All in the Family

Jennifer Duffield White

Horticulture may run deep in the roots of my family, but I daresay, an independent streak might be to blame for us Whites continually striking out on our own. While several generations of sons and daughters have pursued horticulture in some manner, we’ve never managed to stretch a business (or employment at a business) from generation to generation.

My great-grandfather spent a long career at Ferry-Morse Seeds, and my grandfather, Lyman White, held his first job there as well. But he established his career at Asgrow Seed, where my father later got his first job. As tradition follows, though, my dad struck out on his own, eventually opening his own small greenhouse business, where my sister and I learned to transplant, weed and sell plants. Of course, we both charted our own paths—writing and landscape design—and the greenhouse closed as a one-generation business, just like 60% of family businesses in this country.

The lifeblood of this industry, like so many in this world, originates in the family business … and yet that transition from one generation to the next can be the biggest challenge a company faces. For the last couple of years, GrowerTalks columnist Gerry Raker has written about his company’s challenges as they anticipate a changeover of leadership. This month, he candidly reveals how they reorganized the company in preparation. “It was pretty obvious that the company would need a new organizational structure and managing style if it were going to operate without the owners’ daily input,” writes Gerry.

So to help out your family-owned business, we tapped into the expertise of Matthias Redlefsen. You may know him as the co-managing director (and sixth-generation owner, by marriage) of Ernst Benary Seeds of Germany. But more importantly, he earned a doctoral degree in multi-generational family businesses and was a consultant on the topic before he joined Benary. He’s agreed to give you a detailed tutorial in how to keep your business thriving for generations to come. Part 1 of this three-part series lays out the foundation for your success.

Thanks to my grandfather and father, I saw plant trials before I could even walk, but those row trials were a far cry from the flair of the 2009 California Pack Trials. Editors Chris Beytes and Ellen Wells teamed up to scour the length of California this spring in search of hot new plants, hip merchandising ideas and other helpful tidbits to energize your plant selection and marketing efforts. In the spirit of our “flip” format and our goal to create communication among both retailers and growers, you’ll find two Pack Trial articles at the middle of this magazine, where Green Profit and GrowerTalks meet, and flip. (That’s our not-so-subtle way of saying: Read and flip, and read some more. Get in tune with what retailers are thinking, and vice versa.)

And finally, once you’ve ordered those fantastic new varieties, don’t forget to consult with our trusty Culture Notes department for great tips on how to grow the newbies.