Landscape Alberta Lunch & Learn
Thriving Amidst Uncertainty: Strategies for Success in 2025
with Steve Wheatcroft and Benjamin Carlson
Edmonton
April 1, 2025
Location:
Courtyard by Marriott Edmonton West
10011 184 St NW, Edmonton, AB
Calgary
April 3, 2025
Location:
Carriage House Hotel & Conference Centre
9030 Macleod Trail, Calgary, AB
Join us for our spring leadership event series in Edmonton and Calgary!
The recent water crisis in Calgary, ongoing labor struggles, and looming tariff conflicts have made running a small business more challenging than ever. These external factors, while beyond our control, can cause significant worry and anxiety for business owners. At our Lunch & Learn event, we aim to help you take control of the aspects within your influence to create a lean, efficiently managed company and eliminate waste.
Our partners from LeanScaper, the dynamic duo of Steve Wheatcroft and Benjamin (Benji) Carlson, will guide you in identifying and implementing operational efficiencies in your business.
Agenda:
- 10:30 AM Pre-lunch Session: Discover how to create a lean management model within your business to navigate the road ahead.
- 12:00 PM Lunch
- 1:00 PM Post-lunch Workshop: Identify the nine types of waste and learn practical solutions to enhance your operations immediately.
Additionally, Landscape Alberta will provide updates on leveraging your membership to achieve real-world savings on everyday business purchases.
What You’ll Learn:
- Creating a lean operation blueprint
- Eliminating waste and unlocking resources
- Fostering a culture of continuous improvement
- Maximizing your association membership for bottom-line savings
Who Should Attend: Owners, leaders, and operational managers across the landscape industry.
OUR SPEAKERS
Steve Wheatcroft
Steve Wheatcroft was the original founder of ULS and started the company in 1989. By 2019 Steve had grown revenues to over 30 million, with a 50/50 split between Landscape and Snow Services. Along the way Steve has been heavily involved with SIMA, the Snow & Ice Management Association, along with other organizations across multiple industries. Steve has become a major contributor to the landscape & snow industries and has literally 100s of connections within the industry across North America, including equipment suppliers, airport service providers, industry experts, and of course friendly competitors.
In 2019 Steve sold a majority stake in ULS to Private Equity, and over the next 2 years served as the CEO navigating the company to approximately 100 million in revenue. At the start of 2022 Steve stepped down as the CEO of ULS and took on the new role of Corporate Development Officer. This freed Steve up to pursue more external facing opportunities and to assist in the acquisition of larger contracts. In early 2024 Steve moved on from ULS to pursue new opportunities.
As well as success on the service delivery side Steve was also the co-founder of Spectrum Equipment and was instrumental in Spectrum’s growth in equipment sales and rentals to both the construction and snow & ice management industries from 2015 to 2020. His development of Spectrum gave him a seat at the table as an advisory and partner with Metal Pless, Trecan, Protech, CAT, Douglas Dynamics and other major snow & ice equipment manufactures from across North America. Steve sold Spectrum in 2020 and now acts as a consultant to the organization on snow & ice management projects and opportunities. This has seen Steve work with such clients as O’hare, Des Monies, Dulles, JFK and other international and region airports in the areas of snow & ice management.
Steve holds a B. Comm from the University of Calgary, where he attended on a full ride hockey, and academic scholarship. Along with this Steve holds a fellowship with Western University in London Ontario, and the Ivey School of Business in Entrepreneurial Studies and Business Transformation through the Quantum Shift Program. Steve’s passion has always been building great companies through the development of great people He continues to consult to the industry across North America in the pursuit of excellence while maintaining safety and a clear path to success.
Benji Carlson
Bio forthcoming
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNER
THANK YOU TO OUR LUNCH SPONSOR
Don’t forget, April 3rd is also our annual Landscape Awards Night in Calgary. Join us for an evening of excellence and fellowship. For more information and to obtain tickets click on the button below.
