The importance of the journey

As I prepare to embark on the long trip to Denmark for the 2015 International Garden Centre Association Congress, I have had some time to reflect on my own journey here on Garden Center. When I came on as editor of Garden Center back in 2012, the economy was moving in the right direction, but at a slow pace — or at least slower than most retailers would’ve liked. However, there was a more hopeful air that year than in other years since the economic downturn of 2008, and we’ve seen continued industry growth since then.

Fast forward to 2015. Throughout the year, at trade shows, independent garden center visits and in conversations with you, our readers, we’ve heard that this spring went well overall for most of you. At Cultivate‘15, the vibe was very positive, with many attendees actively connecting and conversing about how to best move the industry forward; attracting millennials, who have incredible buying power, was once again a hot topic. Check out page 10 for takeaways from the show.

Here at GIE Media, we’ve also been evolving and growing over the past three years. We added Ornamental Breeder and Cannabis Business Times to our line-up this year, and increased Garden Center’s frequency back to 12 times a year. We’ve also got several exciting projects in the works, and have hired on a new assistant editor, Conner Howard, to work on Garden Center.

As some of you may know, about a year ago I stepped in as editor of sister magazines Greenhouse Management and Produce Grower in addition to my role here at Garden Center. As I have shifted more of my focus to these grower publications, our managing editor, Michelle Simakis, has successfully taken on more of a leadership role on Garden Center. I have been transitioning into an advisory position as Garden Center’s new editor-in-chief, and am pleased to announce that Michelle has stepped in as our new editor. I’ll still be a part of the magazine, and you’ll hear from me from time to time, but it will be more of a behind-the-scenes role from now on; Michelle will be your go-to person for any questions, concerns or comments about the magazine. You can reach her at msimakis@gie.net.

This is an exciting time for Garden Center, and I invite you to join me in congratulating Michelle and wishing her the best in her new role.

kvarga@gie.net