Management
A Hobbyist’s Haven
The story of how Fifth Season Gardening Co. came to be is not your traditional one. Owners Richard Quinn and Ashley Mattison both earned advanced English degrees and were working at the University of North... more »
Every Strategy Matters
As we enter into the magic “100 days of spring” in our garden center industry, the three short months of “driving dough,” or as the Rolling Stones kind of sang, “I see a red ledger... more »
Open for Business
The sting in the industry can be felt every time a garden center closes its doors. Your businesses are full of history, enthusiasm and a goal to help every one of your customers. Both retail... more »
Inspect, Detect & Protect
Summer weather takes its toll on people and plants alike. If plants aren’t healthy enough to get through the summer months, they rarely rebound health-wise to survive a frigid winter. This applies to both the... more »
The Tech Advantage
Technology is changing the world around us at an alarming rate. Companies who embrace technology like Airbnb and Netflix are thriving. Other companies like Panera Bread and McDonald’s are improving their relevance with technology. And... more »
The Benefits of the Garden
In the spring of 2012, I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 49. I spent the rest of the year in surgery and treatment, and then began a multi-year process of recovery and healing.... more »
Let Your Fingers Do the Walking
We’ve all been there. The middle of spring. The lot is packed with shoppers. More customers than staff to help them. And it seems like the only person that can answer customers’ questions is you.... more »
Be a Better Manager
My basic premise for today is that most managers don't manage very well — because they manage from top, rather than the front and the beginning. I think this stems from a commonly accepted definition... more »The Freedom to be Excellent
Achieving remarkable customer service is challenging. Ironically however, achieving the overwhelmingly spectacular can be intuitively easy. Some of the most talented businesses spend almost nothing on customer service and succeed in reaching extraordinary goals. Growing... more »
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Loss
It is a topic that is frustrating and causes a great deal of angst, but nevertheless it still exists and can affect your garden center’s bottom line. It is retail theft. The bottom-line impact on... more »HIP Labels Hires Maria Zampini
HIP Labels, LLC has hired Maria Zampini to its staff as brand program manager. Zampini will work nationwide on behalf of HIP to provide brand identification products from HIP’s... more »
Behave Like a Startup
Again this year, I had the honor to be asked to judge the five finalists for the 2016 Merchandiser of the Year recognition sponsored by Lawn & Garden Retailer and, from what I hear, not... more »
Videos
News
December 5, 2024
NRF predicts ‘successful holiday retail season’
December 5, 2024
AmericanHort commends court’s stay on DOL’s amended H-2A regulations
December 5, 2024
Axiom releases 2025 Gardening Outlook Study
December 5, 2024
Reps Are Local Too announces second virtual roundtable
December 3, 2024
