Inspiration & Humiliation at the ANLA Clinic 2012

in·spi·ra·tion: The infusion of ideas into the mind.

I cannot praise the American Nursery & Landscape Association (the staff, the industry volunteers and the Board leadership) enough for the amazing event that was the Management Clinic. Over the past decade, the Clinic has meant more to me and my company than any other thing I can think of, and the 2012 edition was as rich a mix of brilliant, insightful ideas, mind-expanding opportunities and meaningful networking as ever. I wish you had been there. You simply cannot understand the excitement, the energy, the passion and the fun that filled every hallway, meeting room and social gathering. Many thanks to all who worked hard to put on the Clinic and to every single attendee who generously chose to leave their business and family for three days of learning and sharing.

Here are some of the many people who inspired and “wow-ed” me this year:

Joe Baer

Joe Baer and his team of “Visual Merchants” from Zen Genius were deservedly the talk of the Clinic for their wonderful concept/display of re-purposed pallets cum garden boutique. Besides being clever, resourceful and beautiful, the truly remarkable thing was how it served as the perfect metaphor for the times: “More with less.” How often have you heard this cliche, or said it yourself? But it is rare to see it so plainly demonstrated in a tangible way. For me, it was a parable into which I could walk and linger, touch and absorb. It seemed to say, “Yes, we have all been humbled by difficult times. True, we cannot afford the standards we once thought essential. But, with creativity and discipline, we can embrace our humility and actually…truth be told…raise the standard higher than it ever was before. All we have are a bunch of busted pallets? Let’s make it awesome!” Well done, Joe!

Chris Hansen

Chris Hansen of GreatGardenPlants.com was amazing. This guy is killing it. His business is so dialed in on success, he didn’t mind sharing exactly how he is selling tons of plants online. I have so much respect for his openness: he literally showed us all the nuts and bolts (including the money side) of how he uses Google and its metrics to drive his business. If OpenHort had an award for “Going Above & Beyond to Share Knowledge with Potential Competitors,” it might just be named after Chris Hansen. He was also a judge for the “Garden Idol” where he showed a keen sense for the potential market viability of the new plants being introduced. There aren’t many “plant geeks” equally as passionate about the business numbers as they are the newest cultivars. You rock, Chris!

 

Garden Idol

If you don’t know, Garden Idol is like American Idol, but for new plants…and it is wild.

This year’s winner was Hort Couture‘s Jim Monroe for the “Under the Sea” collection of coleus. They are pretty cool plants and I look forward to growing them.

Congrats to Hort Couture for the win and lots of respect to Jim Monroe for his emphatic statement from the stage: “These plants will NEVER be in a box store. Over my dead body.” I think he really means it, too. It will be interesting to see how he and a newly-resurrected Novalis will be able to secure unique genetics and prevent them from ever crossing over to he mass-merchant channel. Can it really be done? We’re glad someone’s trying! Atta boy, Jim!

 Spring Meadow Nursery

Spring Meadow deserves a “wow” mention for deciding to NOT compete in this year’s Garden Idol, despite having many worthy plants. Instead, they paid for everyone’s drinks! It was a classy move, and the “party with a purpose” raised several thousand dollars for nursery research and breast cancer research. Well done, Spring Meadow!

Stephanie Stockton

Not only did Stephanie Stockton organize a great Clinic, she also raised a lot of money ($4,000 I think?) at the “party with a purpose” by getting folks to donate to see her have all her hair cut off. Wow. This is the level of commitment and participation we have come to expect from our association staff, and we shouldn’t take it for granted. Remarkable, Stephanie!

The OFA

Speaking of association stuff…I was really glad to connect with several OFA members at the Clinic. The OFA president, Mike McCabe of McCabe’s Greenhouse & Floral, was visible and immersed himself in the whole Clinic experience. In light of the “joint venture” between ANLA and OFA, it was important to have their leadership present. Kudos to Mike! However, I can’t pass up the opportunity to point out that none of the OFA staff attended. I’m sure there are good reasons for this, but I think there are better reasons for why somebody from the OFA staff should have been there. How are we to integrate our two organizations with one of the key goals being to “Further expand and offer more robust educational programs” if they don’t know what our main educational program was really all about? Don’t get me wrong, I am not really upset here. I’m confident the OFA cares about the Clinic. Just consider this a gentle call-out, a simple observation. We expect a lot from our staff, and that’s a good thing!

Bailey, PDSI & Conard-Pyle

It’s interesting to see these three great companies partnering together and finding synergy where there could be isolation. Their brands are complementary, and it was really cool to see them all displayed side-by-side. They aren’t merging or losing their individual identity, but they are very smartly combining their efforts where it makes sense. These guys get it!

 Jonathan Matteson

I’d never heard of Jonathan or his employer, Kellogg Garden Products, before the Clinic, and he wowed me basically because he wore a scarf and fingerless gloves the entire time. Seriously, Jonathan is way more hip than most of us in the industry. But he offered more than just cool, eccentric style. He had a lot of great insights–especially about Twitter, Facebook and all the social media stuff, which were perhaps the most-frequently mentioned topics at the Clinic. Everybody was talking about connecting with their social networks, but Jonathan did it better than the rest, I think. So, he gets a “wow.” Stay warm, Jonathan!

Marcus Sheridan

He calls himself the Sales Lion, and his presentation style was abrasively forceful…but his schtick was backed up by some really brilliant-yet-simple insights into Google, the psychology of buyers and the very nature of business and marketing. This guy was smart, and he didn’t mind sharing all of his strategies and tricks. Whoever found Marcus and invited him to the Clinic: way to go!

 Sid Raisch

I’m a big fan of Sid, so him getting a “wow” is not surprising. At this Clinic, I only heard him speak for five minutes during a “Speed Round,” but his simple appeal to eliminate the word “bid” from our business vocabulary was right on. There are a lot of smart people out there, but Sid stands out because he has something more: wisdom. You can check him out at his website, Advantage Development System. Keep thinking, Sid!

 

Kellee Magee

Honestly, Kellee Magge deserves a lot more than just a few sentences at the end of a blog post. Our industry owes her a lot of thanks for her many years of service. The Clinic is her signature event and this year appears to be her last. If you haven’t already, check out her new venture, MonkeyBar Management. Besides having a cool logo, Kellee and her new company provides “the skills that you need to bridge the gap from where you are to where you need to be.” Specifically, she is offering her services for event and business retreat organization, business development, strategic facilitation and basically just being her amazing self. Thanks, Kellee, for all you have done for ANLA and for all the love you have poured into our companies! Hope you have fun managing your own monkey-bars!

What “wowed” you?

These were just a few of the “wows” I got from Clinic 2012. I’d love to hear what “wow-ed” you. Feel free to share yours here by commenting, or post on Facebook so everyone can see it!

But…

But despite all the fun and valuable learning, the 2012 Clinic will be remembered less for the people who were there than for the people who weren’t.

hu·mil·i·a·tion: Descent from an elevated state or rank to one that is low or humble.

There was a sadness overshadowing this Clinic, for it just may be the last. Attendance was at an all-time low.  So low, in fact, many of us wonder, “Will it return?” I hope so, but it probably won’t be in Louisville and it may never be the same again. (Perhaps it could be better?) Why was attendance less than half what was needed? The green industry is suffering through our own Dark Age, where negativity, blindness and disinterest prevails. Our hope is in the handful of firms that see and are even now leading an exciting, new Renaissance in their businesses and in our associations.

I plan to post later this week my thoughts on why the Clinic “failed” and what we can do about it. Drop me a line if you have anything to share or just to let me know you want to hear what I think! I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

~Art