| Kip Creel President StandPoint Kip Creel is the President of StandPoint, an Atlanta-based market research firm with expertise in the home and garden industries. Kip is an alumnus of the University of Florida, and holds a BA in Statistics (1988) and an MBA in Marketing (1993). StandPoint is recognized as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the home and garden industries, which includes lawn and garden, outdoor living, landscaping, horticulture, home décor, home improvement, kitchen and bath, and new home construction. As the Green Industry continues to evolve, organizations such as Bailey Nurseries, Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association, Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Assocation, Briggs & Stratton, Scotts, Syngenta, the American Nursery and Landscape Association, Corona Clippers, Kellogg Garden Supply, Ball Horticulture, and Ariens power equipment have relied on StandPoint’s insights and counsel. | |
| Dave Edenfield Founder/Partner The Visions Group Dave is one of the original founders and partners of The Visions Group. When founded in 2005 the driving mission of Visions was, and is today, to work with growers, allied trade, and others to make a difference in how the horticultural industry is viewed in years to come. Dave has over 30 years of industry experience and has been a continuing student of retail. Over these years and prior to founding Visions, he worked first with a major, international seed company and then spent 17 years with large retail-ready and grower-ready plant producers. He seeks to understand what drives consumers to purchase and use horticultural products as they seek to improve their lives. He is pursued by mass market retailers, garden centers, and manufacturing companies to offer guidance on how best to introduce, position products and services for continued growth. In addition, his extensive experience and passion have made him sought after by companies for guidance on merchandising management, sales team development, national account management and mass market relationship development. Dave gives back to the industry as a frequent presenter at both public and private company functions within the US as well as internationally. His passion for making a difference carries over into his personal life as he spends his free time as an adult trainer for the Boy Scouts of America. He also volunteers locally and internationally to help in the fight against hunger with children. Dave graduated from Abraham Baldwin College, Tifton GA. with degrees in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design. | |
| Thomas Frey Executive Director and Senior Futurist The DaVinci Institute As the Executive Director and Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute, he works closely with his Board of Visionaries to develop original research studies, which enables him to speak on unusual topics, translating trends into unique opportunities. As part of the celebrity speaking circuit, Tom continually pushes the envelope of understanding, creating fascinating images of the world to come. His keynote talks on futurist topics have captivated people ranging from high level government officials to executives in Fortune 500 companies including NASA, IBM, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Lucent Technologies, First Data, Boeing, Capital One, Bell Canada, Visa, Ford Motor Company, Qwest, Allied Signal, Hunter Douglas, Direct TV, International Council of Shopping Centers, National Association of Federal Credit Unions, and many more. Because of his work inspiring inventors and other revolutionary thinkers, the Boulder Daily Camera has referred to him as the “Father of Invention”. The Denver Post and Seattle Post Intelligencer have referred to him as the “Dean of Futurists”. Before launching the DaVinci Institute, Tom spent 15 years at IBM as an engineer and designer where he received over 270 awards, more than any other IBM engineer. He is also a past member of the Triple Nine Society (High I.Q. society over 99.9 percentile). Tom has been a columnist for the Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, and Boulder County Business Report, and is the author of the 1998 book “Inventions of Impact”. He currently writes a newsletter entitled “News from the Future” and has written numerous articles on a wide range of futurist topics. He has also been a contributing writer for The Futurist Magazine and is the Editor of the Impact Lab, an online emerging technology blog. | |
| Frank A. Gasperini Jr. CAE CAE National Council of Agricultural Employers Frank Gasperini is the Executive Vice President and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) representing labor intensive agricultural employers in the nation’s capital. NCAE focuses on agricultural labor issues from the employer perspective and is active in federal legislative and regulatory policy and compliance issues that directly impact agricultural employers including health care implementation, youth labor issues, occupational health and safety, immigration reform, labor supply, and other labor and enforcement issues. Prior to joining NCAE Frank held a variety of sales, marketing, and professional association staff positions in agricultural industries. Frank’s background includes specialty and production agricultural marketing, government issues-management, and lobbying legislators and regulators at the state and federal levels. For NCAE Frank oversees production of weekly News Briefs for Members and is a regular contributor to several trade publications including FGN/VGN. A native of Ohio, Frank received Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Agriculture from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management, Chicago. Frank is a frequent speaker on government affairs issues important to agricultural and specialty crop communities around the country. He and his wife Sandy live in Leesburg, Virginia. | |
| Charlie Hall Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences Texas A&M University Dr. Charlie Hall grew up in the industry on a nursery in Western North Carolina. Although an economist by training, he is currently a Professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at the Texas A&M University and also holder of the Ellison Chair in International Floriculture. His major areas of specialization include innovative management and marketing strategies, financial analysis and benchmarking, and the situation/outlook for nursery and greenhouse crops. He is an invited speaker at numerous regional, national, and international meetings of various industry-related associations and organizations. He is particularly known for the enthusiasm, passion, and intensity he exhibits when speaking. Dr. Hall is an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association and has received TNLA’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Nursery Industry. He is also a member of the Hall of Fame and Honorary Lifetime Member of the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association. | |
| Jeff Korhan Principal Jeff Korhan New Media and Small Business Marketing Jeff Korhan, MBA is an authentic, informative, and inspiring speaker, trainer, and coach who helps mainstream businesses use social media and Internet marketing to enhance customer relationships, increase business influence, and accelerate growth. In the first decade of his career, Jeff was a Fortune 50 Sales and Marketing Executive. He later founded a construction services company that earned numerous awards, including twice being named Small Business of the Year. After 20 successful years he sold his company, and now applies three decades of business experience to helping clients capitalize on digital trends in the areas of sales, marketing, and customer service. Jeff is an author, syndicated publisher, and regular content contributor to leading business publications and websites. His own New Media and Small Business Marketing site has ranked among the Top 100 Small Business blogs in the world by Technorati Media. In addition to his business experience and authentic style, Jeff’s audiences and clients especially value his special skill for simplifying technology and complex business ideas to make them practical and useful. | |
| Douglas Mueller President Breakthrough® Fuel Since joining the company as President in 2007, Doug has led all aspects of the Breakthrough®Fuel business including client development, relationship management, solution design, business implementation and transaction management. His diverse background in the energy management, supply chain and transportation industries has helped Breakthrough®Fuel become the trusted supply chain transportation energy advisor to a number of leading and innovative companies. For 30 years he has held successful leadership roles in supply chain transportation energy management, logistics, transportation management, business transformation, and fleet operations and maintenance. | |
