Minimizing Costs and Maximizing Profits
Are you looking to expand your personal knowledge on how to improve your bottom line?
If you are then you should check out the University of Florida IFAS Extension’s upcoming online course on Advanced Costing and Profitability. Participants will develop the skills to accurately estimate production costs and profit for their business.
The course is designed for experienced growers and managers in the United States and other countries and is offered in English and Spanish.
The online course runs for four weeks, from Oct. 30 to Dec. 1, and costs $499 per participant. Participants will receive a personalized certificate of completion. The course is limited to 50 participants. Each week there are two streaming video lessons, readings and assignments (about three to four hours total commitment per week), which can be accessed at any time of day.
Specific course topics include:
- Crop enterprise budgets
- Preparing your income statement data
- How to interpret income statement
- Allocating overhead
- Seasonality, space use and shrinkage
- Labor cost and efficiency
- Pricing and profitability
- Return on investment in technologies
This course has five instructors from two universities and the greenhouse industry. Instructors include Paul Fisher, University of Florida; Alan Hodges, University of Florida; Charles Hall, Texas A&M; Bill Swanekamp, Kube-Pak; and Rosanna Freyre, University of Florida. Click here to register.
For more information, go to http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training, or email greenhousetraining@ifas.ufl.edu.
Help Wanted at Lowe’s Stores in the Southeast
Lowe’s plans to hire 3,000 new employees in Florida and the Southeast to help the communities bounce back from the after effects of Hurricane Irma. The home improvement retailer is “leveraging the power of we by uniting employees, volunteers and community partners to rebuild our community.” The home improvement retailer is sponsoring numerous job fairs throughout the region this week to fill seasonal, part-time and full-time positions including customer service, cashiers, delivery personnel, as well as stocking and loading jobs.
Walmart Foundation to Support Military Families Impacted by Hurricanes
The Walmart Foundation is committing $500,000 to Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance program to help meet the needs of military families affected by the recent hurricanes. The funding will support the financial needs of military family members struggling in the areas impacted by disaster. The funding also will help make up the difference in lost wages for members in the Reserve and National Guard who are called for active duty and must take leave of absence from jobs due to hurricane relief and rescue efforts.
Home Depot Recognizes Rio Dipladenia for Innovation
Earlier this month, the Home Depot announced its 2017 top picks for product innovation. In the lawn and garden category, Rio dipladenia from Fernlea Flowers received an honorable mention award. Rio is a beautiful, drought-resistant annual that originates from the mountains above Rio de Janero. It’s suitable for all climates in the U.S. and will add a trendy, tropical look to consumers’ gardens. The company’s top pick was a vinyl flooring system that looks like real hardwood.
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