April 2020 - 8

HEADLINES/CALENDAR
Green Thumb Awards Handed Out
Armstrong's first retail garden center was founded at 408
Euclid St. in Ontario, California. Along with his success as
an industry leader in fruit trees and roses in the 1920s, John
Armstrong developed a wide range of ornamentals and fruit
trees, and was an innovator in flowering perennials, citrus,
berries, grapes and avocados.
For more information on Armstrong Garden Centers and
gardening tips, visit www.armstronggarden.com and www.
armstronggrowers.com.
Dramm Announces New
Manufacturer's Representative
The Dramm Corp. has announced a new manufacturer's
representative. The firm Westway Sales will now represent
Dramm's Retail Division in Hawaii, Arizona, southern Nevada
and southern California.
Westway Sales has been representing lawn and garden
The best new ornamental plants, garden products and edible
plants were recently given the prestigious 2020 Green Thumb
Award, presented by the Direct Gardening Association (DGA).
Winners in the Ornamental Seeds, Bulbs and Plants division
were European Beech InstantHedge from InstantHedge and
Clematis 'Lady Kyoko' from Spring Hill Nurseries.
Recipients in the Gardening Tools and Accessories division
were Garden Tutor Online Course and Kit from Botaniworld
and the Vertex Wall Trellis from Gardener's Supply Co.
In the Edible Plants division, KangaRhu Rhubarb from
Gurneys Seed and Treasure Island Sweet Potatoes from
Concept Plants were winners.
Recipients of the 2020 Green Thumb Awards were chosen
by an independent panel of garden writers and editors. The
winning products were selected based on their uniqueness,
technological innovation, ability to solve a gardening problem
or provide a gardening opportunity, and potential appeal to
gardeners. The Green Thumb Awards recognize outstanding
new garden products available by mail or online. The awards
are sponsored by the DGA, a nonprofit association of
companies that sell garden products.
For more information, visit DirectGardeningAssociation.com.
Armstrong Garden Centers Celebrate
130 Years in Business
Armstrong Garden Centers celebrated 130 years serving
California in the nursery business in February.
" As we reached a major milestone with our 130th
anniversary, we are extremely grateful for the communities
that support us and the hard work, dedication and loyalty of
our employee-owners, who uphold the vision of our founder,
John Armstrong, " said Monte Enright, president of Armstrong
Garden Centers.
" Our most sincere gratitude goes out to each and every
single one of our customers for helping us continue our
tradition of horticultural expertise, " Enright said. " This 130th
anniversary celebration is our simple way of saying thank you
for their patronage and to know that we are committed to
providing the best quality and service in the nursery industry. "
8 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | APRIL 2020
manufactures since 2002. Rich Wilbur is the owner and
primary contact of Westway Sales.
" It is an absolute honor to represent Dramm, " Wilbur
said. " I look forward to sharing these wonderful products
with others. "
He can be contacted at 714.227.2195 or rawwest@cox.net.
AFE Launches Career Center
The American Floral Endowment (AFE) has launched a new
industry-wide Career Center intended to connect industry
employers with job seekers, students and other professionals
pursuing careers in the floriculture and horticulture fields.
Within the new AFE Career Center's intuitive platform,
employers can easily post job opportunities, screen and
manage applications, and access a resume database of
targeted candidates.
Job seekers can post their resumes and search for jobs
and/or internships that match their skills and interests.
The platform is completely mobile-responsive ― users can
access it anytime, anywhere.
" Finding qualified, dedicated employees is one of the
greatest challenges facing the floriculture industry. The
Endowment maintains close connections with students,
young professionals, floral businesses, and horticulture
professionals, so it seemed a natural fit to provide a
career-focused online community, " said Debi Chedester,
executive director.
Capabilities for the new career platform include:
* Post job openings, internships and other opportunities
with a focus on floriculture and horticulture.
* A searchable resume bank to make it even easier for
employers and researchers to find the talent they need
* Free career development tools for job seekers
* Search features that enable students, young
professionals, and other job seekers to save job searches
and receive email notifications when new matches are
found.
" We see the AFE Career Center as the place where
professionals and employers from all segments of the floral
industry connect. We want it to be the hub where talent
http://www.armstronggarden.com http://www.armstronggrowers.com http://www.DirectGardeningAssociation.com
April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2020
