QUARTERLY REPORT Spring 2024
“The West Wing is geared toward landscapers and contrac- tors so they can experience where the industry is going next,” says Kiser. “And get valuable training and certifications that will help expand their businesses when they get home.” The Classroom and Certification Center will offer classes covering scaling your business, developing crew leaders into better managers, pesticide management and application, tree and shrub pruning and plant health, and more. Education at Equip also focuses on employee recruitment and reten- tion, irrigation repair, installation and design, outdoor lighting design and installation, and outdoor pool design, mainte- nance and installation, working with private equity to expand or sell your business, understanding key financial metrics to boost profitability, and more. Equip also will give back this year with a special project that helps Louisville-based philanthropy Blessings in a Backpack. Attendees visiting the West Wing can help stuff hundreds of backpacks with meals for distribution to school kids who may not have enough to eat. The event is sponsored by Hunter Industries and the TurfMutt Foundation. “Louisville is our home, and the city works hard to wel- come our industry every year in October,” said Kiser. “So given our industry is known for its generosity and giving back to others, we expect many Equip attendees will want to get involved with Blessings in a Backpack during the show, which we’re staging in the West Wing.”
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KEVIN O’CONNOR OF THIS OLD HOUSE TO DELIVER KEYNOTE FOR EQUIP ATTENDEES Renowned This Old House host and home improvement expert Kevin O’Connor will deliver the keynote address, sponsored by Kress, at Equip Exposition this fall, focusing on energizing the landscapers, contractors, dealers, and man- ufacturers who attend the trade show and helping them iden- tify ways to build their business. “We’re excited to have Kevin join us this October for Equip – he’s a seasoned contractor and really knows the business. He’s one of us, and he’ll have a great story to share with attendees,” said Kris Kiser, President of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, which owns and manages Equip Expo- sition. “Registration for the show is now open, so make sure you get your travel booked soon.” O’Connor says he has profound respect for the profession- als who attend Equip. “The people who run and make these businesses work, who show up every day, who employ and provide and get after it, those are my kind of people,” says O’Connor. He hopes they learn “ways to make their busi-
CPSC EXECUTIVE TO MEET WITH OPEI THIS FALL Austin Schlick, Executive Direc- tor of the Bethesda, MD-based U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has accepted OPEI’s invitation to meet with the Legal & Regulatory Compli- ance Committee Oct. 2 at OPEI’s offices.
Schlick was appointed to his current position by CPSC Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric in January, making him the agency’s chief operating officer. Previously, Schlick was CPSC General Counsel, and prior to that he held senior legal positions at the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice.
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