The Art of Minimalism
Category: John Kennedy's Blog
Mar
01
The Art of Minimalism
by John Kennedy
Past:
Years ago, I had a deep realization that quantity never outweighs quality…
Filtered by author: Danny Summers Clear Filter
by Danny Summers
by John Kennedy
As we kick off the new year with high hopes of projected profits along with extra expectations of customer counts, I thought it important to bring out an oldie but goodie.
By John Kennedy
by John Kennedy
Singing Our Song!
Category: Danny's Blog
Feb
24
Singing Our Song!
by Danny Summers
If you have been part of The Group for very long, you have read my observations through recent years on how other brands and industries leverage what you have to gain attention to what they are offering. This approach shows either someone in their garden enjoying plants and flowers or even in a Garden Center setting, either as a retail customer or even a Garden Center owner or staff.
You can often see this in new medicine ads or business services. They show happy people in Garden settings.
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The SPARK of Innovation
Category: Danny's Blog
Feb
24
The SPARK of Innovation
by Danny Summers
Where does the idea... that really changes things begin? We could say it begins with a spark. A single thought. It might be called "the lightbulb moment". A quick search at Merriam-Webster defines spark as...
Spark - as a noun
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Garden, Health or Nature Center?
Category: Danny's Blog
Feb
10
Garden, Health or Nature Center?
by Danny Summers
Logically thinking, we identify our Garden Retail operations as Garden Centers. For instance, just look at our name for The Garden Center Group. Your actual business name may include Garden Center (more frequently today is the word Gardens), or certainly Nursery, Nurseries, or even Greenhouse is common.
But there are some important trends that suggest there may be something more...
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Sharing Success
Category: Danny's Blog
Feb
03
Sharing Success
by Danny Summers
Last month, I saw the news that Harris Rosen, founder of the Rosen Hotels & Resorts in the Orlando, Florida, area, passed away. That brought back thoughts and many memories of The Fall Event in 2015 and is the basis for this message. Harris was kind enough (and we were fortunate enough) to have him give The Group a personal welcome at the start of The Fall Event 2015. More about that a little later. But first, let me share what I have learned about Harris Rosen.
The Fall Event 2015 was in Orlando and our host hotel was the Rosen Plaza (one of three Rosen Hotels located in this area of International Drive), just across the street from the Orange County Convention Center, where The Landscape Show is held each year. The Landscape Show, produced by the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association (FNGLA), is a sister event to TPIE and serves the more general industry segments, more non-tropical, you might say. On the final day of The Fall Event 2015, participants were able to experience The Landscape Show.
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New Treasures Found!
Category: Danny's Blog
Jan
27
New Treasures Found!
by Danny Summers
With every Group Gathering, I am excited to see what we will find and what we will learn. It is certainly always the case at The Fall Event. It is also true when we gather at other industry events.
Whether at MANTS, TPIE, Cultivate, or Farwest, the possibilities of new plants, new products and new ideas can bring great excitement!
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The SPARK of an Idea
Category: Danny's Blog
Jan
13
The SPARK of an Idea
by Danny Summers
It is easy to make light of or dismiss a single idea, no matter how small it may seem at the time. What we most likely don't see at the time is the potential impact of that idea.
It could appear just to be a SPARK of an Idea. And, if we are not paying attention, we may miss opportunities.
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When Does Spring Begin?
Category: Danny's Blog
Jan
06
When Does Spring Begin?
by Danny Summers
The answer to that question varies by who you ask, where their Garden Center is located, and of course... the weather!
For a technical answer, we can turn to the Old Farmers Almanac, which says the answer is:
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New in 2025
Category: Danny's Blog
Dec
30
New in 2025!
by Danny Summers
We are just 2 days away from the arrival of the New Year 2025 and in some ways, it has already begun. Just look at Week 1 above!
We have been busy working on a number of changes, tweaks, modifications and leap-forwards in a number of Group programs. Most of these have come through your input and suggestions along with sharp observations by our Service Provider Team.
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What Matters Most
Category: Danny's Blog
Dec
23
What Matters Most
by Danny Summers
This time of year, as we greet family and friends and gather for Christmas and Holiday activities, it is the perfect time to count our blessings. Of course, for me, the blessings of faith, our family, our health, our friends, our work, and even our country are on this important list.
Karen and I have served the horticulture industry since 1988, when we first took on the position of managing and leading the Southern Nursery Association in Atlanta. Over the years, the number of amazing people we have met and worked with creates a list that is difficult even to imagine. I have often said:
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Progress Ahead
Category: Danny's Blog
Dec
16
Progress Ahead
by Danny Summers
Were you with us last Thursday for our December GROUPtalk LIVE Session?
We were fortunate to have some of our Centers who received the new Best in Category Awards with us to explore "How are they do it". Tim Quebedeaux began the session by sharing new data on three of the key categories: Annuals - Perennials - Tropicals (be sure to watch the recording for these new data views). And Group Best of Category Award Centers shared ideas on what is working well for them in these categories. There were important details being shared during this 1+ hour session so if you missed it, you can watch the full session recording. It has been added and is now available on the GROUPtalk LIVE Series for 2024 page in The Group WebSystem.
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Exploring What's Possible
Category: Danny's Blog
Dec
09
Exploring What's Possible
by Danny Summers
You may remember in the July 8th GROUPtalk; I shared a message titled...
Drilling Down for Higher Performance
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A Vision for 2025
Category: Danny's Blog
Dec
09
A Vision for 2025
by Danny Summers
In recent weeks, I was asked to share with the Ball Horticulture Team during one of their monthly meetings. My part was virtual with many gathered at the Ball Headquarters in West Chicago, with hundreds more from their locations around the world.
The request was (1) to give a brief overview of what The Group does, (2) to provide highlights of how the 2024 year is shaping up, and (3) any possible glimpse into 2025.
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The Bridge
Category: John Kennedy's Blog
Nov
29
The Bridge
by John Kennedy
One single word can have so many different meanings, and one of my favorites is the word “bridge.”
In a song, “the bridge” is the musical passage that connects two parts of the composition. There are many wonderful examples of bridges in great music…so much so, that Billy Joel has a remarkable 80’s album named “The Bridge.” A beautiful “bridge” in the song “A Matter of Trust!”
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Connecting - with Heart
Category: Danny's Blog
Nov
25
Connecting - with Heart
by Danny Summers
If you have been in The Group Experience for some time now, you know how much we have talked about the dynamic shift needed in the way our Centers connect to your audience. While there were some changes identified and discussed pre-COVID, beginning in the spring of 2020, the need for shifting seemed to get kicked into overdrive.
Let's back up a minute here... Our founder, Robert Hendrickson, was way ahead of the curve, as far back as the beginning of The Group itself. Everyone remembers how much Robert pushed you to "tell your story." He pushed to shift from a promotional message (plants or products with a price) to a connection to an experience. The was the first push The Group had to make an emotional connection.
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The Heart is a Muscle!
Category: John Kennedy's Blog
Jul
01
The Heart is a Muscle!
by John Kennedy
As we kick off the new year with high hopes of projected profits along with extra expectations of customer counts, I thought it important to bring out an oldie but goodie.Past:
A few years back, I wrote and presented to The Garden Center Group about a healthy business being equivalent to a healthy body. The similarities are easy to see and the approach is easy to execute.
When we go to the doctor’s office for our annual check-up (or unfortunately when we are sick), there are a few Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or body metrics that they measure---Blood Pressure, Height/Weight, Temperature, Pulse and BMI (Body Mass Index). These provide a window into your current condition and are usually compared to your last visit.
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The Power of Asking
Category: John Kennedy's Blog
Jun
25
The Power of Asking
By John Kennedy
A few years ago, a grower client was trying to come up with new ideas to improve and innovate the customer experience within their business model. My suggestion set off a chain reaction of ideas and improvements by the simple (yet somewhat complex) approach—why don’t we ask the customer?
Note: Don’t ask a question if you’re not prepared to hear the answer!
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Jun
15
Talent Development is All Math!
by John Kennedy
As we see the initial signs of the 2023 economy play themselves out in April’s numbers, and forecast for May, June and July are just around the corner, we should never underestimate the investment in your people.
One of the Centers within The Garden Center Group has committed to a “People First” vision for 2023. Another has committed to “Build the Bench!” in 2023, and both are poised to propel themselves into the future of their businesses by focusing on the soft skills just as much as the hard goods of their retail operation.
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Grapefruits and Cactus
Category: John Kennedy's Blog
Jun
05
Grapefruits and Cactus
by John Kennedy
It’s that time of year again!
Yup! You guessed it… Baseball is back!
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Becoming Great
Category: John Kennedy's Blog
May
25
Becoming Great – Fall Event Thursday Morning Presentation
By John Kennedy
As the dust from The Fall Event settles and the lessons and blessings found in Cincy are applied back home, I thought it important to share the message I delivered on the final day to all of The Garden Center Group members who may not have attended or had to catch a flight home.
Ultimately, the presentation centered around the common threads of excellence found inside of great leaders, athletes, business owners, and garden centers in the world. Three attributes that they all share which place them at the top of their game—the best of the best!