Made You LOOK!

by Danny Summers

Early this year, we introduced Rachel Reynolds, Birds Eye Visual Merchandising, as our new Group Visual Merchandising Coach. In April, Rachel shared the message "Creative Visual Merchandising" during our monthly GROUPtalk LIVE (Group Centers can revisit that presentation in The Group WebSystem: Clients-Only Menu/Training-GROUPtalk LIVE Series 2025).

During my introductions at The Fall Event 2025, I introduced each of our Group Team Members with a funny title, and we called Rachel our "Chief Window Dresser." This is a reference back to a time decades ago when major department stores would devote tremendous effort to their large store-front windows to attract attention. That's where I thought of the title for this message... Made You Look!

Are You an Experience Maker?

by Danny Summers

Unless you are totally new to GROUPtalk (joining the last week or so) or maybe GROUPtalk has been directed into your SPAM folder the past 5+ months, you know Becoming The Experience Maker has been a major subject for us this year.

We first introduced the subject by promoting Dan Gingiss to be our keynote presenter at The Fall Event 2025. That was back in May. You have had the opportunity to see and hear Dan three times over the past month. Two times at The Fall Event 2025.

Green with Envy

by Danny Summers

The word "Envy" is pretty simple to understand and it's something we are taught at an early age that we should not have. A quick search for a formal definition shows:

envy /ĕn′vē/

Little Things Add up to Big Things

by John Kennedy

In the book, “The Four Disciplines of Execution,” the authors introduce the concept of a “WIG”—a Wildly Important Goal.

It is achieved by focusing on “Lead Measures” which, when combined, help you to reach your overall outcome (referred to as a “Lag Measure”).  These three principles can be shared in a real -life example some of us go through at some point in our lives---getting into better shape.

September 11, 2025 - A POWER-USER at The Fall Event 2025!

Group Owners share ideas on how to be A POWER-USER at The Fall Event 2025

How do they prepare before they arrive?

What's Your Focus?

by Danny Summers

Over the past several weeks, I have seen messages from two people I greatly respect as message "gurus." Both seem to be pointing us in a similar direction. I will share portions of each of their messages here, add some perspective that I think can be important for you as a Garden Retailer, and, of course, push you to see their full messages and also connect and follow both of them.

The first is Michael Katz. Michael created Blue Penguin Development some years ago and since then has become one of the nation's best at email marketing. Since launching Blue Penguin in 2000, Michael has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Business Week Online, Bloomberg TV, Forbes.com, Inc.com, USA Today, and other national and local media.

The Power of Plants!

by Danny Summers

I believe it can be difficult for us to fully understand the Power of Plants. Sure we can think about the importance of plants in producing oxygen for the planet, capturing contaminants out of the air, creating environments for countless living creatures, providing food and shelter for us and many, many more.

But this story began about two weeks ago when John Kennedy, Tim Quebedeaux, Tom Kegley, and I were at the Farwest Show in Portland, Oregon. It was Thursday afternoon, and all of our presentations were complete. Tim and I were discussing where to go for dinner (we were tired of the hotel options by now).

Unexpected Service

by Danny Summers

Once in a while, we experience Unexpected Service. Those moments when service goes above and beyond what's expected, leaving a memorable and positive impression. It's those little extras or thoughtful gestures that surprise and delight us, creating a connection beyond just a meal or a transaction.

The idea for this message came from two recent and very different restaurant experiences. One, a traditional restaurant, and believe it or not, one a fast food drive-thru.

Learning Opportunities Ahead

by Danny Summers

Being committed to the concept of Lifetime Learning is something I believe we all should support. Every day as we wake, we have the opportunity to learn new things. The experiences of each day continue to add to our collective knowledge and help us adapt to a changing world.

Management Systems and New eList
Last week, we had a special GROUPtalk LIVE Session. This one was a roundtable discussion (without a table) on the use of different Business Management Operating Systems.

Beyond the Brick and Mortar—Two Years Later (Part 2)

Vendors and Retailers collaborate and partner in the new digital space of e-commerce.
by John Kennedy

In this second installment of a two-part series on the E-Commerce movement, John shares “The What & The How” of the E-Commerce Connect program and invites Group Members to enjoy the benefits of the additional revenue while reducing your inventory and labor costs. There will also be a panel discussion at The Fall Event discussing the E-Commerce Connect Program.

Two years ago, this past May, I was invited to write an article about the growing trend of independent garden centers looking to increase their revenue and relevance within the convenience economy space of e-commerce. The link to the initial article can be found HERE. And the Part 1 of this message is in my Group Blog HERE.

Beyond the Brick and Mortar—Two Years Later–Part 1

Vendors and Retailers collaborate and partner in the new digital space of e-commerce.
by John Kennedy

In this first installment of a two-part series on the E-Commerce movement, John explains “The Why” regarding IGC’s leveraging technology to reduce the impact of weather from their foot traffic and expand your customer experience into a 24/7 model.

Two years ago, this past May, I was invited to write an article about the growing trend of independent garden centers looking to increase their revenue and relevance within the convenience economy space of e-commerce. The link to the initial article can be found HERE. 

Becoming The Experience Maker

by Danny Summers

I did not come up with the title of this message myself. Becoming the Experience Maker is the title of Dan Gingiss' new book, which is the 2nd edition of his award-winning book, The Experience Maker, originally published in 2022. Dan says...

"In today’s competitive retail environment, Garden Centers can no longer rely on price or product alone to stand out – customers have more choices than ever. So, how can your business cultivate long-term loyalty and turn shoppers into passionate advocates? The answer is Customer Experience."

The new GROUPtalk LIVE Series for 2025 is here.  Each month following a new GROUPtalk LIVE Session will be planned on the second Thursday (see schedule below). Topics and areas of discussion varies each month. Watch for upcoming session topics. Following each session, a recording is added to this page to allow for post-event viewing. We are adding the most recent sessions on top.

A Simple Idea That Simply Works!

by Danny Summers

Last week, we had a very active group of Garden Center Owners and Managers participate in the Retailers' Choice Awards™ search at Cultivate'25. The show is always a haven for new plants, and this year was no different. The Retailers had no problem spotting many deserving plants and products – 53 were nominated and 15 were awarded.

What Began 20 Years Ago
As I begin to recap the Retailers' Choice Awards Winners presented at Cultivate'25, I thought I would share how the idea for this effort began. It was 2005, and Karen and I were managing the Southern Nursery Association (SNA) and its large trade show in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center. It was our 17th SNA Show to produce. That year, SNA 2005 was in its 3rd year of a new expanded floor plan, and one section was dedicated to everything Retail.

Greengoods Gains

by Danny Summers

Last week Tim Quebedeaux, The Group's Financial Management & Analysis Guru, released our Mid-Year Weekly Department Review Report.

As I dug into the numbers, I found some interesting stats on how our categories stack up against each other. If you are reporting in the WDR, you may have already done some of this yourself. If not, I hope this is of interest to you.

The Search for Unique

by Danny Summers

If you are like me, late this week I will head to Columbus, Ohio to Cultivate'25. It is one of the industry's largest trade shows and the creation of our national trade association, American Horticulture Association (aka AmericanHort).

A Little Backstory: If you are relatively new to the industry, Cultivate has its origins as the Ohio Short Course, produced by the Ohio Florists Association or OFA, and commonly known for years as The Short Course. Ironically, there really wasn't anything "short" about it. While it had some "florist" related sessions, the event grew into the nation's largest show for greenhouse growers. They were the main targeted attendee, and therefore most of the exhibitors were offering everything a greenhouse grower would need to produce annuals and any other greenhouse-produced plant types.

Four Quarts in a Two Quart Jar!

by Danny Summers

I hope the title here has caught your attention...if so, it worked!

For anyone who is around me for any period of time, a phrase you may hear is one I learned from my Dad. As someone who was raised on a small farm in north-central Missouri, he had so many great idioms (some, of course, I would not share here).

A Big Ask!

by Danny Summers

Peer-to-peer sharing within The Group is extremely important and, as a whole, is much of "the glue" that connects the community of Group Centers. Most of it is done through our numerous eLists (email list-serves for major and subgroups) as well as the Weekly Department Review (WDR).

When we have a strong need to quickly connect with others who have experience or knowledge of the subject at hand. Seeing a conversation about a topic and quickly interacting directly in a side conversation can be important.

What's New?

by Danny Summers

In many ways, we live in a world of "What's New?" Retail in general thrives in the search for "What's New?" Whether it's automobiles, apparel, technology, web technologies, or social platforms, they all constantly strive to show us "What's New?"

In the world of Horticulture, much of our world of "What's New?" revolves around New Plants. If you have been in the industry very long, can you remember a time when you were at a trade show, walking down the aisle and seeing an amazing new plant for the very first time? If so, that new plant made a real impression on you. And depending on how impactful that new plant has been, it is most likely one of the impressions you will remember for a long time.

Every Plant Has a Story!

by Danny Summers

This is not the typical message you find me sharing here in GROUPtalk. This is...

A Call to Breeders, Growers... and Retailers!

Telling Your Story has been a standard emphasis here in The Group for decades. It began with Robert Hendrickson pushing each Center to tell their story to their audience. For Robert, the idea was to make the connection to the customer and build upon that for years. You could say... life-long relationships.