Dave Mitchell to keynote 2026 Garden Center Conference & Expo

VALLEY VIEW, OHIO — (Jan. 7, 2026) — The Garden Center Conference & Expo, (Aug. 18-20, 2026, Nashville, Tennessee) has confirmed Dave Mitchell, founder and president of The Leadership Difference, Inc., as its 2026 keynote speaker.

Mitchell will present “The Power of Understanding People,” an interactive keynote focused on communication, leadership effectiveness and the human dynamics that drive performance. The session will help attendees better understand their own communication and leadership styles while developing the ability to recognize and respond to the needs of others. The result is stronger collaboration, higher engagement and greater influence across leadership, sales and customer service.

“High performance starts with understanding people, starting with yourself, and then everyone around you,” Mitchell said. “I’m excited to bring this program to the independent garden center industry and help leaders strengthen the skills that directly impact their teams, customers and culture.”

A four-time author, Mitchell wrote “The Power of Understanding People: The Key to Strengthening Relationships, Increasing Sales and Enhancing Organizational Performance,” named Amazon’s Best Business Book of the Month, and “Peak Performance Culture: The Five Metrics of Organizational Excellence.” He has earned Best Speaker of the Year honors from both Meeting Professionals International and Meetings & Conventions magazine.

The Garden Center Conference & Expo brings together independent garden center owners, operators and suppliers for education, insight and peer connection. Mitchell’s keynote will anchor the event’s educational programming, reinforcing its focus on leadership development and practical business growth.

For more information, visit gardencenterconference.com.

About Garden Center: Garden Center magazine is the leading industry trade publication serving independent garden center retailers in North America. Garden Center, a quarterly print publication with a robust digital presence, is known for providing relevant, timely and engaging content in every issue, with a focus on management, marketing, trends and merchandising. With a suite of services — including digital coverage, news updates and e-newsletters — Garden Center provides business owners with research, insights and analysis to help them grow their companies.

About GIE Media, Inc.: Garden Center is owned by GIE Media, based in Valley View, Ohio. GIE Media was founded in 1980 and has grown in its 45-year history into a leading marketing and communications business-to-business media company serving 16 industries — including the horticulture industry through its Horticulture Group (Garden Center, Greenhouse Management, Nursery Management and Produce Grower magazines). The company goal of Group Interest Enterprises is to publish the highest-quality business magazines, websites, e-newsletters, conferences, reference books and other forms of business media in growth industries, with a quality standard based upon editorial value and market leadership. The company employs more than 100 editors, publishers, sales representatives, marketers and other professionals. To learn more, visit giemedia.com.

###

Contact:

Irene Sweeney

216-393-0289

isweeney@gie.net