On Dec. 2, GPN will present a free 90-minute webinar on “Outlook 2022: What’s on the Horizon in the Coming Year for the Economy, Consumers and Legislation.” The webinar will take place at 2 p.m. EST.
During the webinar, Bridget Behe, Craig Regelbrugge and Charlie Hall will examine the top issues facing the horticulture industry in 2022.
This is your opportunity to hear exclusive insight from these three industry leaders as they examine the up-to-the-minute issues facing our industry and help growers make sense of these complicated topics and how they could influence the industry in the coming year.
Behe is a professor of horticultural marketing at Michigan State University; Regelbrugge is executive vice president of industry advocacy and research at AmericanHort; and Hall is a professor and Ellison Chair in International Floriculture at Texas A&M University.
Click here to register for the webinar.
Home Depot’s Surpasses Goal for Veterans Program, Sets New Mark
The Home Depot Foundation has surpassed $400 million invested in support of U.S. military veterans since 2011. This pledge has since grown to $500 million by the year 2025, primarily focusing on veteran housing initiatives. “The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation want every veteran to have access to safe, affordable housing that fits their individual needs,” said Craig Menear, chairman and CEO. “We strive to help veterans live independently by conducting critical home repairs, providing mortgage-free smart homes and helping to end veteran homelessness with our nonprofit partners.” The company’s associate volunteer force, Team Depot, also has volunteered more than 1.25 million hours in service to veterans since 2011.
Meijer Recycling Program Paves the Way to a Better Future
Meijer and Dow are collaborating on a new paving technique using recycled plastic bags to create a more durable parking lot for the retailer’s Holland, Michigan supercenter. This recycled polymer modified asphalt )parking lot is a three-phase pilot project that used approximately 12,500 pounds of post-consumer recycled plastic — the equivalent weight of 944,000 plastic grocery bags. All of the recycled plastic used for the parking lot pilot project were deposited by Meijer customers through the retailer’s in-store plastic film recycling program. This project brings recycled plastic bags full circle and represents a long-term collaboration between two Michigan companies working toward a more sustainable future.
Walmart to Build Two New High-Tech Supply Chain Facilities in Texas
Walmart plans to build two new high-tech facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to support its growing supply chain network — a 1.5 million square-foot automated fulfillment center, set to open in 2023, and 730,000 square-foot automated grocery distribution center, set to open in 2024. The new Lancaster-based facilities will create approximately 1,000 full-time jobs across the region — 40 percent of the new jobs created will require STEM skills to support technical positions. The high-tech facilities will move more than two times the volume of a traditional fulfillment and grocery distribution center all while improving the accuracy, quality and speed of the fulfillment and distribution of products.
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