Learn the Ins & Outs of Costing & Profitability
In September, the University of Florida will offer an online course on Costing & Profitability.
This will be the fourth course from of its 2019 Greenhouse Training Online program.
Participants in the course will have an opportunity to develop the skills to accurately estimate production cost and profit for their greenhouse business.
This course is advanced level and it is designed for experienced, well-trained growers, or people with upper university education.
The course is offered in English and Spanish, with instructors Paul Fisher, Alan Hodges, Kevin Athearn and Rosanna Freyre at UF, Charlie Hall from Texas A&M University, and Bill Swanekamp from Kube-Pak Corp.
The course runs Sept. 2 -30, 2019 and includes a personalized certificate of completion.
The cost is $499 per participant, with discounts if you register five or more people.
During the four-week course, there are streaming video lessons, readings and assignments (about 3-4 hours total commitment per week), which can be accessed at any time of day.
To register please visit http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training/.
The course is limited to 50 participants. For more information, including discounts for registering multiple staff, contact the university at greenhousetraining@ifas.ufl.edu.
Home Depot Releases 2019 Responsibility Report
On July 23, the Home Depot issued its 2019 Responsibility Report which pledges that the home improvement retailer will reduce its carbon emissions by 50% over the next 15 years. The report also details the company’s 2018 progress on its commitment to its three pillars — Operate Sustainably, Focus on People and Strengthen Our Communities. In the report the company announced a new goal to invest more than 1 million hours per year over the next five years in training and development to help associates grow their careers.
Walmart Contribute $400k to Shooting Victims’ Funds
In response to the shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas on Aug. 3, the retailer is committing $400,000 in direct cash grants to support local community foundations that have set up funds for those impacted by the tragedy. Walmart is providing cash donations to the El Paso Community Foundation’s Shooting Victims’ Fund and Paso Del Norte Community Foundation’s El Paso Victims Relief Fund. Walmart is also working closely with local officials and government entities to help meet the needs of those affected. In addition to the commitments to the two foundations, Sam’s Club has donated food and water to the local family reunification center and three area hospitals.
Lowe’s to Outsource Maintenance, Assembly Jobs
Earlier this month, Lowe’s announced plans to lay employees who off who perform in-store product assembly as well as maintenance tasks. The company released a statement saying it was “moving to third-party assemblers and facility services to allow Lowe’s store associates to spend more time on the sales floor serving customers.” The company did not announce how many positions would be eliminated but said the move will impact employees across the home improvement retailer’s 1,725 U.S. stores.
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