Greenhouse Grower to Grower

Ep.50 - Top Insights and Leading Voices From Our First 50 Episodes

This is the 50th episode of the Greenhouse Grower to Grower podcast, and in recognition of that milestone, we want to share some of our favorite insights and perspectives from the conversations we’ve had since launching this podcast. 

Ep.49 - A Preview of the 2025 Southern Garden Tour

This year’s Southern Garden Tour takes place June 3-5, and features plant trials at Young’s Plant Farm in Alabama, the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and Metrolina Greenhouses’ North Carolina facilities. This past week, I had a great conversation with the trial managers at each location: Dr. Mark Yelanich, Director of R&D at Metrolina, Penny Merritt-Price, Product Development Manager at Young’s Plant Farm, and John Ruter, Director of the Trial Gardens at the University of Georgia. We talked about the trials process from beginning to end, what’s new for this year, and why these trials benefit both growers and plant consumers. Here’s our conversation. 

Ep.48 - Why N.G. Heimos’ Recent Acquisition Offers Promise for the Future

Earlier this month, we learned that the Hoffmann Family of Companies, a family-owned private equity firm, was acquiring N.G. Heimos Greenhouses, a family-run growing operation based in Illinois and one of the nation’s largest poinsettia growers. I caught up with Bernie Heimos, President of N.G. Heimos, and David Hoffmann, Founder and Chairman of HF Companies, to learn more about the purchase makes sense for both companies, and why it makes N.G. Heimos well-positioned for a bright future in the floriculture industry. Here’s our conversation. 

Ep.47 - Awards, Top 100, and Events: An Update From Greenhouse Grower

In this episode of Greenhouse Grower, you can learn more about California Spring Trials, Greenhouse Grower’s Top 100 program, and how to nominate a grower for our Medal of Excellence awards. Plus, get a recap of the 10th annual BioSolutions Conference. 

Ep.46 - Ken Littrell on Leadership, Communication, and Motivating Your Greenhouse Team

Ken Littrell grew up on a family farm, and since then he’s worked in and out of floriculture, including spending time with some of the industry’s leading growing operations. He specializes in leadership development, change management, and how to build a better team through transparency and communication. In my recent conversation with Ken, we talked about everything from how to keep your team motivated and mission-focused during the busy spring season, to how the best leaders lead by example. Here’s our conversation.

Ep.45 - An Update on Seed Your Future With Jazmin Albarran

Jazmin Albarran is the Executive Director of Seed Your Future, an organization focused on educating young people about plants, as well as developing the next generation of industry leaders. I recently caught up with Jazmin to learn more about how Seed Your Future has evolved since its formation in 2014, and in particular in the last four years under her leadership, and what it is in the works for 2025. Here’s my conversation. 

Ep.44 - Michael Maggiotto on How to Protect Your People and Your Company Amid Immigration Enforcement

The current chaos around the nation’s immigration policy is creating high levels of uncertainty for employees and employers alike. The green industry relies on immigrant labor to fill critical roles responsible for planting, growing, cultivating, harvesting, packaging, and shipping plant products to clients and customers alike. Many of the supporting inputs, tools, and services to the industry also rely on this labor force. With all the uncertainty, what should employers do? In this episode of Greenhouse Grower to Grower, we talk to Michael Maggiotto, Director of Human Resource Solutions at BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group, about how you can take care of your people first and your business second, as well as the questions you need to ask yourself when it comes to employee documentation. Here's our conversation. 

Ep.43 - The Face Behind Buglady Consulting: or Why Suzanne Wainwright-Evans’ Obsession With Insects Is Contagious

There’s probably no one more knowledgeable on the ins and outs of biological products and how they work in the greenhouse than Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, also known as The Buglady. Suzanne has offered her insights and advice at several industry conferences and workshops, and she’s also written articles for trade publications such as Greenhouse Grower. She provides hands-on training for growers as well as garden retailers, and she does it all through her business, Buglady Consulting, which she started 25 years ago. In my recent conversation with Suzanne, I was fortunate to learn even more, including how her obsession with insects began she was in middle school, why there’s still a lot the industry still needs to learn when it comes to biocontrols, and how failure can often lead to innovation. Here's our conversation.