February 2025 - 50

5 MINUTES WITH ...
5
MINUTESWITH
By Teresa McPherson
Graham Hill, left, with his brother Clark and father Platt.
Photo courtesy of Graham Hill.
Graham Hill is president of Platt Hill
Nursery, a family-owned garden center
with two locations in Chicagoland.
Can you share a little about your background?
I have a unique background and journey to the green
industry. After college, I joined the Marine Corps and served
for 10 years in special operations and communications.
After meeting my wife in Afghanistan (where every love
story starts) and a challenging deployment in 2017, we
decided that the military was not for us long term. Platt,
my father, was interested in starting to retire, so I decided
to come back to join the family company.
What's the most rewarding part about your job?
Watching the growth of our team and the individuals
who comprise it. When I joined the company in 2018, our
team operated in a very centralized top-down approach,
which was limiting our ability to attract younger talent.
After five years and some painful learning, our team is
extraordinarily decentralized, empowered and fast moving.
This makes us much faster to respond to our customers'
changing needs and keep growing our talent pool.
As a family business, what measures do you take to
separate the family part from the business part?
This is a super challenging question. As a family, the
50 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER |FEBRUARY 2025
family relationships always have priority over business.
When I returned to the company, we deliberately separated
the responsibilities so that my brother Clark has his focus
areas and I have mine. Fortuitously, Clark is very much a
specialist in horticulture, where I am a generalist. Clark
loves growing things and loves retail, which enables me
to focus on the business practices. This does not mean
the relationship gets strained and taxed, but we are very
deliberate about cultivating the relationship consistently. I
would not be able to run Platt Hill Nursery without Clark.
What has surprised you about running your
business?
I have an MBA from Georgetown. What MBA programs
never teach you is how hard basic business practices are
to implement. I consistently relearn these lessons as our
company grows and evolves.
If your career had gone a different direction,
what do you think you would have done?
I would have probably moved into manufacturing
or logistics.
Favorite plant to grow?
The Hardy Hibiscus. They are so awesome. The size,
shape and reliability of the plant makes it easy to grow
while adding instant impact.
Graham
Hill

February 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2025

Editor's Letter
TOC
Headlines
Calendar
Innovative Ideas: Growing Plantopia
Green Goods: Houseplant Honors
Showcase: Indoor Gardening
Green Goods: New Edible Varieties for 2025
Showcase: Birding & Wildlife
Consumer Trends: Bonsai is Back
Eco-Friendly: Green Gifts
Showcase: Holiday
Pohmer On ...: The Many Layers of Sustainability
Marketplace
Ad Index
5 Minutes with ...: Graham Hill
February 2025 - 1
February 2025 - 2
February 2025 - 3
February 2025 - Editor's Letter
February 2025 - 5
February 2025 - TOC
February 2025 - 7
February 2025 - Headlines
February 2025 - 9
February 2025 - 10
February 2025 - 11
February 2025 - Calendar
February 2025 - 13
February 2025 - Innovative Ideas: Growing Plantopia
February 2025 - 15
February 2025 - 16
February 2025 - 17
February 2025 - Green Goods: Houseplant Honors
February 2025 - 19
February 2025 - Showcase: Indoor Gardening
February 2025 - 21
February 2025 - Green Goods: New Edible Varieties for 2025
February 2025 - 23
February 2025 - 24
February 2025 - 25
February 2025 - Showcase: Birding & Wildlife
February 2025 - 27
February 2025 - Consumer Trends: Bonsai is Back
February 2025 - 29
February 2025 - 30
February 2025 - 31
February 2025 - Eco-Friendly: Green Gifts
February 2025 - 33
February 2025 - 34
February 2025 - 35
February 2025 - Showcase: Holiday
February 2025 - 37
February 2025 - Pohmer On ...: The Many Layers of Sustainability
February 2025 - 39
February 2025 - Marketplace
February 2025 - 41
February 2025 - 42
February 2025 - 43
February 2025 - 44
February 2025 - 45
February 2025 - 46
February 2025 - 47
February 2025 - Ad Index
February 2025 - 49
February 2025 - 5 Minutes with ...: Graham Hill
February 2025 - 51
February 2025 - 52
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/LGR/thriveguide-2022
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/LGR/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/LGR/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/LGR/thriveguide-2021
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