We're Revolutionary!

Local Garden Center Named One of
Today’s Garden Center’s Revolutionary 100

Hawthorn Woods, Illinois (February 5th, 2008) “ Hawthorn Gardens joined the ranks of the horticulture industry’s top independent garden centers when it was named one of Today’s Garden Center’s Revolutionary 100.
 
Sponsored by Activant Solutions, Bayer Advanced, Campania International, Conard-Pyle, Goldsmith Seeds and Nexus Greenhouse corp, Today’s Garden Center’s Revolutionary 100 program, now in its third year, surveys gardens center owners and managers and culminates in a listing of the 100 most revolutionary garden centers in the nation. It is open to all independent garden centers, large and small, and is based on leadership and innovation, not on size or revenue.
 
Wow! I Can’t Believe it. A national magazine found our wonderful Garden Center. Matt is constantly changing displays and product lines to keep the store revolutionary, says owner Bill Koch   Bill also says that staying revolutionary is what makes this  business so much fun!
 
Gardens center owner and managers across the United States fill out the online questionnaire covering topics such as employee training, industry involvement, profitability, marketing, use of technology, purchasing, and customer and community service. The entrants are ranked according to a point system, and the 100 top entries make the list.
 
Hawthorn Gardens has been in operation since 1993 in Downtown Hawthorn Woods, with 6 full time and 15 part time employees. We are a year around Garden Center. We spend winters planning the next season, and searching the world over for new and unique products, and constantly testing new marketing ideas. We attend seminars on business and new plants. Our Marketing includes a Royalty Gardener Program where customers earn points to use at bi-yearly events. E-mail is becoming our number 1 way of communicating with our Royalty Customer.  But there is still the challenge of not loosing communication with those who don’t use computers.
 
This company has demonstrated excellence and unique innovation in marketing, retail business practices, and outreach to employees, customers and community, says Richard Jones, Group Editor of Today’s Garden Center. “We are honored to recognize them for their revolutionary achievements throughout the industry.”
 
The award ceremony will take place during the Revolutionary 100 roundtable, February 27-29, 2008, in Atlanta, Georgia. More information on the Revolutionary 100 including the complete rankings can be found in the January issue of Today’s Garden Center magazine.