ACE Peer Group Program

We’ve helped hundreds of companies—and counting—succeed with ACEs.

ACE stands for Accountability Creates Excellence, and when you join one of our ACE Peer Groups you’ll discover why. We are proud to run these groups with our Strategic Partners at McFarlin Stanford.

Designed to act as your board of advisors and facilitated by an executive coach, your ACE Peer Group will help you with the high-level decisions you need to make to control and grow your business and the best practices you need to implement to consistently come out on top. With three in-person meetings a year, an annual ACE Summit, and monthly check-ins with an accountability partner and your group facilitator, our ACE Program drives progress and delivers results.

ACEs can literally change your business—and your life.

New Groups Forming Now. The first step is attending our ACE Discovery Event.


What Our Current Members and Alumni Say

 


In the world of business seminars, consults, books, apps, and the like, many times we hear the phrase ‘life-changing.’ When you become involved and engaged in the ACE Program, I’ll commit to you that this is absolutely the truth. If not for our ACE family, my brother and business partner, Ryan, and I would never get the candid, tell-it-like-it-is feedback every business our size needs to hear. We owe many of our successes to the ACEs.”
— Benton and Ryan Foret, Foret Group, New Orleans, LA

How OUR ACE PEER GROUP PROGRAM Works

We Find the ACE Peer Group That’s Right for You

All new peer group members start by attending an ACE Discovery Meeting, where you get a taste for our program and we gain a better understanding of your business. After Discovery, we’ll work to find the group that’s the best match for you and the type and size of company you run. There are 8–12 members in each group.
 

Your ACE Peer Group Is Facilitated by TWO Executive CoachES

Our peer groups are led by Marty Grunder, Vince Torchia, James Cali, Jason New, Chris Psencik, Tommy Cole, Megan Parker, and Michael Bosco. We have an accomplished team with a long track record of success in green industry management and operations. Our peer groups also have a special Financial Metric focus led by CPA and CFP, Liz Helton. We don’t traffic in theory; we show you what we know actually works.
 

You’ll Meet In-Person Three Times a Year

The initial kick-off is held in New Orleans or as part of the ACE Summit, and future meetings are held at members’ companies. With a curriculum focused on a specific area of business, these meetings are highly structured and optimized to make the most of your time so you can get back to your company with the methods and mechanisms you need to excel.
 

You’ll Have ACcESS TO Our Annual ACE Summit EVENT

This is a unique opportunity to take a deep dive into a particular topic and to network with an incredible group of leaders who’ll dramatically broaden your perspective. In 2017 we met at the Four Seasons Vail to focus on the client experience; in 2018 we gathered at the Four Seasons in Whistler, British Columbia, where we examined how to maximize operational efficiency; and in 2019 we headed to the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Québec City, Canada, to learn new ways to build a winning team. In 2020 at the beautiful Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Florida we learned about how to build and work with leadership teams and in 2021 we worked ON the business in Beaver Creek, CO, and in 2022 met in beautiful Napa Valley, CA. In 2023 the event was at the Fairmont Banff Springs in Alberta, Canada.
 

You’ll Take Part in Accountability Calls

To help you continue to develop and improve all year long, we’ll pair you with another member of your peer group to serve as your accountability partner and you’ll take part in a scheduled monthly call with this partner and your facilitator during months when your group does not meet. These check-ins drive progress in your business between meetings and propel you to get done what you need to do.
 

 


Joining our ACE Group has been the smartest thing we’ve done for our company and ourselves. We are so grateful to be in a group with successful, motivated people who genuinely want to help and support each other as much as they want to grow their own businesses. We’ve already seen the culture of our company and the bottom line improve as a direct result of things learned and implemented from our group.”
— Claire and Charlie Goldman, R&R Landscaping, Auburn, AL

Additional Benefits

As an ACE member, you’ll also receive:

  • ACE Confidential, a monthly e-newsletter exclusively for ACEs

  • Discounts on Grow Group events and products for you and your team, including our GROW! Annual Conference and Grunder Landscaping Co. Fall Field Trips

  • Discounts on equipment through our extensive vendor network

  • Discounts on coaching and recruitment services from McFarlin Stanford

  • Discounted personalized coaching from your group facilitator should you want or need more time


The ACE Peer Group Program provides a sounding board that is unwavering and will give you honest feed back on any situation in your business. It has not only helped me get through tough situations in business and life, but it has also pushed me make decisions that I would not have done without the support and encouragement of my fellow ACEs.”
— Joe Chiellini, Ameriscape Services, Tampa, FL

Get STarted

The best way to learn if our ACE Peer Group program is right for you is to try it out yourself. Join us for an ACE Discovery meeting to take the program for a test drive.


“The ACE Peer Group Program has enabled me to see the way other companies operate on a day-to-day basis. No matter if you are a $1-million or $10-million company, there are issues we are all going through industrywide that your fellow ACE members can help you overcome. Taking yourself away once a quarter isn’t a vacation, but what it does do is help you reset and refocus on exactly what you and your business need to be successful.”
— Josh Springer, Property Pros, Indianapolis, IN