Management

April 2021

PPP Loans and Your Garden Center

The program designed to provide financial relief to businesses during the pandemic caused confusion for many businesses during 2020. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), part of the CARES Act, is complex and the related tax... more »

April 2021

Streamlining the Supply Chain and Boosting Customer Engagement

Warren Patterson knew there had to be a better way. As owner of Barrie’s Garden Centre in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, his biggest challenge was finding the time to place and receive orders from the multiple... more »

March 2021

What Are You Marketing?

As I was looking through the ads in Sunday’s paper (in January — too early for lawn and garden ads in the Minneapolis market), it got me thinking about a dilemma that always mystified me... more »

February 2021

A New Way of Thinking and Planning

The year 2020 brought us a whole new set of variables we hadn’t anticipated or planned for; this got me thinking about some inadequacies in our traditional planning processes. Historically, most business leaders have adopted... more »

January 27, 2021

McHutchison, Vaughan’s Consolidate in Chicagoland

Vaughan’s Horticulture and McHutchison recently announced that they have made a long-term commitment to the Chicago region by consolidating each company’s young plant division into one Chicagoland office in the western suburb of Naperville.. “This... more »

January 2021

Hiring in Retail

Top talent should be a priority for all retailers. Having outstanding people on your team can help you sell more products, be more efficient, and most important, serve customers better. So how do you find... more »

January 4, 2021

Proven Winners Announces Webinar on How to Wow Your Customers

Proven Winners' first webinar of the new year, "Fostering Positive Company Culture to WOW Your Customers This Spring," is set to take place via Zoom at 2 p.m. ET on Jan. 12. Jessica DeGraaf and... more »

December 30, 2020

Hopewell Nursery Acquired by Central Garden & Pet

In December, Central Garden & Pet  it would be acquiring Hopewell Nursery, a leading live goods grower serving retail nurseries, landscape contractors, wholesalers and garden centers across the Northeast. The Hopewell acquisition follows the company’s successful... more »

June 2020

Lead Like the Mouse

From an early age on through my teenage years, I have fond memories of making the drive with my family from our central Alabama home to the vacation capital of the world. I always looked... more »

May 2020

Should Your Garden Center Include a Farmers’ Market?

How and when did the market get started? We started in November 2014. It had been a dream of mine to have a farmers market in the greenhouse for years. A friend of mine gave... more »

April 13, 2020

Industry Leaders Provide Coronavirus Messaging for IGCs

The greatest opportunity in the horticulture industry may be upon us in response to COVID-19, to immediately increase awareness of the benefits of plants and to mobilize consumers to be vigilant and prepared to promote... more »

April 10, 2020

Michigan Governor Expands Restrictions, Says No to Opening Garden Centers

Despite receiving more than 18,300 messages from retailers, grower, farmers and Michigan residents asking Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to allow the retail sale of garden and bedding plants, the administration doubled-down and instead went the opposite... more »