Oct/Nov 2014 Issue

Oct./Nov. 2014 • Volume 32 • Number 5

Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association • Serving Colorado & New Mexico

Setting the Stage for Business Success 9 Lines of Credit Secured by Cash Flow + Fluid Inventory 10 The Importance of Knowing Your

Inventory Numbers

12 Making the End of the Year Shine 14 Get a Jump Start on Spring Displays

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10/29/13 11:33 AM LooseLeaf October/November 2014

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

Cover Photo Courtesy of Fort Collins Nursery

In This Issue 4 Message from the Board: Understand Inventory

Risks & Opportunities

6 Member Profiles: Boxelder Tree Farm, Chelsea Gardens, Great Gardens

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16

Tailoring Catalog Content to Customer Needs The Popularity of Availability Updates

18 Emergency Management: Nursery Revives after Hail Devastation

Lines of Credit Secured by Cash Flow + Fluid Inventory The Importance of Knowing Your Inventory Numbers

20 CSU Update: 2014 Superior Annuals from CSU Trials 21 Acknowledging CNGA Members with Certified Employees 22 Calendar & New Members

12 Making the End of the Year Shine

Get a Jump Start on Spring Displays

23 Classified Ads & Advertisers List 24 Psst... Pass It On: Favorite Hangout from Kirby Thompson 24 Thank you to our Sponsors!

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 720.865.3679 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 710.598.8733 levi@coloradotreefarmnursery.com

Terry Shaw, CCNP Harding Nursery, Inc. 719.596.5712 hardingoffice@aol.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

Sharon R. Harris Executive Director Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association 303.758.6672 sharris@coloradonga.org

Printer

Jim Klett, Ph.D. CSU Dept. of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture 970.491.7179 jim.klett@colostate.edu Sharon R. Harris CNGA Executive Director 303.758.6672 sharris@coloradonga.org

Contributing Writers

Staff

Aaron Bauman Mandy Foster Dennis Hill Bill Kluth

Bill Calkins Michael Geary Tanya Ishikawa Kim Koonce

Mindy Carrothers Sharon Harding-Shaw Dr. Jim Klett

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 Munoz, CNGA 303.758.6672 mmunoz@coloradonga.org

coloradonga.org

Sharon Harris

Michele Munoz

Ben Northcutt

Executive Director

Administrative Coordinator

Membership Manager

sharris@ coloradonga.org

mmunoz@ coloradonga.org

bnorthcutt@ coloradonga.org

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MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

Understand Inventory Risks & Opportunities Do you remember seeing the “Day-Old Sushi” commercial from a company selling car insurance.

The commercial talked about good decisions (buying their car insurance, of course) and bad decisions (buying day-old sushi from a gas station).

By Bill Kluth CNGA Board President

I’ve been thinking about the day-old sushi. It was good the day before (well, maybe not at the gas station) and then the inventory of good sushi went bad, expired and was no longer sellable.

Like sushi, our inventories go bad, expire or are no longer sellable. Either they get too big, go out of flower, the season changes or the market changes. What is the right amount of inventory? One leftover at the end of the day/ week/season is one too many. Zero leftovers at

INTRODUCING

the end of the day/week/season is too few.

Sales unfulfilled.

A few years ago the inventory trend was to have leftovers. Best to have enough to fulfill sales demand. You don’t want to turn a customer away. They might get that product from the competition and they might not come back to you. Better to risk leftovers.

Today the inventory trend is to have the right amount of inventory. Better to be sold out or out of stock at the right time of the season than to have the cost of leftover inventory at the end of or during the season.

OK, you are probably thinking “Thank you, Captain Obvious.” Margins are thinner so inventories need to be tighter. You know that

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LooseLeaf October/November 2014

you must sell three, four, five or more of an item to cover the cost of one item dumped. But how do you balance the opportunity of more profits by selling 100 percent of your inventory, compared to the risk of turning a customer away? By knowing your customer, your market, your competition and your product.

you just keep track of winners and losers. Talk with your customers. What do they see as the trends for next year? Talk with your suppliers.

What trends do they see? Review the information from the numerous summer trade shows available in most industry magazines.

What is the next big trend?

Where is your greatest inventory risk? Is it a time of the year (early spring or late summer)?

Is it a size (greater than 2" diameter) or container (greater than 16")? Perhaps it is a species (annual versus perennial, shrub versus tree) or product line (hard goods versus soft goods). You know your business. What is always lagging in sales?

Do you know what your inventory is at all times? With that knowledge you can make adjustments. Better to push an item during its peak season than to have a fire sale at the end of the season.

Can you improve turn time of your inventory – more “just in time”? Through better scheduling or buying, can you keep your shelves well stocked and still easily make adjustments during the season for weather or that item that you thought would take over the town and now you learn you cannot give away? What about those items you feel you need to stock even though you know they tend to be leftovers? Can you display or market them differently to improve their visibility or their desirability?

Grow your inventory knowledgeably. If you understand your inventory risks, you can grow your inventory with lower risk. If you don’t measure it, you can’t monitor it. If you don’t monitor it, you can’t improve.

Train your sales team to show the value of your business so that regardless of the amount of an inventory item, your customers recognize the quality product and service unique to your business. Fall and early winter are a great time to do the final scheduling, training, organizing and planning of your inventory to make next spring great.

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

“If you don’t measure your inventory, you can’t monitor it. If you don’t monitor it, you can’t improve.”

Review your point of sale data – whether you have a sophisticated and detailed program or if

F L AT I R O N V E N T U R E S I N C

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MEMBER PROFILE

Boxelder Tree Farm LLC 1118 E. County Rd 76 Wellington, Colo. 80549 tel 970.566.4919 fax 970.568.9723 rbryner@digis.net

Tree Expert with Strong Customer Relations Interview with Rod Bryner, Co-Owner

Please tell us a little about your company’s staff.

What is one secret to your business success?

Boxelder Tree Farm is a wholesale, fielddirect grower of B&B trees owned by my wife Patti and me. I have been in the industry since 1982, when I started out on the landscaping side of the business. I switched to the growing side about 14 years ago, when I started working with my mentor, Jim Matsuda at Park Creek Nursery and went into the tree business full-time about eight years ago.

Getting to know customers is the biggest way to promote ourselves. When I first opened the nursery, getting clients was a big hurdle, but after they got to know us they became loyal customers. It’s important to meet people, and I try to develop relationships.

Field Manager Brad Meyer started with the company eight years ago, just out of high school.

A CNREF scholarship winner, he attended Front Range Community College and graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in horticulture. Right now, we have six employees, three are full time, the other three are seasonal, but prior to the hail storm we had ten to 12 employees. [Read about Boxelder Tree Farm’s recovery from hail damage in the article titled “Nursery Revives after Hail Devastation” on page 18 of this Looseleaf issue.]

After trying to grow several species that didn’t always work for us, I decided it was best to grow things that worked well in our area. A big part of our market is in Wyoming, so we grow things that work well in northern climates. We grow a lot of flowering ornamental crab trees, fruit trees, and shade trees. One of our favorite newer trees to grow is the Sensational Maple (Acer negundo).

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I personally deliver some of our orders so I can visit with customers. When we have 40 trees or less to deliver, oftentimes we will haul them ourselves on a flatbed trailer and that’s a good way to put face to names and find out what’s working for them. It’s probably one of the most valuable marketing tools I’ve used over the years.

How important is tracking inventory to you?

We’ve always had accurate inventory counts because we’ve always carried crop insurance.

Our tree inventory is directly related to my ability to make income, and requires a substantial commitment of time and money so I realized I needed to protect that. Other local growers, who experienced hail damage in recent years, also stressed the importance of knowing inventory numbers. That helped us become much more astute and convinced us to make a good effort at tracking inventory.

Brad, our field manager, is in charge of calculating inventory as one of his duties in the wintertime when we have time to get caught up. The tree counts are constantly changing but we try to keep up as best we can.

LooseLeaf October/November 2014

Experienced Propagator of Xeric & Native Plants Interview with Tony Urschitz & Stacey Stecher, Co-Owners

Tell us about the company owners.

At 14, Tony Urschitz started working at a nursery in Ohio. He moved up from mowing tree fields, pulling weeds, production and selling Christmas trees to shipping manager. He received an associate degree in nursery management from Ohio State Agricultural Technical Institute.

Years later, while working at Little Valley Wholesale Nursery, he met Stacey Stecher.

Stacey started working in the nursery industry at 16. She attended a high school horticulture program for two years as well as three semesters of horticulture at Front Range Community College. She worked at Little Valley where she had the opportunity to collect seeds of native plants of the Rocky Mountain region.

Tony and Stacey both moved to the Grand Junction area. Stacey received a bachelor’s degree in botany at Mesa State College while starting Chelsea Nursery in a leased greenhouse and Tony was working at Valley Grown Nursery.

They moved to their current location in Clifton, Colo. in 1994.

What makes your company stand out?

Stacey does the seed and cutting propagation of at least 80 percent of the plants we grow. We bring in the least amount of finished stock as possible, so our plants are grown in our desert environment and are better adapted to local conditions.

MEMBER PROFILE Chelsea Nursery

*Specialty growers of xeric, Chelsea native plants and winter hardy cacti* Nursery We have a demonstration garden that showcases 3347 G Road our plants in several different areas. One garden Clifton, Colo. 81520 wraps around our house and includes shade970.434.8434 loving plants like Thimbleberry, Native Ninebark and Rock Spirea on the east. To the chelseanursery.com north we have columbines, penstemons, chelseanursery@aol.com Shrubby Buckwheat and a mature Silver Buffaloberry. On the west side we have Littleleaf Mountain Mahogany, Cliffrose and Fernbush. We have a large hardcore xeric garden that has several varieties of cacti, yuccas, shrubs, and perennials. We also have the kitchen garden with raised beds for our vegetable garden and container garden. We encourage our customers to stroll through the gardens to get ideas of how the plants will look as they mature, and also to show customers that they can have a beautiful xeric landscape.

Do you produce your catalog?

On our website, we have descriptive listings along with photographs of our plants. We are constantly improving our catalog by adding new plants and more photos. Our customers often compliment the website for having so much useful information. We feel that the internet has greatly improved our accessibility to new customers.

Our focus is the production of xeric and native plants for the conservation of water. We carry a full line of drought tolerant grasses, perennials, shrubs, and container trees. We are one of the few growers of hardy cacti in Colorado, with a large selection ranging from several colors of Prickly Pear, Cholla, and Barrel forms.

How do you attract customers in the slower seasons?

Chelsea Nursery is a retail/wholesale nursery.

We try to be fully stocked going into the fall and winter so we can fill our fall retail and early spring orders to several garden centers and landscapers.

coloradonga.org

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MEMBER PROFILE

Seasoned Staff Share Growing Expertise Interview with Jeff Jones, Owner

Great Gardens, Inc. 4706 West Hwy. 26-85 Torrington, Wyo. 82240 tel 307.532.5574 fax 888.405.2316 greatgardenswy@gmail.com greatgardens.co (under construction)

Tell us a little about your company’s history.

This location has been operating successfully with a good reputation for 35 years, originally as Double L Greenhouse and then Heins Greenhouse. I purchased the business in 2009 and changed the name. Previously, I was an agricultural banker for six years and a financial consultant for 15 years. Since taking on this new venture, education has been very important to me. I went through the local Master Gardener program and attend the Pro Green Expo seminars each year.

Much credit for a smooth transition goes to the employees who bridged the ownership change and do a magnificent job. The self proclaimed “Dirty Girls” love playing in the dirt. Mary Byrnes-Curtis has worked for all three greenhouse owners at this location.

Amelia Terrell, Teri Kezar, Nancey Marlatt and Donna Phipps continue to work here since the previous owner. Employees who were hired after we became Great Gardens are Billie Magee, Jess Sargent, Jodee Garrelts and Tracy Painter. Each employee is in charge of one of our eight greenhouses so they can use their imaginations and take pride in managing their own areas.

What is your company recognized for?

We are well known for having unique hanging baskets, showcasing the large variety of annuals we carry. We are also well known for our highquality, gorgeous roses. We sell hybrid teas, shrub roses and other varieties, all brought in bare root and planted in three-gallon fiber pots.

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We have become increasingly popular as a place to start plants for farmer’s market people in the area. They usually bring in their own seed and we sell the plants back to them in 4 packs or 2 ½ inch pots. This year we started about 6,500 peppers, 1,500 tomatoes and several hundred cabbage, broccoli and other produce for them. We also plant the heirloom garden at Fort Laramie National Historic Site, one of its most popular attractions each year.

Since I am a chile head, we have up to 25 different varieties of hot peppers each year including each year’s world’s hottest pepper, which is the Carolina Reaper this year. We grow these in larger pots and charge about three times the amount of all other peppers.

How do you attract customers in the slower seasons?

Since there appeared to be a demand, we became a year-round garden center in 2013. We were very pleased with the first year’s results so we will continue to be open year-round.

We have fairy gardening classes in the summer and fall and will look to do more seminars in the future. We also increased the number of popular perennials we carry during the fall, and will need to increase our tree numbers to fulfill the demand. Mums are also a good fall seller. We grow many pumpkins, gourds and decorative items from the home garden, which we sell in the fall.

See Jeff Jones’ comments on the importance of calculating inventory on page 10 in the article titled “The Importance of Knowing Your Inventory Numbers”.

LooseLeaf October/November 2014

Photo courtesy of Great Gardens, Inc.

Lines of Credit Secured by Cash Flow+Fluid Inventory The green industry has unique products – living inventory that can be trickier to evaluate on balance sheets. Communicating with bankers about a company’s financial needs and strengths may not be as straightforward as in other industries, but bankers say it doesn’t have to be very complicated. Businesses should concentrate on keeping accurate numbers and demonstrating their abilities to create cash flow through moving inventory.

Ben Elmquist Bank of the West

When asked what bankers are looking for before providing a line of credit to a business, one banker jokingly answered: lots of cash.

Ben Elmquist is a senior business banking relationship manager at Bank of the West in Centennial, Colo., who works regularly with greenhouse and nursery businesses. He said, “Honestly, anybody regardless of the industry they are in needs to go in and be able to sell the banker on why they deserve a loan.

Then, the banker needs to determine through due diligence whether it’s a good risk to all parties.”

Tim Kenney Community Banks of Colorado

He likes to coach potential borrowers that the “best time to ask for money is when you don’t need the money, because it’s really hard for the lender to get comfortable with a new loan or even a renewal when a business is presenting dire conditions in its financials.”

Business owners don’t necessarily need to be absolute experts on financials but they have to understand how they will repay the bank, whether it’s a line of credit, real estate loan or other financing, he commented.

coloradonga.org

Healthy cash flow counts “Assets on the balance sheet are good. They provide some security, but they are not the same as cash flow, which is repayment,” Elmquist said. “A business will need to reduce the interest expense on any type of loan, and the only way to do that is by paying down the principal.”

Businesses need to demonstrate that they have the business acumen to reduce the principal as their business cycles allow. Banks realize businesses have times when money is needed to expand and for expenses on new personnel, equipment, buildings or inventory, which can lead to increased revenues later.

Companies need to show with past and future budgets that periods of funds flowing out can be offset by periods of income flowing into the business.

Tim Kenney, a senior commercial relationship manager at Community Banks of Colorado in Fort Collins, agreed cash flow trends are a key indicator of whether a line of credit is right for a business.

The changes in a borrower’s balance sheet accounts allow bankers to look at trends and whether or not things are going in a good direction. When a company uses capital to make purchases and succeeds in profitably converting those to sellable assets, it demonstrates its ability to repay loans.

“We look at the changes in the balance sheet and income statement to analyze cash flow and whether a business can service debt. If there is positive and strong cash flow, a line of credit makes sense for a growing company,” Kenney said. “We look at the asset conversion cycle from planting to growing to product ready for sale. Depending on the product, it

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doesn’t always neatly happen in one operating period or fiscal year in some cases. Clearly with trees you are not looking at planting and harvesting in one year.”

Banks also analyze assets, debt and capital growth trends – the line of credit should not be the only source of capital, he added.

Reputation matters Banks look at owner-operator experience and the scale of the operation to determine which financing solution and amount is appropriate. They also consider the diversity, reliability and consistency of the supply chain. Kenney said he reviews supplier terms and whether the borrower is taking advantage of supplier credit in a strategic and responsible way.

Applicant product offerings and categories are considered to understand how they contribute to its bottom line, seasonally and annually. Customers are also part of the equation as banks look for what mix of retailers, contractors and other clients are included.

“Finally, we also like to look at the leverage of the company and the amount of debt relative to capital,” he said.

“Typically, a lot of successful businesses around for a long time are in a pretty good place. We also look at the strength of the principals – owners of the company to see how their personal finances and lifestyle compare with their company strength.”

However, “We don’t like to rely on the principals’ strength alone as guarantors – they are just part of the equation,” he added.

The owner and company experience, years in the industry and reputation are important, affirmed Elmquist of Bank of the West.“It’s not as simple as having a great credit score and balance sheet. A lot of times, the character of the individual can really mitigate things. We have had people with great character who have gotten in bad situations and they did everything to get us repaid,” he said.

Inventory turnover valued Elmquist explained that on applications for smaller lines of credit his bank typically doesn’t monitor inventory as critically. “I don’t want to go out to nurseries and count how many plants are there. Inventory will change frequently.

We better not rely exclusively on that business inventory.”

He admits that banks are always more careful when lending to businesses with seasonal and live products. “We will probably be a little more cautious when lending on produce and plants.”

When working with companies that have great seasonality like greenhouses and landscape contractors, bankers are concerned about whether inventory is following a healthy cycle. “Companies begin the season by front-loading expenses like personnel and purchases so debt remains stagnant or rises. As the season progresses, they should be able

to reduce the inventory so they have the revenues to retire some of that debt,” said Elmquist.

“What we don’t want to see is stale assets – inventory not turning over. If a business does not have the ability to convert inventory into cash flow, there is no repayment to the bank,” he elaborated.

Kenney of Community Banks concurred; tracking inventory by product, value and days on hand is “absolutely important. It absolutely increases my comfort level with the client, because it helps reduce the risk of inventory losing value or becoming irrelevant.”

“With aged, two-year-old annuals, a company might not be eligible for a loan, but two-year-old trees make perfect sense so that business could be eligible.

The age and type of product is important,” he said. “Additionally, accounts receivable are important to understand. Anything over 90 days old in accounts receivable is suspect. The banking industry would not lend on that. We also like to see payment terms that companies offer their clients and whether they encourage quick payments. When we see a company shortening asset conversion, we know they are doing a great job of managing finances.”

Lending options evaluated “Then, we invite the conversations around company goals and what obstacles are in their way. It’s important to put their business at the center, instead of starting off with the bank’s product

The Importance of Knowing Your Inventory Numbers

By Jeff Jones, Great Gardens, Inc.

Being a former banker who is now a garden center owner, I am a real stickler when it comes to keeping track of inventory. Knowing my beginning inventory, amount purchased and ending inventory helps me make the best purchasing decisions to ensure I have the products with the most potential to be desired by customers and turned into profits.

Knowing your inventory at least on a year-over-year basis is important so you can compare where you are financially and see if your inventory has grown during the year. One of the most important numbers to consider when looking at your financials is your current margin, or your current assets minus your current liabilities. Having an accurate inventory is crucial to analyzing this number. If your current margin has decreased and inventory increased, then you have added to inventory. However, if your margin has decreased and inventory not increased, then it is likely that you may have incurred a loss during the prior period. So it is crucial to have accurate inventory numbers when analyzing your results.

Knowing the aging of your inventory is also very important in making purchasing decisions for the coming year or making changes in your business model to force change in your inventory habits. A lender is more likely to look at your inventory as an asset and a form of collateral and repayment in a liquidation situation. As owners, we should be more concerned about turning it over rather than having it on hand as an asset.

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Having inventory which sits on the shelf for years can really drag down a business. Your capital was required to purchase that item and now it is just sitting there, eating up space, requiring dusting and cleaning and degrading over time in color and attractiveness to customers. So, although we hate to do it, sometimes we must discount those items to get them off the shelf and start anew. If the discount is less than 50 percent, we are still getting our investment back on that item. So, don’t grow attached to any inventory – it is just a means to an end.

Having an accurate inventory also benefits companies when applying for an insurance policy and filing for an insurance claim.

Several years ago, I was able to decrease my insurance coverage when I realized I was way over-insured based on my inventory calculations.

The insurance company wanted an inventory listing and they too saw that the insurance was too high. Many insurance companies automatically increase the ceiling of your policy each year assuming inflation, so keeping an eye on those numbers can be important to avoid over payment.

About the contributor: Jeff Jones is the owner of Great Gardens, Inc. in Torrington, Wyo. His company was featured in a Member Profile on page 8 of this LooseLeaf issue.

LooseLeaf October/November 2014

and why it’s good for them,” said Kenney about determining whether a line of credit fits the company’s purpose.

“We look at what revolving lines of credit should finance, assets that will convert to cash in a year or less,” he said. Banks serving this segment will consider a line of credit based on a formula advancing up to 80 percent of company accounts receivable due within 90 days, plus an amount of up to 50 percent of inventory in raw materials and finished goods. The borrowing base formula may also include 50 to 80 percent of the growing materials and stored seeds.

Though typically work in process is excluded in loan calculations, the growing inventory in the green industry may be eligible to be included, he said.

Lines of credit are not always the answer to financial needs, and the largest line of credit possible is not the best solution for most businesses, he cautioned. Lines of credit are best as a limited, short-term solution. They are a better, less expensive option, in most cases, than relying solely on credit from vendors, he added.

Kenney and Elmquist both stressed that applying for bank financing doesn’t have to be a complex process. Bankers prefer to keep it simple but need to ensure they are lending to a good borrower. “When we do well, our borrowers do well,” Elmquist said.

common sense solutions to help you overcome obstacles and achieve your long-term goals.”

What to Prepare for a Bank Review

“Some potential borrowers are upset that the process has become more challenging, but margins are much skinnier today so we have to be more careful,” he revealed. “The financial industry has had to get more engaged and active in the current economy.

Though there is no one type of business or service we will not engage in, we are always careful about who we get in partnerships with. We would not be around long if we were making a bunch of bad loans.”

• legal formation documents

In summing up, Kenney recommended business owners take the time to meet with bankers in person so they can better understand the bank’s capabilities and ability to work with their unique needs. “They’re going to pay market price for interest, so why not get all the value-added consulting a banker can provide, and find out if the banker is aligned with your goals and can offer

Supplemental information

QUALITY WHOLESALE PERENNIALS

• three years of tax returns for the company • three years of tax returns for company owners • three years of financial statements (balance sheet and income statement) • current and prior period interim financial statement • current accounts receivables, payables and inventory aging reports (such as those created by QuickBooks)

(as available or appropriate)

• debt schedule with information on related collateral and repayment terms • annual budget for current period and next period • bank’s own proprietary financial statement, specifically formatted for the type of company/industry of the applicant

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Photos Courtesy of Creek Side Gardens

Photos Courtesy of Fort Collins Nursery

Photo Courtesy of Brady’s West

Making the End of the Year

Shine The last few months of each year have a different rhythm than the hectic spring rush and the steady summertime. Fall and early winter provide a lull in customer traffic when garden centers can begin to plan for the next year. But, most garden centers are still focussed on making more sales before the new year comes.

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LooseLeaf October/November 2014

Planning ahead can ensure the slower season pulls in enough revenues to pay for the staff who is still on the payroll.

Successful managers are thinking about marketing, merchandising and event organization from the beginning of summer and even before, while orders for fall and holiday products are made as early as June.

“We’ve been working on it all summer this year, at least conceptually. We’ve been talking about ideas for this season even since the end of last year,” said Will Knowles, the general manager of Creek Side Gardens in Littleton, Colo.

“It’s an important part of the year for all of us, in that you know there’s not going to be a lot of customer traffic so we have to work harder at just getting people in the door and keeping the place active, especially in September and October.”

Knowles is focussed on marketing and branding all the time. This year, he and his staff realized that many spring and summer customers weren’t even thinking about coming back at the end of the year when they would leave the store saying ‘See you, next spring!’ So, Creek Side has been working on making people aware that it offers fun activities and sells products customers want like pumpkins and Christmas trees.

In mid-August, the garden center hosted an end-of-the-summer celebration that brought in 75 customers. “We promoted it as a party to give back to the community and had a summer harvest theme with fall displays. Our motive was to promote our Pumpkin Festival in October,” he said.

Jesse Eastman, the owner and general manager of Fort Collins Nursery in Fort Collins, Colo., said getting customers in the door in this season relies on a combination of strong promotion, consistency and entertaining events.

“Every marketing piece we produce,we run through the filter of whether it is benefit focused. We consider ‘If I were the customer, can I see how it would benefit me?’ We’re not just putting something out there that just says we’re the oldest garden center in northern Colorado, because it’s not important to customers unless they see the advantage,” Eastman said.

The nursery’s end-of-the-year marketing messages are focused on why customers want to be shopping this time of year and how it makes them feel good. Then, the staff tries to make the shopping experience a little more coloradonga.org

entertaining, because he explained, “We don’t have the benefit of the enthusiasm that people have in the spring when they just want to get out and plant.”

Ways to Attract Shoppers from October to December

It’s OK to attract customers who are coming for free or cheap entertainment and community fellowship, because the staff has the time to meet customers and show off their expertise and products.

“We take a comprehensive approach and don’t stress if there is no sale on a customer’s first time in the store. We present our image and hopefully we will have left an impression that brings them back when they are ready to buy.

People enjoying themselves in our nursery has long-term benefits that can turn into sales later,” he said.

• Promote October, November and December events and sales during the preceding months through in-store flyers and displays

Eastman cautioned not to spend too much on free refreshments or entertainers to avoid losing money since sales will still be limited. To reduce his food expenses, he invited the Dutch Oven Cooking Society to give cooking demonstrations and serve samples. He also invited food trucks to sell snacks and drinks in his parking lot.

Fall Celebrations & Campaigns Fort Collins Nursery’s fall festival includes a contest for the heaviest pumpkins. The event has become a major success since the company has connected with a group that organizes highly competitive pumpkin contests. As it has drawn pumpkins of 800 to more than 1,000 pounds, the contest has attracted higher cash prizes which make transporting the giant pumpkins worthwhile for more competitors, and has generated more interest and visits by onlookers.

Knowles of Creek Side said his garden center really makes the fall event into a family celebration, with lots of fall decorations. “Parents really enjoy bringing their cameras and snapping photos of their kids doing fun activities in the splendor of fall colors. We get the parents to bring the kids for some fun, and hopefully while they’re here, they’ll see something they can’t live without.”

Both Creek Side Gardens and Fort Collins Nursery run promotional campaigns around the benefits of fall planting season. “This promotion has a dual purpose for us. Number one, we educate customers that fall is a great time to plant trees and perennials so they can get established before winter.

Number two, we have a sale on plants that do well in the fall to help the

• Stock unusual plants and products that will inspire impulse buys such as Christmas cactus, colorful mums, and gifts such as garden statues • Make shopping a family-friendly experience with refreshments and entertainment for all ages, from hayrides and pony rides to face painting, local musicians and food vendors • Get creative with your contests and activities, such as pumpkin carving/ decorating, weigh-offs, and bowling/ chucking or other sports-related competition • Let your customers get hands-on with holiday decorating activities through workshops or a simple, employeestaffed arts and crafts station somewhere in your business • Create photo opportunities throughout your business with displays and activities • Offer tours for students or other groups to highlight your staff’s knowledge, your unique products or growing methods, and your property • Educate customers about the benefits of fall planting through promotional materials, displays and seminars • Plan an open house to show off new displays, kick off the holiday seasons and gather email addresses for future promotion • Promote shopping at local, independent businesses through participating in Small Business Saturday (Saturday after Thanksgiving), joining with your neighboring businesses in a combined event, or planning other ways to educate customers about the value of independent businesses [Economic studies show that 68 cents of each dollar spent at local companies stay in their community, while only 34 cents of each dollar spent at national corporations stay in the local economy.]

• Communicate through emails and social media with fresh content about timely products such as indoor plants and tips for plant care during the changing weather • Offer sales on timely products like house plants and holiday decorations • Consider sending coupons for discounts or loyalty rewards during the slowest weeks

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nursery reduce inventory before winter,” said Knowles.

Eastman also promotes a big house plant sale in October, to address people’s gardening interests as they start shifting away from outdoor plants and towards indoor plants.

To Discount or not to Discount Though Fort Collins Nursery runs a Labor Day weekend sale to clear plants left from the spring that won’t be good by next year, the owner said, “We really try to limit the bargain basement and fire sale kind of activity. We figure it creates the perception in customers’ minds that they should wait and hold out for something cheaper. If they are only looking for a deal, they are not our ideal customers. We want people who garden at their convenience, not just when they can get discounts.”

Knowles agreed. “We’ve been very careful not to put everything on sale.

We have a marketing sales schedule we use through the summer where we have a different sales category each week, such as patio boxes, roses and other products. People who need certain items

pay attention and look for when the sale rolls around and go shop. That is our goal, and it works,” he said.

He doesn’t want to create the impression that his garden center is done when fall comes, everything is on sale and it is just trying to clear out junk. He takes plants that are no longer doing well and either dumps them or bumps them up to a bigger pot size to nurture for the next season. “We try to maintain our quality, have a good selection and keep sale products limited to a small group, to try to keep people hungry and looking forward to specific sales,” he added.

Christmas Holiday Season Early November is a time of transition for Knowles’ staff. With the weather turning colder and fall planting ending, he closes for the first two weeks of November so the staff can concentrate on converting the property into a Christmas wonderland and prepare for wreath-tying workshops.

Meanwhile, Eastman’s staff is gearing up for the production of wreaths, which are sold locally as well as shipped all over the country. From late November

through early December, the staff is also guiding preschool groups on tours of the nursery, discovering where birds eat, how animals leave tracks in the snow, creating their own decorated pine boughs, and parading through the store to show off their decorations to the whole staff (as well as proud chaperones).

Creek Side has had great success in recent years with Small Business Saturday sales, a shop-local day after Thanksgiving between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, co-sponsored by American Express and Federal Express.

Knowles said, “We’ve had a tremendous response. We’ll offer incentives just like the big stores do to come in early to shop and get extra savings. We also give away some stuff to get people to come in. It’s a good kick-off to our Christmas season business, which is always successful.”

Year-Round Customer Experiences There’s no silver bullet for how you get customers in the door,” said Knowles. “But, if we can get them to

Get a Jump Start on Spring Displays!

Derald Brady decided there will be no more Christmas as usual at Brady’s West, a garden center and grower serving the small town of Salida, Colo. The season has never been a financial success for the business, so this year end, he is shifting much of his focus to getting better prepared for spring.

“We’ve always done a pretty big Christmas display. I turned the whole store into a Christmas shop, but that’s stopping now. We’ll continue to sell some trees and decorations, but we’re getting out of making wreaths and ropes – the things that fill people’s time,” Brady proclaimed.

He admits to losing money on Christmas sales due to the low customer traffic and the large employee workload to prepare holiday items. “There’s been some Christmas seasons when we made money but the work created to set up and take down just didn’t make sense,” he said.

Brady Brothers will still sell cut and container trees and silk flowers through its floral shop, as well as ornaments and knick knacks, which have a good profit margin. The store will also display gift options such as bird houses and feeders, statues and fountains, allowing customers to pre-order and plan delivery in the spring if desired. “I’ll make garden-oriented gifts my primary focus instead of the usual Christmas-oriented gifts, and we’ll show off our range of plant material to remind customers that’s what we do,” he said.

Rather than spending time on Christmas displays or holiday greenery, the few employees left on the greenhouse side will get a head-start on “mind-blowing” displays for springtime. “It may seem an odd time of year to make awesome displays, but each spring, we always seem to get caught behind and rush to make our incredible displays that customers expect from us,” he said.

“At this time of year, with just a few customers trickling in, we can

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work on great displays, making them so unbelievable that people will say ‘Did you see that display at Brady’s?’

They’ll be so inspired that they have to tell someone.

My ultimate goal is always to make the customer so happy that when they leave the store, they can’t wait to tell somebody.”

The plan is to have the spring displays ready by the time the store holds its annual customer appreciation and business after hours party for the local chamber in December. Brady describes it as a “gargantuan” event that draws crowds including many who have never been in the store. He uses the occasion to gather names and addresses for his database, which he only uses to invite them to future holiday events. He also tracks customer loyalty by sales with the database of names. The party has been a success for sales each year, and this year he plans to offer deep discounts on Christmas items to reduce that inventory.

Brady is considering adding a few seminars through the slow season, at the recommendation of a new employee who had success with educational programs in other places. He is hoping to overcome past attendance issues, but is uncertain due to his area’s smaller population.

“When I looked at the numbers for the end of the year, I found that if I lay almost everyone off, I would make money,” he said. “I was worried that my employees would want to continue working, but I talked to my people, and here’s what I found: many people were fine with taking time off to ski or vacation. I lay off a couple people, keep a couple people on job-attached unemployment for a few months, and I can stay profitable during that time when I’m not planning to sell much.”

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visit once, they are astounded that we have five full acres with so much to offer. In the slower season at the end of the year, people also appreciate the great atmosphere for browsing and interacting with staff.”

Creek Side’s number one marketing strategy, according to the general manager, is to promote itself from within by creating a great shopping experience so customers feel good about going there. They feel comfortable with the customer service, the quality plants and fresh, interesting displays. “We work on that everyday. We also email them weekly and try to stay in front of customers and let them know what’s going on, from timely gardening tips to promotion of a sale. Getting people to sign up for those emails is important. I consider that our gold mine right there. If we get them to opt in, we have a chance to communicate with them outside of the business and tempt them to come back every season,” he said.

Eastman in Fort Collins observed one of his big challenges is determining the amount of staff to

coloradonga.org

keep at the end of the year and stay profitable. Though he still lays off some staff, he’s decided it’s worth staying open year-round with key staff members. What he doesn’t earn in sales during the slow time is offset by the savings from not having to rehire and retrain.

“To maintain the quality of staff that I need to serve our customers well, I have found it’s better to keep them employed and make enough sales to stay open and keep the lights on,” he concluded.

Photos Courtesy of Fort Collins Nursery

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Photos Courtesy of Carlton Plants

Photo Courtesy of Clayton Tree Farms

Tailoring Catalog Content to Customer Needs

Published, full-color catalogs have been a standard practice for growers for decades.

While they continue to be popular with customers as plant guides to keep close at hand, availability lists on computer print outs and websites have become a necessary supplement.

Catie Anderson Carlton Plants

Joe Clayton Clayton Tree Farm

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“We have been printing a catalog for many years and feel it is still something our customers use and like,” said Catie Anderson, the marketing manager at Carlton Plants, a grower of bareroot trees, ornamental shrubs and rootstock, located south of Portland in Dayton, Ore. “We like to have a catalog in our hands, to feel the paper and read wherever you want without being tied to the computer.

But it can’t be carried in your back pocket!”

Carlton also produces pdf versions of its catalog, which are computer files available to be viewed or downloaded from the company’s

website. Anderson explained that online catalogs are convenient because they can link to many kinds of online resources. Like many other wholesalers, Carlton provides passwords to wholesale customers so only they can access a catalog version with wholesale prices, while the general public sees a version without prices.

The company also updates online plant availability lists, which “are probably the most valuable information we have on our website.

People can check inventories anytime – right in the field!” she added.

Though the grower doesn’t see a demand yet for mobile-friendly catalogs, the marketing manager said, “I’ve seen mobile-ready catalogs. I like them and hope we can incorporate them soon since they would be nice for a quick order anytime.”

LooseLeaf October/November 2014

Clayton Tree Farm, a grower of deciduous B&B and containerized trees, located west of Boise in Wilder, Idaho, has not felt an urgency to adapt its website to the mobile platform yet either. But, the company commonly uses mobile technologies in its day-today operations. “Many of our daily communications utilize our smart phones.

We often send pictures to customers or simply forward an electronic copy of our availability through email,” said Joe Clayton, the business manager at the Idaho tree farm.

The grower’s website has detailed information and pictures of the varieties grown. There is also a passwordprotected area for their customers to access updated pricing and availability.

Not only has the online information been a convenient guide for customers to view at their own leisure, but it’s a way for new customers to find the grower. “A few years ago, we got a random call from what became a new customer in Connecticut. We normally only ship to the Rocky Mountain region,

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but when they were looking for specific trees, their online research led them to our website,” said Clayton.

One of the few drawbacks the wholesaler has experienced by providing online inventory information is the time spent dealing with phone calls from home owners. “We are wholesale only and do specify that on our website. But we deal with quite a few calls from homeowners who have utilized the internet to research trees and want to beat the system by buying directly from a grower. Explaining to them that we cannot and will not sell directly to them does take up time, which could be used for other tasks,” he admitted.

Similar to Carlton, Clayton’s customers still rely heavily on its printed catalog.

As with any small business where time and resources are limited, the grower has been challenged by the process of annually editing and updating the publication.

Up until this year, the annual catalog has always contained available tree varieties, sizes and prices. For 2014,

Clayton transitioned to a “descriptive guide” rather than a catalog. “It contains all of the same detailed product information with a full description including hardiness zone, mature size, leaf color and pictures, but eliminates the year/season specific sizes and prices. The annual pricing and availability are provided on an insert that fits in the back of the reference guide,” he explained.

By eliminating prices and availability, the new guide is expected to have a longer life span, allowing the grower to distribute and use it for up to five years.

As a result, the company’s labor, printing costs, waste and environmental impact will be minimized.

“The elimination of pricing allows our customers to share our reference guide with their customers if they so choose,” Clayton noted. “In addition to providing the guides to our actual customers, we also circulate them to as many landscape architects as possible in the hopes that they will actually spec trees that are really being grown!”

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EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Nursery Revives after Hail Devastation

By Rod Bryner, Co-Owner of Boxelder Tree Farm

Growers who had experienced hail damage recently recommended keeping good records of inventory and having upto-date crop insurance.

On August 3, 2013, Boxelder Tree Farm got hailed out and we lost all our deciduous trees, approximately 30,000. Luckily we had crop insurance and are in the process of getting started again. We planted a new crop of 9,000 trees this year, and plan on getting back to selling B&B trees in three to four years.

The hail storm happened on a weekend and we notified the insurance company on Monday. We got people from Colorado State University to come out and walk the fields to give us a third-party professional opinion before the insurance adjuster came out. Other growers who had been through hail in recent years also looked at our damage.

Everyone came to the same conclusion that all the trees were unsellable. It was also good to have the CSU staff to provide the adjusters with information about the physiological healing process of trees to better support our position.

The insurance company brought out their regional and national staff to look at our fields, and did an inventory on their third visit. They compared our reported inventory on our insurance policy with their count. We had less than a 5 percent margin of difference; otherwise, there would have been penalties. Luckily, we kept good records because other growers who had experienced hail in recent years had recommended both keeping a good inventory and having up-to-date crop insurance. In the end, the insurance company agreed we had a 100 percent loss and paid the claim within six months.

Our biggest challenges have been not being able to keep some of our employees, and not having work for them in the winter as usual. I can only keep key people. We had work through last fall and into the first of this year destroying crops, so we could get the insurance payment. Though I couldn’t

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LooseLeaf October/November 2014

hire back most of my seasonal employees, I was able to keep our main group of employees growing the new tree crop, doing contract weed mowing in Loveland, and growing hay.

Knowing what to tell customers was also tough last winter. I didn’t know when to contact them and what to tell them until the insurance claim settled and I had a plan in place. But, customers were very receptive and sympathetic about what happened. I’m staying in touch with them so they’ll know when I am ready with trees again, and of course, I still have the conifers available. I’ve even gone so far as to find other growers for some customers.

It’s tough to sit on the sidelines when there is such a shortage of trees in the market. There’s a lot of opportunity now but I can’t do a darned thing about it.

One really positive result of this whole experience was our ability to expand our property. Before we were leasing a lot of our ground, but through a well-timed string of events, we were able to buy some new growing ground. Now, we are in a better long-term position. Plus, in some ways, it is nice that we get to start fresh with successful tree varieties and with no leftover crops that didn’t grow as well.

We had our best business year ever before getting hailed out, which fortunately happened at the end of the summer after a full selling season. So, I’m optimistic about the future. I really love farming and don’t know what else I would do. Our new farm is 95 acres. We’re planting 18 to 20 acres a year – it’s our dream farm to grow trees on.

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CSU Research UPDATE

By James E. Klett Professor and Extension Landscape Horticulturist

2014 Superior Annuals from CSU Trials The Colorado State University Annual Flower Trials continued during the 2014 growing season with more than 1,026 entries from 26 different companies worldwide. The garden is planted and maintained by the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture with guidance from a committee of growers, flower seed and plant companies and public garden horticulturists. Initial evaluations were held on August 4, 2014 with close to 100 industry and advanced Master Gardeners participating. A few of the preliminary top vote getters from the evaluation include:

Argyranthemum ‘Beauty Yellow’ from Westflowers The outstanding abundant yellow flowers filled the container and seemed to pour out of the pot.

The plant performed excellently throughout the entire season and deadheading did not seem necessary due to the abundance of flowers.

Begonia Pegasus™ from Proven Winners This begonia is grown for its large foliage effect versus flowers. The silver green leaves are huge and very stately in nature. It is a great shade plant adding a tropical look to any landscape.

Calibrachoa ‘Can-Can Terracotta’ from Ball Flora Plant Plants had a vigorous uniform growth habit with various mixed flower color (yellow, oranges, reds) that covered the container. Plants had great foliage color with little or no chlorosis showing throughout the growing season.

Coleus Color Blaze® Lime Time™ from Proven Winners The golden glowing yellow foliage color stood out in the garden with a great vigorous tight growth habit.

No flowers formed and it is a great Coleus for a sunny location. Plants matured to quite a height by the end of the season.

Geranium (Ivy) Caliente® Pink from Syngenta This ivy geranium was a stand out for excellent leaf color, trailing growth habit and abundant pink flowers with blotches.

This continues to be a great variety to join others in the Caliente series.

Gerbera GE 09-120 from Proven Winners This gerbera was grown in the ground and had excellent basal leaf color with an abundance of orange flowers, making it an excellent bedding plant or it could be grown for cut flower value. This numbered variety stood out from all other gerberas in trials.

Lantana ‘Lucky Sunrise Rose’ from Ball Flora Plant This lantana has gained top honors for a second year in a row.

The gold to orange to pink to rose flowers were plentiful throughout

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LooseLeaf October/November 2014

the season on a more compact growth habit.

This is a great, sun-loving, more xeric annual for those more difficult landscape sites.

Marigold (African Dwarf) – Moonsong Deep Orange from Syngenta

®

This marigold had stronger stems with no lodging and great flower power.

Plants can really give a strong color impact in the mid to late growing season.

Petunia (veg mounding) Sweetunia Black Satin from Red Fox

CSU Research UPDATE

This petunia was a great visitor stopper due to the unique black satin color making a great contrast against the darker green leaves. Its growth habit was uniform, making it a superior mass bedding plant even late in the season.

These nine varieties of annuals are just some of the outstanding plants from the 2014 growing season. To view a complete listing go to www.flowertrials@colostate.edu.

Acknowledging our Members with Certified Employees CNGA’s Certification programs were designed to promote high quality standards and professionalism for the nursery and greenhouse industry. The Colorado Certified Nursery Professional (CCNP), the New Mexico Certified Nursery Professional (NMCNP) program and the Certified Greenhouse Grower (CGG) program are all excellent ways to formalize your professional creditability, and be recognized as a highly knowledgeable individual; one who is committed to the industry. Certification yields a level of respect among your colleagues.

CNGA COMPANIES Alameda Wholesale Nursery, Inc. Arbor Valley at Country Lane Wholesale Nursery Arbor Valley Nursery Bookcliff Gardens Britton Nursery Brown’s Greenhouse Carlton Plants Circle Fresh Farms Denver Parks & Recreation Durango Nursery & Supply Eagle Crest Nursery Eagle Gardens Eagle Springs Organic Echter’s Greenhouses Fisher Farms Fort Collins Nursery Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery Fossil Creek Nursery

coloradonga.org

Front Range Community College Harding Nursery Harmony Gardens High Plains Nursery Highlands Garden Center Hudson Nursery Pine Lane Nursery Jared’s Nursery & Garden Center Jericho Nursery Jordan’s Greenhouse Kankakee Nursery Company Landon’s Greenhouse Little Valley Wholesale Nursery Neils Lunceford Paulino Gardens Pennhill Farms Phelan Gardens Pleasant Avenue Nursery Red Butte Garden Silver Sage Garden Centers

Sunland Nursery Tagawa Gardens The Garden Center of Gypsum The Tree Farm Throgmorton Plant Management Timberline Gardens Todays Nursery Trees of Corrales Trinity Farms Turn-Key Aquaponics Wilmore Nurseries Welby Gardens

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CNGA calendar

SAVE THE DATE for CNGA’s 2014 events and mark your calendars now!

New Mexico Tree Workshop: Standards, Planting Procedures and Maintenance Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, Oct. 8, 9 & 10 Trees of Corrales, 7752 Corrales Rd., Corrales, N.M. 87048 This is a one-day workshop presented on three separate days (workshop is the same each day). The workshop will focus on the process of establishing nursery stock standards of quality and condition, discuss best practices and procedures for planting, and appropriate requirements for structural and formative maintenance.

For more information, please contact Andrew Lisignoli at 505-898-2327 ext. 13 or Andrew@treesofcorrales.com.

Owners & Managers Meeting Friday & Saturday, Nov. 7 & 8 Antlers Hilton, Colorado Springs, Colo.

CNGA’s premier meeting for business leaders. Please join us and participate in thought-provoking discussions and enlightening social gatherings. How can Colorado’s horticulture industry thrive in the year ahead? What solutions are needed to overcome problems you face today as well as those yet to come? Bring your thoughts and your passion to excel to the 2014 Owners and Managers Meeting.

The collaboration among Colorado’s top horticulture business leaders is a unique benefit for members. Don’t miss it! Thank you to our sponsors: Tagawa Greenhouses, Pinnacol Assurance, Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Arbor Valley Nursery, and Richards, Seeley, & Schaefer.

Colorado Certified Nursery Professional (CCNP) Fall Seminars Tuesdays: Denver Metro Area, Colo.

Employers can be assured that a Colorado Certified Nursery Professional is dedicated to the industry and can provide exceptional customer service, knowledge and professionalism.

Nov. 4, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Perennials Seminar at Center Greenhouse, 1550 E. 73rd Ave., Denver 80229 Nov. 11, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Trees Seminar at The Tree Farm, 11868 Mineral Rd. Hwy 52, Longmont 80504 Nov. 18, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Shrubs Seminar at Alameda Wholesale Nursery, 1950 W. Dartmouth Ave., Englewood 80110 Dec. 2, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Landscape Design Seminar at CNGA Office, 959 S. Kipling Pkwy, Lakewood 80226 Colorado Certified Nursery Professional (CCNP) Exam The CCNP exam can be taken on its own – enrolling in the seminars is not required.

Jan. 14, 2015, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m, Exam, ProGreen EXPO, Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colo.

Jan. 27, 2015, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Exam, CNGA Office, 959 S. Kipling Pkwy, Lakewood, Colo. 80226 Safety Training Note: If you are a member of CNGA’s Safety Group Program, you will need to attend at least TWO safety training classes prior to Oct. 1, 2015, to maintain compliance with the program. If you do not fulfill this new requirement, you will no longer be eligible to participate in Pinnacol’s CNGA Safety Group.

Safety Training Class: “Stories, Lies and Surveillance: Exposing Workers’ Compensation Fraud” Tuesday, Oct. 14, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m Location: Pinnacol Assurance, 7501 E. Lowry Blvd., Denver, Colo. and via live webinar. Contact CNGA for details.

Open to all CNGA Safety Group Members! This free class focuses specifically on criminal investigations. Three case studies are reviewed in detail and lessons are extrapolated – both failures and successes. Legal theories and investigative techniques and concepts are reviewed and applied to the cases. A special emphasis is placed on good note-taking processes. This is a Pinnacol-approved training for CNGA Safety Group Members.

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Safety Training Class: “Managing Safety Through Good Hiring Practices” Wednesday, Nov. 12, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m Pinnacol Assurance, Denver, Colo.

Open and free to all CNGA Safety Group Members! Did you know that in the past two years, employees who have been on the job less than one year accounted for more than 30 percent of the total claims costs and number of claims reported to Pinnacol? This class will provide you with information to help you safely introduce new employees to your workplace. As an added bonus, you will learn how to assess existing employees’ abilities to perform their jobs safely and what you can do if they can’t.

Safety Training Classes at ProGreen 2015 Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colo.

Since so many CNGA Members attend ProGreen, it is a convenient opportunity to get your safety training done at the same time. Here are two classes you can attend to satisfy your Safety Group Program training requirement. These classes are open to all registered ProGreen EXPO attendees.

• “They’re Here: How to Prepare for an OSHA Inspection” Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, 1 – 2 p.m.

Are you ready for an OSHA inspection? Have you ever had a surprise inspection or been involved in an OSHA audit? Do you know what to do or what to expect when an OSHA inspector arrives? In this class you will learn your rights before OSHA knocks on the door. You will know when to take notes, pictures or video, and whether employees must talk to an inspector. You will also understand the appeal process after receiving a citation. This is a Pinnacol-approved training for CNGA Safety Group Members.

• “Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention” Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Approximately 300,000 U.S. employees are disabled annually as a result of slip, trip and fall accidents. In Colorado, slips, trips and falls are almost always the No. 1 cause of employee injuries.

In this class, you will learn techniques that keep your employees safe, and review the true costs of slips, trips and falls in the workplace. You will learn to identify common hazards and know what injury prevention resources Pinnacol provides. This is a Pinnacol-approved training for CNGA Safety Group Members.

ProGreen EXPO 2015 Jan. 13 – 16, 2015 Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colo.

If you’re looking to take the pulse of the business year ahead and keep your competitive edge, then plan now to attend Colorado’s largest annual gathering of horticultural professionals. There’s no other place where you can accomplish so much in such a short amount of time – from specialized training to seeing new cuttingedge technology to socializing with people who might just give you new perspectives for old problems. Four days of education-packed sessions combined with the region’s largest and most diverse trade show offer unmatched value for your time and money.

Exhibit spaces are going fast, so if you’re thinking about reserving a spot contact ProGreen EXPO now before they are all gone! For exhibit and education schedule information, please visit the ProGreen website at www.progreenexpo.com, call 303.798.3664, or email progreen@kinsleymeetings.com.

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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

For Sale

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.

Greenhouse – For Sale by Owner Turnkey greenhouse facility in sunny Las Cruces, N.M. 56,000 sq. ft. Gutter Connect greenhouses, all concrete/rolling benches, hot water and natural gas heating/evaporative cooling; 11,000 sq. ft. 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.

Plant Health Technician Steve Koon Landscape & Design, Inc., 2301 W Oxford Ave., Englewood, Colo. 80110, seeks an experienced pesticide applicator for our landscape/tree farm/maintenance company.

Must have experience in pesticides and fertilizer application.

Department of Ag license is preferred but not necessary. Pay commensurate with experience. Must have a valid driver’s license and clean MVR. Email resumes to SteveKnLandscape@aol.com.

Outside Sales Manager Plant World, Inc., 250 El Pueblo Rd. NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87113, is seeking a customer service focused, goal oriented, and sales driven Outside Sales Manager with an assertive, aggressive results-oriented attitude. Position is responsible for direct outside sales activities within an exclusive territory. The Outside Sales manager will be providing outstanding customer service to existing and prospective clients to retain, renew, and build sales. Email resumes to Veleta Clay at vclay@plantworldinc.com.

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

new members Catlin’s Greenhouse, Inc. 1514 S. County Road 4E Monte Vista, Colo. 81144 Bradly Catlin, Owner 719.852.2140

Rehm’s Nursery 5801 Lomas Blvd. NE Albuquerque, N.M. 87110 Tammy Hayman, Owner 505.266.5978

Curt Book Nursery Sales 1407 Brookfield Drive Longmont, Colo. 80501 Curt Book, Owner 303.682.9623

Town of Breckenridge Parks Dept.

P.O. Box 168 Breckenridge, Colo. 80424 Scott Worrall, Parks Supervisor 970.547.7885

advertisers LIST American Clay Works & Supply Company . . . . . . 17 Baxter Wholesale Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Britton Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Circle D Farm Sales, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Clayton Tree Farm LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 DWF Grower Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Everris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Flatiron Ventures, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Harding Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Hash Tree Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Jayker Wholesale Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 McKay Nursery Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Richards, Seeley & Schaefer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Photos Courtesy of Clayton Tree Farms

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. 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 Greenhouse Enterprises Marketing Sponsor – Pinnacol Assurance Partner Sponsor – Wells Fargo Insurance Services

ThankYou PSST...

PASS IT ON

Favorite Hangout Cigar Bar at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House

By CNGA Member Kirby J. Thompson General Manager Britton Nursery, Inc.

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One of my favorite places to hang with friends is the Cigar Bar at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House at 8100 E. Orchard Road, Denver, Colo 80111. The regular menu and steaks at Del Frisco’s are quite expensive, but after 4 p.m. they offer a separate menu served only in the bar, which includes many items under $20 that are super delicious! Appetizers, burgers, sandwiches – all are exceptional! Their signature dessert is lemon cake, which is delicious enough to drive from Colorado Springs to order a slice!

impeccable selections of cocktails and spirits, complete with exceptionally superior personal table-side service. They have a few flat-screen televisions for watching the game and the ventilation is so excellent that you can hardly tell anyone is smoking. If you order a cigar from the cigar menu they’ll bring it, show it to you, unwrap it, snip it and light it for you. Makes me feel like a king!

If any of you are heading there let me know – I’d love to meet you to chill for a few hours!

The bar is quite luxurious with many private coves, comfortable leather couches, a grand piano (they regularly have live music) and LooseLeaf October/November 2014