5 Minutes With … Gail Vanik
Gail Vanik is owner of Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery in southwestern Colorado.
What brought you to the garden center world?
It’s a funny story. When I was in high school, I had a part time job working at Valley View Farms in Cockeysville, Maryland. Although my job rotated through several of the departments, I thought it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, so I went on to college and got my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. When I married my husband, he owned a cell pack propagation business — and guess what? I was back in the garden center world! (Sometimes God has other plans for you!)
What do you love about your job?
I love the planning and strategy behind the marketing. I love finding new things for the store and planning out the purchasing. I love putting together a great team. I love making people smile — and during the pandemic we were able to do a lot of that!
What keeps you up at night?
Usually not much, but lately, along with everyone else, it has been supply chain issues.
If you weren’t in this profession, what would you be doing?
Traveling!
What’s something that few people know about you?
In my previous life, I was director of alumni affairs and development for a college.
Favorite plant to grow? Why?
Peach-colored roses — my garden is full of them! And miniature African violets. I suppose that love came from my grandmother, who was the African violet queen. My mom, on the other hand, couldn’t keep one alive if her life depended on it, so maybe it skipped a generation? I love the fact that they are a bright bloom on my desk virtually all the time.
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