Next Season Starts Now: An All Industry AmericanHort Roundtable
Cultivate may be over, but the conversations shaping next season are just getting started.
- What lessons from this year will influence your business moving forward
- What opportunities are emerging?
- And how are horticulture leaders preparing for what’s next?
Join us for an interactive conversation designed to bring our industry together to reflect on the season, learn from one another, and look ahead.
Moderated by Katie Dubow, President of Garden Media Group, this discussion builds on the momentum of the 2027 Garden Trends Report unveiled at Cultivate. Katie will help connect the broader consumer and marketplace trends with the real-world decisions horticulture businesses are making today.
Joining Katie are AmericanHort Board members representing diverse segments of the industry, who will share candid perspectives on what’s working, what they’re rethinking, and where they see the greatest opportunities for the future.
Together, they’ll discuss:
- Lessons learned from this season
- How changing customer expectations are influencing business decisions
- Workforce, operations, and production planning
- Where they’re investing time and resources for the year ahead
- Opportunities to strengthen both individual businesses and the industry as a whole
Then, the conversation becomes yours.
Following the panel, you’ll join fellow professionals in industry-specific breakout discussions led by AmericanHort Community Connectors. Share ideas, compare experiences, ask questions, and leave with practical insights you can put into action immediately.
Because while our businesses may look different, many of the challenges we face—and the opportunities ahead—are remarkably similar.
Join us as we reflect on where we’ve been, discuss where we’re headed, and start shaping the next season together.
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.