WA Awards 1998 WALP Conference and Environmental Awards BELLEVUE, WA The 1998 Washington Association of Landscape Professionals (WALP) Conference and Environmental Awards Banquet will be held October 29-30 at the Embassy Suites in Bellevue. This year's event will feature several speakers, a boat cruise on Lake Washington, and the 1998 awards banquet. WALP is a non-profit organization whose membership includes Landscape Architects and designers, landscape contractors, wholesale suppliers, urban foresters and arborists, horticulturalists, government agencies and educators. Featured speakers for this year include: Ralph Bruksos, Ralph Bruksos & Associates, "Turning Change Into a Payday"; Marti Eicholz, PhD., MECA Profiles, "Building Strong Root System With Your customer and Crew"; Bob Andrews, Greenskeeper, Inc., "The Evolution of a Small Business"; Caryn Spain, C.M.C., Applied Business Solutions, "Chart Your Own Course-- Strategic Planning Tools for Business Leaders"; Kurt DeVries and Randal Brown, New England Financial, "Retirement Plans and Employee Benefits for the Landscape Industry"; and Ed Hume, Gardening in America, "Look, Act and Speak like a Professional." The conference will conclude with the Environmental Awards Banquet which will honor those landscape architects and contractors who have performed outstanding workmanship in various conditions, as well as several WALP members for their contributions to the association. For more information on the conference, contact WALP at 800-833-2186.