Being Independent is GREAT...
but you're on your own to figure out how to grow and manage your business.

For less than $315/month ($10.27 per day) you can be an active part of a network of more than 120 independent garden centers, just like you, to learn and share business-building ideas and experiences.

The Group Experience… consists of two major components of sharing…

(1) Sharing data, benchmarking, and experiences with fellow garden centers

Group Sharing Programs:
Weekly Enews - GROUPtalk
Weekly Department Review (WDR)
Annual P&L Study
Timely Topic-Specific Conference Calls - GROUPtalk-Live
Group Email ListServ
Group Mystery Shopper Benchmarking across all group shops
Full Group Member Contacts for Direct Access
Group Meetings - The Annual Fall Event and Other Activities
Retailers’ Choice Awards™ or Cool Products Awards at industry trade shows
such as Cultivate, Farwest, SNA, TPIE, MANTS, New England Grows and more

(2) Collaboration with our Service Providers – professional in their areas of expertise

In today’s business climate, trying to go it alone is doing it the hard way. The Garden Center Group offers you access to the most innovative ideas in the industry. Proven methods that take the guesswork out of important business decisions. Direction, support, guidance and step-by-step assistance in some of the most important aspects of operating a successful garden center in these radically changing times. And best of all, you’ll be part of The Group – a multi-million dollar alliance of some of the industry’s leading garden centers. Our Service Providers include:  Steve Bailey, Robert Hayter, Robert Hendrickson, Tom Kegley, Steve Kendall, John Kennedy, Tim Quebedeaux, Sid Raisch, Christine Salwitz, Jean Seawright, Mary Gaskell, Arlene Tannis, and others.

We invite you to leverage the Power of The Group!

Take Full Advantage of The Garden Center Group Benefits
Take a look at this list of benefits and check off The Group Benefits you feel could help to make your business more profitable!

Communications

GROUPtalk – weekly electronic newsletter (every Monday morning)
GROUPtalk Live – seasonal conference calls on hot topics
GardenCenterGroupEs – group email list-serve for information exchange 


Financial

Weekly Department Review (WDR) – retail sales tracking & analysis via email
Annual P & L Study – industry exclusive detailed benchmarking


Group Website Resources
Member Home Page – weekly updates and Group news links
Client List – plus photos and Google location map of Group garden centers and direct links to websites and emails
Group Partners – service provider and preferred vendor contact list with direct links to websites and emails
Business Tools – forms, templates and documents to help you better manage your day-to-day operations including Financial, Marketing, People/HR and Planning Tools
GROUPtalk enews – posted weekly
Group Events – listing of trade show gatherings, Fall Event details, GROUPtalk-Live schedule
Meeting Notes – notes, handouts, trade show reviews
Retail Spotlight – your eyes on the road, photos & commentary of retail products, displays, and signage
WDR reports – posted weekly
GROUPtalk-Live – sessions and recordings posted seasonally


Meetings & Events

Annual Fall Event – workshops, retail tours, P&L review, sharing and more
Group Gatherings – at trade shows & industry events, including Retailers’ Choice Awards


Product/Program Support

Group Preferred Vendor – programs & products
Fall Event Sponsors – reviews of new product introductions


A Sense of Community

The Garden Center Group provides an environment for the open exchange of ideas, experiences, best practices, and information to fuel success. This community brings together a diverse group of independent retailers from across North America to share, create and multiply the capabilities beyond that of any one individual garden center.

Retainer includes phone and email access to industry experts with expanded service available for additional fees:

  • Marketing – Next New Planet, Robert Hendrickson
  • Business Strategies – Horticultural Advantage, Sid Raisch
  • Financial Management & Analysis – Steve Bailey Consulting, Steve Bailey
  • Team Building & Succession - John Kennedy Consulting, John Kennedy
  • Human Resource Services – Seawright & Associates, Jean Seawright
  • Marketing Strategies – Tom Kegley Communications, Tom Kegley
  • Marketing-Integrated Digital – Steve Kendall, The DesignWorks
  • Media Placement – Gaskell Media Management, Mary Gaskell
  • Mystery Shop Program – Danny Summers, The Garden Center Group
  • Property Development & Site Design – LKC Engineering, Robert Hayter

To find out how your company can be part of the industry's most unique and exciting organization, contact us today!

Next Step...  Get In Touch

NEED HELP in connecting or implementing any new services at your business?

Contact Danny Summers today and we’ll get you moving toward taking full advantage of The Group!

To Download a list of Group Benefits & Intro Page:  CLICK HERE. (3-page PDF)

To Download a complete introduction to Group (IntroPackage):  CLICK HERE. (42-page PDF)