Music and The Very Independent Garden Center World

by Robert Hendrickson

"It was easy for me to turn things over to the experts since none of the music I listen to would ever be used for creating a shopping environment at garden centers. Hendrix, Zappa, King Crimson and Miles have their place, but probably not among the petunias. But garden center owners asked me for help in deciding what music to play in their stores. My job has always been to help solve garden center problems. So I did.

Getting Your HR House in Order:
Employment Applications, Updated Form I-9, and Revised W-4

by Jean Seawright

Is your garden center ready for Spring hiring? Part of your preparation should include a review and possible update of your employment application, along with incorporation of two newly updated forms—the I-9 and W-4.

The Cost of Creativity

With Comments from Robert and Danny

[Robert] "Danny called me last Monday and asked about my Super Bowl commercial review. Old news now, so a quick response. For once, the game was way better than any commercial. Other than the extended spot the NFL ran at the beginning, then maybe the Bill Murray Groundhog Day one since it was groundhog day, there was nothing super about any commercial this year."

[Danny] In case you missed the one ad Robert mentions above, simply click on the image here to see it. Robert's top-pick of JEEP's replay of Bill Murray in Groundhog Day is actually the winner of USA Today's Ad Meter - See details here.

Sweat the Big Stuff…It’s Not All Big Stuff!

by John Kennedy

Welcome to the month of February and the month of FOCUS! 

As we gear up for our spring seasons throughout the United States, we have a tendency to identify all of the tasks that are necessary to get your business back into tip top shape. Those tasks are often many in number and certainly needed to meet the deadline of your kick off to the 100 days of sales that represent over 50% of your revenue for the year.

The WDR and the NEW Changes for 2020

by Tim Quebedeaux

A few years ago, when I was introduced to the Weekly Department Review as a Garden Center General. Manager, I was in awe.  There was so much data that I could use to analyze and improve how we were operating the Centers that I managed. 

A Few Words Could Change Everything

by Robert Hendrickson

You wouldn’t be reading this if it wasn’t for Ursula. There wouldn’t be a GROUPtalk, The Garden Center Group or my decades adventure in the garden center industry if Ursula hadn’t hired me to work at H.E. Nursery on a spring day in 1974.

January Word of the Month: Visualization

by John Kennedy

Happy New Year...The perfect year to kick off the concept of visualization with 2020 Vision. In the following short video you will learn the value of Sensory Integration – The ability to blend multiple senses together to create a higher chance of success in goal setting and strategic planning. Key take away—“Write it Down”.

When a Writer Calls...

by Danny Summers

This past fall I received an introduction email and then a call from a writer who was assigned the task of creating a story for Better Homes & Garden magazine. The subject started out as:

Time to Get Back to Work – Part 3

by Sid Raisch

This is a Challenge for 2020 to become Exceptionally Exceptional

Double GMROII of Perennials in 2020

GROUPtalk-Live: GrowIt! 2020 Houseplant Report

The Fall Event 2019 - It's Time for Some TLC

by Tim Miles

Tim Miles is no stranger to The Fall Event. In fact, 2019 was the third time he has been with us as a featured presenter. This year, Tim shared his take on the time in which we live in today and how "Leading with Love" can be the real difference for our business, everyone we work with and for as well as our communities. We are featuring Tim's presentation here as well as making his slides available to you. There's a lot of important messages here. It's something to watch multiple times and even show others.

The Value of Creativity

by Danny Summers

It is amazing to see what creativity can do. Whether it is displays in-store, signage, or your marketing message, real creativity is priceless. We have seen and heard how big corporations spend millions producing major ads for product launches or even special events like The Super Bowl which we will see in a few weeks. Most fail to make a big splash or impact. Only a few rise to the top and even onward to the award-winning archives such as ones we remember from long ago. This include Budweiser's Puppy Love from 2014, Apple's original Mac launch in 1984, or Coke's Mean Joe Green and Kid ad in 1980 (Revisit these in our February 11, 2019 GROUPtalk HERE). Or you may even remember Coke's "We'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" in 1971. These are etched into the hearts and minds of millions and are at top of marketing history.

December Word of the Month:  Reflection

by John Kennedy


Welcome to our final ReFresh Calendar of 2019. As we arrive into the month of December, let us take time to  “Reflect” upon the two aspects of our lives—professionally and personally.  In this short video, we address the three questions you may want to ask yourself regarding how your  "business year”  went, and the one question you may want to ask yourself while looking in the mirror on December 31, 2019.     “I’m looking at the man in the mirror…"

With 2020 Vision, let us reflect back upon this past year, as we look forward to our next.

Time to Get Back to Work – Part 2

by Sid Raisch

It’s too late to do much to alter the outcome of the 2010’s.

“The time is ideal to create the outcome of the 2020’s.”

The decade is all but over, and there’s not much that can be done to end it any better than it is. The way we started on this journey back in 2010 didn’t inspire much hope beyond “recovery from the Great Recession”, and the “lucky” feeling of getting back to where we were seemed like all one could ask for.

The New Garden Center Customer - Part 2

By Danny Summers

In Part 1 we reviewed how we are now in a transition of sorts where in 2019, "Baby Boomers" are projected to start a slow decline in numbers over the coming ears and where "Millennials" are projected to have overtaken Boomers in the top spot as percentage of population. Let's explore this further together...

The New Garden Center Customer - Part 1

by Danny Summers

This is a time of transition, a time of change.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy said, "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."

November Word of the Month - Grateful!

By John Kennedy

Welcome to the official beginning of the  “holiday season” as we look to bring a close to another year—both professionally and personally.

Thanksgiving is a time when we give thanks for the many blessings that have come our way...an opportunity to truly be GRATEFUL.

Time to Get Back to Work – Part 1

by Sid Raisch

You came, you saw, you heard at the Fall Event 2019, then you went back to doing pretty much the same thing so far, didn’t you?

 Let’s Play A Game

by Robert Hendrickson

(The following is a transcribed version of the PowerPoint slides Robert presented at The Fall Event 2019 during his Cheekwood Challenge.) Following The Fall Event 2019 and Robert's Cheekwood Challenge, several Group Owners have shared their experience in working toward a more balanced approach to their marketing efforts. Be sure to see Group Clients Weigh-In at the bottom of this blog post for more. Joey Bokar - Kerby's Nursery, JD Boone - Dothan Nurseries, Cameron Rees - Skinner Garden Store, and Liz Lark-Riley - Rockledge Gardens.

Before The Fall Event 2019, Danny mentioned having an open mic session to address the peaks and valleys garden centers face. I told him I had an idea that might help explain why this happens.

Profit - It’s All About Change

by Steve Bailey

All of you joined The Garden Center Group for a reason. Maybe it was for the camaraderie of networking with peers, possibly to work more closely with Service Providers within The Group, to access the financial tools such as the Weekly Department Review and P&L Study, or any of the other numerous reasons there are to be a part. Most likely the underlying reason was you needed Change and all of the above enables you to enact it.