Profiles in Power: The Retail Scene

Q. Have you ever encountered a business situation that left you absolutely stumped?

A. We are a retailer that sells perishable goods in one of the worst recessions of our lifetime and on top of that, we battled the normal weather challenges and a drought. The answer is yes, I have encountered business situations that have left me absolutely stumped.

Q. How did you deal with it or overcome the challenge?

A. In this latest recession, many tough decisions were made swiftly through all aspects of business in regards to what needed to be cut and what needed to be left in (real estate, marketing, capital expenses, labor/operations, etc.). I gathered our executive team, and together we came up with a three-tiered contingency plan that could be immediately executed, if or when sales got to a certain level without the need to meet again to discuss our options and strategies. This plan allowed us to act quickly and cut deeper at each level. Most companies tend to get in to trouble if they do not act fast enough and cut deep enough.

Q. On the flipside, have you encountered a situation/strategy that surprised you with its success?

A. Yes, how quickly everyone in our company rallied around the difficult recession, executed tough decisions putting us in a stronger position to take advantage of the upswing, which we have seen over the last year and a half.

Q. How does being 100% employee-owned affect the culture at Armstrong?

A. It is very positive and it has kept us a customer-focused business. Every associate is innately aware of how the customer directly affects the profitability of the company and what that means for the value of their personal accounts. The turnover is less, and the dedication to the customer is sincere and owned by every associate.

Q. If you could change one thing about your company by simply snapping your fingers, what would it be?

A. If I could snap my fingers and change one thing it would not be just for the company, but for our industry, and that is to [convince] the consumer that gardening is fun, easier than they think and it is not a chore.

I believe this is the key to the next generation as they enter homeownership that gardening is not a scary thing, but it is an activity that not only adds value to your home—as well as pride and accomplishment—but also is an activity that can easily become a lifetime hobby.

The generation that we are about to serve has been raised on the box stores and does not know the value that independent garden centers offer. It is our job to not only make sure the customer is successful when gardening, but that they enjoy doing it, and the enjoyment needs to start at the retail level.