IGC 2012

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IGC 2012 Starts In...

168
DAYS

22
HRS

38
MINS

47
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IGC Know2Grow Retail Conference
will be in Session!

As the world’s biggest educational resource for garden centers, featuring an

unprecedented 53 hours of the highest-quality education focused on proven profit strategies, IGC 2012 rolls out a roster of new speakers, new tracks and new sessions at the IGC Know2Grow Retail Conference to deliver the very latest actionable ideas for independent garden retail success. This year’s Know2Grow at Navy Pier highlights seven all-new tracks, six sessions in each track, led by the leading minds in retail.

Classroom 1

Russell Brumfield
Using Scent to Sell & Compel

Russell Brumfield is a business visionary, consultant and speaker, and the author of Whiff! The Revolution of Scent Communication in the Information Age. His background as the founder of Wizard Studios, a $25 million events producer, cultivated his fascination with scent communication and guided him to pursue deeper involvement in the specialty. For more than 20 years, Brumfield has built his expertise and business acumen creating experiential design, corporate messaging and themed experiences for Fortune 1000 companies.

Scent Marketing: Selling to the Emotions

TWO HOUR WORKSHOP - Tuesday, August 21, 8:30 - 10:30 am

The sense of smell is the most powerful of all the senses. Harness that power to get customers to stay longer and spend more at your garden center. The exploding field of scent marketing is about influencing moods, perceptions, emotions and decision-making through the use of strategic aromas in the retail space. Learn how scents influence men and women, as well as cultures and communities, differently.

Case Studies: Major Retailers Using Scent Deployment

Wednesday, August 22, 11 am - 12 pm

Find out how major retailers are using scent to sell lingerie, baby clothing, cars, furniture, toys, telephones and cruise vacations. Apply these same scent strategies to your garden center’s integrated marketing efforts. You already know the power of scent when it comes to the aromas of florals, now learn how to harness that power with a solid scent marketing strategy.

Using Scent Triggers to Influence Purchasing Decisions

Wednesday, August 22, 2 - 3 pm

Drive sales of specific products through the delivery of targeted scents. In this session, you’ll learn about FMOT (the first moment of truth) and how to manage perceptions. Did you know certain scents can increase customer learning and comprehension during your on-site classes? Other scents can elevate your customers’ moods as they shop your water gardening department. Highlight the holiday seasons at your garden center with aromas that bring back childhood memories.

What’s Your Whiff Factor?

Wednesday, August 22, 3:15 - 4:15 pm

Is your store’s “smell” a turn-on or turn-off? Does your garden center stink like soil, fertilizer or dust, or do your customers encounter a delightful whiff of cherry blossoms when they enter your doors? What are you doing to manage the aromas in your shopping environment? Everything and everyplace smells - if you’re not managing the bad smells, it’s affecting your sales. Learn how to mask the foul scents and choose the right ones for your store design and layout. Create a signature scent that prompts customers to think positively about your shopping experience.

Choosing the Right Scent Delivery System for Your Store

Thursday, August 23, 10 - 11 am

Store-bought diffusers are for bathrooms, and candles and incense are expensive and dangerous. Find out which scent delivery systems are right for your garden center. There are scent delivery systems designed for retail shelves, points of purchase and store entrances, as well as for the retail environment as a whole. Learn how timed scent-release systems will allow you to track your sales increases when aromas are deployed.

Does Your Merchandising Appeal to All the Senses?

Thursday, August 23, 11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Discover how to integrate all of the senses into your garden center merchandising to boost sales. Research shows that perceptions are enhanced, colors are more vivid and recall is more highly retained when multi-sensory design is employed. Learn how to employ a pleasing yet stimulating arrangement of colors, sounds, scents and textures at your garden center that will inspire customers to shop your displays.

Classroom 2

Rick Segel
Winning the New Consumer

Rick Segel is the author of 13 books, including The Essential Online Solution: The 5-Step Formula for Small Business Success; Laugh & Get Rich: How to Profit from Humor in Any Business; and Retail Business Kit for Dummies, which is now in its second edition and has sold more than 100,000 copies. His newest book, The Retail Sales Bible: The Great Book of G.R.E.A.T. Selling is a primer for retail selling. As a business speaker, Segel has lectured more than 2,100 audiences on five continents and in 49 states.

The Power of Proactive Retailing

TWO HOUR WORKSHOP - Tuesday, August 21, 8:30 - 10:30 am

There is no more sitting back, waiting for customers to walk through the door. You must adapt a customer-centric philosophy and make your garden center a true destination in order to profit in today’s economy. Keeping in touch with the new consumer is the backbone of proactive retailing. Learn how preferred customer programs, events, educational offerings and a coupon program can help you make that valuable connection.

Hard Selling Is Out, Soft Selling Is In

Wednesday, August 22, 11 am - 12 pm

The days of high-pressure sales tactics are over. The new consumer doesn’t want to be sold - but she does want help with her purchase decisions. This session redefines selling into a non-threatening, suggestion-driven soft approach that will improve the attitude of your sales personnel and increase your store’s morale as your customers purchase more than ever. Discover how good service is selling, and selling is good service.

Stand Out in a Crowded Marketplace

Wednesday, August 22, 2 - 3 pm

You must differentiate your garden center from the competition to win the new consumer’s dollars. Learn what it means to stand out in the marketplace. Generate word-of-mouth advertising in new ways by taking a cue from retailers in other industries. From unusual promotions to visual merchandising, your garden center has the opportunity to come out on top.

‘Wow’ Your Customers & They’ll Come Back for More

Wednesday, August 22, 3:15 - 4:15 pm

Turn your customers into fanatical followers, in-store and online. Learn what it takes to “wow” the new consumer - from product selection to displays, servicing and pricing. Returnability counts in bricks and clicks. Discover five strategies that will get your customers to come back to your store and website again and again.

Sales & Promotions that Pack a Punch

Thursday, August 23, 10 - 11 am

This complete how-to and how-not-to session covers the tricks and techniques of creating profit-producing sales and promotions. Find out why clearance events have lost their sparkle, and what strategies will have customers waiting at your door. Promotion doesn’t mean price; there are different types of promotion that will get the new consumer through your doors. Learn the five elements that must be included in every promotion you do.

Build Your Community, Build Your Business

Thursday, August 23, 11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Tap the new consumer’s desire to support local businesses, and uncover valuable opportunities in your own back yard. Discover the long-term benefits of cause marketing and award programs, and learn simple ways to generate referrals from businesses in your area. The opportunity to profit is knocking at your door!

Classroom 3

Judy Sharpton
Our ‘Buy Local’ Advantage

Judy Sharpton, a store design specialist and LEED Green Associate, has spent the past 16 years working exclusively with IGC retailers in the United States and Canada on store development, including physical improvements, product selection and placement and brand management. Much of that work has been concentrated in small markets for stores with limited resources but unlimited energy and commitment. Her program focuses on real solutions that do not require a bulldozer or a bank loan.

Sponsored by

What Makes ‘Local’ So Important?

TWO HOUR WORKSHOP - Tuesday, August 21, 8:30 - 10:30 am

From restaurants to farmers markets and community-supported agriculture to community gardens, the world of “local” can become your garden center’s unique market position. The case study for this session, Tangletown Gardens in St. Paul, MN, taps an urban customer base attracted more by “local” than traditional gardening. You will also identify an element of “local” to develop for your own business next year.

Tell Your ‘Local’ Story, with P. Allen Smith

Wednesday, August 22, 11 am - 12 pm

From his frequent appearances on network television to his top-selling books and speaking engagements, P. Allen Smith has created a communication empire that inspires consumers to garden. In this session, Smith will explain how the use of consumer-friendly language should be incorporated into your local garden center’s communications, from in-store signage to social media. Learn how to use this targeted language to control all of your brands, placing them under an overarching brand umbrella.

P. Allen Smith is among America’s most recognized and respected garden design experts. He is the host of the public television program P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home and the syndicated television show P. Allen Smith Gardens, as well as a regular guest contributor on NBC’s Today show. Smith is the author of the bestselling Garden Home series of books, including his most recent, P. Allen Smith’s Seasonal Recipes from the Garden. He is a fourth generation nurseryman who owned and operated his own garden center before launching his media career.

Create a Shopping Experience Locals will Love, with P. Allen Smith

Wednesday, August 22, 2 - 3 pm

Discover five elements of P. Allen Smith’s spectacular Garden Home Retreat in Arkansas that you can incorporate into your garden center to personalize the local shopping experience for your customers. You will go home with a handout of suggestions for the development of each concept at your garden center.

Container Gardening: A ‘Local’ Selling Position

Wednesday, August 22, 3:15 - 4:15 pm

Market research shows consumers value product over process, for example, buying entire “to-go” apartments from IKEA. Garden centers can embrace this demand in a profitable way with container gardening. This session will explore the opportunities in enhancing local container gardening with help from Proven Winners’ Bloom Box container workshop kit. Retail case studies will demonstrate how to create a 30 percent increase in custom containers in an overall down year.

In-Store Events that Connect with the Local Community

Thursday, August 23, 10 - 11 am

Many garden centers have found success with in-store events. From Ladies Nights Out to Pink Day fundraisers, these events can attract customers and position your store as a central part of the surrounding community. In this program, we’ll look at a year-long planning sequence that positions all events as local, even when there is a national component like a branded product or sponsor.

Promoting Your ‘Local’ Message with America In Bloom & the American Community Gardening Association

Thursday, August 23, 11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Both of these national organizations support large programs that benefit local communities. In this session, we’ll focus on how these two groups can work for your garden center. What are the benefits - in dollars and good will - from these national gardening brands? Learn how they can put your store in front of a whole new set of consumers who may have no traditional gardening experience.

Classroom 4

Kyle Lacy
IGC Retailing in a Digital World

Kyle Lacy, every-issue columnist in Garden Chic and IGC Retailer magazines, is the author of two acclaimed books, Twitter Marketing for Dummies and Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself. He is Principal of Marketing Research and Education for ExactTarget, a leading global provider of interactive marketing solutions. Lacy, a featured blogger at the Ad Age Power 150 and The Wall Street Journal online, is recognized as one of Indiana’s Forty Under 40 by the Indianapolis Business Journal.

Sponsored by

Win Your Audience - For Keeps

TWO HOUR WORKSHOP - Tuesday, August 21, 8:30 - 10:30 am

You’ve worked hard at drawing e-mail subscribers, Facebook fans and Twitter followers to your garden center. Now, it’s time to work on keeping their attention in today’s noisy social media landscape. Never in the history of IGC retailing has there been a better platform for customer information and market research. Learn the seven steps to building, retaining and energizing your cross-channel audiences in ways that positively impact your bottom line.

Getting Started in Social Media

Wednesday, August 22, 11 am - 12 pm

Whether you’re just getting started in the world of digital media or need a refresher course, these secrets to social media success will stick with you. Review the basics of the most-frequented social media sites - Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – and learn how they can help transform your garden center’s marketing results. This session will also discuss the importance of e-mail and blogging in your digital media campaign.

Is Your Digital Media Strategy Working?

Wednesday, August 22, 2 - 3 pm

If you’ve been marketing your garden center digitally for a couple of years and want to take it to the next level, this session is for you. We’ve all heard about the untold fortunes that can be made through the wonderful world of digital media. Now, let’s talk measurement and strategy. Data and analytics are important in building your campaign. Discover the beauty of Google Analytics, and learn how to measure traffic based on referral sites, use landing pages to measure success and split-test digital marketing campaigns.

The Real World of Social Media Panel Discussion

Wednesday, August 22, 3:15 - 4:15 pm

During this moderated panel, you’ll hear from garden center owners about their successes, failures and lessons learned marketing on the Internet. Discover how social media fits into their overall marketing strategies as they offer tips and best practices for executing revenue-generating campaigns. Panelists: Kimberly Bird, Vice President of Marketing, Calloway’s Nursery; Stephanie Butkus, Marketing Coordinator, Armstrong Garden Centers; Sandra Hillermann McDonald, President, Hillermann Nursery & Florist; Jennifer Youngquest, Marketing Manager, English Gardens.

Kimberly Bird is Vice President of Marketing for Calloway’s Nursery, TX, ranked No. 6 in IGC Retailer’s 100 report with $46.5 million in sales, where she manages a diverse team in executing integrated, multi-layered marketing strategies. Bird draws upon her 20-plus years of marketing experience in sharing useful gardening tips and information with audiences in Texas. She appears regularly on Good Morning Texas, CBS 11 and NBC 5 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Stephanie Butkus is Marketing Coordinator for Armstrong Garden Centers, ranked No. 1 in IGC Retailer’s 100 report with $125 million in sales from its 31 locations in California and three growing facilities. With a focus on digital marketing efforts, including e-mail, social and new initiatives, Butkus has realized success in driving additional shops from existing customers and capturing a new, younger customer.

Sandra Hillermann McDonald, along with her siblings, is the second-generation Owner of Hillermann Nursery & Florist in Washington, MO. She was the first woman president of the Landscape & Nursery Association of Greater St. Louis and the Missouri Landscape & Nursery Association. Hillermann McDonald also served as the first woman president of Garden Centers of America, and she currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Western Nursery & Landscape Association.

Jennifer Youngquest, Marketing Manager at English Gardens, has been with the company for more than 20 years. The leading independent, ranked No. 14 in IGC Retailer’s 100 report with $28.6 million in sales, operates seven retail stores in metro Detroit and a full-service landscaping company. Youngquest develops and implements the company’s marketing, including advertising, special events, community relations and in-store point-of-purchase. She also develops and manages the content of its website, and is responsible for social media strategies.

Your Digital Marketing Playbook

Thursday, August 23, 10 - 11 am

Before you spend a lot of money on digital marketing, build a system and get it up and running. Learn how to use all the available tools, including Facebook and LinkedIn ads, e-mail marketing, SEO, Google AdWords and QR codes and other mobile platforms. In this session, we will set up a garden center’s digital marketing strategy from start to finish, and look at the importance each tool brings to the campaign.

Digital Marketing Success Stories Panel Discussion

Thursday, August 23, 11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Learn from the people who have realized success marketing in the digital world. You’ll hear from garden center owners and marketing professionals about their experiences - good and bad - in e-mail marketing, search engine optimization, Facebook ads, Google AdWords, mobile development and QR codes. Panelists: Mary Ann Newcomer, Garden Blogger; Trey Pitsenberger, Garden Blogger and Owner, The Golden Gecko Garden Center; Kevin and Theresa Riley, Owners, Rockledge Gardens.

Mary Ann Newcomer is a garden writer and speaker who blogs at gardensofthewildwildwest.com and appears regularly as the Dirt Diva on River Radio, 94.9 FM in Boise, ID. Her gardening articles have been published in MaryJanesFarm, Fine Gardening, The American Gardener and Leaf magazines, and her first book, The Rocky Mountain Gardener’s Guide, was published this year. She is also the Co-creator of Garden Logic (garden-logic.com), an online garden design software service.

Trey Pitsenberger owns The Golden Gecko Garden Center in Garden Valley, CA, with his wife, and has built a reputation as a leader in the social media world of horticulture. He started his popular blog, thebloggingnurseryman.com, in 2005, and created and manages a 1,200-member LinkedIn group Garden Centers, Nurseries and New Media. He also created and manages a Facebook Group, Independent Garden Centers and Nurseries, whose 350-plus members are owners or employees of independent garden centers from around the world.

Kevin Riley, along with his wife Theresa, owns and manages Rockledge Gardens, a family garden center in Rockledge, FL, started by Theresa’s father in 1961. The Rileys are constantly working toward finding new and exciting ways to grow their business. Recently, they added a hydroponic vegetable farm to supply a weekend farmers market at the garden center. Their weekly e-mail, This Week in the Garden, reaches more than 5,000 customers.

Theresa Riley, along with her husband Kevin, owns and manages Rockledge Gardens, a family garden center in Rockledge, FL, started by her father in 1961. The Rileys are constantly working toward finding new and exciting ways to grow their business. Recently, they added a hydroponic vegetable farm to supply a weekend farmers market at the garden center. Their weekly e-mail, This Week in the Garden, reaches more than 5,000 customers.

Classroom 5

John Connel and Kevin Waters
IGC Trend Spotting

John Connel is a Director of The Garden Works in the U.K., where he works closely with industry trade associations to support their grower and retailer groups. He previously served as vice president of business development at The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, supporting the IGC channel with exclusive marketing programs. He started his career in agricultural research, and broadened his portfolio of skills to include sales, merchandising, marketing, category development and team leadership.

Kevin Waters is an IGC retail consultant and founder of The Garden Works, based in the U.K. He specializes in team motivation and development, display and merchandising and promotions, working with clients across the U.K., Ireland, Europe and Japan. His retail experience includes Barton Grange Garden Centre, where he opened and managed the first chain of DIY plant centers in the U.K., and Wheatcroft Garden Centre, where he oversaw a 650 percent sales increase in eight years as general manager.

Get the Most from Your IGC Show Experience

TWO HOUR WORKSHOP - Tuesday, August 21, 8:30 - 10:30 am

Maximize your IGC Show experience with a head start on the key trends shaping garden retail to fortify your store’s product mix and merchandising. Map out your journey at the show by considering what demands a closer look. Discuss what your customers want to see more and less of in your garden center this coming year. Learn what conversations you should be having with your colleagues and vendors.

What’s Hot Across the Pond

Wednesday, August 22, 11 am - 12 pm

Take a trip across the pond for a tour of some of the U.K.’s best independent garden centers and flower shows. You’ll pick up useful ideas and suggestions for translating what you see to your store. You’ll also be introduced to some of the U.K. suppliers exhibiting at the show - take this opportunity to learn more about their products and ideas, and how they can support your garden center.

Successful Demos & Store Events Panel Discussion

Wednesday, August 22, 2 - 3 pm

Participation is the new consumerism! This session is loaded with ideas to spice up your store demonstrations and events. While the “what” and “how to” is important during demonstrations, we often forget we must convince the customer “why” they should be doing it. Show them what they’re going to get out of it, and how much they’re going to enjoy the end result. Learn how to have meaningful conversations with your customers and make them want to come back for more. Panelists: Frances Grossman, Owner, Grossmans Garden & Home; Lori Harms, Greenhouse Manager, Countryside Flower Shop, Nursery & Garden Center; Jonn Karsseboom, Owner, The Garden Corner.

Frances Grossman is President of Grossmans Garden & Home in Penfield, NY, where she oversees the financial, human resources and marketing departments as well as the garden art and home accents areas. The garden center’s primary demographic is women ages 25 to 65 looking for customized service and unique offerings to decorate themselves and their gardens. Grossman holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Dayton, and joined the business in 1994.

Lori Harms has served for 18 years as Greenhouse Manager of Countryside Flower Shop, Nursery & Garden Center in Crystal Lake, IL, ranked No. 99 in IGC Retailer’s 100 report with $5.5 million in sales. She joined the company after managing and assisting in the building of Platt Hill Nursery’s greenhouse facility. Harms served for 10 years on the Garden Center Symposium board of directors and four years on the ANLA Retail Division board of directors.

Jonn Karsseboom owns The Garden Corner in Tualatin, OR, and is on a single-minded mission to change the world for the better through hanging baskets. His quest for imagining, finding and creating the most unique hanging baskets has brought him to many parts of Europe, Canada and China – and he says he’ll visit any of the 50 states if there’s even a hint of a hanging basket he hasn't seen.

IGC Show & Tell

Wednesday, August 22nd, 3:15 - 4:15 pm

What “wowed” you at this year’s show? This fun, interactive session will allow you to share what you thought stood out and hear your peers’ thoughts on the highlights of the show this year. We’ll discuss the products, themes and trends that will help make your garden center more successful next year, and how you can implement these ideas when you get back home.

A Fresh Take on Training Panel Discussion

Thursday, August 23, 10 - 11am

Knowledge builds confidence, and confidence builds sales! This session takes a fresh look at in-store training with the help of a panel of forward-thinking IGC retailers. For maximum effect, training should be relevant, short, memorable and enjoyable for your employees. Short, sharp and inspiring sessions that can be put into practice immediately will give your team a greater level of confidence and satisfaction with the job they’re doing. Panelists: Larry Grossman, Owner, Grossmans Garden & Home; Richard Harms, Owner, Countryside Flower Shop, Nursery & Garden Center; John Scott, Owner, Knollwood Garden Center & Landscaping.

Larry Grossman is CEO of Grossmans Garden & Home, in Penfield, NY, where he oversees green goods sourcing, including the growing of annuals, hanging baskets, specimen shade and ornamental trees and other plant buying, as well as the design/build division. He started the operation in 1984, just two years after graduating from The University of Maine with a bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science.

Richard Harms co-owns Countryside Flower Shop, Nursery & Garden Center in Crystal Lake, IL, ranked No. 99 in IGC Retailer’s 100 report with $5.5 million in sales. The operation is a full-service garden center with landscaping, flower shop and greenhouse production departments. Harms has managed the operation with his business partner for 38 of the 52 years it has been open to the public

John Scott is the third-generation Owner of Knollwood Garden Center & Landscaping, Beavercreek, OH. Scott believes proper selection, a strong program, consistent progressive training and positive reinforcement consistently yield star performers and strong teams. The garden center has served the greater Dayton area since 1925.

IGC Start/Stop Strategies

Thursday, August 23, 11:15 am - 12:15 pm

What should we stop doing so that we can start focusing on what we do best? This back-to-basics session will help you refocus on the “why,” “what” and “how” to ensure your garden center remains competitive in today’s economy. You’ve picked up plenty of new ideas and products from this year’s show, now make sure they don’t get lost in the mix.

Classroom 6

Robert Hendrickson
The Future Is Now

Robert Hendrickson is Managing Director of The Garden Center Group, an alliance of more than 120 garden centers, consultants, service providers and preferred vendors. He created the Business Development Program, which assists garden centers with marketing, site development, financial analysis and benchmarking, human resource standards, media placement, mystery shopper services and business strategies. He writes exclusively for IGC Retailer magazine.

Sponsored by

Working with Garden Writers for a Profitable Future Panel Discussion

TWO HOUR WORKSHOP - Tuesday, August 21, 8:30 - 10:30 am

The goal of every garden center, every brand, every manufacturer and every breeder is to better understand how to get more consumers gardening. In this session, you’ll hear from writers on the front line of consumer garden communications about how the audience is changing - and what needs to change at the store level for garden centers to keep up. Learn how forward-thinking IGC retailers are working with traditional writers to tell their story to consumers. Panelists: Wendy Hendrickson, Vice President, The Garden Center Group; Linda Nitchman, Regional Director, Garden Writers Association; Additional Panelists TBA.

Wendy Hendrickson is Vice President of The Garden Center Group, where she develops relationships and manages communication flow among garden centers, business service providers and vendors. After many years working as a garden center manager, she now looks through the customer’s eyes, focusing on the shopping experience. She oversees the group’s Mystery Shop program, which has completed more than 3,000 secret shops in garden centers across the country.

Linda Nitchman is a freelance writer, photographer, speaker and public relations consultant whose work appears in regional and national publications. During her 30-year career, she has received numerous awards for journalistic excellence and has served as a Regional Director for the Garden Writers Association. She has served by mayoral appointment on her community’s greenspace committee, overseeing public gardens and reviewing landscape plans for new developments.

Every Garden Center Has a Life Cycle - Where Are You?

Wednesday, August 22, 11 am - 12 pm

All small businesses, garden centers included, experience different stages of growth in their life cycle, from prosperity to a reduction in performance. In this session, Robert is joined by Steve Bailey, an IGC expert with more than 30 years of garden center ownership experience. Recognizing which stage you’re in is a major factor in maximizing performance, they’ll explain. Explore the life cycle of a garden center, including the decisions and ramifications that will shape your company’s future.

Steve Bailey owns Steve Bailey Consulting and serves as a financial advisor for The Garden Center Group. As a former garden center owner with more than 30 years of experience, he is in a unique position to assist IGC retailers of all sizes on proper measures to navigate today’s economy. His focus on margin management, inventory control and profitability has had a dramatic effect on garden centers’ bottom lines.

Buy, Sell & Profit - Today, Tomorrow & In the Years to Come Panel Discussion

Wednesday, August 22, 2 - 3 pm

From some perspectives, the garden center industry is a seasonal enterprise, but the need for creating a consistently viable business never stops. These garden center owners discuss their strategies and struggles for consistent profitability in good times and bad to stay in business today, tomorrow and in the years to come. Moderator: Sid Raisch, Horticultural Advantage. Panelists: Dana Altum, Owner, Altum’s; Steve Boehme, Owner, GoodSeed Farm Country Garden Center & Nursery; Steve Maddox, General Manager, Rice’s Nursery; Jeff Webeler, Owner, White Oak Garden Center.

Sid Raisch is Founder and President of Horticultural Advantage, a consulting firm for independent garden centers and their suppliers. He has taken 31 years of experience assisting a wide range of green industry companies and formulated it into a systematic program designed to help garden centers make the kind of decisions that drive sales, improve operations and focus on profit. He is affiliated with The Garden Center Group.

Dana Altum owns Altum’s, a retail garden center and landscaping company in Zionsville, IN, and has been a trusted resource for Indianapolis gardeners for more than 50 years. She and her team are resilient, prevailing against all odds, including working in a family business, a two-year road construction project and a relocation debacle at the hand of a major grocery chain.

Steve Boehme owns and operates GoodSeed Farm Country Garden Center & Nursery, a destination store in Peebles, OH. His weekly gardening column “Let’s Grow!” is featured in nine newspapers in southwest Ohio. After growing up in the family landscaping business, Boehme’s career led to the Fortune 100 corporate world. Then, in 1997, he moved his family back to Ohio from the Philadelphia area to establish the garden center.

Steve Maddox is General Manager at Rice’s Nursery & Landscaping in North Canton, OH, where he has worked for more than 12 years. He is an Ohio Certified Nursery Technician, and has a degree in landscape architecture from SUNY ESF in Syracuse, NY. He has served on the retail and education committee for the Ohio Landscape & Nursery Association, and is active in his regional chamber of commerce.

Jeff Webeler owns White Oak Garden Center in Cincinnati, OH. He and his wife Patty have operated the business, with annual sales of $1.7 million, since 1979. Active in his community and several trade associations, Webeler is positioning the garden center for growth in the coming years. He is an active member of the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association and a member of The Garden Center Group.

Is It Time to Grow or Go? You Decide Panel Discussion

Wednesday, August 22, 3:15 - 4:15 pm

This session looks at the good ideas, great intentions and boneheaded decisions that have helped shape the garden center industry as we know it today. Take a trip through the past with an eye toward the future to learn from the victories and mistakes. Should you keep plowing everything you own back into the business, or focus on putting more aside for the future? Or maybe it’s time to step aside and see what someone else can do. You decide. Panelists: Kenneth Araujo, Owner, Araujo’s Garden Center; Henere Valk, Owner, Evergreen Home & Garden Showplace; Bill Van Wilgen, Owner, Van Wilgen’s Garden Center.

Kenneth Araujo owns and operates Araujo’s Garden Center in Dighton, MA, along with his wife Darlene and daughter LeeAnne, who represents the fourth generation of family leadership as manager. What began as a dairy farm has since flourished into a full retail garden center and growing operation. With the help of several consultants, Araujo’s long-term goal is to transition the profitable garden center and farm to the next generation.

Henere Valk is the second-generation Co-owner of Evergreen Home & Garden Showplace in Kingsport, TN. He and his brother operate three retail locations, a landscape division and a growing range that supports the retail stores. He is past president of the Tennessee Nursery & Landscape Association and Co-founder of TAG Garden Group. He is also a member of TruServ and The Garden Center Group.

Bill Van Wilgen is the Owner of Van Wilgen’s Garden Center, North Branford, CT. Not only has Van Wilgen created one of Connecticut’s most prominent garden centers, he has taught others to follow his example, readily sharing the secrets of his successes, failures and personal journeys. Van Wilgen has served as president of the Connecticut Nursery & Landscape Association and the Connecticut Greenhouse Growers Association.

Does Your Garden Center Ooze Shopability?

Thursday, August 23, 10 - 11 am

From traffic flow and safety concerns to flexibility, security and spatial perspectives, creating the most effective and efficient use of space at your garden center requires more than just putting on a pretty face. In this session, Robert is joined by renowned landscape architect Robert Hayter, who specializes in garden center store design. Learn what some of the country’s leading retailers and most successful garden centers have done to create the type of retail environment that oozes shopability.

Robert Hayter is an award-winning registered landscape architect who specializes in garden center store design. He draws upon his 34 years of experience in the field to help retailers redefine their selling space to create the best consumer experience. Hayter is the Resident Landscape Architect for Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina and was the Resident Landscape Architect for The Homestead resort in Virginia for 14 years. He serves on the Board of Directors for The North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, NC, and as a Special Advisor for the North Carolina Association of Nurserymen.

You’ve Got Questions, We’ve Got Answers Panel Discussion

Thursday, August 23, 11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Don’t leave the IGC Show with questions, go back with the answers that will make a real difference in your success. This session is a fast-paced idea exchange, where anything goes to ensure no one leaves with questions dealing in finance, operations, site development or marketing. Bring your questions, and leave with confidence. Panelists: Steve Bailey, Steve Bailey Consulting; Robert Hayter, The Hayter Firm; Sid Raisch, Horticultural Advantage.

Classroom 7

Tom Shay
Management that Makes More Money

Tom Shay gained considerable experience as a fourth-generation merchant, providing him with the knowledge and background to present successful ideas to assist owners, managers and staff with the day-to-day operation of their business. As an every-issue columnist for IGC Retailer magazine, he offers proven, time-tried ideas on the topics of promotion, customer loyalty, business management design, employee skill development and financial control.

Are You Running a Five-Star Garden Center?

TWO HOUR WORKSHOP - Tuesday, August 21, 8:30 - 10:30 am

When you visit a five-star hotel or restaurant, you can tell the difference in the way the business looks and how the employees treat you. If there were a similar rating system for garden centers, how would you score? This session looks at what is required to operate a top-notch store. Evaluate your business and determine where to devote your time and attention in order to reach that prestigious five-star status in the minds of your customers.

Get Your Staff Playing on the Same Team

Wednesday, August 22, 11 am - 12 pm

Got employees? Got problems? Have you ever said your garden center would be great - if only you didn’t have to work with all those people you hired? Learn what you can do to make your staff contribute as key players to the grand game plan you have for your business. Learn the process of putting together a great team, and understand why you should be educating your employees instead of training them.

Abbott and Costello’s ‘How to Operate a Garden Center’

Wednesday, August 22, 2 - 3 pm

We all know Abbott and Costello’s famous “Who’s On First” comedy routine. Now, enjoy a humorous take as it is applied to garden center management. There is a lesson to be learned at each of the positions on the baseball diamond. It is comedic, but there is a lot of wisdom to be gained from this routine. Get ready to score secrets to successful store management you’ll apply the minute you get back to home base.

Beating the Boxes at the Game of Pricing

Wednesday, August 22, 3:15 - 4:15 pm

Has a shopper ever pointed out that the box store down the street has the same item for sale at a lower price? How about the customer who tells you she considers your garden center a convenience store, but she makes her major purchases at the discounters? Learn how to increase your gross margins while beating the boxes at the price image game. You’ll have fun, amaze your customers and frustrate the boxes when you learn how to play - and win.

Three Steps to Increasing Your Profit Margins

Thursday, August 23, 10 - 11 am

Monthly profit and loss statements and balance sheets should not be points of confusion but tools of enlightenment that show you how to make more money and diminish financial challenges. Especially if your business has a bank loan, this session is for you. Learn how certain aspects of your financial statements can help you secure a more favorable interest rate, as well as stay out of trouble with the “covenants” of the loan agreement.

Seasonal Ordering for Success

Thursday, August 23, 11:15 am - 12:15 pm

The most profitable garden centers understand the benefits of seasonal ordering and take advantage of the terms their vendors provide. As the old adage of the garden center industry says, half the profit lies in selling, and the other half lies in buying. If you strive to make better inventory ordering decisions, this session will enlighten you. Gain a better understanding of inventory ordering, and make a plan for success.