Oct 14, 2020

Five More Days By Tim Hodson

The deadline to apply for the 2021 GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year has been extended five days. Students now have until Oct. 21, 2020 to apply for the 2021 scholarship.

This year we are celebrating the 22nd anniversary of the GPN/Nexus Intern Scholarship so if you know a student who was able to complete a floriculture/horticulture internship this year and that student had an exceptional internship experience, please tell him/her to apply for this year’s scholarship.

The 2021 GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year will receive:

• A check for $3,000;
• Be featured in an article and on the cover of the January 2021 issue of GPN;
• Receive travel and hotel expenses to Cultivate’21 in Columbus, Ohio, next July as well as a full Cultivate’21 registration (compliments of AmericanHort).

To be considered for the 2021 scholarship, the student must meet these requirements:

• Must be enrolled in a four-year accredited university during 2019-2020 and 2020-2021;
• Must be working on an undergraduate degree in horticulture/floriculture; and
• Have completed a greenhouse-related internship in 2020.

To apply for the 2021 GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year Scholarship the student needs to:

• Write a cover letter requesting consideration for the scholarship and state what university he/she attends;
• Secure a letter of recommendation on university letterhead from the applicant’s academic advisor; and
• Write a minimum 1,000-word essay describing the internship experience including where the applicant interned, what his/her responsibilities were and what was learned during the internship.

All application materials should be sent to me at  thodson@greatamericanpublish.com.

Remember, the new deadline to apply is Oct. 21, 2020.

— Tim

Home Depot Announces Senior Leadership Promotions

On Oct. 2, the Home Depot announced several senior level leadership promotions. Edward “Ted” P. Decker has been named president and chief operating officer, and Ann-Marie Campbell has been named executive vice president of U.S. stores and international operations. Jeff Kinnaird has been promoted to executive vice president of merchandising. Michael Rowe was named president of The Home Depot Canada and Richard McPhail, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will assume the additional responsibility for the company’s corporate strategy and strategic business development.

Lowe’s to Provide Additional Bonuses to Associates

Earlier this month, Lowe’s announced it will provide an additional $100 million in discretionary bonuses to recognize front-line hourly associates for their continued service and support of Lowe’s communities, bringing the company’s total commitment to associates and communities during the pandemic to more than $775 million. Full-time hourly associates will receive $300, and part-time and seasonal associates will receive $150. The October bonus will match the funds Lowe’s provided to all hourly associates in March, May, July and August.

Walmart Launches Fall Family Program Series

Walmart plans to offer its customers three new socially distanced fun fall events. The first, Halloween Camp by Walmart, is an extension of the retailer’s popular virtual summer camp program launched earlier in the year. The second is a game day experience that puts small business and college football front-and-center, and the third is a Halloween event that’s all treats, no tricks. In total, Walmart will host more than 140 contact-free events in store parking lots across the country. “We successfully reimagined what’s possible with our digital and physical footprint to bring communities joy in a year that’s been otherwise tough,” said William White, chief marketing officer.