APGA honors Scott Stewart
GWA Members Among PPA Honorees
S U B M I T T E D C O N T E N T
PHOTO COURTESY GREENMARK PUBLIC RELATIONS
Scott Stewart ( right ) receives the Professional Citation award from Casey Sclar , executive director of the American Public Gardens Association .
APGA honors Scott Stewart
The American Public Gardens Association awarded Scott Stewart , executive director of the Millennium Park Foundation , the prestigious Professional Citation during its annual conference in June in Hamilton , Ontario . The citation recognizes an association member who has excelled in one or more disciplines generally associated with public horticulture , including botany , horticulture , gardening , conservation , research , education , extension development or administration . As executive director of the foundation , Stewart directs the state-of-the-art collection of art , architecture and landscape design that annually provides the backdrop for hundreds of free public education , cultural events and programs in downtown Chicago .
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GWA Members Among PPA Honorees
Several GWA members were honored during the Perennial Plant Association Symposium in Denver in July . GWA members Irvin Etienne and Leslie Halleck were recognized for their service on the PPA board , which ends in September . Here are the honorees :
• Award of Merit : Dan Heims
• Academic Award : Chad Miller , Kansas State University
• Young Professional Award : Jared Hughes , Groovy Plants Ranch
• Grower Award : Cavano ’ s Perennials , Inc .
• International Contributor Award : Marco van Noort , Marco van Noort Breeding
• Service Award : Mike Heger , Ambergate Horticultural Consulting
• Retail Award : Phoenix Perennials & Specialty Plants
• Garden Media Award : Ruth Rogers Clausen
• Landscape Design Awards : o Mario Herrada , Zacate Landscape Design o Andy Pulte , University of Tennessee o Bobbie Schwartz , Bobbie ’ s Green Thumb o Bruce John Riddell , Boothbay , Maine
Great Gardens Begin Here
BY JAMIE GRANGIER CUMMINS
My name is Jamie Grangier Cummins , and I am the Marketing and Communications Administrator and a Sales and Member Support Representative for Master Nursery Garden Centers . My intentions in this article are two-fold . First , I will introduce you to MNGC . Second , I will leave you with a proposition that will benefit not only Master Nursery Garden Centers and Garden Writers Association members alike but will have a profound impact on the one person we all were once — the new gardener !
In the early 1950s , seven independent garden center owners partnered to secure discounts and share marketing expenses . They worked well together , so they found a fertilizer manufacturer to produce a high quality , organic-based , all-purpose lawn and plant food , which to this day , is known as Master Nursery Formula 49 . The owners considered themselves “ Masters of their craft .” They certainly were because more West Coast members joined , and more Master Nursery branded products followed . In late 1993 , membership rose to over 160 garden centers . Today , Master Nursery Garden Centers is a multi-million-dollar , member-owned cooperative of over 530 independent retail garden centers in 46 states and 2 provinces in Canada .
Master Nursery is one of the largest not-for-profit cooperatives in the country , focused solely on providing new and commodity green goods and hard goods to our members and subsequently to their consumers . Members receive generous discounts , rebates , and dating programs from over 130 premium vendors , some of which are Garden Writers Association members who attend , exhibit and sponsor events at the Annual Conference & Expo . In addition , members have exclusive access to the Master Nursery private label brands , which are all premium products developed specifically for home gardeners that are not available at mass merchant retailers . To learn more , please visit www . MasterNursery . com and www . Bumper- Crop . net .
On behalf of Master Nursery Garden Centers , I am reaching out to the GWA membership to let you know that our 530-plus IGCs are here to work with you . With that being said , let ’ s get to the heart of the matter ! We ’ re all gardeners , and we love what we do . Nothing makes us happier than putting on a pair of old boots , planting a seedling and watching it grow . We all received our introductory knowledge from somewhere . Long story short : We need new gardeners to come to us for their answers !
Yes , I said “ us ,” meaning the collective “ we ” of Master Nursery Garden Centers and the Garden Writers Association . Sounds like fun , doesn ’ t it ? Master Nursery would love to see collaboration between garden writers and our IGCs . Together , we can ensure that new gardeners have enjoyable and ultimately successful gardening experiences . Time in the garden is time well spent , and for many gardeners it is a family activity .
Therefore , our member garden centers are continually looking for green industry communicators who can share their knowledge and expertise to enhance new gardeners ’ experiences — whether it is through workshops , talks , articles , blogs , etc . We will be providing the MNGC membership the link to GWA- Connect so our garden centers may search for you by state and garden writer type . If you are interested in working with a Master Nursery Garden Center in your area , email me at Jamie @ masternursery . com , and I can provide you with a listing of MNGC members . You may also visit the Garden Center Locator on our website .
Again , we are pleased to make this introduction between garden writers and Master Nursery Garden Centers . We look forward to working with you soon . Who knows , along the way , you may discover our Master Nursery branded products , and they may spark some additional inspiration for you !
Jamie Grangier Cummins has a master of arts in English and is the marketing and communications administrator and a sales and member support pepresentative for Master Nursery Garden Centers .
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