Landscape Technology Conference

MARCH 3  |  12-4 p.m. Eastern  |  2.25 CEUs

Technology is changing the way green industry companies do business more and more every day. Hear about the latest technological advancements in the landscape irrigation industry and how they can improve an irrigation system’s water efficiency, effect overall sustainability and have an impact on a company’s bottom line. The landscape technology showcase will provide insight into today’s best products available.

Cost:
By Feb. 12  |  Member $99  |  Nonmember $129
After Feb. 12  |  Member $119  |  Nonmember $149
 

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Quick Links  |  Conference Schedule  |  Speakers & Panelists

Conference Schedule

Conference times are Eastern time zone. Times and schedule are subject to change.

12:00 p.m.
Welcome

12:05 p.m.
Opening Session – Back to the Future of Landscape Technology: Look How Far We’ve Come & Where We’re Headed
Speakers:
Paul Lierheimer, Director of Landscape Drip SBU, Rain Bird
Sean Azad, Marketing Group Manager for Commercial Products, Rain Bird
Jessica Case, Senior Product Manager for Commercial Products, Rain Bird 
Join us as we talk about recent and upcoming technology developments within the industry and how they will help solve common problems for contractors while allowing them to grow their businesses. 

12:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion – Software Solutions: Finding What Works for You
Moderator: Kyle Brown, Editor-in-Chief, Irrigation & Green Industry Magazine 
Panelists:
Dustin Nihsen, CEO, Great Plains Contractor Services and SIS
Myles Sidorak, CEO, NAIAD Irrigation Systems
Productivity. Profit. Progress. Our businesses usually strive for the same goals. Advancements in CRM software have made those goals more attainable to the landscape contractor in recent years. Hear from two CEOs as they share their software success stories.

1:15 p.m. | Break

1:30 p.m.
Driving Measurable Customer Outcomes with Central Control & Mobile Technology
Speakers:
Bob Beers, Product Manager, HydroPoint Data Systems
Peter Carlson, Chief Technology Officer, HydroPoint Data Systems
The focus on delivering customer results is vital in today’s fast-paced world of multitasking and competing projects. It’s more important than ever that you select solutions that can quickly and reliably deliver measurable outcomes and benefits that truly matter. Learn about the latest technology solutions available and what outcomes you can expect.

2:00 p.m.
Retrofitting: How To Make a Retrofit the Right Fit
Speaker:
Paul Wait, National Irrigation Sales Manager, Zurn Industries Inc.
This specialty landscape irrigation focus takes a deep dive into retrofitting the water safety and water control products connected to residential and commercial irrigation systems. Water pressure reduction, backflow prevention and IoT-connected products support contractors and designers who need solutions to help them retrofit projects with labor savings, lower costs and connectivity.

2:30 p.m.
Panel – Tackling Two-Wire: Breaking Down the Stigma
Panelists:
Jim Carefoot, Sales and Product Manager, Armada Technologies
Nick Shebert, CIO and Irrigation Technical Services Manager, Carson Landscape Industries
The idea of two-wire systems is enough to give some contractors a headache. Hear from two industry experts as they break down the good, the bad and the downright ugly truth of installing and maintaining two-wire systems.

3:15 p.m. | Break

3:30 p.m.
Landscape Irrigation Technology Product Showcase
Presentations from Rain Bird, ServiceTitan, SolutionView and Zurn Industries Inc.
 

Are you interested in being a presenter or have a presenter to suggest? Contact us.

 
To access digital ads, logos and a media brief specific to this conference, go to the Landscape Technology Media Brief dropbox.

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Presenting Sponsors

Speakers & Panelists

Sean Azad

Marketing Group Manager for Commercial Products | Rain Bird

Sean Azad is the marketing group manager overseeing sales and marketing of commercial control systems. He has been a part of many notable product introductions at Rain Bird, most recently the LX-IVM Controller and IQ4 Remote Water Management System. Azad has been with Rain Bird 17 years and resides in Tucson, Arizona.

Kyle Brown

Editor-in-Chief, Irrigation & Green Industry

Kyle Brown has been the editor-in-chief of Irrigation & Green Industry since 2019. He has 10 years of editorial experience in business-to-business publishing across print, online and broadcast. His past experience included work for magazines focused on turf management and landscape business. He has been working as a journalist for 13 years, and his work has been recognized with awards from the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association.

Bob Beers

Product Manager | HydroPoint Data Systems

Bob Beers is a senior product manager for HydroPoint Data Systems. He has more than 10 years of experience with marketing, sales and product management. Beers oversees product development for the Baseline and WeatherTRAK smart water management controller brands. In his free time, he likes to explore the outdoors with his wife, daughter and black lab Luna.

Jim Carefoot

Sales and Product Manager, Armada Technologies

Jim Carefoot is a manager and designer with over 25 years of experience in the electronics industry, 10 years of which were spent designing and fielding products for irrigation and lighting. His experience includes working with and training manufacturers, service providers and end-user customers around the world. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Michigan State University and has a Six Sigma Green Belt design certification.

Peter Carlson

Chief Technology Officer | HydroPoint Data Systems

Peter Carlson is a co-founder of HydroPoint. He has 15 years of experience using distributed data systems and scalable software-as-a-service solutions to build IT products and services for enterprises ranging from small to Fortune 500. Previously, Carlson was vice president of engineering at Shaman Corporation, providing industry leading, award-winning IT data services. Prior to Shaman, he held environmental management positions at the University of California, Berkeley. Together with Chris Spain, he holds a patent on Controlling a Resource Demand System. He is also an assistant scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts and splits his remaining spare time between snow camping in Yosemite National Park and scuba diving in the Caribbean.

Jessica Case

Senior Product Manager for Commercial Products | Rain Bird

Jessica Case is a senior product manager with Rain Bird Corporation and has been with the company since 2007. She started in customer service and has held various commercial marketing and product management roles. In 2018 she earned an MBA from the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management. She resides in Tucson, Arizona.

Paul Lierheimer

Director of Landscape Drip SBU | Rain Bird

Paul Lierheimer is a director at Rain Bird Corporation where he has led businesses for the past 10 years that focus on products that are used in residential irrigation applications including drip irrigation. Prior to working at Rain Bird, he ran two different businesses in the composites industry. In both cases, the companies made products that were sold through independent distributors. He is based in Tucson, Arizona.

Dustin E. Nihsen, CID, CIC, CLIA

CEO | Great Plains Contractor Services and SIS

Dustin Nihsen has 30+ years of sprinkler/irrigation experience, with a demonstrated history of operations and sales growth. He has dug many holes in his days and has designed $1 million sprinkler systems while managing 70+ employees. He earned a Bachelor of Science focused in management and marketing from Bellevue University and is skilled in AutoCAD, budgeting, legal compliance and sales. Nihsen believes growth comes to us with new clients, existing clients and our staff. He has produced a sales manual and helped create a program for his team to be repetitively successful via software. This software provides input to improve presentation and closing effectiveness and is measured by increased closing rate. It also provides an avenue for his service team for them to find low hanging fruit.

Nick Shebert, CLIA

CIO and Irrigation Technical Services Manager, Carson Landscape Industries TurfPro Services

Nick Shebert is the chief information officer and irrigation technical services manager for Carson Landscape Industries TurfPro Services. With over 29 years in the landscape industry after earning his plant science degree from the University of California at Davis, Shebert has provided consulting and expertise in technical irrigation throughout Northern California and Northern Nevada. His vast knowledge and practical experience are a great resource for Carson as his team is tasked with the daily management of irrigation systems for over 500 commercial sites with conventional and Central Control Systems. In addition, he provides technical consulting support to many large municipal clients throughout northern Nevada. Shebert and Carson Landscape Industries TurfPro Services is a Rain Bird Authorized Service Provider for Central Controls. He has also been an Irrigation Association-certified auditor since 2010. His goal is to help expand contractors’ knowledge and use of technology in landscape irrigation.

Myles Sidorak, CIC, CIT, CLIA, CLWM, CID

CEO, NAIAD Irrigation Systems

Myles Sidorak is the founder of NAIAD Irrigation Systems in Calgary, Alberta, and has over 20 years’ experience in the irrigation field. He is an active board member with the Canadian Prairie Chapter of the Irrigation Association and has served as the treasurer for over five years. He has a number of certifications with the Irrigation Association along with many of his co-workers at NAIAD. He takes great pride in the fact that many of his co-workers are getting certified. When he is not working, Sidorak enjoys spending time with his young family or fly fishing.

Paul Wait

National Irrigation Sales Manager, Zurn Industries LLC

Paul Wait is a strategic member of Zurn Industries’ leadership team as the national irrigation sales manager. He is a professional presenter and electrical engineering alumnus of Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo. Wait supports the irrigation industry with over 40 years of experience across electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, construction, landscaping and agriculture. As a product specialist on Zurn Wilkins water safety and water control products, he has spent his tenure at Zurn Industries focusing on training, sales, strategic deployment and marketing.