Profiles of Women Business Leaders Greening the Way, Barbara Deutsch, FASLA, Executive Director of the Landscape Architecture Foundation will present “Showing Value: Creating Change.” The mission of the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) is to support the preservation, improvement and enhancement of the environment. Barbara has a diverse background in both the not-for-profit and private sector. Before changing careers to become a landscape architect, she was a marketing professional for IBM for ten years, earning two of its most prestigious awards, the Golden Circle, which recognizes the top 5% of marketing representatives in the country. Barbara has since used these valuable business skills to become a leader in the sustainable design movement.
Lexie Hain and Marguerite Wells, Co-Owners of Motherplants Nursery present: “Farmer Girls: The Story of Motherplants.” The evolution of Motherplants as a business has closely tracked the evolution of the US green roof industry as a whole, with changing patterns of plants, products, and market conditions affecting how the business works and what we grow. Some of what we’ve learned is specific to green roofs and walls, some of it inherent to running any business; who’s good to work with, what trends are worth tracking, and sorting good information from bad. We’ll share our philosophy, business trends we’ve seen, and some notable projects along the way.
Vanessa Keitges, President & CEO of Columbia Green Technologies presents: “Vanessa Keitges: Leading to Make a Difference from the President & CEO of Columbia Green Technologies.” Vanessa has a dynamic 9-year global career reflecting optimal performance in the public and private sector in the area of business development, marketing and sales. She purchased Columbia Green Technologies along with local investors in 2009 and the company is currently experiencing significant growth under her leadership.
Joy Schmidt, CEO of Vitaroofs International presents: “Aim high, get your hands dirty and persevere with purpose – A paradigm in sustainability entrepreneurship, from green roof pioneer Joy Schmidt” Despite the mounting evidence for change, green leaders continue to face resistance in the marketplace. So, what’s it going to take to win the race to sustainability? As a pioneer of green roofs, Joy Schmidt shares how she overcame not just skepticism but total disinterest to partnering in the development of some of the most celebrated green roof projects in North America today. It’s a wild ride. You’ll shake your head, smile and even laugh. But the reason she shares her story is to inspire today’s green leaders, architects, builders, corporations, government and home owners, with a formula to fortify their passionate pursuit for tangible results.,
