Jul 14, 2019
Columbus is Rockin’ By Tim Hodson

Greetings from Cultivate’19 in Columbus, Ohio!

It is Day 3 of the conference and trade show and Team GPN and Lawn & Garden Retailer have been running non-stop since our arrival on Friday.

The Greater Columbus Convention Center has been hopping with activity as the horticulture industry converges on Columbus for four days.

On Saturday, we had a sold-out crowd at GPN’s second Cannabis & Hemp Conference at the Hyatt Regency. Attendees had a chance to learn about the different issues, techniques, challenges and opportunities that growers may encounter when producing these crops. They also had a chance to meet with 11 of the leading suppliers who are serving this emerging market.

A packed house for GPN’s second Cannabis & Hemp Conference.

A big thank you goes out to our speakers, Al Sray, Tucker Cole, Allison Justice, Roger Styer and Jim Barrett, who provided their insight and expertise. We’d also like to thank all of our sponsors for helping make the conference possible.

Last night, we had a chance to honor GPN’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2019 in person. The house was really rocking as 30 members of this year’s class came together to be recognized. We had a lot of fun celebrating their impressive young careers.

Scott Thompson, Jessica Yaeger and Tim Hodson

The 2019 GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year, Jessica Yaeger from Penn State University, was also recognized during this special reception. Scott Thompson from Nexus and I had the privilege of introducing Jessica to our industry. Keep and eye out for her when she graduates from PSU.

This morning, Cultivate’19 attendees can meet with many members of the Class of 2019 during a special Mix ‘n Mingle session at 10:30 a.m. in the AmericanHort booth in the Greater Columbus Convention Center. If you’re at Cultivate, be sure to pay them a visit and learn more about what they are doing.

It seems like we just got started but we are actually already in the home stretch of Cultivate’19. We’ve got a ton of people to see and things to learn before 2 p.m. tomorrow.

If you’re in C-bus, be sure to come see us in the GPN and Lawn & Garden Retailer booth (#2325).

— Tim

P.S. Also, don’t forget to check out the GPN Facebook and Instagram pages for more photos and updates.