Apr 1, 2020

AmericanHort to Launch Women in Horticulture Program By Tim Hodson

Later this month, AmericanHort will be introducing a new Women in Horticulture program that will begin with a series of monthly online interviews with accomplished women in the industry. There also will be a Women in Horticulture educational networking event at Cultivate and plans for future programming.

The monthly webinar series kicks off April 16 at 2:15 p.m. EDT with a webinar interview with Susie Raker-Zimmerman, vice president of Raker Roberta’s Young Plants, and current chair of the AmericanHort board of directors.

Additional webinars are planned for May and June, featuring Kathy Fediw, interior plantscape consultant and Jennifer Moss, owner of Moss Greenhouses.

An in-person educational networking event will take place at Cultivate’20. This networking workshop will begin with Leslie Halleck of Halleck Horticultural, providing a high-energy inspirational talk followed by a panel discussion with successful women in the green industry.

You can learn more about the program by clicking here.

CAST Introductions

Due to the cancellation of California Spring Trials, many of the breeding companies have been rolling out their new introductions online this week through webinars, videos and social media posts.

Be sure to follow GPN’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts to see their latest updates as well as some of Jasmina Dolce’s highlights of the new introductions.

— Tim

Sam’s Club TV Ad Thanks ‘Retail Heroes’

Last week, Sam’s Club aired a 60-second television commercial on CBS recognizing the hard work of its employees and other retail employees during the coronavirus situation. The commercial shows Sam’s Club associates in action calling many of them out by name and location while “The Weight” by The Band plays.  In a letter to Sam’s Club employees, CEO Kath McLay said “To each and every Sam’s Club associate: You are making a difference for our members and each other … You are showing the world what we always knew: retail associates around the world are capable of extraordinary feats.” Click here to see the commercial.

Lowe’s, DIY-ers Recognize Frontline Heroes

Lowe’s is inviting do-it-yourselfers to create expressions of gratitude to the frontline heroes working to support communities during this challenging time. Lowe’s is encouraging people to create DIY thank you messages using objects that can be found around the house and display them in their yards so these heroes can see and feel the impact they are making every day. Participants are encouraged to share their DIY messages on social media (#BuildThanks). More ideas can be found at lowes.com/BuildThanks.

Home Depot Announces Business Updates in Response to COVID-19

In response to the COVID-19 situation, on April 1 the Home Depot said it has instituted multiple measures for the safety of its customers and associates. Some of those moves include: closing stores at 6 p.m. for more time to sanitize/restock; limiting the number of customers in stores at one time; and promoting social distancing practices. The retailer is also cancelling major spring promotions to avoid driving high levels of traffic to stores. The company also has added 80 hours of paid time off for all full-time hourly associates and 40 hours of paid time off for part-time hourly associates to be used at any time in 2020.