CNGA LooseLeaf April/May19

6 colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf April/May 2019 MEMBER PROFILE What are the roots of your company? Arbor Valley started in 1980 after Dave Edmundson saw a need for locally grown trees to meet the demand of landscape professionals and wholesale distributors. With help from his father Roy, Dave founded Arbor Valley. Beyond locally grown trees, the company slowly branched out into shrub and perennial production, and became a distribution hub for out-of-state partners and other growers serving Colorado. In 2010, Dave’s son Matt took over the company leadership. Matt opened a second distribution and production center in Franktown, serving the southern market, and a third in Fort Collins to serve the northern market. What sets Arbor Valley apart from other companies? Our guiding promise to our customers is “Quality Plants Delivered on Your Time.” This means that we provide the plants our customers need at the place and time that works best for them. As an example, we may deliver trees in the morning and follow up with a second delivery of shrubs in the afternoon, if that’s what the customer needs to make efficient use of their labor and to stay on schedule. This dedication to service minimizes the costs and risks for our customers while maximizing the use of a very limited resource, labor. What markets do you serve? Our primary market extends across the Front Range of Colorado. In addition to our deliveries, we want to provide our customers the convenience to pick up additional items while minimizing down time or time away from the jobsite. We understand our customers make their living on the jobsite, not by waiting in our nursery. How are you addressing your labor challenges? We want great people to work with us. To supply our current demand as well as prepare for our industry’s future needs, we are working to tell our story to a diverse audience, which may not realize the opportunities that exist within horticulture. To tell the story, we use social media, our website and job boards; we partner with high schools and universities and give additional presentations throughout the market. We are actively involved with a variety of recruiting activities such as CNGA’s Young Hort Professionals events, CSU forums and fairs, Colorado Horticulture Research & Education Foundation initiatives, and many others. What’s new at Arbor Valley? We’re really excited about a new communication tool that will help us engage with partners, potential employees, and the community. It’s a video series called #AskCori. Its purpose is to introduce more people to our industry and Arbor Valley Nursery. It provides concise information on a variety of topics in short, dynamic, and fun-to- watch videos. What are you most proud of? First, we’re proud of our team and their ability to identify specific solutions that support our customers’ needs through consistent performance in service and quality. Secondly, we are very proud to have been honored in 2018 as a Top 50 Colorado Company to Watch. Our innovative business approaches, a commitment to sustainability, and our culture of continuous improvement are really paying off for us and our customers. Arbor Valley Nursery 18539 WCR 4 Brighton, Colo. 80603 303.654.1682 arborvalleynursery.com Quality Plants Delivered on Customer’s Schedules Interview with Michael Schleining, CCNP, Sales & Marketing Manager, & Jim Browning, Chief Operating Officer