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The importance of being customer oriented

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With 2022 ending and a new year approaching, it seems like a good time to discuss independent garden centers and what customers want and expect from them. All businesses strive to be better, or if they don’t, they probably won’t survive. At one time, garden centers had almost a captive audience of customers wanting to […]

The collaborative spirit of Oregon

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The pioneer spirit is truly the heartbeat of the Oregon nursery industry’s growth. In 1847, Henderson Luelling and his family loaded their wagons with personal possessions — including two wooden boxes filled with a composite mixture of charcoal and rich soil for over 700 grafted tree seeds — and departed west. Reading excerpts from explorer […]

Your vote is your voice

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The 2022 election cycle has more angst, absurd assumptions, and consequences than I have seen in some time. No doubt, regardless of discussions are at the fence post, supply stores or at family dinner, there is tangible uncertainty about the economy, crime, and our social fabric. In Oregon, a high number of voters believe the […]

The values of farm life

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For more than four generations, farming has been an integral part of our family. It’s in our blood. My father, Jay Nelson, decided to leave his father’s turkey farming operation in Utah as a young man, determined to leave its challenging work behind. But after successfully running his orthodontic practice for years, he recognized that […]

The privilege of service

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It’s been a privilege to serve the OAN membership for the last year. With all that happened in the last year, I’m amazed that it went by so fast.  This will be my last column as your OAN president. With that said, it brings a lot of emotions to mind but the two I settle […]

A strong crop of leaders

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OAN Executive Director Jeff Stone reflects on the current crop of OAN leaders, and how the times will always produce the leaders an organization needs.

Our scholarships grow the future of nurseries

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The Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) established the Oregon Nurseries Foundation (ONF) to manage scholarship funds raised and/or contributed by OAN members. The money is used to award scholarships to deserving students who are preparing for a career in ornamental horticulture and related fields.

Where the lessons are

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Keeping up with growing plants is difficult. To get it done right requires a shifting strategy and an insane time commitment. And timing. The bottom line of the business is a direct reflection of the right work getting done on time.