|
Springing Up Everywhere!
By: Shanan Molnar
It seems like it is has been a while since I had a Tidbit for you. It has been busy for me on a couple of fronts. I am sure your pre-spring was just as packed and hopefully exciting too. A couple things had me busy in the last few weeks. I hope they are exciting to you too!
One was a trip to Florida to visit the sites for the Summer Tour. As I write, it is hard to know where to start to clearly share with you all the information and the impact it had on this hardy garden center visitor. Usually when I have that problem, I start at the beginning!
I was picked up at the airport by Theresa and Kevin Riley from Rockledge Gardens. They have a 2nd generation family business that is slated to be a tour favorite. They also believe in Service Leadership and put that belief into action by volunteering with not only GCA, but their state association - FNGLA, and within their community.
Our first stop was Harry P.  Leu Gardens. Arriving at sunset had the camera buff in me clicking away before I was out of the truck! I met Robert Bowden (Executive Director), a devout plant lover who is rightfully proud of Leu Garden's place in the community and green industry. We were treated to a quick tour. We were privileged to see a yellow Camellia in bloom! The Camellia is just one example of the diverse array of plant material and opportunities at Leu! For those that want to focus on other aspects there is much to learn from their educational offerings, the 2,000 pounds of produce they donate to local charities and even how they handle weddings.
(We are doing a mini trade show at Leu Gardens also plus having a guest speaker - Heather Will-Brown from Disney's Horticulture department. If you would like more information on the trade show or other details, just send me an e-mail to smolnar@asginfo.net . We are finalizing the brochure that you'll be seeing in a few days.)
I just described one stop on the pre-tour visit! One! The garden centers we are visiting are varied with each location chosen for some aspect of their business that is worthy of sharing. The tour committee has worked diligently to make sure they offered loads to learn and adapt. A couple of the stores have younger managers with interesting backgrounds. Bringing their personal panache to the store in some fresh ways we want to share with you.
My second adventure was a quick trip to the Washington, DC area. I flew up on a Tuesday afternoon for meetings with GCA's president Dave Williams and a few people at the American Horticultural Society. Since I was in the area I had to pop over to Maryland to visit Don Riddle's new Homestead location.
Don is such a great host - with Tim Hamilton and Dave Hanger being fonts of information too. He was delighted to see us and show the store where the final touches are being placed. He has an amazing story on acquiring fixtures for the new store. Brilliant really and I will tell the story a bit later as he gets us new photos to share of the completed facility. A couple points I have to share - the building had a drive thru bank on one side. That whole area will be for education. The location itself is on a major street where everyone travelling to the beach must pass it! The floors in the whole place are gorgeous. They are a type of epoxy with colored sand thrown on top. (Don's always happy to share info.) They are aesthetically appealing while being serviceable too.
We discovered the original Homestead location was being set for their annual flower show. We drove over to check it out. 
Customers were sneaking past the drapes to see the display. They were clearly just itching to stroll and get ideas!
There were quite a few ideas around Homestead that day. They doubled their veggie section. Last year Don gave employees things to plant specifically to be able to relate better to customers. A side benefit was the positive effect on the employees!
Charles Hall the Executive Vice President for GCA was also travelling for GCA of late. One goal for Charles was to go to Chicago and run the route for the IGC Show Bus Tour. (You will be seeing more details on the IGC Show in the next few weeks.) He also attended the retirement party for Home & Garden Showplace's Dave Meder. Dave has been dedicated to the garden center industry for years. His influence will be felt long after his official retirement date. I hope Dave's time with his grandchildren is as carefree as his working years were busy!
To take the position of Dave Meder at Home & Garden Showplace is Sue Amatangelo. Many of you will surely recognize my cohort in leading the "Fun Bus" on quite a few tours! Sue is the author of Absolutely Beautiful Containers, she has a masters degree and she's a master gardener. She will bring years of experience working with garden centers to this position. It will be interesting to see the changes she brings over the next few years. We will have to request some insight when she joins us this summer on the "Fun Bus!"
Speaking of fun I am going to enjoy giving a "shout out" to Robert Hendrickson today. It is his 60th birthday! Enjoy!
Have a fun and productive Spring!
Shanan Molnar
p.s. There is limited space at Disney's Contemporary Resort. You can book 3 days prior to our event and 3 days after if you are interested in adding on family time. The room rate is $199 per night rather than $400 or more if you booked outside the event! Call to utilize the 3 day window - 407-824-3869. Otherwise click Disney rooms/tickets and other info!
|
