HNA to Offer Practical Leadership and Growth-Focused Education
LOUISVILLE, KY -- Success in today’s hardscape industry requires more than installation expertise. Business growth depends on strong leadership, effective marketing, sound financial decisions and strategic planning. To help contractors strengthen those skills, Hardscape North America (HNA) will offer a series of business-focused education sessions on October 21 and 22, 2026, featuring industry leaders who understand the challenges contractors face every day.
“These sessions are designed to give contractors practical ideas they can take home and put to work immediately,” said Bob Thomas, president & CEO of the Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association (CMHA), which produces HNA. “Whether the goal is increasing profitability, improving operations, strengthening leadership or finding new ways to market a business, attendees will gain real-world strategies from professionals who have built successful companies and helped others do the same.”
This year's business-focused education lineup includes:
- Profitability & Operations – Anthony Bango’s Improving Hardscape Margins By Utilizing Technology – How Prefabricated GFRC Is Changing Everything explores how prefabricated Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete products can reduce labor demands, shorten installation times and improve project margins. Bryan Horr, P.E., will lead the popular Contractor Roundtable, giving attendees the opportunity to discuss real-world challenges and solutions with fellow contractors.
- Design & Sales – George Urvari will present Design for Profit: Make Beautiful Spaces Profitable and Estimating Mastery: Have Your Estimate Sell Itself, sharing strategies for creating profitable designs, improving buildability and developing proposals that communicate value and help close more sales.
- Marketing & AI – Oliver Bridgeman will help contractors make smarter marketing decisions through Stop Guessing Your Marketing Budget: A Data-Driven Workshop and Everyday AI for Marketing: A Practical Workshop for Hardscape Industry Professionals. These sessions focus on building realistic marketing budgets, understanding performance metrics and using AI tools to improve efficiency and results.
- Leadership & Growth – Doug Buma’s Vision in Motion: Strategic Planning for a Constantly Evolving Industry provides a framework for aligning daily activities with long-term business goals, while Joseph Raboine’s workshop, The New Outdoor Living Economy: How to Prosper in Fluctuating Market Conditions, explores emerging trends and opportunities shaping the future of outdoor living.
Together, these sessions provide practical tools to help contractors improve profitability, strengthen leadership, make smarter business decisions and position their companies for future growth.
For attendees looking to maximize their learning experience, the VIP Pass offers exceptional value, providing access to 17 education sessions, six hardscape demos, two hardscape workshops and one free industry session. The VIP Pass saves attendees more than 50% compared to purchasing individual education sessions.
Attendees can add education when registering for HNA or return to their registration dashboard to add sessions at any time. For more information and to explore the full education lineup, visit HardcapeNA.com/education.
Pre-Show Installer Courses
In addition to the education sessions during the show, CMHA Installer Courses will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday prior to HNA, offering training and certification opportunities for Concrete Paver Installer, Segmental Retaining Wall Installer, Permeable Interlocking Concrete Paver (PICP) Specialist and Advanced SRW Installer programs.
Register to Attend HNA
Trade show registration is only $30 through September 3, 2026. Registration at the show is $120*. HNA’s co-location with Equip Expo offers attendees access to both shows with one badge and more than 1,000 total exhibits, extensive outdoor demo areas and unmatched networking opportunities. Register today at HardscapeNA.com.
HNA is produced by the Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association (CMHA) and is endorsed by the Brick Industry Association (BIA) and Natural Stone Institute (NSI). Gold sponsor: Landmark Ceramics. Silver sponsor: Keystone Hardscapes.
*Registration for non-exhibiting vendors, manufacturers, suppliers, ad agencies, consultants and media sales is $450.
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