Industry veterans create Garden Center Consultants company

Two industry veterans have come together to create a new company, Garden Center Consultants, to work with garden centers to help them achieve their goals.

The company, which officially launched during the week of Cultivate’24, was founded by Erik Dietl-Friedli and David Williams, who have each spent more than three decades in the industry.

Dietl-Friedli worked at the now-closed Martin Viette Nurseries and Hicks Nurseries, both on Long Island in New York, before moving to Flamingo Road Nursery in Florida, where he is still active as a buyer.

Dave Williams, a fourth-generation garden center owner, directed Williams Nursery in New Jersey for nearly four decades before it closed in 2022. He’s also the former president of the Garden Centers of America (GCA).

“We’ve been doing it for so long. We have seen so many pitfalls and things that garden centers go through and challenges that they might face,” Dietl-Friedli says. “And so, since we have gone through that, we figured, hey, who better to help garden centers achieve their goals?”

He says each garden center has its own needs, and Garden Center Consultants is there to help them in ways that suit those needs.

“It’s not like we have a formula that fits everyone’s needs," he adds. "We like to talk with people, see what their goals are, see what they’re looking for, see if we’re a good match for them.”

The business’ services include strategic planning, operational streamlining, strategic design, staff training, visual merchandising, trend forecasting and sustainable practices.

Dietl-Friedli describes the initial consultation process by saying that some garden centers are just looking to fulfill a project, and some are looking for a long-term relationship. Garden Center Consultants will help them either way.

They are committed to a thorough consultation process. Dietl-Friedli says ideally, they would go into the garden center to look at it from a customer standpoint, see how the garden center presents itself to the public, talk to the owners and managers to see how it’s being run and find out the garden center’s strengths. Then, they have an idea of what their needs are and how to help them.

The rates vary depending on the complexity of the relationship, whether it’s one project or a continuous relationship.

Dietl-Friedli comes from a high-revenue garden center, and Williams described his family-owned garden center’s income as small- to medium-revenue. Williams says they can help any size garden center, as they have experience with all sizes and incomes.

“Because we have two slightly different perspectives, it's great,” Williams says. “Because we can talk about a specific garden center and stuff and the solutions, we have a broader scope of knowledge to get to an answer.”

Dietl-Friedli says starting the company felt like a natural progression in their careers. After being in the industry for so long, they are both ready to share what they’ve learned with garden centers.

“We help garden centers of all different sizes,” Dietl-Friedli says. “So, they all come with their unique issues, their unique wants and desires. Some are very small, family-operated garden centers and really would like to remain so.”

He emphasizes opening a line of communication and having a conversation to find out if a consultation makes sense for your garden center.

“Have that conversation,” Dietl-Friedli says. “If you don't talk with others about your business and feel comfortable talking about your business, we're not your competition. We're not going to run to somebody and let them know what you've told us, so everything is in confidence.”

As the fourth-generation owner of Williams’ Nursery, Williams himself had consultants come to his business. He relates to the busy lifestyle of garden center owners and can understand how little things get overlooked. But he says even small changes can increase profitability, and a fresh set of eyes can make a world of difference.

“Pick up two or three tips that all of a sudden can increase a certain amount of profitability,” he says. “With an adjustment in your product mix or whatever, you can cover the cost of the services and then also make more money.”

For more information or to schedule a consultation, visit gardencenterconsultants.com.