She’s crazy, but it just might work! Bridget Kane’s employee garden Because we are “a company of gardeners,” many of us have employee gardens right outside the office. Here’s the story of one of those gardens: I have always loved to use found objects for gardening, so incorporating pallets into my employee garden plot seemed normal to me. For example, I have been a big fan of using the sheets of black plastic that…
…pated the weekly weigh-in as keenly as any major-league sporting event. At the end of the month, the winning team was treated to a gourmet breakfast cooked by ESOP committee members. The total weight of the donations from the 15 teams was 9,200 pounds, or nearly 1 ton of food per week! This summer, the committee invited employees to plant extra vegetables, an initiative patterned after the Plant a Row for the Hungry program promoted by the Garden…
…mal DNA. Many Americans are concerned about the negative effects of GMO use on the agricultural economy and small-scale and organic farming. Surveys show a wide majority of Americans support mandatory labeling. At least 21 countries and the European Union have established some form of mandatory labeling. Mandatory labeling will allow consumers to identify food products they want to avoid. So why not label? Well, here are some of the argu…
Customers share opinions in online reviews—more than 18,000 online now! Reviews are featured with each offer, right below the picture of the product. I agree that the best gardening advice comes “across the fence” from neighbors and fellow gardeners. If you want to grow potatoes in your back yard, who knows better than the guy next door who harvests them by the bushel every year? The same can be said for gardening stuff, whethe…
…s and in the environment. We donate 8% of our company profits to programs and organizations that are using gardening to improve the world. It’s a commitment we’ve adhered to since our first day of business back in 1983. One of our first big projects was founding the Intervale Center in 1985. What was once a landfill is now 350 acres of organic farms and national model for sustainability. To make good on our promise this year — among o…
Because we are an employee-owned company, people who work here take the time to get to know the products. And sometimes we come up with a new way to use one of our “old reliables.” A few years ago, I used the Bean Towers to create an archway at the entrance to my vegetable garden. Because we are an employee-owned company, people who work here take the time to get to know the products. And sometimes we come up with a new way to…
Bob Dillenbeck in the test gardens behind our Burlington office. Like many of the employee-owners at Gardener’s Supply, Bob Dillenbeck wasn’t a gardener when he started working here back in 2004 — but he is now. Today he’s part of what we like to call “a company of gardeners.” Not every employee tends a garden, but most do. And we know our products because we use them. A few years ago, Bob, who is the facilities man…
A carload of canned goods, destined for the local food shelf. As we approach Thanksgiving 2012 in Vermont, we are especially thankful to have been spared the fury of Superstorm Sandy. Our thoughts are with those who were not. The storm has produced so much suffering that it’s hard to know how you can help. Like many companies at this time of year, we raise money and gather food for those who need it. Through this year’s turkey drive,…
…d envelope with our name on it, and give them to Jim. These sealed envelopes are returned to us, unopened, in about six months, as a personal reminder from ourselves about the resolutions we made. This annual rite, started in 2009 when we became 100 percent employee-owned, was written into the agreement we made with our founder, Will Raap, when purchasing his shares. It happened that we closed the employee-ownership deal on the solstice. In addi…
…-volunteer is honored with the Meg Smith Community Service Award, named for a former employee. It’s meant to recognize someone who gives back to the community with enthusiasm and dedication. As recipient of the award in 2011, I had the honor of presenting the award to this year’s winner, Mary-Nell Bockman. Mary-Nell Bockman, performing in the newly restored Whallonsburg Grange Hall. Mary-Nell lives across the lake in New York State,…