Feb 19, 2015
Surviving & Thriving in Orlando By Tim Hodson

Last week, growers from across the country converged on Orlando, Florida, for the eighth annual Big Grower Executive Summit.

The theme for this year’s event was “Surviving & Thriving” as attendees had the opportunity to learn about many of the different business issues that are impacting their companies today and in the coming years.

Our keynote speaker, Curt Steinhorst from the Center for Generational Kinetics, opened the Summit with his presentation on Selling to Millennials that really set the tone for the next two days. He provided attendees with insight into the minds and actions of Gen Y and how our industry will benefit from them in the future.

Costa Farms’ Marta Maria Garcia showed us some of the innovative marketing programs and techniques that Costa is using to sell to today’s consumers while preparing to meet the needs of the next generation of “gardeners.”

Chris Walsh’s presentation on “The Business Side of Marijuana” generated quite a bit of discussion among attendees. He discussed the current state of the cannabis industry in the United States and talked about the business challenges and opportunities the cannabis industry offers. Walsh is the managing editor of Marijuana Business magazine.

Professional Builder magazine’s Denise Dersin provided attendees with a great snapshot of the U.S. housing industry and what we can expect to see this year and in the future. And AmericanHort’s Craig Regelbrugge brought everyone up to date on what is going on in Washington, D.C., as well as the organization’s efforts to keep everyone informed about the honeybee and neonicotinoids issue.

Attendees also heard presentations on how to make the most out of “big data” in their business, dealing with ever-changing fuel prices and their impact on logistics and the latest research from the University of Florida on how consumers react to the different traits of live goods.

We’d like to extend a special “Thank You” to Ty and Randy Strode at Agri-Starts and everyone at Hermann Engelmann Greenhouses in Apopka for their hospitality for the behind-the-scenes tours at both facilities.

Plans for the 2016 Big Grower Executive Summit are under way.

Stay tuned for details “¦

Tim

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