The 2015 You
New Year’s resolutions have begun (and are hopefully still intact), everyone is starting to tire of winter (at least here in the Midwest), and a new face shows up on the editorial page (Where’s Pete? And who is this new girl?).
A new year signifies a fresh start, the chance for a new-for-2015 version of yourself. Whether you want to lose weight, get organized, spend more time with family or catapult your business to new heights, anything seems possible.
I was recently named managing editor of Lawn & Garden Retailer when Pete decided to take a position outside of magazine publishing. I realize that I have big shoes to fill (size 13 to be exact), but I am excited to start my 2015-and-beyond self with this opportunity.
I am not a 100 percent fresh face to the industry, having been associate editor of L&GR and sister publication GPN since 2013. With any new editor comes change, but I can promise the mission of L&GR and www.lgrmag.com established by Editorial Director Tim Hodson and Pete will remain the same.
I may have met some of you at OFA Short Course 2013 and Cultivate’14, but thankfully that was only the beginning.
I would love to get to know you and your garden center. I’m just an email away at [email protected].
the “M” word
A little about me … I am a settled-in and plugged-in Millennial. For the foreseeable future, I will continue to rent my 11th floor apartment in a Chicago high rise (home buying can wait) and research just about everything on my smartphone before making a decision.
And it seems I am not alone. Twenty-five percent of the U.S. population falls into the Millennial age range, between 18 and 35 years old. Seventy-five percent of us have our mobile devices glued to our palms to help us while we’re shopping, according to recent MediaPost findings.
Mason Day discovered this was one of many defining characteristics of Millennials as he and Seth Reed developed the GrowIt! Garden Socially app. Flip to page 42 for more on what he has to say about engaging this age group.
My favorite stats are those that show an increasing amount of Millennials’ $200 billion of spendable money a year going into gardening. For me, this means experimenting with vertical and balcony planters or getting my hands dirty while visiting my parent’s house. For you, this means an age group (my age group) with palpable enthusiasm walking through your doors.
must come down
On a recent trip to Boulder, Colorado, I took in the views from an altitude of 6,410 feet before beginning the trek back down the mountain. That’s the part that always scares me. It’s easier to lose your footing, and when you do you’re not quite sure how far you’ll go before your hands finally catch you.
Wayne Rivers on page 54 shares with you why the journey down a mountain can be harder than the climb … why once your business reaches an exciting high it’s important to stay in control.
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