Speakers
Step back in time, and step onto the Grand Island of Mackinac as you listen and learn from our inspirational speakers.
2020 Virtual Speakers
Jack Barnwell ~ Virtual Speaker
Garden Topics:
Jack Barnwell is an award winning garden designer, author, and owner of C3 Gardens of Southwest Florida as well as Barnwell Landscape and Garden based on the Michigan island of Mackinac. As owner of Barnwell Landscape and Garden Inc., Jack has over twenty years of experience creating breathtaking commercial and private garden displays on one of the world’s premier summer vacation destinations.
Barnwell Landscape and Garden is responsible for the annual planting and maintenance of thousands of flats of flowers. They handle complete landscape installations, and specialize in innovative annual displays in garden beds, containers, and window boxes. Plants and materials are brought to the Island by boat and moved on location by horse and bike power because of the complete motor vehicle ban on Mackinac Island. Jack has customized his work for the Southwest Florida climate and market. C3 Gardens also maintains many of their clients’ plantings by bicycle as they have found that this not only provides a more efficient means of transport, but decreases their impact on the environment.
Jack’s work has been featured in many publications, including Landscape Management magazine. As a consultant for Proven Winners, Jack contributes to the design of beautiful gardens at commercial properties all over the United States.
At the end of a long day, Jack, his wife Karen, and their two sons enjoy watching the sunset, no matter which island they are on at the time…
Dr Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell ~ Virtual Speakers
Garden Topics:
Brent and Josh founded Beekman 1802 in 2008. But they actually consider themselves to be a 211-year-old company. “When we stumbled across the Beekman Farm in upstate New York, we had no plans to create a business around it. We started making goat milk soaps and gourmet cheeses in 2008 and one thing led to another…now we are proud to have over 180 employees and be recognized as one of the most successful lifestyle brands in America by Nasdaq, Inc Magazine & The Wall Street Journal. Like Judge William Beekman, who originally built the farm over 200 years ago, we were inspired by the land and the community to build something lasting.”
Laura LeBoutillier ~ Virtual Speaker
Garden Topics:
Laura LeBoutillier is quite simply an emerging force in the field of gardening. She started Garden Answer in 2014, a YouTube how-to gardening vlog filled with style, expertise, and helpful gardening knowledge.
From the time she was a child, Laura was surrounded by her Ontario, Oregon family garden and family business, Andrew’s Seed Co.
Today, she has attracted nearly half a million YouTube channel subscribers and her Facebook page has over 2.5 million followers. Combined, she’s received over half a billion views. She is quite the sensation in just a short period of time and these numbers are continually growing!
She can’t wait to meet you, chat about all things Earthy, and share some of her expertise with you first-hand!
Marshall Dirks – Virtual Speaker
Marshall Dirks will bring his enthusiasm, humor and 20+ years of experience with Proven Winners® products to “center stage” at our Grand Garden Show. As the second employee hired by Proven Winners, he is excellent at keeping all of our speakers on their toes and on time! Technically in charge of marketing and public relations, all the plant geeks who surround him have turned him into a passionate gardener!