The Edge September/October 2025

î COVER STORY

corporate career as part of a leadership team that built the family business SERVPRO into the No. 1 franchise in their industry with annual revenues exceeding $2 billion. Brown will blend

contractors. If you want to be with the A players, this is where they are, and so you need to come and have the conversations.” Not only does ELEVATE feature dynamic education sessions and networking, it also features one of the fastest-growing trade shows in the industry. The ELEVATE Expo facilitates meaningful conversations with suppliers and what innovations they’re bringing to the market. “Getting out on the floor, you’re going to see new things,”Wood says. “Every year, our suppliers bring their newest stuff. The fact of the matter is that if you don’t open yourself up to new ways of doing things, you’re closing yourself down to growth.” Also on the tradeshow floor are Camp fire Conversations designed to foster open dialogue and storytelling. Participants will have 12 different Campfire Conversations they can join in, including “Mentorship Matters: Giving, Getting, and Growing Together” and “Setting Yourself Apart: Craft ing Unforgettable Client Experiences” “The education and networking you get by coming to ELEVATE is like no other,” McCrossen says. “It’s a unique space where you can learn, connect, have fun, and talk business all under one roof.” You won’t want to miss the two power house Main Stage speakers, Kevin Brown and Ben Nemtin. Brown spent the last 20 years of his

“Like everything we do at our ELEVATE Bash, there’s going to be a lot of different things to do, and it’ll be a lot of fun,”Wood says. Other times for networking include the Let’s Talk Shop roundtable discussions, Breakfast with Champions and the ticketed pre-ELEVATE Women’s Forum event. The Let’s Talk Shop roundtables allows attendees to share experiences, explore challenges, and exchange practical insights from their specific specialty including lawn care, design/build, commercial landscape maintenance, residential landscape main tenance and irrigation. Additionally, attendees can purchase a ticket for the ever-popular Breakfast with Champions, where a facilitator leads mean ingful discussions on a specific topic in an informal breakfast setting. The Women’s Forum is a unique opportunity for women in the landscape industry to come together, share expe riences, and gain insights that empower both personal and professional growth. This year’s keynote speaker, Erin Stafford, will share strategies on how to sustain peak performance while avoiding burnout. The Women’s Forum will also feature a panel discussion on women breaking barriers and hot topic roundtable discussions. “It’s about the conversations,”Wood says. “The conversations that are had at ELEVATE are between the best of the best and

his business insight, personal experience, and passion for helping people into a message that will help attendees unlock their inner hero at work and in life. Nemtin is the #1 New York Times

bestselling author of What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? and The Bucket List Journal. His message will focus on radical possibility. Both of these speakers will leave contractors feeling engaged, motivated and inspired. ELEVATE also presents the opportunity to go On Tour with the award-winning Creative Environments, based in Tempe, Arizona, on Nov. 5. You can learn more about this 75-year-old business’s keys to success and tour their facility. BRING AN OPEN MIND Whether this is your first time attending ELEVATE or if you’ve come every year, to truly maximize your experience, Wood recommends coming with an open mind. “The people who present at ELEVATE are really some of the best,”Wood says. “How

28 The Edge // September/October 2025