This week on Trades Talk, Justin White sits down with Angelique Robb, founder of Synkd Magazine and Synkd Live, to trace her journey from oil rigs and deep-well engineering to redefining what collaboration looks like in the landscape industry.

Angelique shares stories from her early career as a petroleum engineer, working offshore by helicopter in her teens, before shifting into project management and later launching a landscape design firm in Scotland. That blend of systems thinking and hands-on operations led her to notice the fragmentation in the U.S. landscape space. Through Synkd, she’s now working to synchronize design, build, and maintain under one roof, while surfacing key technical and business gaps.

Justin and Angelique explore the “missing middle” of landscape project management, the opportunity in specialty subcontractor collaboration, and why small business owners hit a ceiling when they try to do everything alone. The episode also covers how Synkd Live New Orleans is structured differently from traditional trade shows, and what both founders believe is holding the industry back and what’s about to push it forward.

• Angelique’s early career offshore and how project integration shaped her systems lens

• Why most landscape companies get stuck at 4–6 employees and how to scale beyond that

• The problem with the word “landscaper” and why she rebranded to Synkd

• How U.S. firms lag in stormwater design and what Europe’s 20-year lead teaches us

Angelique and Justin close by comparing private equity to “sweat equity” and laying out the ownership mindset that can help small firms scale without selling out. Sign up for The Disruptors Social taking place during SYNKD Live!

On this Weekly Update of Trades Talk, Justin White kicks off 2026 with part one of a powerful new series: The Disruptor’s Advantage. After reflecting on the wild ride of 2025, Justin sets the tone for the year ahead by exploring what it truly means to be a disruptor in the trades. From AI to electrification to mindset, he lays out why this moment is built for bold thinkers ready to challenge the status quo.

He makes a strong case that trades are not just alive and well. they’re thriving. With tech leaders spotlighting skilled labor and facilities requiring landscape design by law, landscapers and builders are positioned to win. Justin draws from Harvard’s Innovator’s Dilemma and his own experience going all-electric to show how innovation, not price, is now the dealbreaker. The episode previews major 2026 bets from K&D and invites listeners to a year of transformation.

• The trades are positioned for massive growth in 2026 and beyond

• AI may threaten office jobs first, but hands-on trades remain essential

• Being different and innovative beats being just better or cheaper

• K&D’s move to all-electric maintenance is already paying off

• Disruptors make bold bets, measure, learn, and evolve

This is the first of a three-part series on the disruptor mindset, with live events and exclusive workshops already on the calendar. Get ready for a year of change and choose to lead it.

This week on Trades Talk, Justin White sits down with Scott Hutcheon, founder of Hey Flora, to explore how AI is reshaping the landscape industry. From field crews to business owners, Scott shares how Hey Flora serves as a full operating system, not just a chatbot, designed specifically for the challenges of trades companies.

They dive into what makes landscaping so complex, why traditional tech adoption has been slow, and how AI-powered workflows can transform field communication, training, reporting, and even customer proposals. Scott reveals how property-level “intelligence layers” are being built through voice, photo, and video input—and why early adopters will pull ahead.

• Hey Flora offers bilingual, voice-first AI agents to support field crews and streamline operations

• Property-specific “graphs” compile notes, photos, and chat history to power proactive reminders

• Flora generates client-facing proposals and reports from daily crew inputs automatically

• Flora Docs and Vibe Scaping tools speed up design-build timelines and elevate sales

• LEAF framework ensures AI outputs meet OSHA and industry standards for safety and compliance

• Future tools may include AI safety glasses, digital twins, and procurement via simple chat

AI won’t replace leaders, but those who adopt it early will outpace those who don’t. If you're not building AI into your workflows, you're already falling behind.