterns across key performance criteria, including traction, ride quality, handling and durability. This collaborative approach helps customers confidently select a design that balances visual appeal with the performance characteristics required for their application.

“With TrackIQ, we are harnessing the power of AI to transform track development into a faster, more collaborative and customer-focused process,” said Patrick Sexton, global vice president of engineering, innovation and quality at OTR Engineered Solutions. “The platform enables us to work with customers in real time, incorporate their aesthetic and performance requirements and rapidly generate 3D track concepts for immediate review and evaluation.” 

As soon as the concept is selected, OTR engineers will build a physical 3D representation of the track and provide it to our customers to support final sign-off before committing to prototype tooling. 

“TrackIQ is our newest solution in a growing family of innovations, reinforcing our mission to develop high-quality products that deliver measurable results,” said Oscar Torres, CEO of OTR Engineered Solutions. “It reflects our forward-thinking approach and our continuous commitment to applying technology in practical ways that make our customers’ lives easier.” 

TrackIQ joins TreadIQ, OTR’s AI-assisted tire concept design technology, and OTR3DLab, its large-scale physical prototyping capability, as part of OTR’s expanding AI-accelerated design and engineering approach.

<p>The post OTR launches TrackIQ AI-assisted custom track design at Equip Expo first appeared on Landscape Management.</p>

“Expanding the Durentis product line reflects our commitment to investing in the lawn care market in a way that truly supports lawn care operators’ business success,” said Jeff Kwiatkowski, head of turf and ornamentals, U.S., Envu. “Because it supports both preventive and in-season curative treatment, operators have greater flexibility in application timing to align seamlessly with lawn programs and real-world pest pressures, without increasing or complicating routes.” 

Durentis Surface combines chlorantraniliprole and bifenthrin to provide control of both above- and below-ground insects. Chlorantraniliprole provides residual control from roots to shoots, while bifenthrin delivers quick knockdown of above-ground pests such as ants, caterpillars and chinch bugs. 

With Durentis Surface, there is no bee box removing state and county moratoriums.  

“Durentis Surface was developed to bring together preventive and in-season control in a single application, giving lawn care operators greater flexibility, efficiency and confidence throughout the season,” said Kyle Richards, senior product manager at Envu. “Customers emphasized they needed an insect control solution that could manage multiple challenges without adding complexity to their operations.”  

Durentis  Surface is pending EPA registration and is not available for sale. 

<p>The post Envu to debut Durentis Surface insecticide at NALP’s Elevate conference in Tampa, Fla. first appeared on Landscape Management.</p>