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Building Improvements Into Your Structure Jeff Warschauer discusses the trends and changes in our growing world in such areas as retrofitting using different types of vents and designing and building utility houses. The GPN Structures article gives growers some insights into the requirements from local municipalities and how Nexus can help with those issues. Posted on 11/8/2011 Think Food The April issue of Lawn and Garden Retailer featured an article written by Jeff Warschauer about the opportunities for retailers to supplement their existing products with food products and things to eat. Jeff examines how “today’s food trends – local, sustainable, organic, pesticide-free, humanely grown, home-made, and fresh – are a natural fit with retail garden centers, creating opportunities for incremental seasonal sales and reinforcing customer interest throughout the year.” Posted on 11/1/2011 2011 GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year Amy Hinkle is the recipient of this year’s scholarship. Her family owned a produce farm in Belle Center, Ohio where from the age of 11, she grew and sold cut flowers. A senior at Penn State, she did her internship at Bear Creek Farms in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Bear Creek is a 40-acre cut flower farm that grows and sells more than 90 different varieties of cut flowers year-round. “This is a young woman with a challenging mind and a desire to learn” adds Cheryl Longtin, Nexus CEO. Posted on 10/15/2011 How To Cut Costs and Improve Energy Efficiency The Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association asked Jeff Warschauer to talk about efficiencies of cost and energy in the July/August issue of their magazine. Don’t miss Jeff’s thoughts on ventilation, shade and energy curtains, heating, controls, etc. Advances in greenhouse design make it easier to manage costs and improve performance. Posted on 10/8/2011 Plant Marketing Encore The cover story of Big Grower in June 2010 tells the story of Larry Reit and the Plant Marketing team. In the article he says that when he started selling his product wholesale, he never imagined that it would be operating on the scale that it is today…..coming from a “12 foot greenhouse to a garden center to this”, Reit said pointing to his new Nexus greenhouses. Posted on 7/3/2010 Building Codes The National Greenhouse Manufacturer’s Association is focused on writing standards specific to greenhouses and assisting the proper authorities to ensure these structures are understood and treated correctly. This article in the July 2010 issue of Greenhouse Management and Production is authored by Craig Humphrey, Vice-President of Engineering for Nexus and the chairman of the Structures Committee of the NGMA. “Municipalities and other government entities are seeking to generate additional revenue through the enforcement of building codes that previously had exempted construction projects like greenhouses”. Posted on 7/2/2010 Wilson's Flexible Facility Ned and Mitzi Wilson reinvented themselves. After 41 years Wilson’s has a new Nexus garden center totaling almost 20,000 square feet. The Nexus Vail Atrium™ with curved bottom chord trusses and glass walls create an open feeling that shouts: “Shop till you Drop”. They maximized their space using covered walkways to tie everything together to pull customers to the nursery and back., Read the Today’s Garden Center July, 2010 article to learn more. Posted on 7/1/2010 Homestead's Grand Opening Homestead Gardens’ April grand opening of its second location in Severna Park, MD, had rave reviews. Homestead is number 22 in Nursery Retailers’ Top 100 Independent Garden Centers. They also have their flagship operation about twenty miles away in Davidson, MD. Nexus designed and built the garden center’s Atrium™ style greenhouse which was connected to their existing building and leads out to the nursery yard. Nursery Retailer, IGC show issue 2010 has photos of that celebration and the new garden center. Posted on 6/2/2010 Tom's Farm Market The cover story in Nursery Retailer, IGC 2010show issue was 8 pages of great information on Tom’s and how he and Huntley Illinois have grown over the years. For over 50 years, Tom Halat has lived his dream of being a farmer. Today his 16,000 sq. ft. of retail space, display gardens, and production greenhouses offer the customers a garden center, produce market, gift shop and bakery. Learn how he realizes his dream every day. Posted on 6/1/2010 Unexpected Expansion “A January fire at Pleasant View Gardens threatened the grower’s spring but a mighty fast rebuild and the right supporting cost kept the operation on track”. That’s the headline and the title in the Greenhouse Grower, Mid-May, 2010 story. The Huntingtons needed their rebuild completed by April 1st to meet their already scheduled deadlines. “Two weeks later they were putting posts in the grounds, and 26 days later the structure was up.” The Pleasant View and Nexus teams worked together to bring about a great solution. Posted on 5/1/2010 Watters Garden Center, Prescott, Arizona “With a niche as the local experts and a clear focus on the bottom line, garden retailing is serious business for Watters Garden Center”. The March 2010 cover story in Today’s Garden Center describes Watters as one of the most revolutionary garden centers in the country. Some recent innovations include making upgrades to their garden center facilities, including structure, parking, benching and displays, interior layout, exterior layout and technology. Posted on 3/1/2010 2010 Innovator Award WInner Stauffers of Kissel Hill is the Innovator of the Year. Read the story in Garden Center Magazine, February 2010 that describes their business success and what their team does that helped them win this award. This family-owned business understands how to take their great ideas and make them work. Stauffers of Kissel Hill did major redevelopment at its Rohrerstown, PA location with a new 78,000 sq. ft. supermarket. Posted on 2/1/2010 Liner Pioneers Oglesby Plants International is taking its tissue culture and young plant production beyond foliage and tropicals. The cover story of Greenhouse Grower, January 2010 explains what they are doing in Altha, Florida. Founded in 1947, Oglesby has evolved into a premier breeder and young plant producer. To help meet their uncompromising quality standards, Oglesby’s facilities employ a mix of advanced technology. Poly and polycarbonate greenhouses are computer climate-controlled and equipped with rolling European-style benches, cooling pads, and Nexus shade and heat retention systems. Posted on 1/2/2010 2009 GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year This year’s outstanding intern was Drew Guffey who grew up in a 112 year old family business in the Pittsburgh, PA area. He graduated from Colorado State University. Drew did his internship at Tagawa Greenhouses and was subsequently offered a position with them. He now is their head grower at their New Mexico location. In the January 2010 issue of GPN, Cheryl Longtin, Nexus CEO said “Drew respected all that he learned from his parents but wanted to supplement that knowledge. He did not choose a company for his internship that was a duplicate of his parent’s business. He sought out an internship that would compliment his background and help him grow.” Posted on 1/1/2010 Growing in the Mountain States So what does the cover story in Greenhouse Grower, December 2009 tell us about the last thirty years of the Olson Family and their operation in Salem, Utah? The four generations of Olsons have changed as the industry has changed. Today they grow annuals, perennials, and blooming potted plants and sell to the national retailers in the Rocky Mountain States. They have 1.2 million sq. ft. of greenhouse production and 650,000 sq. ft. of outdoor production. Chad Olson said “We feel that the industry is booming and are glad to be a part of it.” Posted on 12/1/2009 Atlantic Garden Center Christian and Sarah Crowell Dulina have successfully transitioned Atlantic Garden Center in Virginia Beach, VA from her parents who founded the business in 1991. The Dulinas bought the 2 acre facility and proceeded to put their own mark on the business. The Dulinas are working with Nexus to remodel the first four bays of the original Nexus garden center, about 10,000 sq. ft. housing the cashier area, gift shop, and hard good lines. The Cover story in Today’s Garden Center, November 2009, talks about their ideas of working with their staff and local customers. Posted on 11/1/2009 Retail Display - Fixture Options Evan Sharples, design engineer for Nexus tells about the many options that retailers have for displays and fixtures in their garden centers. The September 2009 issue of GPN walks you through the history of displays and the current available options. “Keeping plant material watered and looking good can be incredibly time consuming for grower/retailer staff members who could be helping customers in the meantime”. The Nexus self watering benches offer timely solutions to retailers looking for ways to sell more economically. Posted on 9/2/2009 Lucas Greenhouses - Grower of the Year “George and Louise Lucas combine the best in high tech and high touch by mixing modern production with mom-and-pop values. We are proud to recognize Lucas Greenhouses as our 25th Grower of the Year”, Greenhouse Grower, Sept 2009. With 770,000 sq. ft. of greenhouse production space in Monroeville, NJ, George Lucas has emerged as “one of the fastest growing, well-diversified operations in our industry”. “Lucas Greenhouses has steadily grown over the years because of its devotion to excellence” said Jeff Warschauer, Nexus Vice-President of Sales. Read all about their operations and success. Posted on 9/1/2009 Retail Reliability Today’s Garden Center’s July 2009 issue announces the introduction of a new line of self-watering benches that will save retailers money and provide uniform watering to plants. Nexus has always been in the business of benches, but now there is a bench designed specifically to meet the needs of retailers. Evan Sharples, design and operations engineer at Nexus said: “We saw a need to allow the customer to start to save money on their shrink and extensive amount of labor that is incurred to water those plants. So we wanted to design a product using technologies in the growing environment – capillary mats, and ebb and flood – integrated into a retail friendly product”. Posted on 7/2/2009 Natural Ventilation From energy efficiency to roof coverings, the Zephyr™ and Zail™ from Nexus have options, each offering distinct advantages. Read the Product Showcase in Greenhouse Grower, July 2009 that describes the benefits and functions of those naturally ventilation products. “These naturally ventilated greenhouses help optimize growing conditions by giving growers a superior, affordable cooling solution. Grower experience in these houses indicates the ability to hold outside ambient temperature in the greenhouse without use of mechanical cooling.” Posted on 7/1/2009 Warschauer's Conversion TIps In the On-line version of Greenhouse Grower, June 2009, Jeff Warschauer, Vice President of Sales for Nexus, wrote the ten factors that growers should consider before converting production facilities to retail. If this is one of the things that you are considering, make sure you take a look. Posted on 6/4/2009 Western Garden Centers, Utah “Why do people choose to garden in the Salt Lake area?” Lon Clayton owner of Western Garden Centers answers that “it is because each gardener wants to create an environment around her home that reflects her values”. One focus recently has been on the business of providing a venue for weddings. This Cover story in Nursery Retailer, IGC show issue, 2009 describes their operation in much detail including their ability to try something new and know when it is and isn’t working for them. Posted on 6/3/2009 High Hand Conservatory, Nursery & Art Gallery The Cover story of Garden Chic magazine, IGC show edition in 2009 was about High-Hand in Loomis, California and the unusual approaches that they have successfully incorporated into their business. Beginning as a landscape contractor, Scott Paris decided to enter the world of a retail garden center. Scott incorporated his café theme into the garden center with tables set inviting customers to stop and enjoy a pleasant lunch or weekend dinner. People almost forget that they are in a 38,000 sq. ft. garden center. Posted on 6/2/2009 Changing the Face of Retail So what does Stauffers of Kissel Hill do to reinvent itself? This third generation of owners has reinvented itself a number of times to offer customers the best in garden center and supermarket retail. This 77-year old operation knows what you have to do to not only exist but to thrive in a recession environment. The story also includes how they were successful in successfully merging their existing business with that of the two locations of Country Market Nursery which they acquired in 2008. At the same time they were remodeling their Rohrerstown garden center and supermarket. Read the cover story in Today’s Garden Center, June 2009. Posted on 6/1/2009 Plant Marketing The cover article in Greenhouse Grower, Mid-May 2009 issue is about Plant Marketing, LLC located in Eau Clair, Wisconsin, and their new Nexus Zephyr project comprised of 18 - 30’x420’ greenhouses. Larry Reit, owner of Plant Marketing bought land in September, broke ground on the project in mid-October and completed it the first week of January. When describing his experience with Nexus, Reit said: “I was really happy with them. They told us they were going to have X amount of semis on X date and they did. They stayed with their commitment.” Posted on 5/15/2009 Mariani Gardens Gives Your Senses a Treat Read the story about Mariani Gardens in Armonk, NY and you will taste, smell, and see the beauty of their operation. The Gardens is a climate-controlled Nexus structure that features items handpicked from around the world. The Green Profit, April 2009 story has many pictures including those of their water cascading wall, 1000 sq. ft. café, and customer friendly entrance. The double sided water wall that separates the retail area from the greenhouse is a focal point of the operation. Posted on 4/2/2009 Campbell's Nursery in Lincoln Nebraska The Campbell’s four generations have grown Campbell’s Nurseries and garden Centers from a hobby business 97 years ago to an “operation that provides landscape design, installation and maintenance services; including two full-service garden centers; and features more than 200 acres for greenhouse, container, and field production.” This story in American Nurseryman in April 2009 features a family who has successfully transitioned their business from one generation to another concentrating on their strengths. Posted on 4/1/2009 Taking Environmental Responsibility to Heart Lloyd and Candy Traven are featured in the cover story of Greenhouse Management and Production, March 2009 article. The Travens have incorporated their beliefs into how they grow. They believe in producing chemical-free plans that are beneficial to the body, the mind, the spirit and the environment. In February, Peace Tree obtained USDA organic certification for their facility. Lloyd said: “Sustainability is a positive message, but it’s now become a certification requirement for large growers”. Read how they do it in a Nexus greenhouse. Posted on 3/1/2009 2008 GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year The January issue of GPN presents the winner of the Intern of the Year Award. The winner is Paul Jemison. Paul grew up in Kansas, and will be graduating from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. He did his internship at Molbak’s Greenhouse and Nursery outside Seattle. He is enthusiastic and is willing to take risks and to function in areas that are totally new to him. He will be an asset to our industry. Posted on 1/4/2009 Bob's Market Bob’s Market in Mason, West Virginia has quadrupled in size in 12 years, going from 4 acres to 17. Read in Big Grower how they have “adapted to constant change – in the economy, the horticulture industry, and retail as a whole”. The Barnitz five sons inherited their love of growing-retailing from their father and demonstrate their abilities making it one of the industry’s premier locations. Posted on 1/3/2009 Multi-Zone Greenhouse Garden Genetics in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania is a unique breeding company. Read in the Greenhouse Grower article how they began and what they do. This article tells how a Nexus customer approaches his new project and the experiences they had in the building process and after. Posted on 1/2/2009 Up and Coming Businesses Three of four of the Up and Comers named by Grower Talks in the January issue are Nexus greenhouse owners. Each of them has a very different story. They all approach their business with zeal and a willingness to change to meet the needs of their customers. You will see more and more of these four companies. Posted on 1/1/2009 Where Are the Interns Now? The August, 2008 story in GPN helps us catch up with the 9 interns who have been GPN/Nexus scholarship winners. It is interesting to see where the years have taken them. Posted on 12/30/2008 Tips on Building A New Greenhouse Follow the building of a new greenhouse from beginning to end with Mulhall’s, the Nebraska-based retailer/grower/landscaper. They selected the Nexus Dual-Atrium greenhouse because of the environmental controls that it gave them. The article in Greenhouse Product News describes several hurdles such as challenging weather. The good news is that it is “some of the best quality crops we’ve grown. In fact the company experienced a boost in sales in 2008 compared to the previous year.” According to Juan Sio Guie, production supervisor and annuals head grower. Posted on 12/1/2008 Cost of Lost Opportunity In answer to question number 3, Jeff Warschauer, VP Sales Nexus explains the time-value cost of waiting to invest. This article in Today’s Garden Center talks about the high cost of lost opportunity. “Procrastination is the thief of time and money”. – Unknown Posted on 11/1/2008 Great Merchandising In “Dedication to Perfection” in Today’s Garden Center, co-owners of Cornell Farm, Ed Blatter and Deby Barnhart describe their route to record profits over the past three years. Portland Oregon is the home of their Nexus structure. These entrepreneurs keep a sharp eye on the bottom line and do some great merchandising. Posted on 10/1/2008 Winterize Your Greenhouse Jeff Warschauer, VP Sales and Craig Humphrey, VP Engineering for Nexus team up to offer suggestions on what you should do to winterize your greenhouse. Read the Greenhouse Grower article and make sure that your greenhouses are ready for the changes in temperature. Posted on 10/1/2008 2008 Retailer of the Year The winner of the 2008 Retailer of the Year Award is Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, Maryland. Don Riddle talks about his journey from a small road-side stand in 1973 to today’s 57,000 square foot covered space and 15 outdoor acres. This award is given each year by Nursery Retailer magazine in honor of the magazine’s founder Dick Morey. Posted on 9/1/2008 Retailer Spotlight If you want to know their favorite products, read the Garden Center Magazine article in September 2008 spotlighting Boulevard Flower Gardens in Colonial Heights, Virginia. Owners Mark and Francine Landa have expanded their full-service garden center to be 97% retail and 3% wholesale. They also have florist and landscaping services. Posted on 9/1/2008 Hoerr Nursery The cover story in the July issue of Today’s Garden Center is about the Hoerr Nursery family in Peoria, Illinois. The article describes how they have adapted over the years through three generations. They report fantastic sales in their new garden center. Nate Hoerr says that their new garden center is “one of the best retail business decisions we have made”. Posted on 7/1/2008 Family Business Dave and Joyce Hart tell the special story about their business and their family. Chris and Jess are the NEXGeneration at Hart's Greenhouses and Florist. Read "Family Matters" from the June 2008 issue of Lawn and Garden Retailer. Posted on 6/1/2008 Putting the Green in Greenhouse Greenhouse manufacturers make their structures more energy and cost-efficient for growers. Read what Craig Humphrey, VP Engineering for Nexus has to say about the green design movement and how it affects greenhouses. The article in American Nurseryman discusses a variety of views. Posted on 6/1/2008 Want to Build Your Own Greenhouse? Lucas Greenhouses in Monroeville, New Jersey has found that it pays to have employees dedicated to greenhouse construction. Thirty years ago, he had about 9,000 square feet and today he has over 630,000 square feet of Nexus greenhouses. George Lucas says “I love to build greenhouses. The Greenhouse Grower article describes how he is successful at building while still running the day-to-day operation. Posted on 5/1/2008 Learning to Conserve Pleasant View Gardens' owner and Nexus customer Henry Huntington talks about measures Pleasant View Gardens has taken to make their greenhouses more energy efficient. In the April, 2008 Greenhouse Product News article titled "Learning to Conserve" you can also read Jeff Warschauer, Nexus Vice President of Sales talk about how Huntington's Dual Atrium structures and dual curtains have contributed to Pleasant View's energy savings by eliminating the need for cooling fans, and reducing heat loss and condensation leaks. Posted on 4/1/2008 2008 ANLA Retail Rising Star The cover story in the March, 2008 issue of Today's Garden Center, salutes Steve McShane as the ANLA's Retail RIsing Star in "The Sky's The Limit" Read about Steve's Nexus Garden Center and his philosophy of succeeding in business. Posted on 3/1/2008 Henry Huntington “Checking In With Henry Huntington” in Greenhouse Grower March 2008 shows the five covers of Greenhouse Grower that have featured Henry over the years. The first time was in 1987, appearing with his father John and brother Jeff. The last one was with Jeff where they were honored as Grower of the Year. This article asks Henry, of Pleasant View Gardens, a number of questions about the industry today as well as what he sees in the future. Posted on 3/1/2008 Revolutionary 100 National Winner Nexus is proud to be one of the sponsors of Today’s Garden Center’s Top 100 Revolutionary Garden Centers Award and even more proud that the winner this year is Hillermann Nursery and Florist in Washington, Missouri. Sandi Hillermann McDonald and her brother Scott Hillermann discuss their operation and what makes them revolutionary. Posted on 2/1/2008 2007 Intern Award Winner Eric Pitzen, winner of the 2007 GPN/Nexus Intern Award completed four internships during his college tenure. Read his story in "Rooted in Passion" in the January. 2008 cover story of Greenhouse Product News. Posted on 1/1/2008 Mariani Gardens Mariani Gardens in Armonk, New York features an ultimate shopping experience. See the unique way they designed their garden center to include a fireplace, floral shop, elegant check-out, gardens with walkways and a ceiling to floor waterfall. The gorgeous photos in Garden Chic magazine tell it all. Posted on 1/1/2008 An Expansion That Worked Buck's Country Gardens in Doylestown, Pennsylvania is the topic of the story entitled "An Expansion That Worked" in the October issue of Garden Center Magazine. Their garden center expansion included a 60-car paved parking lot, a large warehouse, a barn-style garden shop, a gutter-connected greenhouse, a covered perimeter canopy and expansive outside plant display yard. See the article for more details. Posted on 10/1/2007 Atlantic Garden Center The cover story in the IGC Show issue of Nursery Retailer featured Atlantic Garden Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Jim and Jane Crowell share their experiences as garden center owners – the lessons they learned from mistakes and successes. They describe how the investment in their Nexus greenhouse added to their revenues. Posted on 8/1/2007 Structure Round-Up Jeff Warschauer, Nexus VP Sales and representatives from several other greenhouse manufacturers talk about trends in greenhouse and retail construction. Today’s Garden Center has made a list of all of their suggestions to include what you need to do in preparation for a build or a rebuild. Posted on 8/1/2007 Make Your Move The new Nexus facility at Boulevard Flowers in Colonial Heights, VA is three miles away from their 52 year old facility. Read about their planning and transition in the Lawn and Garden Retailer story in July 2007 "Make Your Move". Posted on 7/1/2007 Transition from Wholesale to Retail Grower Marsha and Greg Haefner made the transition from wholesale grower to retail grower at For the Garden at Haefner’s Greenhouse near St. Louis, Missouri. They describe the steps they followed to make that change. They tell their customers that they appreciate their business by serving coffee for them to enjoy as they travel the destination gardens. Read the story “Overcoming the Hurdles” in Grower Talks magazine. Posted on 7/1/2007 How Long Is Long? When investing in your new facility, how far out should you begin planning? Read the June 2007 article "How Long Is Long?" in GrowerTalks magazine and see what Craig Humphrey, Nexus Vice President of Engineering has to say. Posted on 6/1/2007 Equipped To Grow Hart’s Greenhouse and Florist LLC is featured on the cover of GMPRO in the article “Hart’s is Equipped to Grow”. The Harts in Canterbury, Connecticut have come a long way from selling a few flats of leftover tomato plants to a local hardware store. They now have three retail garden centers and have expanded production facilities to grow for their own stores. Hart’s now includes their son Chris and daughter Jessica. These retail-growers know what they are doing and do it well. Posted on 4/1/2007 What's Happening With Structure? The open roof is by far the biggest movement in our industry" said Jeff Warschauer, Nexus Vice-President of Sales, when asked "What's Happening With Structure?" Read the GPN article from the April 2007 issue. Posted on 4/1/2007 Menne Nursery Menne Nursery and Garden Artistry owners Gary and Kathy Sokolowski describe the alterations that they have made to their 67 year old Amherst, New York institution. The article in Garden Center Magazine tells about their new classroom that holds 40, their new logo and colors, the covered walkways and their plans for the future. They have been working with a master plan and it is working for them. Posted on 3/1/2007 Nurturing Urban Gardens The winner of the Nexus Community Garden Contest was New Roots Urban Farm in St. Louis, MO. Read "Nurturing Urban Gardens" in Greenhouse Grower, March 2007. New Roots won a Nexus greenhouse for their facility in the national contest. Posted on 3/1/2007 Platt Hill Nursery Garden Center Magazine featured an interview in March, 2007 “What we’re really selling is outdoor beauty”, with Platt Hill the owner of Platt Hill Nursery in Chicago, Illinois. He is very proud of his standout garden centers. He talks in this interview about how he got into the industry and how he competes in a crowded market. Posted on 3/1/2007 Retail Rising Star Frank Fernicola, Jr. co-owner/manager of Fairfield Garden Center in Fairfield, New Jersey has won the coveted award from Today’s Garden Center. He is described as having award winning dedication. The award is to recognize individuals who are making significant contributions, not only to their garden centers, but to the industry as a whole. In addition to having Nexus greenhouses, he also attributes much of his industry involvement to two of his friends, Bob Heitzman from Mitchell’s and our own Jeff Warschauer. Posted on 3/1/2007 2006 GPN/Nexus Intern Scholarship The winner of the 2006 GPN/Nexus Intern Scholarship is Alina Lovelace. Read the "Finding Her Path" story of her 3 month internship and her plans for the future in the January 2007 issue of GPN. The GPN/Nexus Scholarship program is in its ninth year. In the article you will learn how you can submit a nominee for next year. Posted on 1/1/2007 Navigating The Road To Retail "Navigating The Road To Retail". The January 2007 issue of Today's Garden Center, tells the story of how Nexus transformed Jerry's For All Seasons in Scranton, PA from a former KFC restaurant to a modern classy destination. Posted on 1/1/2007 |
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