Columns

Growing a vision for the future

By Jeff Stone — Posted January 1, 2020

Many of us grew up watching Hollywood’s idea of what the year 2020 might look like. “Back to the Future” (1985) thrilled us with 21st Century visions of flying cars and hovering skateboards, while “Blade Runner” (1982) took us into a bleak world, populated by synthetic humans working on colonized planets. Now that we’ve arrived […]

Why we connect

By Jim Simnitt — Posted January 1, 2020

Oregon is a diverse place with mountains and coastline, high deserts and fertile valleys. The nurseries that dot the Oregon map are just as diverse. Liner production, reforestation, cut flowers, Christmas trees, retail, and large specimen growers are just some of the categories represented, and our people are just as diverse as our products. Oregonians […]

Knowing your customers

By Mike Darcy — Posted November 22, 2019

“Location, location, location.” I have often heard that those three words are paramount for any brick-and-mortar retail business. I do not dispute their importance. Location matters for garden centers, too, but I think that three other words have greater importance: “Know your customers.” Knowing your customers — where they are coming from and what kinds of […]

Cumulative impacts have consequences

By Jeff Stone — Posted November 22, 2019

The nursery and greenhouse industry is once again Oregon’s top agricultural commodity by value, according to a sales estimate for 2018. High-quality plants and green goods continue to be in demand here and abroad. With this momentum at our back, we now must turn the page to 2020. The new year promises a tumultuous presidential […]

Slowing down to take stock

By Jim Simnitt — Posted November 22, 2019

The days are shorter, colder and wetter, which means it’s beginning to look a lot like the winter season around the nursery. This time around the holiday season is a slower time of year. The greenhouses are all buttoned up for winter. The pipes are drained and winterized. We have the time to slow down […]

Shades of meaning

By Ian Doescher — Posted October 23, 2019

It’s my privilege to work with a team of talented designers. One of them — Rachel Getsinger, Pivot’s senior design lead — takes the lead on many of our logo and branding projects. Recently, she has introduced Color Theory 101 to our clients when we present logo color options. In this month’s article, I’m passing […]

Turning protectors into producers

By Jeff Stone — Posted October 23, 2019

Veteran’s Day is our yearly opportunity to thank all those who have served in our armed forces. OAN members have proudly served our country, and those in my family have done so as well. Originally known as Armistice Day, it is a day dedicated to honoring those who have served in the United States Armed […]

Ready to rise and shine

By Jim Simnitt — Posted October 23, 2019

I was fortunate to grow up on our family nursery in Canby, Oregon. It is where I found a love of plants and the nursery industry, and has brought me to being your president of the Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) this year. If we have not met, let me introduce myself. My name is […]

My Farwest Show favorites

By Mike Darcy — Posted September 26, 2019

There are many reasons that I regularly attend the Farwest Show. One is for the social connection to others in the horticulture industry. There is camaraderie among garden people that I rarely see in other organizations, and it is hard to explain until you are part of it. I believe that social interactions are extremely […]

Your success is OAN’s mission

By Jeff Stone — Posted September 26, 2019

I have served as your executive director for more than nine years now and have been a steadfast advocate for the best people I have ever met. If you include my time as your government relations director prior to that, I have seen 14 years of ups and downs in our industry. When Kristin VanHoose […]