Market buzz

Garden center retailers participated in a merchandising contest in the Garden Center Live! at OFA 2013. Michelle Simakis

OFA attendees: The industry is back
COLUMBUS, OHIO– As exhibitors packed up their booths at the close of day three of the 2013 OFA Short Course, the mood was upbeat. Over the course of the show, the GIE Media Horticulture Group staff caught up with many attendees and exhibitors. Almost all of them shared the same view: this industry is back. And judging from the amount of business done at this year’s event, the future is looking bright.

The first day of the trade show touched on the future of the collaboration between OFA, The Association of Horticulture Professionals and the American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA), starting with a changing of the guards. Mark Foertmeyer of Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouses in Delaware, Ohio, officially stepped up as the new president of OFA. Foertmeyer will serve until the end of the year when more details about the consolidation of the two groups will begin to emerge, he said. His goal is to encourage the industry to think about the business under a new lens, and promoting the idea that gardening makes people happier and healthier.

“I believe now I’m in a position to lead our industry into a more valued role in the communities, and a more valued role for our products. Our products are not the product. Our products are what plants do in people’s lives,” Foertmeyer says. “I’d like to be a part of that paradigm shift. I think it’s well overdue.”

Another focus will be on retailers, Foertmeyer said. During the OFA press luncheon, Michael Geary, CEO of OFA and executive vice president of ANLA, echoed this sentiment and gave attendees a sneak peek of what to expect from the expanded Short Course in 2014.

The plans are aligned with OFA and ANLA’s focus on initiatives to support retailers throughout the year, and there will be an additional 50,000 square feet of space dedicated to retailers, with a new, sleek booth design and a layout that is organized around booth “islands” of four retail exhibitors instead of the traditional rows. Geary said that the new 10 foot by 10 foot spaces will allow exhibitors to better showcase their products.

The keynote speakers on the first and second day of the show spoke about the customer experience. Dennis Snow drew on his 20 year career at the Walt Disney World Company to give attendees a primer on exceptional customer service, including how to make customers feel valued rather than “processed.” He suggested that employers teach employees to use an “experience mentality” not a “task mentality” to create great customer experiences.

By viewing the store through the lens of the customer, paying at tention to details and recognizing customers’ frustrations and acting upon them, retailers can create loyalty.

Details were also the focus of keynote presentations from Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and Ryan Lang, owner and master distiller of OYO Vodka and Middle West Spirits. Bauer said by focusing in on the details, she was able to create a “craveable” brand and find success despite existing in a market saturated with household names. Details are not just the details – they are everything, she explained.

Sitting in the front row of this presentation were the industry’s future leaders – the 2013 OFA Scholars. Recipients Josh Craver, Steven Ferullo, Josh Henry, Chris McKellar, Garrett Owen and Alicia Rihn are passionate about the green industry and have impressive and diverse goals.

A client from Holiday House works in one of four garden planters

Difference Makers: Holiday house
Manitowoc, Wisc.
Gardening is good for people — working in the dirt and making something grow makes them happier and healthier.

Natalie Weiss, a case manager at Holiday House, which provides people with disabilities a variety of career services, saw other potential benefits.

“We were discussing fresh ideas, something that would keep our participants interested and be fun, too,” Weiss says. “We said,‘What about gardening?’ I love being outside, so I thought it was a nice opportunity.”

Weiss’ boyfriend, Brendan Biller, helped construct four, 4-by-8-foot garden planters at the Manitowoc, Wisc., non-profit. They made sure that people in wheelchairs could access the beds, and that people could work from both sides and chat while they planted, weeded and watered. Weiss hoped that the planters would help her clients develop soft career skills like learning how to work in a team and communicate with others.

The clients formed four groups and chose what they wanted to plant, and they created salsa- and salad-themed gardens and more. Local businesses like Green Acres Garden Center and Roorbach Flowers boosted their $25 budget.

“It was something they could take charge of and be proud of and take ownership over,” Weiss said.

The plants started to blossom, but then a hail storm hit the town and destroyed their work. The community once again stepped in. Green Acres, Domnitz Flowers and residents donated plants to revive the planters.

Now, the gardens are starting to look green again.
 

Petunias

National Garden Bureau announces featured crops for 2014
The National Garden Bureau, the non-profit organization promoting gardening on behalf of the horticulture industry, announced its the three crops that will be featured in the 2014 “Year of the” program.

For annual flowers, 2014 will be the Year of the Petunia.

For vegetables/edibles, it will be the Year of the Cucumber. For perennials, it will be the Year of the Echinacea.

As always, the NGB selects crops that are easy to grow and genetically diverse with a lot of new varieties to choose from. Breeders, growers, brokers and garden centers are urged to consider these flowers and plants when planning for the 2014 season as the publicity generated from this program is substantial.

To view the publicity generated from the 2013 and 2012 programs, visit the National Garden Bureau website and click on “Press Room” www.ngb.org/press_room/index.cfm

By November of this year, National Garden Bureau will have photos of numerous varieties of all three crops (provided by members) posted on the website. NGB also provides PDF’s of fact sheets, flyers, handouts, signage etc. After Nov. 1, all of the above can be downloaded at no charge from the NGB website. These tools will help the home garden industry promote the crops to consumers and encourage gardening with these specific crop classes.

Garden writer publicity will begin in September 2013, and consumer publicity will begin in January 2014.

For more information, visit www.ngb.org.

Nursery Supplies merges with Summit Plastic
Summit Plastic Company and Nursery Supplies Inc., affiliated companies since 2006, announced a merger designed to offer a more comprehensive, innovative assortment of their complementary products and services.

Nursery Supplies Inc., a manufacturer in the nursery sector of the horticulture industry (tree, shrub, foliage and woody ornamentals), offers a full product line from three distinct processes – blow and injection molded, and thermoformed containers ranging from trade gallon through 250+ gallons. With an extensive list of innovative solutions in square and round systems, Summit Plastic Company offers customer-focused thermoformed packaging for growing, transporting and merchandising products in the color and perennial sectors.

“Our goal is increased service and ease of doing business for our customers. On a day-to-day basis our customers and vendors will enjoy the same strong personal relationships we have always had,” Norman Belliveau, president and CEO of Summit, said in a release.

The combination makes the best use of the synergies between Nursery and Summit, and will service the North American market from the strategically located five Nursery and two Summit facilities, cross selling with our industry recognized sales forces.

“We will improve our joint efforts by leveraging our manufacturing and customer service operations, combining product lines and creating more depth in supporting national, regional and local branding programs,” said John Collins, CEO of the newly merged companies, in a statement.

For more information, visit www.nurserysupplies.com and www.summitplastic.com.