Columns

Our voice matters

By Jim Simnitt — Posted February 26, 2020

In February, I joined a group of the OAN’s Government Relations Committee members on a trip to Salem. We met with legislators to talk about the current session and how multiple bills directly relate to, and impact, our nursery industry. Ten or more years ago, this would have been an “off year” — the legislature would […]

Gleams of an extended garden season

By Mike Darcy — Posted January 23, 2020

Former Portland Rose Society President Rich Baer sent me a photo that he took this past Thanksgiving from his garden. It was a bouquet of roses. I have lived in the Portland area for many years and it is not often I’ve thought of picking a full bouquet of roses at the end of November! […]

Success is the sum of many parts

By Jeff Stone — Posted January 23, 2020

The nursery and greenhouse industry is chock full of successful operations — companies that have grown with the industry over time. To achieve that kind of lasting success requires a strong vision, as well as an ability to build a sound team to execute it. I’ve been fortunate to participate in successful teams multiple times […]

Instant gratification

By Jim Simnitt — Posted January 23, 2020

This past fall I was able to take time away from my nursery and visit a few of our new retail customers. It’s always great to get out and see how the retail sector of our industry is doing. One of the things that kept coming up was an emerging trend of “just in time” […]

Spending your first digital dollars

By Ian Doescher — Posted January 1, 2020

Beyond the ads you see on Facebook, Instagram, and Google, digital advertising may be something of a mystery to you. Many small- and medium-sized businesses aren’t sure where to start when it comes to digital marketing, because it is still fairly new and its landscape is ever-changing. Given the challenges, you may be curious about […]

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 […]