Class of 2014
Garden Center University GCU Tour
Friday July, 13 2012
Garden Center University GCU Tour
Friday July, 13 2012
In-the-field experiences are a key part of the Garden Center University education. "Professor" Ian Baldwin takes you for a far more in-depth visit than your average tour. Identify key take-home ideas that not only look good, but can impact your profitability, customer experience and efficiency. Ian then takes you behind-the-scenes to meet with owners and top managers to learn more about how they are running their businesses.
Join the tour as part of the Garden Center University Class of 2014.
Register today for the GCU Class of 2014, 2nd Semester Click Here
ATTENTION: Alumni of Garden Center University GCU
Join The GCU Class of 2014 In -the-field Tour
Join The GCU Class of 2014 In -the-field Tour
Graduates of Garden Center University GCU, their business partners and top managers are welcome to register for the tour as a GCU alumni event.
Share your GCU experiences with the class of 2014. Register Today Click Here.
Share your GCU experiences with the class of 2014. Register Today Click Here.
GCU Tour Schedule
8:00 AM Depart the Sheraton Capitol Square, Columbus, OHIO
| Dayton Nurseries www.daytonnursery.com The Dayton family founded their business in 1956. The site is heavily landscaped demonstrating their history as a woody plant nursery. Their selection today includes 800 varieties of perennials and a new 17,000 square foot greenhouse for annuals. Their comprehensive website is updated daily and includes an extensive plant directory and weekly blog posts. |  | ||
Petitti's Oakwood |
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| Lunch at Pettiti's Oakwood |
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| Petitti's Bainbridge www.petittigardencenter.com One of their newest locations, Petitti's Bainbridge opened in August 2010. This beautiful facility is located on the east side of Cleveland in the quaint town of Bainbridge, neighboring the charming city of Chagrin Falls. The stonework building provides a dramatic backdrop for the garden center. |
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| Breezewood Gardens www.breezewoodgardens.com Breezewood Gardens is a thirty-five year-old family-business, located in Bainbridge, Ohio. Breezewood Gardens has grown from a traditional garden center to include apparel, gifts, a floral shop and a landscape design service. |
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| Lowe's Greenhouse, Florist and Gift Shop www.LowesGreenhouse.com Lowe's Greenhouse was founded over 85 years ago as a grower of tuberous begonias. Today the business includes a broad selection of unusual annuals from their own growing operation, a nursery and landscape department, and retail florist and gift departments. Extensive display gardens are anchored by the display of their begonia collection. |
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| Dinner at Lowe's Greenhouse | |||
| Return to hotel in Columbus, Ohio | |||
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"Since I began with GCU, I gained enough nerve to add a design staff of 2, sometimes 3, It's one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Our profits from this are nice, and we were not able to get all the landscape work completed before snowfall. So we have jobs waiting for the spring thaw. Anyhoo, I want all employees to also be involved in creating a better shopping environment for our store customers. We are considering some new paving for the outdoor sales area, covered walkway and covered areas, small water garden to display aquatics, etc. We can only do a few things now.... but wanted you to know that your efforts are not lost. Even when I have a blank stare in class ..... I'm getting it, or enough of it to make a difference. So hats off to you sir for assisting me in getting to the next step, and for my awareness that I have miles to go. I love a challenge and I look forward to the future. From here out, I hope to maintain a tight grasp on good business practices and make each step an enjoyable achievement for all involved. Thank You GCU." Anon |
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