The Edge June/July/August 2026

LETTER FROM THE CEO

Who’s Your Tech Champion?

BEING A LEADER IS ABOUT IDENTIFYING YOUR WEAKNESSES AND HELPING PEOPLE FIND their strengths. One area that more leaders need to tap into is technology. I understand that the older we get, the more we don’t want things to change, but being reticent about technology won’t help the industry in the long run. You may not go out of business, but you will become less competitive and put yourself at a disadvantage.

industry’s current model is the robotic mower. These will significantly help our labor situation and allow crew members to be assigned to different tasks. What once took a team of two or three to tackle will become a one-person job, allowing those other employees to focus on detail work and visit more properties. It also creates a new role of who is responsible for running the robots. Electrification will be another disruptor as land scape companies work to update their shop infra structure to accommodate this new power model. Yet a number of factors could stall this innovation if you are not planning for how to address power outages and rising electricity costs. One of the points ITR economist Taylor St. Ger main shared at Leaders Forum a few months back was how the cost of electricity will skyrocket due to the $39.3 billion in data centers currently under construction. That leads to the third disruption tool I’m watch ing, which is AI. I am curious to see its impact on the industry. Right now, a lot of owners are intrigued by this technology, but many are also at a loss on how to tap into its full potential. Technology is a tool, but like any other tool, if you don’t have the right person using it, it’s going to sit on the shelf until a leader says ‘I don’t know what that tool is, I don’t know how to use it, but I need to find somebody who knows how to use it, because I know it’s important.’ For me, as much as we need technology, we need leadership just as much, if not more.

No matter how wonderful you may be at cus tomer service, if your competitors can outperform you while reducing their costs through the use of technology, it will be increasingly difficult to compete. LEAN INTO INNOVATION We are still in an era of testing, exploring and failing when it comes to technology. And it’s best to fail fast. Ask yourself: Do you have the right people leading your organization’s efforts when it comes to technology? If you do not, I challenge you to find those people. If you are not naturally innovative, you need to find somebody on your team who is, give them power and get out of their way. Cheer for them. Express your true feelings. In other

words, don’t say you’re all in. Don’t say you understand things when you truly don’t; ask questions. Investing in these individuals will separate you from your competition and give you an advantage. If you don’t have somebody who embraces technology and pushes the envelope in your

organization, seek them out. This person doesn’t necessarily need an IT background, and your IT

department isn’t necessarily your best source of innovation either. They take incremental steps. You want someone who’s ready to make a big leap.

Britt Wood

TOOLS OF DISRUPTION One tool I believe will disrupt the

6 The Edge // June/July/August 2026