Greenhouse Xchange Celebrates Five Years

Greenhouse Grower hosted its fifth annual Greenhouse Xchange this week, welcoming 161 growers and suppliers from across the United States and Canada to the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix, Ariz.

Greenhouse Xchange offers growers the opportunity to establish supplier relationships and enhance relationships that already exist. Last year’s event was held in snowy Park City, Utah. This year’s Xchange shifted back to sunny Arizona and included 34 greenhouse operations and 42 supplier companies. Fifteen of the 34 greenhouse operations attended the event for the very first time.

“The format was great and I’ll definitely bring more people next year,” says Adam Stewart, a first-time attendee who’s the executive vice president at Bell Nursery. “The right people are here: You’re talking to the decision makers. It’s hard to get a group like this together. The timing is perfect with a lull between fall and Christmas.”

Mark Nash, an owner at Nash Greenhouse in Kalamazoo, Mich., is another first-time attendee who established new customer relationships and took away valuable information for his operation. Nash, like many Xchange attendees, had a dozen or more supplier meetings over a two-day period.

“Coming in I totally had an open mindset,” Nash says. “I’m walking away with a greater appreciation of many of these companies. The forum is well set up, and you get to know people better than you would at a tradeshow.”

Adds Mike Treiber, director of purchasing at Color Spot Nurseries: “The event condenses one month’s worth of meetings into two days. It was a really productive use of my time and really professionally run.”

Learn more about Greenhouse Xchange at Greenhouse-Xchange.com