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What's New?

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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Jun
13

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.

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Get Wiser!

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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Apr
10

Get Wiser!

by Danny Summers

The idea is simple. Every day is an opportunity for us to learn something new, to build upon the knowledge and experiences we have gained. And every learning experience adds to our ability to Get Wiser!

I have shared messages before on the goal of Life-Long Learning. Every week, our Group shares experiences, ideas, and advice that help all of us to grow. This happens in many ways throughout the year, it comes through emails, Zoom Sessions, one-on-one conversations, at industry events and of course at The Fall Event!

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Excitement Ahead!

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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Apr
04

Excitement Ahead!

by Danny Summers

Here we are in Week 15 and that means you are most likely already feeling the excitement of busy Spring Weeks. But at the same time we have some Excitement Ahead here in The Group!

This Thursday - GROUPtalk LIVE
Rachel Reynolds presents...

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The Group Experience

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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Mar
26

The Group Experience

by Danny Summers

The Group Experience is multi-faceted. When someone outside The Group asks me what we do, the discussion progresses in multiple directions. Of course, I usually give a brief story on how The Group came together and the beginning stages of our financial sharing and benchmarking programs.

The conversation usually then moves on to all the areas of peer-to-peer sharing, through our WebSystem and all our 12+ different eLists. And of course, I talk about interaction with our Team of Service Providers as well.

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Synergies = More Power

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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Sep
29

Synergies = More Power

by Danny Summers

In the world of science, there are a lot of studies and documentation for combining two or more items to create what is called Synergistic Effect. I guess most simply the results of the combination create MORE than the original parts. Most basic descriptions are something like this:

Synergistic Effect means when two or more items are combined, their overall effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.

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Going BIG in Big D!

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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Apr
21

Going BIG in Big D!

by Danny Summers


Do you know The Fall Event 2024 is heading to Dallas, Texas this September? If you don't know, either I have not been doing my job, or maybe you have not been reading GROUPtalk, or seeing any of my mountain of emails with my signature line to shout the event dates, or perhaps you have been distracted by other things. In any case, you know now!

I will begin by revealing the initial details below and will be sharing more of the entire program in the coming weeks. There are a few important things you should know now before you start considering your travel plans.

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Connections

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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Jul
30

Connections

by Danny Summers

Being connected can be one of the most beneficial assets for each of us. And when you consider how we are connected here through The Group and what a tremendous bank of knowledge and resources we have collectively, the idea of Connections means even more.

When I see the image above and the hand touching the surface of the water and in doing so creating a ripple effect, this is symbolic of one person here in The Group, reaching out and starting a conversation. For instance, by sending a single email through one of our eLists – we'll use GroupEs as an example. This one email, almost instantly, is delivered to over 700 mailboxes! This is when the conversation with connections begins and the knowledge and experience are shared.

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It Begins in Cincinnati

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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Jun
09

It Begins in Cincinnati

by Danny Summers

The year is 1837 and it was a time of economic hardships in the country. Two brothers-in-law, one a candle maker and the other a soap maker, were inspired by their father-in-law to bring their two crafts together into one business.

We take things like candles and soap for granted these days. But back in the 1800s, candles were essential for light, and the availability of hygiene products was extremely limited.

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Timing Can Be Everything!

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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Jun
03

Timing Can Be Everything!

by Danny Summers

This story begins in the late 1920s with John Josiah Emery Jr., the son of a successful Cincinnati business family who made a fortune in Cincinnati’s rugged stockyards. The Emery family's success began in Cincinnati as early as 1840 when Emery's grandfather developed a successful lamp oil business which lead to candle making and continues even today as Oleo Chemicals. It is known for its best-in-class natural-based chemical solutions.

Emery dreamed of constructing the tallest building west of the Alleghenies. He hoped that his novel building would function as a “city within a city,” in which everything from boutique shops to office space could be found inside. He even planned on opening a luxurious new hotel within the structure that would rival the Waldorf Astoria.

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The Power of C

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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May
19

The Power of C

by Danny Summers

Vitamin C is one of the safest and most effective nutrients, experts say. Though it may not be the cure for the common cold, the benefits of vitamin C may include protection against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, and many more.

But this message is not about vitamin C or oranges... at all.

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Building Bridges

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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May
13

Building Bridges

by Danny Summers

This is a message for the future with observations and inspiration from the past.

The idea for this message came to me as we began to study Cincinnati as the site for The Fall Event 2023. There are five main bridges connecting Cincinnati to Kentucky just across the Ohio River. The oldest, and most stunning, is the one pictured here... now known as the John A. Roebling Bridge. Its story is both amazing and inspirational. This is a story of ground-breaking design that led the way for other bridges around the world, including a very famous one (more on that a little later).

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Commitment

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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Oct
18

Commitment!

by Danny Summers

Commitment... It's a word that depicts The Garden Center Group experience in a number of ways. At the foundation of The Group, every Center joins with a commitment to sharing at some level. In the beginning, there may be some hesitation to jump right in but as they see others sharing they quickly see the benefits of having such an open-sharing platform. Certainly, the level of sincere helpful sharing that exists in The Group is a unique experience.

While there are a number of ways a commitment to sharing is exemplified in The Group, one of the strongest levels of commitment is sharing through our Weekly Department Review (WDR). And the Centers that receive our 100% Club Awards annually have made a firm commitment to share. This year, there are 115 Centers participating in the WDR Program, and 58 of these centers reported EVERY WEEK and received our 100% Club Award. Now that is Commitment!

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The Strength of Group Sharing

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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Oct
07

The Strength of Group Sharing

By Danny Summers

When often faced with the opportunity of describing "The Group Experience" for someone who has not been in The Group, I feel it is a challenging task. Of course, I hit the key points of all our programs as well as the different ways our Group Centers share information peer-to-peer and how they have access to and interact with our Group Service Providers. But I feel it is still only a small glimpse into The Group Experience that I just wind up urging them to join and jump into the process as much as they can to see for themself what it is like.

And then as we get closer to The Fall Event, if I can get them to attend, that is the absolute best exposure. As a team, we have often said, "If we can just get them to The Fall Event, we know what will happen. They will be excited and ready to be a part of what they experience."

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A Heart-Felt Thank You!

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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Sep
30

A Heart-Felt Thank You!

by Danny Summers

The Fall Event for 2022 is over and this is the perfect time to say THANK YOU. And we have so many people to say THANK YOU to... Every Group Center that participated, all of our Partners for Success and Sponsors, and of course all of our Group Service Providers. I also want to express our sincere appreciation to our Guest Speaker, Darren Abbott of Hallmark Cards whose presentation was described as" incredible." I will be sharing more details about Darren's message in the coming weeks.

Another Group Center said, "The way you were able to tie each presentation together made it feel like one fluid and consistent message to The Group." I responded with, "Somehow it all just comes together. I would like to be able to say it was all planned out moment by moment… but it wasn’t 100%. It is also amazing how our team works independently and somehow thinks concurrently to converge at the same point. The other thing that really amazes me is how our Group discussions steer our focus and attention in the same direction."

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Beyond the Boundaries Thinking

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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Aug
05

Beyond the Boundaries Thinking

by Danny Summers

Have you seen all of The Fall Event Session Titles and Descriptions?
If not be sure to click on the program image below - only after you read this complete GROUPtalk!

If you have seen them you will quickly recognize my ideas here. If you have not, let me set the stage for what you will experience and the opportunities ahead.

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Beyond the Boundaries

by: Danny Summers
Category: Danny's Blog
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May
27

Beyond the Boundaries!

by Danny Summers

This week begins our roll-out of plans for The Fall Event 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. Let me start by saying I am confident this will rival the very best in The Group's history. Just think about the very best Fall Event you have experienced and know this will be even better!

It's all coming together in Kansas City... the location with so many wonderful things to do, our hotel and its character and location - just a block from dozens of great restaurants and shops, plus amazing Garden Centers to explore on Tour Day. Kansas City has it all and September 19-22 will be a wonderful time for all of us to share, learn and grow!

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