“
Those customer
relationships ran deep.
TOGETHER, the goal is to move
When the Billmans married
last summer, they decided to
forward and grow Goldleaf into
honeymoon in Puerto Rico.
everything the team—which now
One of their best customers
includes Arturo, a 16-week-old
had a residence there,
and when they arrived at
Chihuahua-terrier mix—envisions.”
the San Juan airport, he
picked them up and showed
them the best local spots.
Conversely, the employees
had gotten to know their
customers so well that when they saw one pull up to the store, they
would pump that person’s favorite music over the store’s stereo.
When Emmick and the Billmans opened Goldleaf Hydroponics just
two months after Worm’s Way closed, they strived to maintain those
customer relationships. Before Worm’s Way closed, they made sure
their retail and mail order clients would know where to find them
when Goldleaf opened through phone calls, emails, and social media,
making the start-up transition easier. To make greater inroads into the
community at large, they also joined the local chamber of commerce,
ran billboard ads, solicited some front-page newspaper press, and
worked with non-profits and local schools.
“We also bought a 20-foot tall lime green custom air dancer with
‘Hydroponics’ written down its chest,” says Kyle. “Best investment yet.”
Store location and obtaining access to a greater variety of products
were the next steps. Tempted to move downtown, the team decided
instead on a 3,000 square-foot warehouse in south Bloomington with
convenient highway access and private parking since most of their cus-
tomers came from the southern part of the state and surrounding states,
as well as rural areas. To complement their product supply from BWGS,
they added Sunlight Supply and Hydrofarm.
“Working with the three biggest distributors in the country, along
with several smaller vendors, allows us to deliver results on nearly
any customer request,” says Kyle, adding that additional shelving
has been added to accommodate a growing list of inventory.
With a running start for a client base, an ideal location, and a well-
designed website, Goldleaf has gone from seed to bloom in a very short
time. For now, it’s a three-person operation, but full-time hires are within
sight, thoughts of building their own facility are already being considered,
and the dynamic of having worked for Emmick to Emmick working for the
Billmans has gone smoothly.
“Roger and I, both being optimists and generally enthusiastic,
work tremendously well together,” says Kyle. “I call him our
Golden Nugget. Roger seriously delivers, and there are few people
in the world that know how to run a hydro store like he does.”
Together, the goal is to move forward and grow Goldleaf into
everything the team—which now includes Arturo, a 16-week-old
Chihuahua-terrier mix—envisions.
“I have laughed harder working in the hydro industry than
anywhere else,” says Kyle. “We loved our jobs with Worm’s Way so
much, now with Goldleaf, it’s like we are able to take something
sacred and improve it, making it our own. Every day we have to
pause and tell each other how much we love working together.”
groundbreakers
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