Feb/Mar 2015 Issue

February/March 2015 • Volume 33 • Number 1

Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association • Serving Colorado & New Mexico

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Happy Employees = Happy Customers

10 Refugees –

A Reliable Labor Resource

13 Sales Reps Value

Strong Communication

15 Young Purchasing

Agent Values Relationships

Forging Strong Relationships

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LooseLeaf February/March 2015

Our Mission Professionals growing for a better tomorrow... your growing resource.

Cover Photo Courtesy of Desert Canyon Farm, Cañon City, Colo.

In This Issue 13

4 Message from the Board: Meeting Challenges as Employers

5 CNGA – Here for the Members: Volunteering Reaps Benefits

6 Member Profiles: Desert Canyon Farm,

Dreamscapes Landscape Center, PlantRight

Sales Reps Value Strong Communication Young Purchasing Agent Values Relationships

16 Wholesale Relationships: Two Perspectives on Purchaser-Vendor Relations 18 Funding Research & Education: Scholarships Make Career Dreams Come True 19 Safety Corner: Be Ready for a Claim before It Happens

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20 CSU Update: Water Research with Ornamental Grasses Happy Employees = Happy Customers Refugees – A Reliable Labor Resource

22 Calendar & New Members 23 Classified Ads & Advertisers List 24 Psst... Pass It On: Earth Day Tips from Monica Phelan

Board Of Directors

Ex-Officio Members

Bill Kluth, President Tagawa Greenhouse Enterprises, LLC 303.659.1260 x205 bkluth@tagawas.com

Stan Brown, CCNP Alameda Wholesale Nursery, Inc. Phone: 303-761-6131 stan@alamedawholesale.com

Sarada Krishnan, Ph.D. Denver Botanic Gardens 720.865.3601 krishnas@botanicgardens.org

Jesse Eastman, CCNP, Vice President Fort Collins Nursery 970.482.1984 j.eastman@fortcollinsnursery.com

Dan Gerace, CGG Welby Gardens Company, Inc. 303.288.3398 dangerace@hardyboyplant.com

Kirby Thompson, CCNP Britton Nursery, Inc. 719.495.3749 info@brittonflowers.com

Levi Heidrich Heidrich’s Colorado Tree Farm Nursery 710.598.8733 levi@coloradotreefarmnursery.com

Kerri Dantino Little Valley Wholesale Nursery 303.659.6708 kerri@lvwn.com

Dan Wise, CCNP, Secretary/Treasurer Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery 970.484.1289 dan@ftcollinswholesalenursery.com

Publisher

Editorial

Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association 959 S. Kipling Pkwy., Ste. 200 Lakewood, Colo. 80226 303.758.6672 Fax: 303.758.6805 info@coloradonga.org coloradonga.org

Allison Gault, MBA Executive Director Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association 303.758.6672 agault@coloradonga.org

Printer

Jim Klett, Ph.D. CSU Dept. of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture 970.491.7179 jim.klett@colostate.edu Allison Gault, MBA Executive Director CNGA 303.758.6672 agault@coloradonga.org

Contributing Writers

Staff

Kent Broome Allison Gault Mike Kintgen Xochitl Montes

Mindy Carrothers Jon Gerber Dr. Jim Klett

Kerri Dantino Tanya Ishikawa Bill Kluth

The LooseLeaf feature writer and editor is Tanya Ishikawa of Buffalo Trails Multimedia Communications at 303-819-7784 and office@tanyaishikawa.com.

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.

Visit coloradonga.org for classified advertisements, plant publications, upcoming events, a member directory, and much more!

Colorado Community Media 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Ste. 210 Highlands Ranch, Colo. 80129 coloradocommunitymedia.com

Display Advertising Michelle Muñoz, CNGA 303.758.6672 mmunoz@coloradonga.org

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Allison Gault, MBA

Michelle Muňoz

Ben Northcutt

Executive Director

Administrative Coordinator

Membership Manager

agault@ coloradonga.org

mmunoz@ coloradonga.org

bnorthcutt@ coloradonga.org

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MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

By Bill Kluth CNGA Board President

“As always, our members are resilient, optimistic and creative in their approaches to finding, hiring and keeping employees.”

Meeting Challenges as Employers At the Owners & Managers Meeting (O&M) last November at Antler’s Hilton in Colorado Springs, I had the opportunity to facilitate a table discussion about employees – finding them, hiring them and keeping them. The unanimous consensus among the participants was that having a well-trained staff who conduct themselves in a professional manner regardless of their position continues to be a challenge.

And with the improvement in the economy producing more jobs and potentially better wages, the problem is becoming more challenging.

But as always, our members are resilient, optimistic and creative in their approaches to finding, hiring and keeping employees. Here are some of the solutions offered. (Thank you everyone who participated at my table for making it easy to write this article!)

Several companies are using refugees through services like Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS). Lutheran Family Services has offices in several cities in Colorado. These organizations report good availability of workers who are anxious to work hard and fulfill their requirements as a refugee in the United States.

The plus side is a workplace with great diversification, a good quantity of available workers and people who want to work.

At Tagawa, we have people from the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia working for us.

The downside is many of these people have limited English skills making communication sometimes difficult. LIRS provides translators to help with orientation and basic training, but managers and supervisors need creativity to accomplish daily tasks by showing (not telling) how to do a job. The result has been a better understanding by managers and supervisors of how to get the tasks (from small to big) done efficiently and correctly. Also, many refugees do not have their own transportation, so arranging car pools or providing a van service to pick them up at a central location is sometimes necessary.

We also heard about hiring students, both college and high school. The plus side is a large pool of potential workers (depending on location) and the opportunity to introduce young people to our industry and help them in their career choice. The downside is scheduling around classes and activities, resulting in a potentially complex matrix of who is available when to do

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what. One company offers a scholarship program to students who work hard in their first year and return for a second (or third or fourth). This not only helps to retain trained seasonal employees, but with additional money available, often parents are involved to help ensure students arrive per the schedule and stick to the job through the end of the season.

We also discussed interns from community colleges and universities. These students have made a career choice to work in our industry but often don’t come with a greenhouse or nursery background. We get an opportunity to provide valuable experience so they can be hired as a manager. At Tagawa, we have hired several growers after seeing them work in our intern program and observing their dedication to our business. Other companies echoed the same experience of having great interns who became outstanding employees.

We talked about wages and the fact that we (usually) cannot compete. We need to offer something else – something more personal.

O&M participants talked about loaning tools and equipment to employees for their home projects.

We talked about donuts, pizza and parties to celebrate successes. Mostly I heard about family environments where employees are treated with respect and consideration of each as an individual.

This includes regular company updates that are frank and honest about performance goals and expectations. With minimal expense all employees are made to feel an important part of the business and better understand the reason for changes or expectations of long hours. And each CNGA member talked about how regardless of title everyone in the company works together to get the job done.

Overall, it seemed like each company has its own style or method for finding, hiring and keeping not just year-round employees but also the seasonal staff. We have a great product – including our work environment. We are mostly family owned and managed. Thus, we can easily create our own unique work culture.

Think about your company – if you needed a job would you apply?

Spring is right around the corner. Everyone is busy and gearing up for another great season.

All the best!

LooseLeaf February/March 2015

Volunteering Reaps Benefits Greetings from the CNGA offices!

It was wonderful to meet so many of you at the ProGreen Expo, held January 14 to 16 in Denver. I hope you learned as much from the educational sessions as I did, made some new connections and caught up with long-time friends and colleagues. I am very impressed with how willing the CNGA members are to share and help each other problem solve.

Along the lines of sharing and learning from each other, a great way to make connections with other members is to volunteer for your association. Each time I connect with a member that is a current or previous volunteer, they always tell me how much they learn from their peers and how much they get back from volunteering.

Did you know that 12 percent of the CNGA membership volunteers for the association?

Members identify the topics for the LooseLeaf magazine, assist with the exhibitor move in and out for the ProGreen Expo, teach our certification classes, proctor the exams, and give back in many other ways.

CNGA strives to listen to the members and respond to their needs. Many of these needs and other ideas are brought forward by our

CNGA — HERE FOR THE MEMBERS

members through our volunteer opportunities.

We have opportunities that last one month and others than last multiple years. If you’ve thought about getting involved but haven’t taken the leap, I encourage you to consider one of the opportunities below. I can promise that you’ll get more out of it than you give.

Board of Directors Communications Committee Colorado Horticulture Research & Education Foundation (CHREF) Board of Directors CHREF Golf Tournament Committee Green Industries of Colorado (GreenCO) Board of Directors GreenCO Legislative Committee ProGreen Expo Board of Directors ProGreen Expo Move In/Out Committee Colorado Certified Nursery Professional (CCNP) Committee Certified Greenhouse Grower (CGG) Committee Young Professionals Meetings

If you’d like to learn more about an opportunity or how you can give back to the association, please call or email me. I look forward to working with many of you in the future.

An Informative Year Ahead in the LooseLeaf April/May 2015: Presenting Your Best How to be a better marketer than your competitors; Having and displaying the right inventory; Responding to diverse customers in combined wholesale/retail businesses; Removing barriers for intimidated shoppers; How to keep your staff invested in your company; Merchandising; Integrated Pest Management.

June/July 2015: Responding to the Seasons The importance of promoting fall planting and how to educate customers, especially the younger generation and men; When to mark down products, have sales, toss old product and the pros and cons of each; Profit or loss on aging inventory and discounting items; Recommendations for replacement trees for ash.

August/September 2015: Investing in Success Reinvesting in your company- how and why, buying vs. leasing, the costs of not upgrading soon enough; What to reinvest in- equipment, structure, employees, or specific types of facilities/programs/software; To hire or outsource- knowing your capabilities and when contractors would be a good fit; How to figure out if you have enough finances to upgrade.

By Allison Gault, MBA CNGA Executive Director

“CNGA volunteers always tell me how much they learn from their peers and how much they get back from volunteering.”

October/November 2015: Caring for Plants & People CSU/Welby trial results and tips on visiting trial gardens; Overwintering plants- how to avoid damage and knowing when it is cost effective and when it is not; Energy costs- how to save, be efficient and watch consumption; Laying people off vs. job attachment unemployment or keeping them employed, and incentives to make sure they stay or come back.

December 2015/January 2016: Preparing for 2016 ProGreen; Spring plant care- uncovering/covering to protect plants while trying to sell at the same time; Owners & Managers Meeting recap; What to do before Dec. 31 or before filing in 2016 to get the most benefit out of tax laws.

Give Us Your Ideas — CNGA would like more interaction with LooseLeaf readers so we are looking to you for advice and input on future articles. If you see any topics above that you have special expertise in or know of great resources for, please send them to info@coloradonga.org. We are excited to spotlight your knowledge and share your experiences with other members.

And Remember — You can always find useful information and helpful business tips in the back issues of the LooseLeaf at http://issuu.com/looseleaf.

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MEMBER PROFILE

Organic Grower Focuses on Quality & Traditional Varieties

Desert Canyon Farm

Interview with Tammi Hartung, Co-Owner

1270 Field Ave. Cañon City, Colo. 81212 phone 719.275.0651 fax 719.275.0815 desertcanyonfarm@gmail.com desertcanyonfarm. wordpress.com

What is your business niche?

We are a very small farm of five acres, but we produce a large amount of plants so most people are unaware of our size. My husband Chris Hartung and I are the owners, and hands-on in all tasks here. We believe it is very important to be involved in our customer relationships, so I talk to them on the phone and Chris personally delivers our plants.

Our obvious niche is our USDA organic certification. When we were first certified 19 years ago, we were the only organic grower attending ProGreen. Chris does our Integrated Pest Management using only OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) insecticides combined with beneficial insects and mechanical or physical barriers to manage pests. We extend an invitation to other growers to visit us and see how we apply these methods successfully.

Tammi & Chris Hartung

“We extend an invitation to other growers to visit us and see how we

Another unique part of our operation is growing perennial seed crops for Jelitto, a German seed company. A large percentage of these seed crops are Plant Select® varieties, well suited to our climate.

We grow specialty container plants of all different types: herbs, heirloom vegetables, wildlife habitat plants, and fairy garden plants, along with edible flowers. Our customers buy our plants because they are certified organic, and because we offer high quality and a lot of varieties.

Please tell us about your staff.

Chris worked as superintendent for Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield for 10 years, and planted most of the original trees there. He is Desert Canyon’s field and farm manager. He is a jazz guitarist in several bands and an avid outdoor recreationalist.

I worked for many years at Paulino Gardens as their propagator with Kelly Grummons. I’m the greenhouse manager at Desert Canyon. I enjoy embroidery and writing books during the winter.

I’ve published three books on herbs and wildlifefriendly gardening and am currently writing my fourth book.

Our assistant grower, Lizz Colvin, is our only year-round employee. She started here when she was 14 and is now 23. She’s an excellent plants woman and the farm’s beekeeper. She’s also an artist and homesteader, raising her own sheep, rabbits and hens.

Three people work on our greenhouse crew from February through May, and another three people work on our field crew from May to Labor Day. They are a colorful bunch including a semi-retired lady, an emergency medical technician, a pizza restaurant waiter, and a young mother who is a former circus worker.

In addition to ProGreen, what CNGA activities do you attend? Why? We were pleased and surprised by this year’s Owners & Managers Meeting, which we attended for the first time. We enjoyed it and found it helpful. We liked Friday night’s neonics presentation, which was an open discussion where everyone could share their thoughts; it was really useful rather than just having one presenter.

Saturday’s roundtable sessions were fantastic.

The discussions were useful, and I left with good ideas and inspiration. Sometimes we feel our struggles are unique to us; it was reassuring to hear we struggle with the same issues as others do, whether a large or small operation. We hope to attend O&M again in the future.

apply organic methods successfully.”

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LooseLeaf February/March 2015

Dedicated Staff Delivers Landscaping Materials & Knowledge Interview with Rachael Shuler, General Manager

MEMBER PROFILE

Dreamscapes Landscape Center 6100 E. 104th Ave. Northglenn, Colo. 80233 phone 303.288.8877

How did your business get started?

Established by Kremer’s Turf Farm, Dreamscapes was mainly an outlet for sod sales with a smaller garden center. Two years ago, Colorado native Shawn Ryan became a co-owner of Dreamscapes, after 25 years in the landscaping industry. His industry relationships have helped us to get started.

Our focus is customer service. We strive to provide not just materials but knowledge to our retail and wholesale customers. Our goal is to create and maintain lasting relationships with contractors and homeowners alike. We are pushing to become a “destination” garden center, a one-stop shop for all garden, gift and landscape needs!

Tell us more about your staff.

We strive to be customer service oriented. We try to be a knowledgeable resource and offer suggestions to contractors and homeowners on how to use our products. People that buy from us know they can call us for information and advice on their landscapes.

fax 303.288.8855 info@dreamscapesdenver.com dreamscapesdenver.com

Because we do both retail and wholesale we love to connect our customers with each other.

We refer work to many of the contractors that buy from us.

We will deliver anywhere in the Denver metro area. We even go as far as Fort Collins and Colorado Springs. We have various sizes of trucks that can deliver one ton or 30.

Describe your purchasing habits for your company.

After working in garden centers and nurseries through high school and college, I graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in landscape horticulture and went to work in landscaping eight years ago. I started as the general manager of Dreamscapes in February 2013, but have worked with the owners for several years.

Though many of my peers prefer it, I don’t rely on technology for ordering. I have so many other responsibilities that I find it extremely helpful when vendors come to me. They call or sit down with me so I can create an order at that time. I am constantly thinking about what we need, what to add and what to take away.

It’s really helpful to sit down with a salesperson and talk about what their company has to offer.

Our staff also includes an office manager and three truck drivers. We have two sales associates, one who is working on her master gardener certification and another who is a recent grad of Iowa State University with a landscape architecture degree and is heading up our new landscape design services.

For me, purchasing is better face to face; it forces me to do it in that moment. Finding the time to sit down and type an email is difficult.

When you’re so busy, it’s easy to put the task of purchasing on a list and not get around to it.

Then, if you wait too long, what you want is no longer available.

Shawn Ryan

What are your main services?

Our goal is to be a full-service landscape supply. We don’t just sell trees and plants; we also sell mulches, rock, soil, compost, boulders, pavers and other materials. Plus, we carry pottery, garden art and other home gardening items. We even rent equipment and offer design services.

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MEMBER PROFILE

Knowledgable Sales Pros Provide Horticultural Solutions Interview with Beth Pamperin, Business Manager

PlantRight, LLC 30050 West 135th St. Olathe, Kansas 66061 tel 913.856.8789 fax 913.856.8647 plantrightsolutions.com

Who are key staff members in your company?

I joined the PlantRight team as business manager in September 2012. I manage the administrative operations and support our sales representatives in providing our clients with an exceptional quality of service.

PlantRight’s sales representatives have decades of experience across many areas of the green industry and bring a wealth of knowledge to their customer interactions. Jason Kuehl serves a sales territory including Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. John Parrish serves customers in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Oklahoma. John Severns serves Kansas and Missouri customers. Each representative is known for their professionalism, dependability and ability to find solutions for every customer.

What makes your business stand apart from others?

Jason Kuehl

Beth Pamperin

John Severns John Parrish

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PlantRight is a sales and marketing company. We are a one-of-a-kind company with our vision being to offer horticultural support and solutions to meet the needs of those in the green industry.

We are organized and systematic in growing relationships with our customers to fulfill their product needs with premium quality plants.

Our sales team is experienced, knowledgeable and proactive in offering superior customer service.

offer diverse product mixes and packaging.

These high character and detailed focused organizations provide our customers with a unique combination of both quality and value.

We also offer products, such as affordable fiberglass tree stakes, to help growers to produce a higher quality of trees. PlantRight is now offering brokerage services for our customers. From hard to find items to large quantity contract grow opportunities, our network of growers can support most any procurement challenge.

Besides ProGreen, which CNGA activities does your staff attend?

Our Colorado rep, John Parrish, has been volunteering as a CNGA member on the ProGreen move-in committee for the past few years. He also attends the summer member barbecues and other events throughout the year.

How do you see purchasing changing in the industry?

The recent downturn in the economy has devastated the nursery industry. Those growers who have made it this far are the best of the best in terms of product, quality and business operations. Partnerships with vendors are even more important moving forward in times of shortages. It is going to take years to get production caught up with demand in many items.

Demographically we will see more firms exiting the market with those remaining having an opportunity to gain that share. It is critical to evaluate who will be here for the next 30 years when looking at your suppliers. PlantRight has kept and continues to keep this in mind when we take on a grower as their sales representative. The growers we represent are all independent family owned and operated with young ownership invested in the nursery business for the long haul.

PlantRight represents family owned and operated growers who LooseLeaf February/March 2015

Photo Courtesy of Great Gardens, Inc.

Happy Employees = Happy Customers coloradonga.org

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Finding the Right People

Photo Courtesy of Plant World, Inc.

Asking all the right interview questions and making all the right hiring decisions doesn’t matter if companies can’t attract good applicants. First, employers must have good sources for attracting good prospects.

As greenhouses and nurseries ramp up this spring, employers are hoping for the return of their best seasonal employees.

Chances are that some new staff will be necessary.

“We approach our hiring decisions with a strong emphasis on finding those individuals who share in our beliefs of honesty, building strong relationships, flexibility and demonstrating enthusiasm for life. It’s not just about what they know; it is about their personal attributes and what they have done,” said Human Resources Director Veleta Clay at Plant World in New Mexico.

Jeff Jones, owner of Great Gardens in Wyoming, agrees. “It is much better to have a person with the proper attitude and train them to do whatever tasks are needed than to struggle with someone who may do a good job but is difficult for employees or customers to be around,” Jones said.

Clay encourages Plant World’s job candidates to spend some time on site to observe current team members in action and ask them questions. Then, in the follow-up interview, she finds it really beneficial to learn what the potential employee has gleaned from the experience. She also finds out what they have asked the current staff to give her insight into what is important to prospective hires.

“A key in our hiring decision is not just whether the prospects meet our needs, but can we meet their needs? We spend a lot of time discussing what the candidates really want to achieve and what work-life balance suits them. We are very honest with our expectations up front. We don’t want any team member

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“Many of our best employees have come from either our customer base or friends and acquaintances of current employees,” said Jones but warned that many customers may see a garden center job as an easy way to have fun around plants, without realizing how physically demanding the job can be.

In his small town of Torrington, he has found success with listing job ads on Facebook as well as local classifieds pages. Meanwhile, Plant World in the larger city of Albuquerque benefits mostly from posting in different locations for different positions.

coming on board and getting blindsided with duties, hours or other expectations that are going to create issues for them,” she added.

Refugees – A Reliable

By Xochitl Montes Human Resources Manager Welby Gardens

Most companies where I’ve worked aren’t aware of refugee centers. My company’s introduction to the refugee center happened when we hired a refugee to work in the human resources office. The center promotes itself by participating in job fairs and partnering with companies like Welby Gardens to educate other companies about refugee workers.

Understanding that refugees have different skill levels is important. You will be surprised at the levels of education and skill sets within this population. Depending on the position I am hiring for, I like to have candidates shadow a current worker so they understand the job. Once the shadowing is over, I like to sit down with candidates again to receive feedback.

Refugees are not afraid of the work, because they are used to working hard; however, it is important to provide the necessary resources for them to be successful. Most of the refugees don’t speak English, but there is always someone who does and I normally hire that person as a lead to help those that don’t speak the language to succeed in the workplace.

Company policies and expectations are the same for all employees, whether they are refugees or not. To ensure everyone is on the same page, the leads help us understand the refugees’ cultures and languages. The refugee center staff is also very good at assisting with translation of paperwork, and if asked, they can be present during meetings or trainings to aid the refugees.

Through my experiences working with refugees, the many positives aspects include that they: • are ready to work • have the proper documentation to work in the U.S.A. • are immediately available • are open to full-time jobs even if they are only temporary positions • are good workers just looking to become self sufficient

LooseLeaf February/March 2015

For other key positions such as outside sales reps, the Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association has been a great partner for job postings, and we also post on Jobs in Horticulture (hortjobs. com) and Monster.com to achieve a bigger audience, she said.

Sharing Core Values Both Plant World and Great Gardens have company philosophies that focus

on great customer service, and expect that all employees will demonstrate it consistently in their interactions with customers.

“We really work hard to add people to our team who will fit in with our core philosophy of treating a customer as a friend (not a sale) and co-workers as partners,” explained Clay. “We hire friendly people, emphasize that customer relationships are a priority, and ask them to use good judgment in all situations.”

At his company, Jones said, “Our customer service philosophy is that we are here to serve our customers the way others cannot, either box stores or other local stores. Many see us as a higher end store and our customer service has to prove that.”

Management spends time in all areas to maintain proper work habits, and makes sure employees see customer

Labor Resource Culture and language are the main challenges with refugees; however, RESPECT is a common language. I have created key words to communicate with them if no translation is available. I like to talk with them to understand their culture, and within the same conversation I like to mention the workplace policies and rules. Language is only a barrier when the individual is not willing to try!!

When I first started working with refugees I didn’t even know what it meant. Now that I do know, it is amazing to understand what human beings go through everyday just to make it. Some tips that will help your company to have a successful experience with hiring refugees include: • Learn from the refugee center about the refugee program and how it works • Realize that the center staff will request a walkthrough of your facility to ensure that the refugees will be working under proper conditions • Understand the cultures of the refugees you hire • Provide satisfying jobs to them so they can become self sufficient • Know that teamwork doesn’t have barriers • Invite the relatives of your best employees to work for your company because they can help each other to be successful in their jobs

Photo Courtesy of Great Gardens, Inc.

“Our best sources for our inside sales team tend to be landscape architects, schools and job postings in our store and on our website,” Clay said. “Our best source for plant maintenance and support team member positions has been employee referrals. Our current team knows the job and what it takes to be a successful team player. They also feel a strong sense of responsibility for those they recommend.”

requests in a favorable light. The answer to customers is almost always yes. “Then we just have to figure out how to do it,” he admitted.

He believes in empowering employees with knowledge and allowing them to do their jobs the best they can, with latitude to make their work area their own. Great Gardens achieves this by continual training, much of which comes from attending the ProGreen Expo.

“I have been taking several employees with me each year so they can attend seminars as well as the trade show, and take that excitement and knowledge back with them,” he noted. “We also had a supplier come in and train us on many fertilizers and chemicals we sell.

Something else we do are summer or fall field trips to other independent garden centers, botanic gardens, CNGA gatherings, and anywhere we can further our knowledge base.”

At Plant World, management is on the front line, working side by side with team members so they can see their successes and challenges. Managers can make suggestions on improvements and employees get to observe managers’ service skills in action.

“We communicate customer feedback, both positive and negative, to our team members. We celebrate the positive comments with the team and we try to take advantage of teachable moments,” Clay said. “A complaint is an opportunity to learn and provide better service.

When we miss the mark with a customer we use a three-tier approach with our

Photos Courtesy of Welby Gardens

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team member. 1. How do we rectify the current situation for a positive outcome with the customer? 2. What could we have done differently to avoid the complaint in the first place? 3. How can we do a better job with a proactive service approach going forward?”

Creating a Great Environment Beyond hiring well and properly training staff, companies can ensure employees are geared up to satisfy customers by creating a rewarding environment.

Employees who are treated well are more likely to make their best efforts to serve customers well.

“First and foremost, employees must be treated in a professional manner at all times,” said Jones. “At Great Gardens, employees are made to feel that they are part of a family and they all speak that way. Having time together like happy hours, field trips and trainings helps to

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facilitate a feeling of being part of something fun as well as a part of the success of the organization.”

Every year each employee has the opportunity to put together a large container or create another type of arrangement. Not only is this an enjoyable project for employees, but they are also able to keep the profits from each sale. Management is also quick to praise employees for work that is well done.

Plant World’s managers show appreciation for employee efforts, too.

“Thanking and complimenting them in front of their peers means a lot to them.

We also love to take photos of them or their completed projects and post them on Facebook for all to see,” she said.

said. “Flexible work schedules are very important for a happy work force.

Giving a little latitude in determining work schedules, and allowing employees to take time for family or personal issues, goes a long way in building strong relationships with our team members.”

She concluded, “Having a management team that is approachable to discuss challenges employees are facing, either at work or at home, is very important in building and maintaining strong relationships. Happy employees are much more likely to give great customer service.”

“People enjoy doing things that they excel in. We like to focus on their strengths and offer them special projects we know they will enjoy doing,” Clay

LooseLeaf February/March 2015

Sales Reps Value Strong Communication Good communication between sales representatives and purchasing agents can ensure profitable results for both sides. John Crowley, Monrovia’s sales rep for New Mexico and West Texas, and Tyler Chandler, WinField’s ornamental market segment manager, share their insights on building strong relationships.

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communicate their needs. That’s probably the key – having a relationship where they feel free to communicate all their needs to you.

John Crowley with Connie Barnhill at Jericho Nursery

Tyler Chandler

What are the challenges in your relationships with purchasing agents?

Crowley: Each and every individual is different, so a longtime challenge is getting to spend enough time with purchasing agents during the busy season – that’s a universal issue.

Another longterm challenge is when one purchasing agent leaves, the new purchasing agent will have a different focus that I have to get accustomed to, like perennials instead of ornamentals.

The best way to make the most of your time with purchasing agents is to know their business. When you know their business, you can be prepared for them when you walk in the door.

You know what you have that they are ready to sell and that would fit in their business model.

Chandler: My first step in building relationships at any level is a needs assessment. Key questions center around what is working well, what is not and trying to identify specific areas of improvement. Next, I ask about the customer’s internal decision process. Who is involved? How does the process flow? What are their timeline expectations? Not fully understanding the customer’s decision process can be frustrating and may result in lost opportunities for the customer and sales person.

Why is it important for sales reps to know their customers?

Crowley: Knowing your customers is important to ensure you are selling them items that they don’t already have, and not wasting time trying to sell items they grow themselves, get from other suppliers or already have plenty in stock. You need to know purchasing agents well so they

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Chandler: Buying decisions are complex, usually with many options available.

The purchasing manager and professional sales rep relationship is valuable in filling information gaps in the buying process and for follow-up consultation. Plant production operations have many layers of management, including the owner, purchasing agent, payables department, receiving dock manager, and possibly more. If a selling company neglects the important needs of each department it could end the relationship.

I recommend that purchasing managers ask their own questions to better understand the qualifications of any sales rep to ensure there is value-adding expertise and credibility.

Then, it is worth their time to talk through specific needs and challenges.

When a purchasing agent shares specific information, a qualified sales rep provides specific solutions. An experienced sales rep asks insightful questions to help gather crucial information. If the rep is not asking those key questions, maybe it is time to look for a new rep.

The temptation is to start the conversation with “What’s my price?”

The convenience of not just a phone call, but texts, emails or even social media makes finding a cheap price relatively easy. More difficult to find are a meaningful value that help nurseries compete and win in the marketplace. Professional sales reps with the right set of skills provide a return on a purchase via qualified insights and solutions specific to your business. In the end, I believe, the greater impact is growing your business rather than a low price.

What else is important for building relationships?

Crowley: It is important for purchasing agents to have a realistic view of their sales reps company. At times, agents can have a general bias about sales reps before they walk in the door. It can help their total sales if the agent gives the sales reps the time to describe how products might suit their needs. If they don’t listen, they could miss out on cash register activity.

They won’t sell something if they don’t stock it.

Purchasing agents typically don’t ask me about market trends, but it could benefit them to ask more.

Usually in the slower season, a discussion about market trends of what is and isn’t selling takes place.

Typically, for both purchasing agents and sales reps, being a good listener can improve the results for everybody.

Chandler: Communication and planning are two of the most important aspects.

I called on a grower for a year as he made his purchasing decisions based on price first. One day, by coincidence, I had the opportunity to visit with their head of sales who complained about the cost of cleaning spray residue from leaves. I had an easy solution that they use to this day, but the sales manager was not communicating his needs to the grower.

As for planning, we work to get our customers the best product for their situation, so the job gets done right the first time. However, there are growers who spend large amounts of time shopping for the best price and not enough time planning the “when and how much” parts of the transaction.

When the time comes, they are under-prepared and end up giving back all their savings for a just-in-time option.

In the end, scenarios like these lead to lost time and profit for our grower customers. As nursery growers shape this new era of business, it is crucial to evaluate their purchase price through the lens of which option delivers the most overall.

Are their generational differences in communication styles?

Crowley: These days, I communicate electronically and then by physical presence. Some people are more tech-oriented while some people are more comfortable with face to face conversations. It varies. Age doesn’t have much to do with it. I get some people who prefer emails and texts for most communication and some who prefer phone and in person.

Frequently when I book appointments with customers in the slow time, we can sit down and have no interruptions.

LooseLeaf February/March 2015

During their busy season, we are frequently writing orders as we are standing in the nursery yard and they are juggling time with customers and their own crew.

Chandler: As for generational differences, everyone has unique needs. Often, I see patterns in the age of the company rather than the age of individuals. For instance, a nursery just starting out tends to have more flexibility than one in business for a number of years. I find that a new nursery is sometimes more nimble than a large, multi-layered operation – so a newer nursery will test and adopt new practices or technologies quicker.

How can purchasing agents avoid missing out on items due to shortages?

Crowley: As the economy has improved, there are new challenges with plant availability. There are a number of

shortages in the items that take a lot of years to produce. Growers haven’t been putting there resources into production with the vigor of 2007 or 2008. So producing enough to meet demand hasn’t taken place. We growers are hopeful that we are growing the right things.

With the strong demand, the hot deals are no longer there and the fire sales are mostly over. So, the reality is hard-to-find items will cost more and require more work to get ahold of.

It’s very important for customers to preorder for two reasons: the first is to make sure they have the items in strong demand already secured to come in the spring, and the second is to free up their time during the busy season so they know the items are already scheduled to come in and they don’t have to spend time searching for them.

How do you ensure your customers get products that fit their individual needs?

Chandler: When it comes to improving customer relationships, the WinField Insights Tool Kit is one of our greatest assets. These tools provide proprietary insights that help our customers grow their businesses. After all, we may talk plants all day, but this is still about the bottom line.

For example, our Biz Tech tool helps a sales rep look closer at a customer’s purchasing pattern. We take one customer’s purchases and use a comparison set of growers regionally or nationally to benchmark their performance against their peers. If a customer is spending significantly more on fungicides, we dig deeper to find out why. In many cases this turns out to be a significant savings for the grower.

Young Purchasing Manager Values Relationships I have only been with Little Valley since February 2014, so my time in this role is somewhat limited. This first year has been one of learning… our systems, vendors and processes.

I would say one of the biggest challenges for me as a new purchasing manager has been to find my own groove. My predecessor had been with the company for more than 25 years so many people were used to her style of doing things. I have modeled what I do after her but I had very limited training with her so I’ve really had to find my own way of doing things.

By Kerri Dantino, Little Valley Wholesale Nursery

Knowing my sales reps is very important. In our industry, relationships go a long way. Knowing the best way to reach out to each rep makes communication so much easier. I also feel that when you have a good relationship with one of your reps, you will find that they are better able to support you and help you with plants you need.

Relationships are extremely important. I enjoy talking with people, finding out about them and getting to know who they are. Whether it’s going out to lunch with someone or visiting a grower for a tour, any time you can meet face to face always strengthens the relationship. For me, it’s easier to get to know someone in a one-on-one setting.

As far as generational differences, I do see some. I think the younger generations are more into texting and emailing, whereas the older generations prefer face-to-face or phone communication.

Quality and timing are two of the most important aspects of purchasing. If the sales rep doesn’t know our expectations for either of these, it can negatively impact many aspects of both sales and production here.

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Sales reps are not only selling plants but they also provide a service. I think they need to understand our company and how we operate to understand why I, as the purchasing manager, ask for things in a certain way.

In addition to our production needs, I have six salespeople asking for plant material and my job is to find it for them. If I am putting pressure on a sales rep, it is generally because I’m trying to do my job to the best of my ability and get a quick turnaround for our salespeople and ultimately our customers.

The shortage of plant material is a major concern for us. When the economy declined, many of the growers either went out of business or had a serious reduction in the amount of plant material that they produced. In the case of B&B trees, this reduction impacted many of the future years so when the economy improves there is generally a delay in the response to the demand.

Supply simply cannot keep up. This impacts all areas of our business, from liners for our fields to liners for perennial and container production and finally to plants we buy finished – perennials, containers and trees.

Even with the shortages, we can ensure that we don’t miss out on most items due to maintaining strong relationships with our vendors and keeping our payments as prompt as we can. Our company has a solid history and this really helps us secure plant material. I’m also not afraid to ask for a discount if we are doing a big volume order with someone.

We order as early as we can. I ask sales reps to keep visiting me and calling me. I also ask them to send me an updated availability list whenever one is available. I like to have the information at my fingertips and it also helps to remind me to look at that company’s list as I am trying to find plants.

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WHOLESALE RELATIONSHIPS

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Two Perspectives Technology Changes Dynamics, Trust Remains Key Communication

Availability

Every relationship between a sales representative and a purchaser is unique. A relationship changes as time passes and both parties are responsibly to build, enhance and grow the relationship. Companies as we all know have cut staffing with the economic conditions.

Today, more is required of a sales rep than in years past. The same is true for the purchaser.

The need for a strong personal relationship has never been as important as it is today.

In a way I miss the days when you could check your messages when you landed in your hotel room at night. Recaps or other printed information were ‘snail mailed.’ You had more time to think about how to better address the needs of your next sales call, or the call that you just left. Today the cell phone rings and the buyer assumes you are available and recaps a click away. Availabilities are updated not monthly but are live and to the minute. The quicker the information can flow, the more touches the customer believes can happen. They can, but there are limits to an efficient system. If a sales rep has 50 customers, the information needs can be demanding. Many reps have hundreds of clients and the flow of required information to satisfy the needs of all these hundreds of purchasers is astounding in the scope of a single sales territory. But the most important component of the sales to purchaser relationship has not changed!

By Kent Broome Bailey Nurseries, Inc.

LEADERS IN

Hardy,

Colorado-Grown NURSERY STOCK

ftcollinswholesalenursery.com availability password: hotwings 2224 North Shields Street Fort Collins, Colorado 80524 970-484-1289 | fax 970-484-1386

800-794-1289 Our quality is your success

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Trust The need for mutual trust continues to be key.

Building a new relationship between two parties takes time, and requires success in several areas.

Trust that your sales rep is giving you information that they can use and is reliable. Again the method of delivering that information might be the biggest change. ‘What does the plant I want to order look like?’ ‘I will have the grower email you a pic of the exact plant that will be on your truck. The photo will be on your computer by the time we get back in your office.’ Trust that you will complete the sales call after the call is over. ‘I will email you a recap.’ There is also trust that the rep must have in the buyer. The buyer will do what they said in regards to the results of the visit, and maintain the integrity of the order placed. No one or company is perfect.

Do you have confidence that the sales rep will solve the inevitable problem that will arise? And can the purchaser be trusted with correcting information when an error occurs? Trusting relationships based on open communication and a willingness to be available often are the foundation for purchaser-sales rep success.

LooseLeaf February/March 2015

on Purchaser-Vendor Relations

WHOLESALE RELATIONSHIPS

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Technology Backs Up Good Experiences There seems to be a never-ending supply of new ways for us to communicate. Social media has integrated itself into most of our lives. Many of us use it to keep in touch with friends and family, but more and more, businesses use it the same way to stay relevant with their customer base. Facebook and Twitter are great ways to get general information out to a lot of people but communication needs to be more personal between purchasers and vendors.

One of the best tools I have as a purchaser is my smartphone. I know, people and their phones… but it really has increased my productivity by its virtue of simplicity. Phones have taken the mystery out of what to expect.

While it used to take up to 10 minutes to send each picture not all that long ago, each one can be delivered literally in seconds now. I don’t think there is any substitute to actually seeing the plants in person, but so often that just isn’t practical. Texting also keeps a path of communication open that quite often can get choked out by the seemingly infinite distractions of day-to-day life.

orders through QuickBooks, or receiving pictures via text. The increased speed at which information can be exchanged has allowed me to be more affective in keeping our nursery stocked with the right amount of plants at the right time.

The one thing that can’t be replaced with technology is the person on the other end of the phone. That relationship is more important than lunches, gifts, pictures or prices. Trust is built one good experience at a time. Technology can only support the relationship; the ability to get the job done right creates it.

By Jon Gerber Today’s Nursery

Almost every aspect of how I do purchasing relies on technology in some way - whether it is searching online availabilities, creating purchase

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Sign up today at cnga.ctcsavings.com.

coloradonga.org

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FUNDING RESEARCH & EDUCATION

By Mike Kintgen CHREF Vice President

Making Career Dreams Come True I received the Larry Watson Scholarship from the Colorado Nursery Research & Education Foundation (CNREF, which is now CHREF) in both 2002 and 2003. The foundation’s generous scholarships allowed me to pay for most of my classes at Colorado State University for those years, thus granting me the opportunity to leave college debt free, a true blessing in the green industry.

Gardens in Arvada, Colo. In October 2004, I was offered a position at Denver Botanic Gardens, overseeing the Rock Alpine Garden and South African Gardens. These two areas are championed

by Panayoti Kelaidis who has also been a significant mentor, helping to guide and shape my interests in the flora of steppe and semi-arid regions of the world.

The Larry Watson Scholarship and others from the foundation like the Arbor Valley Scholarship show me and other students that there are positions for us in the green industry and businesses are interested in students pursuing horticultural studies at both CSU and Front Range Community College. The interview and selection process for the scholarships also helped connect me to key people in the industry, such as Mike Bone, Sharon Harris, Larry Watson and key mentors in my early career.

After being involved in the industry for 10 years and serving on the foundation’s board for five years, I really appreciate the importance of the foundation’s scholarships. I can look back and really see how the scholarships helped steer my career choice and allowed me to pursue my dream of working in a botanic garden, where I can work with the next generation of new and exciting plants as well as future generations of interns pursuing horticulture as a career path. I hope my experience inspires others in the industry to give back and ensure that funding will continue to support horticultural students in Colorado’s higher education system.

After graduating I was fortunate to work for and learn from a wonderful mentor, Kelly Grummons who is the co-owner of Timberline

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LooseLeaf February/March 2015

Be Ready for a Claim Before it Happens When an employee is injured on the job, many employers don’t know where to start.

From taking care of the injured worker to filing the claim to figuring out what happened, a workplace injury can be overwhelming. Like dealing with a flat tire without a spare, getting caught unprepared for an injury will make the experience more difficult than it has to be.

You can’t know the details of an accident before it happens, but taking some simple steps now will make the process go more smoothly when an injury does occur.

• Designate medical providers – Through March 30, 2015, Colorado law requires employers to designate at least two medical providers to treat injured workers (effective April 1, 2015, employers must select four medical providers). Just as important, you need to let your employees know who those providers are, before and after an injury. Pinnacol has template letters and forms that make this step easy.

• Distribute important follow-up resources – Following an injury, it’s important to talk with the employee about what happened, and conduct your own analysis of what caused the accident. That way, you can determine if any preventive measures could keep the same thing from happening again.

Pinnacol has forms for an Employee Accident Report and an Accident Investigation Report to mitigate the hazards. You might consider printing these forms and having them handy on every job site.

SAFETY CORNER

From Pinnacol Assurance

By following the steps above – and informing your supervisors and employees about your expectations – you’ll be prepared to handle a workplace injury quickly and effectively. You can find templates, forms and resources on Pinnacol.com by clicking the Resources tab in the navigation bar, then scrolling down to the Claims Management Resources link.

• Ask employees to report injuries within 24 hours – You may not always be on the job site, so make sure your employees and supervisors know that all injuries should be reported immediately to ensure the injured worker gets the care they need. Reporting the injury promptly will also help your employee get back to work safely and quickly, and keep claims costs in check.

You can report an injury by visiting Pinnacol.com or by calling 800.873.7242.

For plants that feel perfectly at home, look for...

coloradonga.org

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CSU Research UPDATE

By James E. Klett Professor and Extension Landscape Horticulturist

Water Research with Ornamental Grasses Information available about standard watering procedures of ornamental grasses is fairly non-existent, and when found, is often not research based. Due to more frequent irrigation legislation/restrictions, scientific research on water efficient plants is needed. A promising sign for water-efficient landscaping is the increased sales and more positive attitudes towards ornamental grasses as viable landscape plants.

Finding exact water requirements of specific ornamental species would be extremely valuable in terms of water savings for homeowners and industry personnel. It is important to determine precise irrigation needs of some species of ornamental grasses, and test the limits to which the grass can survive around those needs.

Growers hopefully will be able to decrease the amount of water provided to their greenhouse and nursery stock, while being ensured that their plants are minimally stressed. Consumers will be able to make conscious decisions about choosing plants, which need little to no water once established.

and Sam Hagopian M.S. Candidate in Horticulture Colorado State University

Panicum virgatum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’ Rotstrahlbusch Switchgrass from Left to Right: 0% ET, 25% ET, 50% ET, 100% ET. Photos taken at the end of the 2014 season. Note: 0% is noticeably smaller.

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This research has the potential to represent a large range of ornamental grass species, serving as a platform for future studies on the subject.

The final goal of this research project is an appreciation of the physiological needs, coupled with ornamental quality, to understand how these ornamental grasses perform both in terms of

0% ET

stress and aesthetics. There are many studies on water use and visual quality of turf grass and woody plants. This study serves as a pioneer at evaluating these parameters for ornamental grasses.

This research focuses on three species of ornamental grasses: Panicum virgatum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’ (Rotstrahlbusch Switchgrass), Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Blaze’ (Blaze Little Bluestem), and Calamgrostis brachytricha (Korean Feather Reed Grass). All three species were subject to irrigation amounts of 0%, 25%, 50%, and 100% relative to bluegrass evapotranspiration (water use). Plants in each treatment were subject to these irrigation levels throughout the 2013 and 2014 growing seasons.

Results after two growing seasons showed all three species in the 25%, 50%, and 100% treatments were considered acceptable for landscape purposes. Species being able to maintain quality growth and visual aesthetics at 25% evapotranspiration would have great water-saving implications for nursery/landscape personnel and homeowners. The 25% treatment contained plants that had greater height, width and circumference. The 25% treatment also contained grasses with the highest ornamental quality and landscape impact ratings. Physiologically, the 25% treatment grasses were in the lowest bracket of plant stress.

25% ET

LooseLeaf February/March 2015

A second project referred to as the mini-lysimeter study has been in place for just one season; however, initial results appear promising. In this study, one species (Blaze Little Bluestem) was subject to irrigation amounts of 25%, 50%, and 100% relative to bluegrass evapotranspiration.

All plants in the 25%, 50%, and 100% were healthy and acceptable for landscape purposes.

Grasses in the 25% treatment used 50% of the

water, but were 60% more stressed than the 100% treatment. Grasses in the 50% treatment used 75% of the water, but were 30% more stressed than the 100% treatment. These preliminary results can help growers and landscapers understand the concept that ornamental grasses receiving less water will conserve water and still result in healthy, beautiful plants and large scale water savings.

“Ornamental grass species maintained quality growth

50% ET

100% ET

and visual aesthetics at 25% evapotranspiration, which has great water-saving implications for the green industry and homeowners.�

QUALITY WHOLESALE PERENNIALS

We are a wholesale grower of excellent quality Colorado-Grown herbaceous perennials & ornamental grasses. After experiencing the beauty of our plants and the convenience and personal touch of our service, we hope you will consider Britton Nursery your first Wholesale Nursery choice for all your flowering perennials and ornamental grasses.

Britton Nursery, Inc.

7075 Wyoming Lane Colorado Springs, CO 80923 Office: 719.495.3676 Fax: 719.495.3749 . info@BrittonFlowers.com www.BrittonFlowers.com

Proud Member

coloradonga.org

Licensed Propagator

Licensed Grower

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CNGA calendar

Look for many summer events in the next LooseLeaf magazine – coming your way in April!

Colorado State University Career Day Tuesday, Feb. 17, 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Lory Student Center, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo.

This is an opportunity for employers to find workers for the coming season. For additional information contact Diane Hellbusch at diane.hellbusch@colostate.edu or 970.491.1756.

new members Andrew Habig 10255 Dover St. Westminster, Colo. 80021 303.619.6650 Denver International Airport 27500 E. 80th Ave. Denver, Colo. 80249 Allan Miller, horticulturist 651.492.0914

Dreamscapes Landscape Center 6100 E. 104th Ave. Northglenn, Colo. 80233 Rachael Shuler, general manager 303.288.8877

The Sprucery Garden Center P.O. Box 2629 Parker, Colo. 80134 Ainsley Hettinger 720.583.8119

Key to Life 3881 C Steele St. Denver, Colo. 80205 Ian Smith, marketing director 303.955.7838

TLC Gardens 1067 S Hover Unit E Longmont, Colo. 80501 Cheri Stringer, owner 303.648.6229

Register for calendar events with CNGA unless otherwise noted.

Tel: 303.758.6672 • Fax: 303.758.6805 • Email: 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.

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LooseLeaf February/March 2015

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 Shrub and Tree Grower Silver Sage Garden Centers, 9010 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton, Colo. 80125, is looking to hire a grower to head up an expanding production line of shrubs and trees. This is an exciting opportunity to help create a new line of business at an established garden center. Prior experience is required. Please email resume to teddy@silversageco.com.

Wholesale Nursery Sales Manager Key To Life, 3881 C Steele St., Denver, Colo. 80205, is an organic nutrient and fertilizer company seeking a sales manager with experience in the green industry. This high-energy person will have established industry contacts throughout Colorado and spread the good news of Key To Life organic nutrients. Must have an energetic personality and share a passion for organic nutrients. Please send resumes to sharen@keytolifegarden.com. For more information, visit www.keytolifegarden.com

Executive Assistant/Product Manager Key To Life, 3881 C Steele St., Denver, Colo. 80205, is a high-growth company with a fun culture, looking for a detailoriented assistant to help obtain OMRI organic product label certifications and additional state registrations for our nutrients and fertilizers. The perfect candidate will be great at multi-tasking and jumping in where needed. Please send resumes to sharen@keytolifegarden.com. For more information, visit www.keytolifegarden.com.

Garden Center Manager Rehm’s Nursery, 5801 Lomas Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, N.M. 87110, seeks a full-time manager for a retail garden center.

Managerial skills and plant/tree knowledge and experience required. Plumbing, electrical and carpentry savvy helpful. Must have experience with operating forklift equipment and a good driving record. Submit resume and references via email to haymannursery@qwestoffice.net or fax to 505-266-5979.

Assistant Greenhouse Manager Dwyer Greens & Flowers, 4730 County Rd. 335, New Castle, Colo. 81647, has an opening for a full-time, seasonal (midFebruary to October) assistant manager. Must have a solid knowledge of plant processes, greenhouse work, pest identification and the dominant plants within the bedding plants industry (annuals and perennials). Willing to train an applicant who is ready and eager to learn and work. Duties include plant care, customer service, distribution, custom potting and design work.

Weekends required. Please send resumes to kristine@dwyergreens.com.

coloradonga.org

Sales Account Representatives Arbor Valley Nursery, 18539 WCR 4, Brighton, Colo. 80603, seeks sales account representatives for the Brighton and Franktown nursery locations. Account representatives have full responsibility for managing and growing business with assigned accounts.

Position will require some data entry skills and knowledge of plant material and nomenclature. For more information, email matte@arborvalleynursery.com. Apply online at https://ciims.cindexinc.com/job/cfe444.

Landscape Labor & Crew Leaders Steve Koon Landscape & Design, Inc., 2301 W. Oxford Ave., Englewood, Colo. 80110, seeks motivated landscape laborers and crew leaders for their residential landscape company.

Opportunities for education, advancement and benefits.

Email resumes to SteveKnLandscape@aol.com.

Plant Health Technician Steve Koon Landscape & Design, Inc., 2301 W. Oxford Ave., Englewood, Colo. 80110, seeks a pesticide applicator for our landscape/tree farm/maintenance company. Must have experience in pesticides and fertilizer application. Dept. of Ag. license preferred but not necessary. Must have a valid driver’s license and clean MVR. Email resumes to SteveKnLandscape@aol.com.

advertisers LIST American Clay Works & Supply Company . . . . . . 18 Baxter Wholesale Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Britton Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Circle D Farm Sales, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Clayton Tree Farm LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Harding Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Jayker Wholesale Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 McKay Nursery Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

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Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association 959 S. Kipling Pky, #200 Lakewood, CO 80226

PSST...

PASS IT ON

Earth Day Tips Promote Random Acts of Green Plan to celebrate April 22, an environmental holiday easily embraced by members of the “green” industry. Founded in 1970, Earth Day began as a collaboration of individuals hoping to raise awareness for healthy and sustainable environments. Today, more than one billion people participate in Earth Day activities yearly, making it the largest civic observance in the world!

Gather your staff and brainstorm the endless possibilities.

By CNGA Member Monica Phelan Co-Owner Phelan Gardens

• Plan an Earth Day event, become a partner in a community project, or support an environmental initiative at the workplace!

• Revisit the Plant Something campaign – plantsomethingco.org.

Small acts of stewardship and inspiration may offer positive outcomes for being a “Green Resource” in the celebration of Earth Day!

Inspirational Resources: • earthday.org/2015 (register your event) • arborday.org • adoptahighway.net • americanforest.org • nature.org • greenliving.about.com • cnga.org (register your event or consider joining the Grown In Colorado® campaign, a sustainable initiative sponsored

by CNGA)

• Seek out local utilities and government agencies for collaborative opportunities.

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LooseLeaf LooseLeafFebruary/March February/March 2015 2015