GROW! 2024 Annual Conference

Des moines, ia

The ultimate learning experience for landscape professionals,
by landscape professionals.

Join landscape pros from around the country for this one-of-a-kind conference led by award-winning entrepreneur Marty Grunder and The Grow Group, along with some of the most successful leaders in the green industry. You’ll enjoy three days of innovative sessions focused on real-world solutions to the challenges owners and their teams face; a behind-the-scenes tour of RJ Lawn and Landscape; and a truly inspiring line-up of speakers.

This event for landscapers will help companies achieve their goals and prepare for the coming year. We hope to see you there!

what to expect

GROW! 2024 will be held in Des Moines, IA on February 6-8, 2024, and will feature an in-depth, behind-the-scenes tour of RJ Lawn & Landscape, a company expected to do $10M in annual revenue in 2023 that offers full services: design-build, maintenance, lawn care, and snow removal. Thanks to their amazing facility, the majority of the company tour for 2024 will be held indoors and sheltered from the elements.

We are hard at work on our GROW! 2024 agenda, and will announce more information soon! Check out our GROW! 2023 page for an idea of what to expect.

Marty Grunder, The Grow Group

Vince Torchia, The Grow Group

Emily Lindley, The Grow Group

James Cali, McFarlin Stanford

Tommy Cole, McFarlin Stanford

Liz Helton, McFarlin Stanford

Taylor Milliken, Milosi

Jennifer Murray, McFarlin Stanford

Jason New, McFarlin Stanford

Megan Parker

Jonathan Peterson, Summit Landscape

Josiah Peterson, Summit Landscape

Seth Pflum, Grunder Landscaping

Roger Phelps, STIHL

Chris Psencik, McFarlin Stanford

Tracy Wallingford

GROW! 2024 Agenda

The exact timing of sessions and which breakout session is in each grouping is subject to change as we finalize plans. We'll be announcing more details and breakout sessions periodically.

February 6, 2024

1:00 p.m.	Room Opens for Seating Come on in, find a seat, and enjoy some live music while we wait for the real show to start.
1:30-2:00 p.m.	Welcome to GROW! 2024 We have an exciting three days planned for our attendees, and our time together will fly by. Get energized and get ready to GROW!
2:00-2:20 p.m.	Break
2:20-3:05 p.m.	Breakout Session I Our breakout sessions allow for deep dives into topics that landscape professionals need to know about for a successful 2024. Sessions are designed to cover topics relevant to all roles, so you and your team can choose the one most relevant to you! We'll announce more session titles and descriptions soon! Benchmarking: How Do You Stack Up Against Your Peers? In our ACE Peer Group Program, we benchmark companies so they can compare their performance to other landscaping companies nationwide. In this session, we'll share the metrics we watch, what numbers we like to see companies hitting, and our recommendations on fixes if you are missing the mark. Gamify Your Company Culture: Competition Creates Engagement Description coming soon!
3:05-3:25 p.m.	Break
3:25-4:10 p.m.	Breakout Session II Our breakout sessions allow for deep dives into topics that landscape professionals need to know about for a successful 2024. Sessions are designed to cover topics relevant to all roles, so you and your team can choose the one most relevant to you! We'll announce more session titles and descriptions soon! Hunting for Enhancements: What Marty Looks for When He Walks a Maintenance Property Walk through Grunder Landscaping Co. properties with us in this session: we'll show you what we look for when we do site visits at both a commercial and residential property and will highlight the additional projects we would recommend to each client. You'll leave this session with tips for finding enhancement-type projects to drum up more work without expanding your client base. The GROW Meeting: How to Share Information with Your Team Open book management can help your team understand how they contribute to the company's success. It's been a powerful source of growth at Grunder Landscaping Co., where the company has increased revenue by 200%+ since 2020. In this session, GLC President & COO Seth Pflum will share the company's philosophy on information sharing, what metrics they share with which team members, and how they make the presentation on metrics easy for everyone to understand. What Stands in the Way of Your Big Hairy Aggressive Goals? A Big Hairy Aggressive GOAL-rilla! Description coming soon!
4:10-4:30 p.m.	Break
4:30-4:55 p.m.	Keynote Address Speaker and Session to be announced soon!
4:55-5:05 p.m.	What You'll See at RJ Lawn & Landscape Get to know RJ Lawn & Landscape in this brief preview of what attendees will see and hear on the tour on day 2.
5:05-5:10 p.m.	Evening and Next Day Logistics
5:10-5:13 p.m.	Sponsor Spotlight: STIHL
5:15-6:00 p.m.	Cocktail Reception Sponsored by STIHL Connect with fellow attendees, event speakers, sponsors, and the RJ Lawn & Landscape team over drinks.
	Dine-Arounds Meet new friends over dinner. We'll make restaurant reservations around town for small groups; sign up in the event app to join one. Each diner pays their own way.

February 7, 2024
We've decided to split this year's tour into two sessions to allow for smaller, more intimate tour groups. You will be assigned to the Blue or Green Group for your RJ Lawn & Landscape tour.

7:00-8:00 a.m.	All Attendees	Breakfast
8:00-8:50 a.m.	All Attendees	Keynote Session
8:50-9:00 a.m.	All Attendees	The Day Ahead
9:00-9:15 a.m.	All Attendees	Break
9:15-10:00 a.m.	Blue Group	Breakout III Our breakout sessions allow for deep dives into topics that landscape professionals need to know about for a successful 2024. Sessions are designed to cover topics relevant to all roles, so you and your team can choose the one most relevant to you! We'll announce more session titles and descriptions soon! The Anatomy of Printed Materials: How to Create Postcards, Door Hangers, and Other Collateral That Works Print is far from dead, especially when marketing landscaping work. Beautiful images of your work paired with messaging that hits home for your ideal client is the recipe for success. In this session, Emily Lindley, Content & Events Manager at The Grow Group and Marketing Manager at Grunder Landscaping Co. will walk you through what to consider and how to create printed materials that drive qualified leads. Don't Take the Monkey! How to Coach Your Team Members To Problem Solve Empowering leaders to grow their skillsets and encouraging team members to problem solve is one of the many ways that great leaders create more leaders. In this session, Megan Parker and Tracy Wallingford will share tactics leaders can use to encourage their direct reports to take control of their own "Monkeys" with open-ended questions like "What do you think is our best option?" Innovations in Operations: Operate Using the Latest and Greatest Best Practices To Operate More Efficiently In this session, led by Jason New and Tommy Cole, you will learn about all the innovations you should be leveraging, from landscape & irrigation to maintenance & lawn care and event fleet & equipment. This is a can't-miss for operations leaders looking to drive margins, increase efficiency, and reduce headaches for them and their direct reports.
10:00-10:15 a.m.	Blue Group	Break
10:15-11:00 a.m.	Blue Group	Networking Event Details Coming Soon!
11:00-11:15 a.m.	Blue Group	Break
11:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m.	Blue Group	Main Stage Session Details Coming Soon!
12:00-1:00 p.m.	Blue Group	Lunch We'll return to the hotel for lunch and afternoon sessions. Network with fellow attendees or take a break to catch up on calls and emails; our lunch hour is flexible!
1:15 p.m.	Blue Group	Buses Load and Depart for RJ Lawn & Landscape
1:30-3:40 p.m.	Blue Group	Tour of RJ Lawn & Landscape Take a deep dive into RJ Lawn & Landscape. We'll visit and tour their facility and see firsthand how they're set up for success and growth.
4:00 p.m.	Blue Group	Buses Return
9:15 a.m.	Green Group	Group 1 Tour Buses Depart for RJ Lawn & Landscape
9:30-11:40 a.m.	Green Group	Group 1 Tour of RJ Lawn & Landscape Take a deep dive into RJ Lawn & Landscape. We'll visit and tour their facility and see firsthand how they're set up for success and growth.
12:00 p.m.	Green Group	Buses Return
12:00-1:15 p.m.	Green Group	Lunch We'll return to the hotel for lunch and afternoon sessions. Network with fellow attendees or take a break to catch up on calls and emails; our lunch hour is flexible!
1:15-2:00 p.m.	Green Group	Breakout III Our breakout sessions allow for deep dives into topics that landscape professionals need to know about for a successful 2024. Sessions are designed to cover topics relevant to all roles, so you and your team can choose the one most relevant to you! We'll announce more session titles and descriptions soon! The Anatomy of Printed Materials: How to Create Postcards, Door Hangers, and Other Collateral That Works Print is far from dead, especially when marketing landscaping work. Beautiful images of your work paired with messaging that hits home for your ideal client is the recipe for success. In this session, Emily Lindley, Content & Events Manager at The Grow Group and Marketing Manager at Grunder Landscaping Co. will walk you through what to consider and how to create printed materials that drive qualified leads. Don't Take the Monkey! How to Coach Your Team Members To Problem Solve Empowering leaders to grow their skillsets and encouraging team members to problem solve is one of the many ways that great leaders create more leaders. In this session, Megan Parker and Tracy Wallingford will share tactics leaders can use to encourage their direct reports to take control of their own "Monkeys" with open-ended questions like "What do you think is our best option?" Innovations in Operations: Operate Using the Latest and Greatest Best Practices To Operate More Efficiently In this session, led by Jason New and Tommy Cole, you will learn about all the innovations you should be leveraging, from landscape & irrigation to maintenance & lawn care and event fleet & equipment. This is a can't-miss for operations leaders looking to drive margins, increase efficiency, and reduce headaches for them and their direct reports.
2:00-2:15 p.m.	Green Group	Break
2:15-3:00 p.m.	Green Group	Networking Event Details Coming Soon!
3:00-3:15 p.m.	Green Group	Break
3:15-4:00 p.m.	Green Group	Main Stage Session
4:00-4:10 p.m.	All Attendees	Break
4:10-4:40 p.m.	All Attendees	Start, Stop, Keep Take notes while on the tour! This is your chance to ask any questions that didn't get answered during the tour and provide feedback on what you think the RJ team should start, stop, and keep doing to improve their business.
4:40-4:50 p.m.	All Attendees	The Mary Ellen Graham Award Named in honor of Marty Grunder's late mother, the Mary Ellen Graham Award is presented annually to a team that is involved in giving back to their community.
4:50-4:53 p.m.	All Attendees	Sponsor Spotlight: Weathermatic
4:53-5:00 p.m.	All Attendees	It's a Surprise! GROW! is about more than learning - it's also about having fun with the friends you make when we're all together. We'll have a fun surprise to keep you laughing and entertained, you'll have to join us to see what it is!
5:00-5:20 p.m.	All Attendees	Where We're Headed: GROW! 2025 Be the first to know where GROW! 2025 will be held and get to know next year's tour host.
5:20-5:23 p.m.	All Attendees	Sponsor Spotlight: Aspire Software
5:30-6:30 p.m.	All Attendees	Cocktail Reception Sponsored by Aspire Software Connect with fellow attendees, event speakers, sponsors, and the RJ Lawn & Landscape team over drinks.
7:00-9:00 p.m.	VIP Attendees	VIP Dinner Join Marty Grunder, the RJ Team, and other event VIPs at an exclusive after-hours event just for VIP ticket holders. Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served alongside an open bar.

February 8, 2023

7:00-7:47 a.m.	Breakfast
7:47-7:50 a.m.	Sponsor Spotlight
7:50-8:00 a.m.	The Day Ahead
8:00-8:20 a.m.	Break
8:20-9:05 a.m.	Breakout Session IV Our breakout sessions allow for deep dives into topics that landscape professionals need to know about for a successful 2024. Sessions are designed to cover topics relevant to all roles, so you and your team can choose the one most relevant to you! We'll announce more session titles and descriptions soon! Soft Skills: The Interpersonal Skills Everyone Should Have to Be Successful in Life and Business Grunder Landscaping has focused on teaching their team members work skills for years, but they recently added soft-skills workshops to their training program. They've found that a little bit of training helps their team to work more cohesively and communicate better with clients. In this session, Marty Grunder will teach the soft skills that he teaches his own team and will give you the tools to lay out your own soft skills workshop for your team. Rolling in White Gold: How to Set Your Snow Removal Crews Up for Success Preparing a team to tackle a snow storm is no simple task, and cleaning up properties efficiently is the key to profitability when the winter weather rolls in. In this session, Jordan Kapple of the RJ Lawn & Landscape team will detail how they set their team up operationally to tackle snow and ice. Sales: Cold Calling, Warm Calling, and Where to Find New Leads It's time to get the sales you need to hit your 2024 goals, but what do you do if the leads aren't coming in organically? In this session, Chris Psencik, executive coach at McFarlin Stanford and The Grow Group will walk you through how you can look for leads yourself and then what to do to warm and cold call without the commission breath. Check Your Blindspots: How to Do a 180-Degree Performance Review Description Coming Soon!
9:05-9:20 a.m.	Break
9:20-10:05 a.m.	Breakout Session V Our breakout sessions allow for deep dives into topics that landscape professionals need to know about for a successful 2024. Sessions are designed to cover topics relevant to all roles, so you and your team can choose the one most relevant to you! We'll announce more session titles and descriptions soon!
10:05-10:25 a.m.	Break
10:25-10:35 a.m.	Sponsor Raffles Must be present to win! Our sponsors bring lots of goodies with them. Throughout the event, enter for a chance to win their giveaway items. We'll raffle them off at the end, must be present to win!
10:35-10:38 a.m.	Sponsor Spotlight
10:38-11:10 a.m.	Closing Keynote As you head back home, prioritize the changes you want to make based on the time we've spent together. In this session, Marty Grunder will share his takeaways from this year's event and will give you clear next steps to take to improve your business as you head on home.

FAQs

What does Registration Include?

All registration types include all educational sessions, the company tour, breakfast and lunch on Day 2, and breakfast on Day 3. Hotel, travel, and other meals are not included in the registration fee.

Are there any discounts available?

ACEs and their team members receive a special rate. Please e-mail lindsey@growgroupinc.com for details.

Teams of three or more receive 15% off. Use code GROW3ORMORE

Teams of ten or more receive 20% off. Use code GROW10ORMORE

What does a VIP ticket include?

GROW! VIPs get special treatment the entire time we're in Des Moines! As usual, GROW! VIPs will get reserved front-of-the-room seating, a special gift, and a ticket to the exclusive VIP dinner on night two with fellow VIPs, our host company team, and The Grow Group team. We are finalizing details on the VIP experience and will announce any other benefits as they're confirmed.

VIP tickets are limited and will sell out!

What's the nearest airport?

The nearest airport is the Des Moines International Airport (DSM), which is a quick Uber or taxi ride from event hotels. We will have free shuttles available for event attendees to get from the airport to the conference hotels and back.

Where should I stay? Do you have hotel blocks?

This year we have room blocks set up in multiple nearby hotels to give you more options on where to stay. You can make your reservations using the links below to lock in our discounted rates. Conference sessions will be held at the Iowa Events Center. Discounted rates are available as space allows in each hotel, and all rates expire on January 7, 2024.

The Hilton Des Moines Downtown ($179)
Connects to Iowa Events Center via skywalk.
Room Block Full

Comfort Inn and Suites Event Center ($149)
Located across the street from the Iowa Events Center.

The Renaissance Des Moines Savery Hotel ($199)
A skywalk system connects this hotel to the convention center, about a 10-minute walk.

The Des Moines Marriott Downtown ($179)
A skywalk system connects this hotel to the convention center, about a 12-minute walk.

Do you offer payment plans?

If you need to pay for your registration in installments, please email lindsey@growgroupinc.com and we’ll try to accommodate you. You’ll need to provide a credit card number that we can process automatically on agreed-upon dates, and you must pay the entire balance before the event.

What is your cancellation Policy if i can't make it?

All cancellations must be received by e-mail at grow@growgroupinc.com, we cannot process cancellations over the phone. If you cancel your registration before September 1, 2023, you will receive a full refund. If you cancel after September 1, but more than 30 days before GROW! 2024, we will refund your money minus a processing fee of $125 per registration; alternatively, you may opt to have your registration fee credited to your account and redeem it for another Grow Group offering. No refunds or credits will be issued for registrations canceled within 30 days of the event. You may transfer registrations to a substitute participant up until 5 business days of the event. No refunds, credits, or additional transfers for a transferred registration. Credits must be used within 18 months of their issue date.

Non-solicitation policy

The GROW! Annual Conference is a community event for the landscaping industry, and we carefully select and limit event sponsors to maintain this environment. Companies who sell products to the landscaping industry and attend the event as individuals, not as sponsors, may not use this event to solicit business. We reserve the right to cancel ticket purchases for any non-landscaping company at any time for any reason and will ask any individuals found violating this policy to leave the event. If you have questions about this policy or would like to learn more about sponsoring the event, e-mail us at grow@growgroupinc.com.