July 2024 - 44

BIG GROWER
Lettuce is ready for harvest at the Great Lakes Growers 160,000-square-foot greenhouse in Ohio.
company is by labor efficiency, which is basically how
many dollars do we generate per labor hour. And since
COVID, that labor efficiency has doubled through training
of our employees and also investment in this equipment. "
SUSTAINABLE MINDSET
With the plants getting an optimal amount of water
and nutrients, they grow with more consistency and
better quality while preserving resources in a shorter
amount of time.
Bonner admitted that sustainability wasn't the first
priority when starting the business. Although, with the
way things have turned out with water systems and water
quality - plus the location and proximity to customers
combined with the choice not to use chemicals and
pesticides - those best business practices go hand-inhand
with top sustainability measures.
" For me personally, and for our employees, it makes us
feel good knowing what we're doing, " Bonner said.
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
Great Lakes Growers has a team of approximately 40,
which rises a bit in the summertime.
" Our biggest strength is our employees, " Bonner said.
" We have a longstanding workforce who understands the
goal to deliver on the promise of fresh and quality. "
44
JULY 2024 BIG GROWER
While every employee is important, he cites four
key people in keeping things running smoothly:
Renato Vardo, director of growing; Alicia Lillibridge,
administrator director; Kevin Bell, general manager
(the longest-tenured employee who started as a truck
driver!); and Danielle Ferreira, operations manager.
" These are the people I sit down with, and we run
the company from there, " Bonner said. " They will
always be top of the food chain. After that, we have
middle managers who support them horizontally
across the organization, and from there we have a lot
of technical people in the greenhouse who specialize in
transplanting or harvesting and we have some people
who can do it all. "
Relationships are key to the company's success, so
maintaining strong partnerships with vendors and seed
suppliers have also been a major part of Great Lakes
Growers' evolution.
" The connections we have globally with what I
consider to be some of the top tech-type companies and
vendors for greenhouses, systems, those types of things
help set us apart a little bit and allow us to be successful
over a decade in this business, " Bonner said. " When I
first started, there were no vertical farms or very few of
these companies here today. That longevity, I attribute to
our relationships and employees. "

July 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2024

Table of Contents
Editor's Report | Summertime decisions
Lighting Research | Supplemental lighting strategies
Technology | Transforming with automation
CAST 2024 | Remarkable releases for 2025
CEA | The importance of canopy ventilation
Climate Control | Enhancing greenhouse management
Special Advertising Section | Grower's Guide: Professional Growing Media and Biologicals
Variety Information | New take on smooth hydrangeas
Big Grower | Hydroponic farming
Product Showcase
Plant Health | Setting ground rules
Forty Under 40 Perspectives | Turning a lifelong education into a business
Culture Report | Grama grass
Technically Speaking | Why crops don't flower (on time)
Product Marketplace
Industry News/Events
Classifieds/Ad Index
July 2024 - 1
July 2024 - 2
July 2024 - Table of Contents
July 2024 - Editor's Report | Summertime decisions
July 2024 - 5
July 2024 - Lighting Research | Supplemental lighting strategies
July 2024 - 7
July 2024 - 8
July 2024 - 9
July 2024 - 10
July 2024 - 11
July 2024 - Technology | Transforming with automation
July 2024 - 13
July 2024 - 14
July 2024 - 15
July 2024 - CAST 2024 | Remarkable releases for 2025
July 2024 - 17
July 2024 - 18
July 2024 - 19
July 2024 - 20
July 2024 - 21
July 2024 - 22
July 2024 - 23
July 2024 - 24
July 2024 - 25
July 2024 - 26
July 2024 - 27
July 2024 - CEA | The importance of canopy ventilation
July 2024 - 29
July 2024 - 30
July 2024 - 31
July 2024 - 32
July 2024 - 33
July 2024 - Climate Control | Enhancing greenhouse management
July 2024 - Special Advertising Section | Grower's Guide: Professional Growing Media and Biologicals
July 2024 - A2
July 2024 - A3
July 2024 - A4
July 2024 - A5
July 2024 - A6
July 2024 - A7
July 2024 - A8
July 2024 - A9
July 2024 - A10
July 2024 - A11
July 2024 - A12
July 2024 - A13
July 2024 - A14
July 2024 - A15
July 2024 - A16
July 2024 - Variety Information | New take on smooth hydrangeas
July 2024 - 36
July 2024 - 37
July 2024 - 38
July 2024 - 39
July 2024 - 40
July 2024 - Big Grower | Hydroponic farming
July 2024 - 42
July 2024 - 43
July 2024 - 44
July 2024 - 45
July 2024 - 46
July 2024 - Product Showcase
July 2024 - Plant Health | Setting ground rules
July 2024 - 49
July 2024 - 50
July 2024 - 51
July 2024 - Forty Under 40 Perspectives | Turning a lifelong education into a business
July 2024 - 53
July 2024 - Culture Report | Grama grass
July 2024 - 55
July 2024 - 56
July 2024 - 57
July 2024 - Technically Speaking | Why crops don't flower (on time)
July 2024 - 59
July 2024 - Product Marketplace
July 2024 - 61
July 2024 - 62
July 2024 - 63
July 2024 - 64
July 2024 - Industry News/Events
July 2024 - Classifieds/Ad Index
July 2024 - 67
July 2024 - 68
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/gpn-new-varieties-digital-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/september-2022
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/cannabisguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/hempguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/newvarieties-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/cannabisguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/hempguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/newvarieties-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/october-2020
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/may-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/californiaspringtrials-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-march-2020
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/cannabisguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/hempguide-2020
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