CNGA LooseLeaf February March 2019

15 colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf  February/March 2019 At Tagawa Gardens in Centennial, Colo., all but a few of our year-round and seasonal staff have come from a general mention of “help wanted” in our eblast, newsletter or in-store signage. Of our seasonal staff, at least 75 percent have been hired through our guest communications. Our company developed a culture based on the values of the Tagawa family and their companies, which in turn developed into our brand. As a result of our brand building, not only do we attract loyal guests, but we also recruit staff from this loyal base through building rapport with our community. In a nutshell, we try to be consistent with our brand and how we do things, from guest experiences in our store to the products we carry and how we interact with our community. Our brand is communicated through our classes—on premises and offsite, parties and other OutReach events. It’s as simple as making sure our logo is on any handouts and other items we distribute, and as nuanced as the way we share our expertise. Many folks tell us they are familiar with us from seeing our TV sponsorships and appearances, radio ads and community involvement at local school, city and county events, as well as with other businesses. When it’s time to hire, we let our guests know we have job openings via email, Facebook, in-store signage, messages on our outdoor digital sign, and other communications. We have just begun using news ads and online services. Cost-wise it is most effective, as we are already producing and distributing information through these channels, so we can just put job announcements into the mix. Our great base of guests, who visit us and like what they see, often want to be a part of us, too. Actually, many employees did not even see our information on hiring needs, but just came in at the perfect time and applied. Their interest in and love of our brand translates into great employees. We don't necessarily hire for knowledge as that can be learned. Instead, we look for that spark of enthusiasm and light that is recognized by our HR staff as something we would like to add to our company. I remember one woman who came in to shop. After being greeted on our front sidewalk by our resident Grey Kitty, she changed her mission from shopping that day to applying to work here. Another person was visiting relatives who lived in Denver, thinking of locating to the metro area. She walked into our store, liked the "feel,” talked to some of our staff members, and immediately applied. She was hired and moved here! One guest was a retired aerospace engineer who felt connected to our rose bushes and rose staff. He applied to work seasonally with us and returned for several years. In fact, people from all sorts of other professions—teachers, paralegals, veterans, IT folks, accountants and more—make up our seasonal and year-round staff. The common denominator is that they want to share their love of gardening with our community. Loyal Customers Make Great Employees By Beth Zwinak, Manager, Tagawa Gardens Photo courtesy of Tagawa Gardens

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