Next Season Starts Now: An All Industry AmericanHort Roundtable
The busiest months of the season may be behind us, but some of the most important decisions are just beginning:
- What lessons from this year will shape your plans for the next
- What challenges are others facing?
- And where are the opportunities to work smarter, plan better, and strengthen our industry together?
Join AmericanHort for a new, highly interactive member roundtable that brings together leaders from across the horticulture industry, including greenhouse growers, nursery producers, retailers, landscapers, and other key segments for a candid conversation about the decisions being made right now.
The roundtable begins with a cross-industry roundtable featuring AmericanHort Board Members and Community Connector Leaders sharing how they are evaluating this season and planning for the year ahead. From labor and workflow to forecasting, customer expectations, production planning, and business strategy, you’ll gain insight into how leaders across the industry are approaching the opportunities and challenges ahead.
But the conversation doesn’t stop there.
Following the panel discussion, participants will move into segment-specific breakout discussions led by AmericanHort Community Connectors. These smaller conversations provide an opportunity to explore what these trends and decisions mean for your business, exchange ideas with peers, and identify practical takeaways you can put into action.
We’ll close by bringing key insights back to the full group, highlighting common themes, emerging opportunities, and shared challenges across the industry.
Because while our businesses may look different, many of the issues we face—and the solutions we’re searching for—are remarkably similar.
This isn’t just a webinar. It’s an opportunity to learn from industry leaders, engage with peers, and help shape the conversations that will drive our industry forward.
Come ready to think, share, connect, and leave with clearer direction for the season ahead.
Thursday, August 6, 2026
11:00 AM-12:30 PM ET
Roundtables are included with AmericanHort membership.
Moderator
Katie Dubow
President, Garden Media Group
Katie is president of Garden Media Group, a second-generation women-owned and run marketing firm specializing in the green industry. Author of the annual Garden Trends Report, Dubow presents the report worldwide – from Italy to Chicago. She is also a guest host on QVC for Cottage Farms, judge at the Philadelphia Flower Show, on the board of the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association, and a member of the Forty Under 40 from Greenhouse Product News.
Follow along @KatieGMG and on Facebook at KatieGardenGirl.
Panelists
Brian Lloyd
CEO, Olson’s Greenhouse
Brian is CEO of Olson’s Greenhouse, a fourth-generation, family-owned group of companies growing, distributing, and merchandising bedding plants to mass market retailers throughout the Western United States. Brian has degrees in Marketing and Ornamental Horticulture from Utah State University and an MBA from the Marriott School of Management at BYU. He is an active member of YPO International, a worldwide leadership community of chief executives, and an alum of the Harvard Business School Owner/President Management program.
Robert Saunders
CEO, Saunders Brothers, Inc.
Robert is the CEO of Saunders Brothers, a fourth-generation family business based in Piney River, Virginia. He works alongside his brothers and next-generation family. The diversified operation includes container and field production, orchard fruit, and a retail farm market. Robert was named the Southeastern Farmer of the Year in 2022 in recognition of the company’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and leadership within the agriculture industry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Virginia Tech.
Emily Showalter
Chief of Human Resources, Willoway Nurseries
Emily is the Chief of Human Resources at Willoway Nurseries, Inc. in Avon, OH, a third-generation family-owned business and one of the largest wholesale growers of quality nursery stock in the Midwest. Emily grew up in the family business, graduated from The Ohio State University with a BS in Agriculture, completed the Goldman Sachs 10k Small Business Program, and is a graduate of the Executive Academy for Growth and Leadership. Emily served as President of the Ohio Green Industry Association in 2020 and serves on area horticulture program advisory boards.
Bradd Yoder
President, Star Roses and Plants
Bradd has worked 31 years for Star Roses and Plants (The Conard Pyle company) including the last eight as its president. Star joined the Ball Horticultural Company in 2015 at which time Bradd also became a member of the company’s Executive Committee and recently has been added to the Board of Directors of Ball Tagawa Growers in California and the National Plant Network in Alabama. Bradd is a proud graduate and active alumni member of the Executive Academy for Growth and Leadership (EAGL) program.
Away from work, Bradd has a history of volunteering as a youth and high school sports coach, with over 15 years dedicated to helping young people and was founding member and President of the Kent County (MD) Pop Warner organization for over 10 years.