The Atlantic-Oase Professional Conference for the first year ever, left its roots in Cleveland to visit the mountains of Colorado! The city of Denver Colorado hosted the Atlantic-Oase Professional Conference in its 8th year, at the Rally Hotel just a few minute’s walk from the airport train. This education and water feature packed two-day event was the perfect getaway!
Early attendees signed up for the Pond Tour, with three Sprinter vans leaving the hotel bright and early for a morning of stunning views and even more stunning water features.
At the first stop, a lovely home with a panoramic view of Marston Lake, the homeowner and the pondbuilder, Jesse Schumaker of Urban Flow were outside to greet our group, all 50 of us. The location of the pond, some ten feet below the walk to the front door, offered great views from both upper and lower floors of the immaculately landscaped home, and adjacent sitting areas invited closer interaction. A stream with numerous falls started high on the slope opposite the steps down to the water’s edge, creating a pleasant soundscape to match the well-designed and enchanting layout. In this perfect example of the Clear Water System, ProfiClear filtration fed by an AquaMax Eco Premium pump in the bottom of the pond maintains the koi, while an Atlantic Skimmer housing a L-Series pump removes floating debris from surrounding lawn and gardens and powers the vigorous waterfalls.
Our next stop offered completely different, but equally stunning views. Located at the top of a mountain accessible only by a single lane and hairpin turns that showcased the skill of the drivers, attendees enjoyed both landscape and waterscape from a unique perspective, the views from the mountaintop complementing the view into the koi pond through a large window. The superb rockwork visible from the bottom of the pond to the top of the waterfall matched the surrounding natural outcrops seamlessly, showcasing the work of A-O Contractors of the Year Art Of The Yard, who were there to explain the working of the crystal-clear pond.
Then it was back down the mountain to the next pond, also by Art Of The Yard, a pair of connected ponds built into a steep back yard with a bridge crossing between them. The charm of the small ponds and the falls between them made their construction even more impressive, in light of the fact that all of the material had to be brought into the back, down the steep slope, by hand.
Lunch was served via food truck back at the home of Shane Hemphill of Art Of The Yard, where visitors admired his 17000-gallon pond and magnificent large koi, with a lucky few seated at a table sporting both a running stream and dancing flames. Wow!
Then we visited the site of the 2019 Koi Pond Build to see how well the first-ever Clear Water System had held up. There, the back yard koi pond exhibited crystal clear water and excellent water quality, with owner Kyle Weemhoff confessing to practically no maintenance whatsoever! (It has been such a success that the same exact system is now available for sale, #94632.)
The pre-Conference tour ended back at the Rally Hotel with a delicious buffet and drinks on the rooftop terrace, followed by a few words of welcome from company president Jeff Weemhoff.
The Conference Seminars kicked off promptly after breakfast the next morning, with a powerful and moving key note presentation. Jim Davison, a survivor of the massive Nepal earthquake of 2015 who was trapped at 20000 feet during his first ill-fated climb up Mount Everest. The story of how he and his team survived and the lessons that enabled him to successfully summit the world’s tallest mountain only two years later, brought many to tears. His message, finding the resilience to survive and succeed under even the most challenging conditions, will not soon be forgotten.
The seminars started immediately afterwards highlighting best business and construction practices as well as new technology and products. Eric Triplett counseled contractors on Sales Communication; BJ Linger spoke on effectively marketing locally; Isaac Mashman discussed personal branding and Laura Reale her techniques of email marketing. Distributors enjoyed a multi-staff discussion with Regional Managers Kyle Weemhoff, Todd Rosendahl and Tyler fisher on enhancing the distribution side of the business. On the construction side, Shane Hemphill weighed in on Mastering Koi Keeping while filtration and water quality took a major role in the rest of the presentations. Clear Water Pond Systems featuring the Clear Water Guarantee took center stage, while Life with a ProfiClear explained the systems that clean themselves from the personal perspectives of Sean Bell and Jim Chubb. In Profitable Bog Filtration Demi Fortuna and Sean offered modular solutions for those features too large for typical filtration options. Newcomer to A-O but a veteran in the field, Greg Wagner explained the latest technology in Lake Therapy, large volume water treatments offering astounding results, especially in reduction of sludge. The New Products presentation with Frayne McAtee was especially well-attended, presenting among other innovations Pulse 6, new pump technology that combines increased power with lower operating costs in almost total silence.
Atlantic-Oase announced this year’s Contractor of the Year award winner at the 2024 A-O Professional Conference, held at the Rally Hotel in MacGregor Square in Denver Colorado. Congratulations to Andrew Marchel and his team at Loyal Pond Services, including Zach, who was at the Conference and accepted the award with Andrew. The award recognizes their dedication to honing their craft as they constantly strive for top-class artistry. With over 1000 commercial and residential clients served and decades of combined experience in the Kansas City area, Loyal Pond Services have been servicing water gardens in Kansas City for the past 15 years. As construction of water features assumes a greater role in their repertoire, their participation in professional conferences and training sessions leading to Atlantic Water Gardens Certification has been exemplary. Kansas City’s premier full-service water garden firm, Loyal Pond Services is family owned and operated, taking pride in providing top notch service and competitive prices.
Jeff Weemhoff presented his Presidential Award to a water garden and koi dealer that punches way above their weight, Grumpy Gills of Northglenn, Colorado. Although the store has a relatively small footprint, Owner Mike Allen offers everything from Japanese Koi to filter systems and aquatic plants. Mike and his team have expanded the koi community in their area, educating both homeowners and contractors on the best practices in the hobby and helping hundreds of customers. They are a major player in the local koi club and an integral resource for hobbyists around the area. Congratulations Mike!
Lloyd Lightsey presented the Monster Award, recognizing those in the industry who give more, to Jason Lenox of Ponds Inc. of Illinois. His generosity in sharing the accumulated wisdom of decades in the field has earned him universal respect, appreciation and friendship in the industry. Hat’s off to you, Jason!
To wrap up an eventful and educational two days in Denver, the group walked down to Wynkoop Brewery for dinner and drinks and to enjoy each others company! We wanted to express a huge thank you to all of our presenters and guests who taught valuable courses this year at the Atlantic-Oase Professional Conference! And a second thank you to everyone who traveled to Denver to attend this year’s conference! We hope to see you all at the next Atlantic-Oase Professional Conference!