September 14th – 16th, contractors, distributors and pond industry professionals joined us in Cleveland, Ohio for the 6th Annual Atlantic-OASE Professional Conference, finally, in-person! This three-day event was filled with education, camaraderie and the excitement of seeing everyone face-to-face!
For some, the conference kicked off a little earlier. Wednesday morning, we held an optional Golf Outing Scramble at local golf course, Gleneagles Golf Club. Golfers participated in a 4 person scramble and awards were given to the first and second place team winners!
Wednesday afternoon, the rest of the attendees arrived, checked-in and mingled at the hotel before heading to dinner at Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern. At cocktail hour, Jeff Weemhoff, president of Atlantic-OASE, announced the 2022 Atlantic-OASE Professional Conference award winners.
First, the Presidential Award was announced to Atlantic-OASE Professional Contractor (APC), George Mihalchick and Susan Perpetua of Ponds by George, Southhampton, Pennsylvania.
Next, the Monster Award was presented by Lloyd Lightsey, The Pond Monster himself. The 4th Monster Award was given to Dan Johanson and Melissa Devine of Focal Point Features, Austin, Texas.
Lastly, Jeff Weemhoff presented the third and final award of the evening. The Atlantic-OASE Professional Contractor of the Year Award or the APC of the Year Award. This year’s recipient is a local contractor from Twinsburg, Ohio; Mike Bulone of Bulone Brothers Landscaping.
Read all about our award recipients in our next blog! (Coming soon)
After cocktail hour on the patio, the group moved inside to enjoy a great dinner and connect with all our pond industry friends before a full day of water feature training on Thursday!
We kicked off Thursday morning with breakfast and company announcements from Jeff Weemhoff before separating into groups for morning class sessions.
Half of the attendees boarded a shuttle to start classes over at Atlantic-OASE headquarters and the other half remained at the hotel to choose between a selection of classes. Three class sessions were held at A-O HQ in both the morning and afternoon class blocks. Classes included a closer look at new products for 2022 and a first look at new products for 2023, hosted by Brandon Dwyer, VP Product Development, and James Lavery, National Sales Manager, in the Atlantic-OASE Training Room.
VP Product Development, & James Lavery, National Sales Manager, in the Atlantic-OASE Training Room
Attendees finally got a chance to see the Atlantic-OASE SandBox training facility in the Exploring the SandBox session hosted by Jim Chubb, Training Manager, and Demi Fortuna, Director of Product Information. Jim and Demi showcased products in action in the SandBox from ponds to fountains and new products including the new Eco-Rise system and Hammered Brass Bowls and Aura Vases.
The final session over at A-O HQ focused on Digitally Connecting to Your Water Features with OASE EGC products in the Showroom taught by Todd Rosendahl, Northwest Regional Sales Manager.
The group at the hotel had options of attending 4 classes of their choosing. Attendees had an opportunity to attend classes about pond & lake management, water feature sales add-ons, PondoVac hacks, how to get business leads, the clear water pond system and an introduction to indoor aquatics & biOrbs.
Sean Bell, Southeast Regional Sales Manager, hosted the class Demystifying the Clear Water Pond System, a class that dove into the benefits and value of combining old and new pond building techniques to keep your pond clean and clear. Kyle Weemhoff, Southwest Regional Sales Manager, presented is class, Diving Into Pond & Lake Management, where he discussed treatments, aeration and all the necessary parts of managing large ponds and lakes. Jay Weemhoff, Northeast Regional Sales Manager, informed attendees on his Add-ons to Your Water Feature Sales. A great course for contractors to learn about all the different available add-ons to new or existing water feature projects Atlantic-OASE has to offer. Peter Ferber, Customer Service & Tech Support, and Gary Miller, Quality Control, hosting the PondoVac Hacks & Other Tips and Tricks class where they gave helpful advice on using OASE PondoVacs. Adam Raabe, OASE Aquatics Category Manager, gave us a look into OASE’s biOrb and Indoor Aquatics aquariums with his class, Bringing Water Indoors: Intro to Indoor Aquatics. And lastly, BJ Linger and Motel McCready from Outdoor Network Services, gave attendees marketing advice with their class, How to Get Consistent Leads to Your Pond Business.
After classes were done Thursday afternoon, conference attendees traveled to Cleveland to eat dinner at Collision Bend Brewery on the Cuyahoga River and close out another great conference!
We wanted to thank all of the attendees who came and spend their time at the 2022 Atlantic-OASE Professional Conference in Cleveland, Ohio with us! We hope you all had a great time (and maybe learned a thing too)!
Read more about Atlantic-OASE on our blog here!
Caitlyn Winkle
After graduating from the University of Akron, Caitlyn joined Atlantic-OASE in the fall of 2019. Caitlyn manages the social media and online content for the company. She also supports the Atlantic-OASE Professional Contractor (APC) Program and Marketing Departments in creating marketing and advertising strategies and plans.