February/March 2014 • Volume 32 • Number 1
Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association • Serving Colorado, New Mexico, & Wyoming
The Year Ahead
14 Trends to Track 12 ProGreen EXPO 2014
Seminar Sneak Peek
9 Woodies Rebound for
Traditional & Non-Traditional Uses
7 How to Deal with Difficult Customers
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LooseLeaf February/March 2014
Our Mission Professionals growing for a better tomorrow... your growing resource. Cover Photo Courtesy of Gary Bragdon of Alpha One, Inc. and Theresa Rumery of Osage Gardens
In This Issue 3 4 5 6 7
Contents, Board & Editorial Information Calendars & Advertisers Classified Ads & New Members Message from the Board: Reflections & Anticipation Customer Relations: How to Deal with Difficult Customers
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Trends to Track
17 Safety Corner:
Preventing Lifting Injuries at Work
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18 CSU Update: Announcing Plant Select速 for 2014 Woodies Rebound for Traditional & Non-Traditional Uses
20 Financial Affairs: Dashboard Helps Guide Financial Future
21 Member Profiles: Agua Fria Nursery, Alpha One,
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ProGreen EXPO 2014 Seminar Sneak Peek
Board Of Directors Bill Kluth, President Tagawa Greenhouse Enterprises, LLC 303.659.1260 x205 bkluth@tagawas.com Jesse Eastman, CCNP, Vice President Fort Collins Nursery 970.482.1984 j.eastman@fortcollinsnursery.com Dan Wise, CCNP, Secretary/Treasurer Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery 970.484.1289 dan@ftcollinswholesalenursery.com
24 Psst... Pass It On: Book Recommendation
Stan Brown, CCNP Alameda Wholesale Nursery, Inc. Phone: 303-761-6131 stan@alamedawholesale.com
Terry Shaw, CCNP Harding Nursery, Inc. 719.596.5712 hardingoffice@aol.com
Dan Gerace, CGG Welby Gardens Company, Inc. 303.288.3398 dangerace@hardyboyplant.com
Jim Wullschleger American Clay Works & Supply Company 303.534.4044 jim@americanclayworks.net
Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association
Sharon R. Harris Executive Director Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association 303.758.6672 sharris@coloradonga.org
Colorado Community Media 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Ste. 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 coloradocommunitymedia.com
coloradonga.org
Jim Klett, Ph.D. CSU Dept. of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture 970.491.7179 jim.klett@colostate.edu Sharon R. Harris, Executive Director CNGA 303.758.6672 or 888.758.6672 sharris@coloradonga.org
Kirby Thompson, CCNP Britton Nursery, Inc. 719.495.3749 info@brittonflowers.com
editorial
Printer
Ex-Officio Members
Sarada Krishnan, Ph.D. Denver Botanic Gardens 720.865.3679 krishnas@botanicgardens.org
Publisher 959 S. Kipling Pkwy., Ste. 200 Lakewood, Colo. 80226 303.758.6672 or 888.758.6672 Fax: 303.758.6805 info@coloradonga.org coloradonga.org
& Country Fair Garden Center
The LooseLeaf feature writer and editor is Tanya Ishikawa of Buffalo Trails Multimedia Communications buffalotrailsmultimedia.com Visit coloradonga.org for classified advertisements, plant publications, upcoming events, a member directory, and much more!
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chris Beytes
Tanya Ishikawa
Dr. Jim Klett
Bill Kluth
Kim Koonce
Merle T. Northrop
John Reeb
Amy Statkevicus
advertising info Contact: Michelle Munoz, CNGA 303.758.6672 mmunoz@coloradonga.org The LooseLeaf is published six times a year with issues scheduled for February/March, April/May, June/July, August/September, October/November, and December/ January.
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2014 calendar Colorado Certified Nursery Professional Exam Tuesday, Feb. 11, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colo. Become a Colorado Certified Nursery Professional (CCNP) during ProGreen EXPO 2014, before the season starts! This exam leads to CNGA’s prestigious CCNP certification. This program was designed to promote high quality standards and professionalism for the Colorado nursery industry. The certified employee receives the satisfaction of being recognized as a professional by industry owners, their peers and the public. Certified Greenhouse Grower Seminars & Exam Seminars: Tuesday & Wednesday, Feb. 11 & 12 Exam: Thursday, Feb. 13, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colo. The Certified Greenhouse Grower (CGG) training seminars and exam, offered during the ProGreen EXPO, are opportunities for people wanting to increase their knowledge of greenhouse growing. Earning a certification designation illustrates a higher level of professionalism that benefits the individual and the company for whom they work. For more information, registration or exam application forms, please contact CNGA at 303-758-6672, visit coloradonga.org. or register at progreenexpo.com.
ProGreen EXPO 2014 Tuesday to Friday, Feb. 11 to 14 Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colo. This year, there’s dedicated time to spend with exhibitors and discovering NEW resources in the EXPO, all without cutting into your education sessions. What does that mean for you? Plenty of time to make the most of your ProGreen EXPO experience. We built in six hours for you to see all the EXPO has to offer, including visiting with exhibitors, catching extra educational sessions and demos in the new Learning Lounge, visiting the Plant and Turf ID areas to brush up on plant knowledge, and stopping by the Career Center area. ProGreen EXPO has a packed schedule of educational sessions that we don’t want you to miss, and in 2014, you don’t have to! There’s still time to register at progreenexpo.com. CNGA Industry Celebration Happy Hour Thursday, Feb. 13, 4:30 to 7 p.m. Embassy Suites Denver-Downtown Convention Center, Denver, Colo. Who doesn’t love a GREAT Happy Hour? Especially with your friends and peers in the green industry! This year our program honoring those in the industry will be showcased during our happy hour event with hors d’oeuvres, drinks and entertainment. Catch up with peers and friends, network, forecast for your business for 2014, support the association, and honor people in the industry. Tickets are $30. Register on the ProGreen EXPO website: progreenexpo.com.
Register for calendar events with CNGA unless otherwise noted. Tel: 303.758.6672 or 888.758.6672 • Fax: 303.758.6805 • E-mail: info@coloradonga.org CNGA is the host of calendar events unless otherwise noted. For more information, registration forms, and directions to programs, go to coloradonga.org and click on the Events tab to view the Calendar.
advertisers LIST American Clay Works & Supply Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Baxter Wholesale Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Britton Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Carlton Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Circle D Farm Sales, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Clayton Tree Farm LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Clifty View Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 DWF Grower Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Harding Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hash Tree Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Jayker Wholesale Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 McKay Nursery Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Richards, Seeley & Schaefer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
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LooseLeaf February/March 2014
classified ADS CNGA offers free posts of online classified ads to members, including items for sale or lease and job openings. For more information on the postings below and to see other current postings, visit coloradonga.org, click on the Resources tab and click on Classifieds.
Help Wanted
Garden Center Sales Associates Silver Sage Garden Centers, 9010 S. Santa Fe Dr., Littleton, Colo. 80125, is seeking full-time and part-time help for sales positions for 2014 from April through October. Job responsibilities will vary depending on strengths of hires but sales will be the primary focus. Daily interaction with both retail and wholesale clientele. While some plant knowledge is necessary, we are willing to teach and grow with you. We are looking for those who enjoy working with people as much as they enjoy working with plants. We like to hire honest, hardworking, self-motivated, and friendly people. Any special skills are a bonus as we wear many hats and nobody is pigeonholed within their job. All sales positions require working weekends. Send all resumes to Teddy Kane at teddy@silversageco.com.
For Sale
Greenhouse – For Sale by Owner Turnkey greenhouse facility in sunny Las Cruces, N.M. 56,000 square foot Gutter Connect greenhouses, all concrete/rolling benches, hot water and natural gas heating/evaporative cooling; 11,000 square foot Warehouse with loading dock, two enclosed offices and large walk-in cooler. 2.92 Acres of land; 3 wells with 16 acre feet water rights; 10,000-gallon storage tank, also connected to city water; fertilizer injector and insecticide application systems; plumbed throughout. Established market. Trained employees. Price: $650,000. Please contact Lynn Payne at ld@paynes.com or 505.988.9626.
Services Tanya Ishikawa is an award-winning journalist who has written for the green industry for four years. She can help share your company’s stories with customers through social media, e-newsletters, blogs, press releases, videos, and other media. Visit buffalotrailsmultimedia.com or contact Tanya today! 303-284-6762 • i.tanya@comcast.net
new members Gary Douglas Aurora, Colo. 80012 720.402.8969 Mt. Princeton Greenhouses 16455 CR 162 Nathrop, Colo. 81236 Terri and Kim Hansen, owners 719.395.9151
Plantivity 1010 Washington Ave. #200 Golden, Colo. 80401 Katy and Stefan Hiatt, owners 303.482.1919 plantivity.net
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MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD
By Bill Kluth CNGA Board President
Reflections and Anticipation It is the first week of December and I’m writing my first “Message from the Board” to meet the publication deadlines for the Feburay/ March LooseLeaf. Timing, of course, is everything – so with the the anticipation of the upcoming Christmas and New Year’s holiday, I am caused to be reflective on the past year and to look forward to the next year. 2013 was an exciting year (or scary – depending on your mood). Drought was anticipated with water restrictions. We got late snows and a late start to spring resulting in strong sales and the lifting of water restrictions. Summer started fine, followed by devastating fires and ending with torrential rains and flooding. Seemed like the weather was in the news way too much. The economy picked up (according to the news reports). But the actual result in our individual businesses varied widely. Overall it is
better, but still not great and without all the cost cutting done since 2008, we may not have seen an increase in the bottom line. Are we excited about 2014? Of course! We are plant people. We start each year out fresh and full of promise as we watch seeds sprout, roots grow, leaves green out, flowers bloom and the anticipation of spring. We watch the economy and weather – making appropriate adjustments based on our business models. But overall, we are optimistic and know that our customers have the same feeling. They are also looking forward to the New Year and the hope and promise of spring when they can escape their warm homes and get outside to their yards, gardens and landscapes. We know that our products provide outstanding satisfaction and joy to our customers. We know that there is no such thing as a “normal spring” or a “great” economy. And we look forward to 2014 irregardless. Will we do the same things in our businesses in 2014 as 2013? Maybe yes, maybe no. We will take what we learned in 2013 (and all the past years) into consideration. We will certainly continue cost cutting measures. We know that quality products and service are the currency of value that our customers demand in the “new” economy. We know that increased sales require great marketing. We know that it is easier to keep current customers and expand their business than it is to get new customers. We know that innovative products, services, presentations and marketing is both exciting to our customers and helpful for invigorating our employees and business. We know there will never be another year like 2013, and the same goes for all other past and future years. As you are reading the first 2014 LooseLeaf (and all the other editions this year), note the themes of moving forward by reviewing the past in light of the current situation, new products and new ideas from our own members as well as experts in their fields, updates on programs and trends, and a wealth of information to help you be best in class for 2014. So, I wish you all a great 2014, knowing that as this LooseLeaf arrives you are very busy and have been very busy getting ready for a new year and all the opportunity it brings.
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LooseLeaf February/March 2014
How to Deal with Difficult Customers I realize that of all the readers out there, only one or two of us have ever had a difficult customer. I mean, they are really rare, right? Okay, now let’s get serious about this very frustrating problem: How do you deal with a customer that is being very difficult?
your product or service is, so what do you want to do? That really doesn’t matter. Rather, here is what you need to do: Stay Calm! This first step may be the most difficult, but it’s also the most important. If you do not stay calm, no one wins and you could lose big.
Before we begin to discuss the steps to be taken, let’s lay just a bit of a foundation for the discussion. First, there are only two reasons a customer will be difficult: 1) we did something wrong, or 2) they did something wrong. (The good news is it doesn’t matter the reason; the solution is identical.) Secondly, handled well, a difficult customer is an opportunity for you to create your most loyal customer!
The second step is closely related to the first: let the customer vent and do not interrupt. You know you want to defend yourself; you know you want to stop the bleeding. But hold off. Let them get everything off their chest. When it looks like they’ve run out of steam, ask them, “Is there anything else?” Give them the opportunity to state everything. Once there, they are ready to begin to listen.
Now you’ve got that dissatisfied customer standing in front of you yelling about how bad
Now restate the core of their issue. Make sure you repeat back to them and they agree with your assessment of what the main issue is. At this point, you know specifically the problem to address and you’re not addressing a symptom.
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Next, show empathy. That means apologize for the inconvenience or the lack of quality, etc. This is not placing blame on anyone – in fact, never place blame on anyone. Simply say, “I’m sorry that we didn’t meet the standards you expected of us and we want to provide.” Leave it at that. Do not explain any more than that. Then find agreement with them on a solution. More often than not, you can simply ask them, “How would you like me to resolve this issue for you?” Many times they will ask for something far simpler and less costly than what you were willing to give them. Let them tell you the solution.
CUSTOMER RELATIONS
By John Reeb, PhD, MBA Colorado Leadership Institute
Get more expert tips and tools for managing customer service and leading change from John Reeb at his ProGreen EXPO sessions: “Strategies for Dealing with Dissatisfied Customers” on Thursday, Feb. 13 from 8 to 10 a.m. and ...
At this point the confrontation is hopefully continued
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CUSTOMER RELATIONS
...“Leaders Make
over and your customer is thrilled with how you handled the situation. But sometimes you have that customer who is totally out of control and berating you or your employee, using completely inappropriate language or acting in
Change Work”
In most cases, you will be able to turn that difficult customer into someone who appreciates how you treat them. Listen to them and they become a loyal customer!
on Friday, Feb. 14 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
some other unruly manner. When this happens, gently confront. Yep, you have permission to gently confront. You do this by saying, “I really would like to help you, but when you continue to speak like that to me, I find it difficult.” Don’t tell them to “shut up” or start yelling at them. Be polite, but firm.
Gently Confront Difficult Customers A. Mr./Ms. B. I really want to help you... C. As long as you are... I find it difficult.
About the Contributor: John Reeb, PhD, MBA, is a management and leadership trainer with the Colorado Leadership Institute. His ProGreen EXPO session on “Strategies for Dealing with Dissatisfied Customers” will help participants develop strategies through role plays and other exercises along with an Action Plan to diffuse customer anger, deal with predictable problems and handle impossible complaints. His session on “Leaders Make Change Work” will provide more hands-on activities to help participants understand the importance of taking action in the change process, see the value of errors and how to use them for course correction.
D. I can (work on this, etc.)... Will you let me?
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LooseLeaf February/March 2014
Woodies Rebound for Traditional Non-Traditional Uses
&
Shoppers Continue to Look for Deals, National Banks Restrict Credit, & Good Employees Harder to Find
“People are buying flowering shrubs and trees to be decorative, not permanent. Whether they buy a four-inch pansy or a five-gallon azalea, they only keep it for one season.” — Business Consultant Ian Baldwin
Photos Courtesy of GrowerTalks
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In 2013, the fifth year of the recession according to national business adviser Ian Baldwin, nursery retailers across the nation have finally returned to sales levels as high or almost as high as early 2008 and before. Sales of trees and shrubs finally saw an uptick, including purchases of some woody plants as temporary, decor for special occasions. Food gardening continues to be popular, while customers remain addicted to discounts. Behind the scenes, growers and garden retailers are finding it harder to work with banks and to find good employees. “Some companies lost as much as 50 percent by 2009-2010. Most lost at least 20 percent,” said Baldwin, a California-based independent garden center consultant. “Last year, most had pulled back within a few percent of 2007. It was a long, slow climb back up hill, but a few have passed revenue figures for 2007 or 2008.” While the drop in tree and shrub sales in previous years, due to stagnant housing construction, was the major cause of stress in the green industry, the rise in those sales is one significant factor for increased revenues. This woodies trend is expected to continue into 2014, though still not reaching 2007 sales levels and still not including as many large items, Baldwin explained. This year’s sales will also be affected by a shortage of specific nursery stock items that were not grown during the slow economy. Annual and perennial sales, which did not drop nearly as far in the last few years, have continued to sell with fair volume. “There was a complete change in gardening behavior. When people had money, they spent it on decorating their gardens with short-term color – annuals, perennials, planters, porch pots, and all the decorative stuff,” he said. Consumers are still reluctant to plant longterm plant material, he added, though they are realizing some plants that died or aged may need replacing. Some replacement gardening is beginning to happen. A new consumer trend is also increasing tree and shrub sales, developing a whole new type of business that did not occur in pre-recession years. People are buying shrubs and trees when they are in flower to be decorative, not permanent. Whether they buy a four-inch pansy or a fivegallon azalea, for example, they only keep it for one season. “An azalea is seen as a big version of a pansy and if it dies it dies,” he said. “It’s a big change. People who grew up with plants and love plants say what do you mean you can throw it away after a party this weekend. It’s such a different way of thinking that most managers are not showing that as a suggested use in their marketing. It’s probably not happening in rural communities, but in the cities, decorating with longterm woody plants is a huge opportunity for the industry.” Disposability is a big trend in many areas of American culture, which now appears to have spread to permanent plant materials. People really enjoy strong, living decor for the holidays and special events but they throw it away when they are done. This attitude may also change the way sales staff communicates about plant care or up-sells plant care products. “To some extent, that information can fall on deaf ears when customers actually don’t care about keeping it alive when the party is over,” he noted.
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Continued Popularity of Food Gardening Food gardening is expected to remain strong in 2014, aided by the popularity of television food shows and local food trends. A focus on family health and interest in farmer’s markets are also fueling the trend. However, Baldwin opined that most garden retailers don’t do food gardening very well. They often stick to traditional garden center layouts, categorizing herbs as vegetables when they are two different uses, and displaying food plants alphabetically instead of according to their culinary uses. “We’re not presenting. We’re making it difficult to buy, especially for young homeowners who may be intimidated by garden centers. We should be thinking ahead to make things easier for customers,” he said. Food plants can be categorized in unique ways such as types for eating, canning or freezing. The whole set of products necessary for planting and caring for vegetables or fruits, such as fertilizer, seeds or young plants, can also be arranged together, rather than expecting the customer to visit different ends of the store to pull together their projects. Baldwin believes fairy gardening and miniature gardening have a year or so left in popularity. These trends have helped get more children involved with plants but he suggests that the industry has to do even more to get families involved with plants. “We need a new word for gardening. It’s such an outdated word with bad connotations like dirty fingernails and unsuccessful attempts,” he said. “We should really be promoting wellness, stress reduction, engagement with our children through nature and the benefits such as the healing value of plants. There’s great data out there that is so positive for our industry.” From the air-cleaning functions to the bird-attracting qualities, the industry needs to better communicate its products’ benefits to the public. “We have these wonderful messages to share,” he said. “Kids spend way too much time indoors on the TV or iPad. We have a really important opportunity to help parents know how to engage. The gardening culture from eight or nine years ago is not coming back. We have to work harder for sales, but the opportunities are enormous.” He has noticed some good trends in classes and education at garden centers. They are valuable tools on the up trend right now, he said, adding that anything we can do to get people in to learn and show that we are the experts is a good move. He sees a need to prepare for classes to “go online in some shape or form soon,” to cater to busy people who can’t always get to the garden center.
Price-Driven Shoppers “A lasting legacy of the recession is that everyone wants to think they are getting a deal even if they are not,” Baldwin emphasized. The population is feeling easier about the economy but they still are driven by good prices and bargains. “Price-driven shopping has become the norm. People at all levels of affluence boast about going to Costco,” he wrote in a recent blog post. “We have consumers of all earnings levels looking for bargains and, critically, judging an entire LooseLeaf February/March 2014
company’s image on the prices of the relatively few ‘Known Value’ (KV) lines like a ‘Knock Out’ rose.” He warned that garden center owners and teams should not continue to apply department or category-wide mark ups across the board to achieve equal gross margins. “That makes a few things (the KV lines) way over-priced to the shopper while leaving dollars on the table with other less known or unique lines,” he wrote, suggesting the green industry copy grocery stores in implementing selective, volume-based, seasonally sensitive mark-ups. Operators need to be much more analytical about their pricing, determining which items can’t be marked up and which will sell even with a mark up of three times. Some prices can be slashed to get traffic while some products are money makers that can be priced higher. POS (point of sale) systems are useful tools for fine-tuning pricing.
Restrictive Banks A new issue for retailers in 2013 that is predicted to continue this year is the tendency of large banks to abandon independent garden centers. National brand banks are turning away from their traditional role of credit-line supporter. Baldwin has seen some longstanding, profitable companies close down because of the big banks’ intransigence. The trend is to go back to working with smaller banks, who tend to be more welcoming to the green industry. National banks have declared many growers and garden centers “too risky” whether or not they have proven stable over many years or they have seen any records to show otherwise, he wrote in a recent blog. “After many years of providing local employment, creating wealth and running many millions of dollars in sales through the bank year after year it’s over; but you can’t fight it. Today’s reality is to learn and move on.” He recommends finding a bank who knows that your business matters to them financially. “Be prepared with true net cash flow documents, not just your own P&L or tax docs. Find a bank (still one that is insured and tested by the Feds
preferably!) with a few branches in town, where the decision maker might even know your store,” he advised.
Less Labor, More Mobility Another business operation trend that began in 2013 and will become more obvious in 2014 is the difficulty in finding good employees. “The recession brought some good people into the industry, who were kicked out of jobs in software and other industries. Now those people are finding employment, and it’s getting really quite hard to find quality employees,” Baldwin said. To reduce the need for labor, retailers can take advantage of the consumer trend toward self service and personal research. Companies can get by with less employees to explain plant care if they offer pull sheets, better website information and YouTube videos. Baldwin has seen green industry web pages getting much better, with his more progressive clients developing more mobile device-friendly sites and mobile apps. “When consumers leave home, they need iPhones or iPads to help them do their shopping. We better get on board with that as an industry,” he said. He advised that companies should create better opportunities for customers with mobile purchasing options, as well as using tools such as square credit card readers (instead of stationary cash registers) to record purchase transactions anywhere on the property. “QR codes were certainly not the game changer people thought they would be,” he explained, because most product QR codes were not useful to local sales but directed consumers to national supplier or retailer websites. The industry may need to start adjusting to the trend toward cloud-based data storage and sharing, he added. Plus, “we really should be embracing Pinterest. Eighty percent of garden centers are not using Pinterest but should be using it to create some kind of community around the store to develop customer loyalty,” Baldwin concluded.
Five Major Retail Opportunities in 2014 • Develop sales strategies for customers who desire traditionally permanent plant materials such as flowering trees and shrubs for decorative uses. • Display food gardening products in an easier, consumer-friendly manner. • Market the health, nature and social benefits of plants. • Offer pricing that takes advantage of consumer desire for deals yet capitalizes on popular products. • Develop more customer information and purchase opportunities through convenient mobile technologies. Photos Courtesy of GrowerTalks
coloradonga.org
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February 11 – 14, 2014 Colorado Convention Center 700 14th Street Denver, Colo. progreenexpo.com
2014Seminar
Sneak Peek Tips for Managing Pests & Diseases
Invasive Pests and Quarantines in Colorado: Japanese Beetle and Emerald Ash Borer Update presented by Laura Pottorff, Colorado Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry Wednesday, Feb. 12, 1-2:30 p.m. — Beginner This session will provide an update on Japanese Beetle and Emerald Ash Borer; awareness of how these pests move and the role each of us is to play in prevention and mitigation is critical to help communities save property values and the industry save economic market share. This session will help you: Assist in prevention of pest introduction and movement; Understand current and future quarantine restrictions – how are or will you be affected; and Identify the Green Industry’s role.
Photo Credit: Margery Daughtrey, Cornell Univ.
A Look at the Impatiens Downy Mildew Outbreak of 2013 in Colorado and What to Expect in 2014” presented by Tamla Blunt, PhD, Plant Diagnostic Clinic, Colorado State University, and Laura Pottorff, Colorado Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry Wednesday, Feb. 12, 3:30-4:30 p.m. — Intermediate Attendees will discover how to identify Downy Mildew; acquire management strategies regarding Downy Mildew based on research from the University of Florida; and learn about the regulatory aspects of the disease in Colorado. This session will help you: Identify Downy Mildew on Impatiens; Acquire management strategies; and Discuss regulatory aspects of a new disease in Colorado. Emerald Ash Borer: Kicking Ash in North America presented by Deborah McCullough, Department of Entomology and Department of Forestry, Michigan State University Thursday, Feb. 13, 1:45-2:45 p.m. — Beginner to Intermediate Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been found in at least 22 states. A brief overview of EAB progression through southeast Michigan and its impacts in urban and forested areas will be presented. The ecology including host preferences, dispersal, natural enemies and treatment options for protecting ash trees in landscapes will be covered. This session will help you: Appreciate the history and impacts to date of this invader, its host preference and natural enemies; Acquire information on EAB dispersal and difficulties of detection; and Discover options for protecting ash trees including treatment effectiveness and economic consideration.
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LooseLeaf February/March 2014
Management & Marketing Expertise Sales Branding: How to Turn a Profit in 6 Simple Steps presented by Ken Lain, Watters Garden Center Thursday, Feb. 13, 10:15-11:45 a.m. — Intermediate Incorporate even a few of these retail timely tips and watch your profits soar to double digit returns. Learn profits through margins and effective labor, while controlling total inventories needed to obtain the desired profits. Hang on to your pruners, this is a fast-paced class. This session will help you: Obtain a premium margin by standing out from the crowd; Effectively employ employees and their skills; and Manage profitable inventory and cut the dogs. Marketing Worth Sharing: Advertising Anyone Can Follow, Including Your Customers presented by Ken Lain, Watters Garden Center Thursday, Feb. 13, 1:45-3:15 p.m. — Intermediate Advertising is the single most important expense behind your inventory. Eat your competitors’ lunch with these easy to follow, time saving steps that get you noticed, and easily sharable through social media at the same time. This session will help you: Easily incorporate social media into your marketing mix; Determine the best way to market what you are already famous for; and Create a marketing calendar that proves you are unique.
CNGA’s Industry
Celebration Happy Hour
Who doesn’t love a GREAT Happy Hour? Especially with your friends and peers in the green industry! Mark your calendars for
Thursday, Feb. 13 • 4:30 to 7 p.m. for CNGA’s Happy Hour at the Embassy Suites Hotel – just across the street from the Convention Center. This year our program honoring those in the industry will be showcased during our happy hour event with hors d’oeuvres, drinks and entertainment.
coloradonga.org
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Trends to Track By Chris Beytes GrowerTalks
After 30 years in the business, I’ve learned that the marketplace has three kinds of forces at work: fads, trends and tradition. Fads are like bell bottoms and pet rocks. They come and go so quickly; a greenhouse business doesn’t have time to react. My advice to growers is to ignore them (unless you can react quickly to them, such as painted poinsettias—which are still trendy, by the way). If a fad gains momentum and sticks around for a few years, it becomes a trend. Think orchids or the current interest in vegetable gardening.
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Next comes traditions. When a trend lasts long enough to look like it’s here to stay, or when our kids start to adopt it, it becomes a tradition. Mixed containers have moved from trend to tradition, I think. They may evolve, but they aren’t going away. There’s a fourth force, heritage, which is like fireworks for the Fourth of July or champagne for New Year’s Eve. They’ll be here for a long, long time. Alas, when it comes to the consumer market, all too often growers operate in heritage mode rather than trend mode. So to shake you out of that, here are seven trends you should be capitalizing on.
LooseLeaf February/March 2014
creative ways, gives back to the local community and can lead to positive public relations. Plus, some customers are asking for sustainable products. It behooves growers to have their hand in some aspect of that market, whether certified organic production or biodegradable pots. They can also explore certification through a group such as MPS (originally ‘Milieu Project Sierteelt’ and more recently More Profitable Sustainability), which is an international network of consultants who train, evaluate and certify companies for social responsibility and sustainable production in the horticulture sector.
Biological Controls Along those same lines, augmenting traditional chemical insect and disease management with biological controls is becoming more and more commonplace. There’s much more information available about using predatory insects and other natural pest control means, and combining them with more traditional pest management methods. If you haven’t looked at biocontrols lately, you should. The benefits include cost savings, less worry about resistance, no reentry restrictions, and like the sustainability trend, the opportunity for positive PR in your community.
Contract Growing
Talks
f Grower
ourtesy o Photos C
There are no more than a few dozen growers today serving the big chain stores — the business has simply gotten too demanding for the average grower to handle. But those big growers need more and more plants, and they don’t want to invest in new greenhouses. The solution? Contract growers — smaller regional growers who can produce one or a few things very dependably. I believe every chain grower now has a network of contract growers helping meet spring demand. Now, the relationship isn’t without risk for both parties. But the rewards can be good, and the benefit is that you can focus on growing rather than sales, distribution or accounts receivable. The key is partnering with a large grower whom you can trust, and developing a solid, mutually beneficial partnership with them.
Catering to Younger Consumers The Blurring of the Lines As horticulturists, we like to classify our crops as annuals, perennials, woody ornamentals, potted crops and so forth. Consumers aren’t burdened by that. To the vast majority, it’s either pretty or it’s not pretty. Yes, they want to know if it will live in their yard or on their deck. And it’s always a bonus if it will last longer than one season. But in the end, consumers are shopping for pretty first, and botanical classification second. Feel free to mix and match all your plants in a pretty way.
Organic/Natural/Sustainable Some growers feel they got a reprieve when the economic crisis hit and took the media’s mind off the sustainability craze. To some, sustainability is a four-letter word. I’m not quite sure why? Possibly because they think it adds to their costs. But smart growers recognize that sustainability helps reduce costs, inspires and incentivizes workers in new and
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If you’re still combining the same plants and colors in the same containers, you’re probably missing out on reaching younger consumers who don’t want the same products their moms’ had. My friends, Aaron and Rozalia Van Wingerden of Dutch Heritage Gardens in Colorado, have built a $7 million business around creative container designs for their grocery store customer. The secret is using less common flowers and finding unusual color combinations, and putting twists on traditional designs. Such as a red, white and blue Memorial Day container that uses cyperus for the vertical element instead of dracaena spike.
Catering to the Retailer A recent shopper survey reveals that consumers have at least six reasons they choose specific stores: low-cost replenishment (Wal-Mart, grocery chains); the thrill of the hunt (Costco, factory outlets); speed and convenience (7-11, gas stations); sense of discovery (Ikea, Borders, Trader Joe’s); solving a problem (Home Depot, AutoZone); and self-
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expression (Old Navy, Whole Foods). Your garden center customers can fit into one or several of these categories, and you should tailor the products you offer them to fit their style. You shouldn’t sell the same plants and containers to a “solving a problem” retailer as you would a “self-expression” retailer.
future among big boxes, and there’s no reason independents can’t do the same thing. And at least one plant introduction company, Proven Winners, has been doing similar online research for several years, and sharing that information with the industry.
Listening to the Consumer
Predictions for the Future
The newest trend out there. In fact, you’re the first to read about it. At least one big-box grower (there may be others, too) has hired a market research firm to do in-depth consumer surveys to find out what they like and dislike in products. The purpose: rather than the chain buyer making the decision, let consumers pick out what they’d like to see in stores. The goal: better sell-through at retail, because the products have been market-tested by real consumers. This could be the wave of the
There’s no reason 2014 can’t be one of your best seasons ever, provided the weather cooperates. But even if it doesn’t, smart businesses prepare to be successful even during average years. Taking full advantage of all the current and coming trends is one way to do that.
Rozalia Van Wingerden of Dutch Heritage Gardens
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LooseLeaf February/March 2014
SAFETY CORNER
Welcome Back! Preventing Lifting Injuries at Work Industry-specific job hazards are serious business. Electricians focus on avoiding electrocution. Manufacturing companies commonly employ machine guards. And while industry-specific prevention strategies are extremely important, they don’t address one of the most common causes of injuries across all industries: lifting. Lifting is one of the most common job functions in any industry, and one of the biggest drivers of claims frequency and severity. Share and follow these tips to avoid lifting injuries in your workplace:
• Avoid twisting your body when lifting materials • Bend at the knees and keep your back straight • Lift with your legs, not your back • Keep heavy materials close to the work area Ensure that items to be lifted are stored at a level that is between hand and shoulder height. For more information on injury prevention, visit Pinnacol.com or call our Safety on Call hotline at 303.361.4700.
From Pinnacol Assurance
• Plan the lift • Carry smaller loads • Get help if the load is too large • Do not carry loads that are too heavy • Get close to the load before lifting • Keep the object close to your body and keep a good grip
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Insurance by Greenhouse Specialists WestminsteR, coloRado
303-429-3561 castle Rock
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www.rss-insurance.com eschaefer@rss-insurance.com
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Greenhouse Packages Garden Center Packages Boiler/Crop Insurance Commercial Automobile Home & Auto
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CSU UPDATE
Announcing Plant Select® for 2014 Plant Select® is pleased to announce seven new plants to be promoted in 2014, along with three recommendations in the Plant Select® Petites program. Windwalker™ Garnet Penstemon (Penstemon x mexicali) has ruby-red or garnet-colored tubular flowers with striped throats nearly all summer. The narrow glassy green leaves form an attractive mound. It grows to 15 inches in height and width and prefers full sun to partial shade, moderate water and a clay, loam or sandy soil. It is hardy to USDA Zones 4b to 8.
By Dr. James E. Klett Professor and Extension Landscape Horticulture Specialist Colorado State University
Photos Courtesy of Panayoti Kelaidis, Pat Hayward, Ross Shrigley, David Salman, and Kirk Fieseler.
Hummingbird Trumpet Mint (Monardella macrantha ‘Marian Sampson’) is an aromatic herb from the mountains of California, which forms low mounds of semi-evergreen leaves often covered by clusters of brilliant, scarletorange trumpets from late spring into summer. It grows 3 to 6 inches in height and 8 to 12 inches in width and prefers partial shade in a clay, loam or sandy soil. It is hardy to USDA Zones 5b to 9, but may need some protection from the heat of the summer and some winter protection in certain areas. Undaunted™ Ruby Muhly (Muhlenbergia reverchonii) is a selection of a long-lived grass from the southern Great Plains. The fine textured, gray-green mounds are topped by many tiny ruby flowers that add fall and winter beauty to a landscape. It grows 15 to 30 inches in height when in flower and 18 to 24 inches in width. This perennial grass prefers full sun and moderate to dry conditions in a clay or sandy soil. It is hardy to USDA Zones 5 to 10. Carolyn’s Hope Pink Penstemon (Penstemon x mexicali ‘Carolyn’s Hope’PPAF) has medium pink tubular flowers with white throats and dark pink buds nearly all summer. The narrow glossy leaves form an attractive mound and a portion of proceeds from all sales benefit breast cancer research at University of Colorado Cancer Center. It can grow to 15 inches in height and width and prefers full sun to partial shade with moderate water in a clay, loam or sandy soil. It is hardy to USDA Zones 4b to 8.
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Autumn Amber Sumac (Rhus trilobata ‘Autumn Amber’) is an ideal ground cover for open areas and dry shrub areas. It is a lowgrowing selection of native three-leaf sumac with glossy bright green leaves in the summer turning amber to reddish in the fall. It grows to 6 to 18 inches in height and 6 to 8 feet in width. It prefers full sun and xeric location in loam or sandy soils. It is hardy to USDA Zones 4 to 8. Smoky Hills Skullcap (Scutellaria resinosa ‘Smoky Hills’) is a shortgrass prairie native named after Smoky Hills of North Central Kansas where it was first collected. The mounds of greenish gray leaves are covered with bright purple-blue flowers typed with white in early summer. It grows 8 to 10 inches in height and 10 to 14 inches in width and prefers full sun with dry to xeric water requirements in loam or sandy soils. It is hardy to USDA Zones 4 to 9. LooseLeaf February/March 2014
glossy green in color turning red in fall to early winter before falling. It grows 6 to 18 inches in height and 6 to 8 inches in width and prefers full sun to partial shade with a moderate to dry water requirement. Loam and sandy soils are best and it is hardy to USDA zones 5 to 7.
Golden Flowered Prairie Zinnia (Zinnia grandiflora ‘Gold on Blue’) is a selection of our native prairie zinnia chosen for its blue-green foliage and large golden flowers. It can become a large scale ground cover. It grows to 8 to 10 inches in height and 18 plus inches in width. It prefers full sun with dry to xeric water requirements in a clay, loam or sandy soil. It is hardy to USDA Zones 4 to 8. This is the second year that Plant Select® Petites will be available. They are unusual plants of smaller stature that have not been readily available or known to gardeners. Three new petite plants are recommended for 2014. Dalmatin Pink Cranesbill (Geranium dalmaticum) is a low growing perennial geranium with pink flowers from late spring to early summer. The leaves are aromatic and
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Dwarf Beach – Head Iris (Iris hookeri) is a compact, tidy iris with attractive green foliage producing blue flowers in late spring and early summer. It prefers additional water prior and during flowering to keep blooms robust. It grows 8 to 12 inches tall and wide and prefers full sun to partial shade in a loam or amended sandy soil. It is hardy to USDA Zones 3 to 8. Dwarf Pinon Pine (Pinus edulis selections – Farmy, Trinidad) are dwarf selections of a native pine that grow very slow, forming a tight mound over the years. It grows about 1 to 3 inches per year getting to about 20 to 30 inches after 10 years. It prefers full sun and very xeric water conditions in a loam or sandy soil. It is hardy to USDA Zones 4 to 7.
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FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
By Merle T. Northrop Flatiron Ventures, Inc.
What matters about the numbers collected in the Dashboard are the financial trends they reveal about your business.
Financial Dashboard Helps Guide Your Financial Future Are you watching important measurements in your business as diligently as you watch the stats of your favorite sports team or player? Does your business only do financial planning during the filing of its annual tax return? Successful companies implement a useful business tool to analyze their finances. They have a process to collect and monitor a few important numbers on a regular basis to help guide them towards a more successful and profitable operation. I like to call this tool the “Dashboard”. It shows major systems of your business just like a car’s dashboard tells you about major functions in your vehicle. Each business is different but most companies have some commonly measured results that should be watched. You want to watch items that are more fluid, like cash, bank deposits, checks issued, receivables, inventory, payables, gross receipts, number of customers in the door, and payroll. Find data that is needed in your daily operations, like the amount of the bank deposit. Don’t try to create artificial data for the Dashboard. Also critical to business success is knowing what it costs to get your product to market. Formulas to measure your costs of goods sold can go from basic to complex depending on where you are in the development of your Dashboard. At the basic end, you should be aware of your base costs to provide your end product. This includes the hard costs of materials and the fluctuating heating and watering costs. Adding employee costs to bring your product to the point of being sold is a natural next step. The best format for the Dashboard can be a simple spreadsheet. Columns represent each time period and rows show data collected or analyzed. The sheet should not be more than a page long, about 50 lines, and it should take no more than 30 minutes to collect all the data. After the numbers are gathered, consider applying dollars to various measurables as well as dollars to dollars. For instance, compare the
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amount of gross receipts per number of employees or number of deliveries, gross receipts per customer, percent of wages to gross receipts, or purchases of products compared to gross receipts. Other useful comparisons are accounts receivable as a percent of gross receipts and accounts payable as a percentage of cash plus current accounts receivable. I recommend filling out the Dashboard on a weekly basis, which is really often enough if your business is small to modest in size. The best time for this report to be collected is by noon on Monday so management can make needed changes during the week. Collecting all the numbers for the Dashboard is not an end in itself. Generally, the raw numbers don’t mean much; what matters are the trends they reveal. If payroll as a percentage of gross receipts is going up, an adjustment in either payroll or receipts probably needs to happen. If the purchase of products compared to gross revenue continues to increase, the business may be inappropriately growing inventory without achieving corresponding sales. If average sales per customer are going down, the sales staff may need to find ways to increase the average. Using a Dashboard can become so valuable that managers don’t want to begin a week without it. This relatively simple business tool can reveal short-term changes – both good and bad, so management can make minor changes faster and prevent mounting financial mistakes, rather than facing big changes and larger problems later. For a sample Dashboard spreadsheet, go to coloradonga.org/education-links.php. About the Contributor: Based in Boulder, Colo., Merle T. Northrop, CBI, is a CNGA member specializing in business advisory for companies in the green industry. He can be reached at 303.440.6141 or merle@ business solutionsadvisory.com.
LooseLeaf February/March 2014
Native Plant Experts with Extensive Edible Varieties Please tell us a little about your company’s staff. Aqua Fria Nursery is a family business, started by Bob Pennington, his wife Jeni Pennington and his retired father in 1975. The family members were searching for a better way to make a living when they found and bought the business. Currently the staff includes Bob, Jeni, and sons Mark and Shane who spent most their life at the nursery, as well as three to four more longtime employees. Though the founders came in with no knowledge of the industry, they learned everything on the job over the decades and the core staff is very, very experienced in the business.
How does your company stand apart from others? Number one is the overwhelming knowledge level of the staff. The nursery is fiercely natural and organic with everything they do and sell. People can trust that Agua Fria won’t sell anything they don’t believe in or use themselves. Plus, the company keeps trying new products and new approaches. Its vegetable selection is “preposterous” with an unmatched number of varieties of tomatoes, chilis, lettuce and other vegetables.
Will any trends from 2013 continue to impact the green industry? On the one hand, the edibles thing is going crazy and the nursery sells humungous amounts of vegetables and vegetable seeds. If you can eat it, people will buy it. The other trend is people are finally interested in drought-tolerant plants because of the New Mexico droughts. Agua Fria
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has grown native and xeric plants since 1976, though not many customers cared whether plants were drought-tolerant for most of those years. Now after almost four years of drought that are part of a larger 15-year drought, the company can’t grow enough to meet the demand.
MEMBER PROFILE
Agua Fria Nursery, Inc. 1409 Agua Fria St. Santa Fe, N.M. 87505 tel: 505.983.4831 fax: 505.983.3593 aguafrianr@aol.com
What’s new for your company? The biggest news at Agua Fria is the expected arrival of the fourth grandchild and future staff member in March. Also, the roof was torn off of the main greenhouse in 2013, and had to be rebuilt completely.
How can you make the most out of the ProGreen EXPO? ProGreen combines social, educational and some business opportunities. Agua Fria’s owners come annually, and enjoy meeting with suppliers and looking at all the new products. Bob Pennington gets his pesticide application certification. Plus, it’s a great chance to “get the heck out of dodge” before busy season hits.
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MEMBER PROFILE
Alpha One, Inc. 475 Newell Dr. Loveland, Colo. 80537 tel: 970.461.0818 fax: 970.449.9404 gary@alphaoneinc.com alphaoneinc.com
Alpha One products are used in production at Osage Gardens (above) and by landscapers for their clients (below on the right).
Colorado Producer of Safe, Organic Fertilizers Please tell us a little about your company.
How does your company stand apart from others?
Gary Bragdon founded Alpha One in 1990, as a family-owned manufacturer and supplier of quality organic fertilizer. His original intent was to develop the fertilizer with compost from a friend’s business as the main component. However, the variable chemical and physical properties of the compost created production and quality problems. Alfalfa replaced compost as the base material and was combined with other organic materials to produce the Alpha One brand of organic fertilizers. With promising results from a trial of the fertilizer at the Colorado State University Horticulture research facility, full-scale production began on two original organic lawn and garden fertilizers. A short while later, additional fertilizers were added to the product line.
Alpha One’s fertilizers are unlike any others on the market and are formulated solely for Colorado plants and soils. They are manufactured with only the highest quality organic and mineral ingredients without any waste materials or manures. There is a high level of customer satisfaction due to the performance and safety factor – it’s safe for areas used by kids and pets. Being local and only serving Colorado customers is also an advantage. Many out-of-state suppliers sell fertilizers that are not specifically made for Colorado.
What’s new for your company? Relatively new on the market is Alpha One’s Organic starter fertilizer to aid seed germination and viability for new landscapes and Organic Iron to combat chlorosis prevalent in plants in Colorado soils.
What are your forecasts for challenges or opportunities in 2014? With the improving economy and anticipated improved weather conditions with fewer fires, less late spring time snows and summer floods, the company staff expects to see increases in sales for the upcoming year. The improved water storage going into the new year will also help customers’ businesses. The trend toward the use of more organic fertilization will continue to benefit the company’s market share in 2014 and beyond.
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LooseLeaf February/March 2014
Three Retail Locations Focused on Customer Service Please tell us a little about your company. Country Fair in south Denver is one of three family-owned retail garden centers operated by Welby Gardens. The location on South Colorado Boulevard has been around since 1954, and became part of the Welby operations in 1990. It is managed by Steve Rozic. The other two retail centers are Country Fair Garden Center in the Westwoods area of Arvada, managed by Danielle Coufal, and Welby Gardens in north Denver, managed by Cheri Zillich. Mike Deardorff is Welby’s director of retail who goes between the stores to help with financial management.
How do you stand apart from other companies? The stores’ main goal is to go above and beyond with customer service. The staff wants customers to be successful so they work with them to help them succeed in whatever they are trying to do and find whatever plants they are seeking. The full-service garden centers also provide education to support gardeners and keep the young generation coming back. They stock an extensive pottery and gift selection. They are also known for top-notch, healthy plant material, centered around the Hardy Boy brand and including other carefully selected quality plants.
People are so into growing their own food, especially customers at the south Denver Country Fair location. All these younger people want to do it themselves – have their own seeds and start their own produce. For urban gardeners, the focus is on finding a way for them to grow vegetables in limited spaces. Welby’s staff hasn’t seen much of a slowdown in miniature and fairy gardening. Kids love it as well as adults. They are excited to touch plants with unusual textures and watch a venus fly trap.
MEMBER PROFILE
Country Fair Garden Center 2190 S. Colorado Blvd. Denver, Colo. 80222 tel: 303.757.4949 fax: 303.757.6386 countryfair@ hardyboyplant.com countryfairgarden.com
How can you make the most out of the ProGreen EXPO? Take advantage of the classes and the networking. It’s a great opportunity to see some vendors. Welby’s retail staff love the classes and getting to see their colleagues. They sit down with a calendar and the seminar schedule to decide which classes they can get to and still cover their work shifts.
Will any trends from 2013 continue to impact the green industry? Urban gardening, miniature gardening and organic food gardening are growing in popularity.
coloradonga.org
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Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association 959 S. Kipling Pky, #200 Lakewood, CO 80226
Acknowledging our Major Sponsors Corporate Sponsor – Tagawa Marketing Sponsor – Pinnacol Assurance
ThankYou PSST... PASS IT ON
Book Recommendation “From Smart to Wise: Acting and Leading with Wisdom” by Prasad, K. & Radjou, N. (2013)
By CNGA member Kim Koonce Tree & Shrub Buyer Plant World, Inc
Without the hindrance of stereotypical corporate structures, members of the green industry can use the ideas in “From Smart to Wise” to immediately begin a personal growth journey that will draw positive attention to our leaders while increasing the success of our organizations. Personally, the book was an easy read in which I learned to see beyond selfinterests without compromising my own smartness. “From Smart to Wise” authors Prasad and Radjou observe that most leaders share a powerful propensity to lead by their own strengths, surrounding themselves with others who share their same perspectives. This causes
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them to lead through a perceptual filter where perspectives are narrow, seeing only what is desired and blocking out that which is beyond one’s interest. To reach wisdom, leaders need to broaden their perspectives and increase their contextual sensitivity by appreciating the smartness of those that are not their own. The book guides the reader through six wise leadership capabilities that all leaders demonstrate according to their functional or business smartness. Through a self-assessment provided in the book, readers can identify areas they need to explore and understand to become wiser leaders. LooseLeaf February/March 2014