Sep 1, 2016

AAS Shines the Light on Two All Stars By Tim Hodson

Last week, All-America Selections honored two horticulture luminaries during the 2016 AAS Summer Summit in Madison, Wisconsin.

At the AAS annual awards banquet, Jim Nau of the Ball Horticultural Company received the 2016 AAS Medallion of Honor. The award was presented to Nau for his lifelong dedication to the advancement of horticulture. He also has served as a long-time AAS judge, and has been a member of the AAS board of directors and an officer.

Nau manages the display gardens at Ball’s headquarters in West Chicago, Illinois.

The All-America Selections Breeders Cup was presented to Janika Eckert of Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Albion, Maine. The Breeders Cup was established in 2004 to recognize a plant breeder who dramatically influenced horticulture by breeding new cultivars that brought significant improvements to those classes.

Eckert’s first AAS Winner was Diva cucumber in 2002, followed by Carmen pepper in 2006 and then Escamillo and Cornito Giallo peppers earlier this year.

The AAS banquet culminated a three-day event where industry representatives, judges, breeders, growers, retailers and resellers gathered to visit All-America Selections Trial Grounds and Display Gardens in and around Madison, Wisconsin.

The All-America Selections annual Awards Banquet took place at Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin.

— Tim

Lowe’s to Help Renovate 50 Boys & Girls Clubs of America

This fall, Lowe’s is introducing a new plan to help renovate Boys & Girls Clubs of America in the United States. Club members at 50 of the clubs – one in each state – will be greeted with refreshed, enhanced or expanded facilities as Lowe’s gives each of them a $50,000 grant as part of its Renovation Across the Nation program, a $2.5 million initiative through its national partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Wal-Mart Stores Roll Back Price-Matching Policy

Wal-Mart continues to reduce the number of stores that offer price matching of competitor’s ads. In June the retailer cut the program at 500 stores and earlier this month another 300 stores discontinued the policy. According to a Wal-Mart spokesperson, instead of offering customers competitor price matching, the stores will now offer “significant, long-term” price reductions on thousands of items.

“Meijer Mania” Events Welcome College Students Back to School

In mid-August, Midwest retailer Meijer began welcoming an estimated 40,000 incoming college freshmen as they head to their college campuses this fall with shopping parties dubbed “Meijer Mania.” The back-to-college events celebrate incoming students in style with a night of fun – complete with a D.J., photo booth and interactive contests – while helping them find their last-minute dorm and classroom essentials. The retailer will host a total 22 events at 20 colleges across the Midwest through early September.