CNGA Looseleaf Dec 2018 Jan 2019

5 colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf December 2018/January 2019 MEMBER PROFILE Echter’s Nursery & Garden Center 5150 Garrison Street Arvada, Colo. 80002 303.424.7979 echters.com Interviewwith Steve Echter, President & Co-owner Grower/Retailer with Tradition of Sustainability What was the company’s initial market? In the ‘60s, carnations were the hot item and a very profitable product for us. Colorado had the ideal climate and lots of sunshine that enabled us to grow more carnations per square foot than growers in other regions of the country could. During those early years, 115 greenhouses in the Den- ver area were growing carnations. Due to a combination of factors, especially the rapid development of the carnation industry in South America, our carnation business came to an end in the ‘80s. What benefits do you gain from growing the plants you sell? From the start, we’ve always been a grower. After the carnation market declined, we moved into growing bedding plants, which subsequently led to opening our retail garden center and gradually phasing out our wholesale operations. By growing what we sell, we can offer our customers a consistent source of plant material, and we know exactly what our inventory is at any point in time. By monitoring our customers’ buying preferences, our in-house growing keeps our inven- tory at the right levels—that’s a great benefit to us. How do you grow your customer base? One way that we attract new customers is by offering a large selection of unusual varieties that they can’t find in most garden centers. In to- day’s market, customers want variety and we can really deliver on that, whereas the big box stores aren’t interested. Another tactic we use is holding many community events throughout the year. For example, we hold art shows that will attract the type of customer who’s into aesthet- ics and may have an appreciation of color, form, and decor. They are a good fit for a new customer and once they come in the store, their eyes are opened to our selection of plants, assorted gifts, and supplies. How do you handle recycling? We are committed to being as sustainable as possible and recycling is one aspect of our sustainability program. First, most of the pots used in our growing operations are made from recycled plastic. Second, our customers can return any plastic pots they have, regardless of where the pots were purchased. We will then reuse as many of those pots as we can for our growing operations. Finally, we even sell some of our used pots to customers who may have a special need or application. What is one of your store’s special features? On a daily basis, we provide a ‘Plant Doctor’ for our customers. It is such a popular feature that we often have waiting lines. We put the Plant Doctor right at the front of the store for easy access—and it’s a free service. How does CNGA help a company like Echter’s? I think the most valuable benefit for us is having such a useful resource when an issue comes up that might impact our business. With CNGA as our ‘community of professionals’, we can reach out to other members to discuss an important issue, like water restrictions. It’s an important organization that gives us collective strength to work together for our industry’s benefit. Echter's annuals display The entrance to Echter's