Mar 26, 2008
Short Course Steps Up Offerings for Garden CentersSource: OFA

The garden center track at this year’s OFA Short Course, July 12 to 15 in Columbus, Ohio, will provide plenty of ideas to make your company more profitable. The garden center program kicks off with an all-day garden center tour on Saturday, July 12, that will visit Cahoon Nursery, Garden Village, Pandy’s Garden Center and Petitti Garden Center. At these four sites, attendees will experience a range of operations, state-of-the-art facilities, unique ideas and customer service at its best.

At Short Course, Bill McCurry and Gary Hudson return for another opportunity to share new ideas, proven strategies and everything in between at the Retailer Idea Exchange. Learn ways to increase traffic, build community ties, and energize your business from your peers who have tried and live to tell about it. Everyone is invited to share, brainstorm, take notes and network during this dynamic session.

If you’ve been slow to learn about one of the hottest topics in floriculture, here’s your chance. The special track at this year’s OFA Short Course is on Sustainability. With six sessions this education track will cover everything you need to know to get up to date. From how to become certified to methods for implementing sustainable practices to how to market your sustainable products, this all-day track will provide the in-depth information you need to know, including a detailed account of the proposed ANSI Sustainable Draft Standard.

General sessions will be offered Saturday through Tuesday, featuring speakers such as Dr. Bridget Behe, Judy Sharpton, Phil Adikes, Joe Baer and Krista Dwiggins. Topics include :