2014 Top 100 List Shows Growers Are Expanding
Grower acquisitions throughout the year, bankruptcy, closed doors, new operations, reduced square footage and changing business status have reconstructed Greenhouse Grower’s Top 100 Growers list, yet again.
Rankings Remix
Greenhouse Grower’s annual Top 100 List ranks the largest greenhouse producers in the country by total square feet of environmentally controlled greenhouse space.
Big movers this year include:
● Color Spot Holdings is reporting 19,750,000 square feet, up from 16,400,00 on last year’s list.
● Altman Plants has added more than 3 million square feet, now reporting 10,473,298 square feet.
● Costa Farms grew to 9.5 million square feet, with its purchase of Hermann Engelmann Greenhouses in April.
● Metrolina Greenhouses grew by one million square feet after purchasing the assets of Stacy’s Greenhouses.
● Speedling reported more than 300,000 square feet of growth.
● Olson’s Greenhouse Gardens increased by one million square feet.
● Wenke Greenhouses added more than 400,000 square feet of production.
Meanwhile, only a dozen operations dropped acreage since 2013. Kurt Weiss Greenhouses and Matsui Nursery reduced production space by more than 500,000 square feet, Plant’s Unlimited went down by more than 450,000 square feet and Cuthbert Greenhouse reduced by nearly 300,000 square feet. Others tightened up slightly.
In total, the 2014 Top 100 Growers represent 217,771,275 square feet of environmentally controlled greenhouse space, amounting to year-over-year growth of more than 2 million square feet. While it’s not as much of an increase as the 2012-2013 year (3.4 million), the growth is widespread among more growers, with 28 growers reporting significant expansion.
2014 Rank | 2013 Rank | Name of Operation | State | 2014 Total Square Footage | 2013 Total Square Footage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Color Spot Nurseries | CA | 19,750,000 | 16,400,000 |
2 | 4 | Altman Plants | CA | 10,473,298 | 7,339,542 |
3 | 5 | Costa Farms | FL | 9,507,300 (4%) | 6,207,000 |
4 | 2 | Kurt Weiss Greenhouses | NY | 9,238,232 | 9,774,020 |
5 | 3 | Rocket Farms | CA | 8,305,120 | 8,305,120 |
6 | 7 | Metrolina Greenhouses | NC | 6,900,000 | 5,900,000 |
7 | 6 | Bell Nursery USA | MD | 6,100,000 | 6,100,000 |
8 | 10 | Green Circle Growers | OH | 4,791,600 | 4,704,480 |
9 | 11 | Aris Horticulture | OH | 4,352,080 (39%) | 4,352,080 |
10 | 12 | The Sun Valley Group | CA | 4,000,000* | 4,000,000* |
11 | 13 | Delray Plants Co. | FL | 3,868,116 | 3,868,116 |
12 | 16 | Speedling | FL | 3,700,000 | 3,490,000 |
13t | 14t | Mid-American Growers | IL | 3,500,000 | 3,500,000 |
13t | 14t | Milgro Nursery | UT | 3,500,000 | 3,500,000 |
15 | 19 | Ivy Acres | NY | 3,383,970 | 3,253,290 |
16t | 20 | Kerry's Nursery Inc. | FL | 3,000,000 | 3,100,000 |
16t | 21 | Woodburn Nursery and Azaleas | OR | 3,000,000 | 2,850,000 |
18 | 22 | Floral Plant Growers | WI | 2,826,360 | 2,826,360 |
19 | 17 | Matsui Nursery | CA | 2,800,000 | 3,438,000 |
20 | 23 | Dallas Johnson Greenhouses | IA | 2,600,000 | 2,700,000 |
21 | 43 | Olson’s Greenhouse Gardens | UT | 2,564,901 | 1,515,141 |
22t | 24 | Bay City Flowers | CA | 2,500,000* | 2,500,000 |
22t | 25 | Smith Gardens | WA | 2,500,000 | 2,350,000 |
24 | 29 | Wenke Greenhouses | MI | 2,265,120 | 1,829,520 |
25 | 28 | Northwest Horticulture | WA | 2,178,000 | 2,090,880 |
26 | 27 | Tagawa Greenhouse Enterprises | CO | 2,119,904* | 2,119,904 |
27 | 26 | N.G. Heimos Greenhouses Inc. | IL | 2,062,000 | 2,127,200 |
28 | NR | Bela Flor Nurseries | MO | 1,873,080 | |
29 | 34 | Plant Marketing | WI | 1,841,000 | 1,778,000 |
30 | 39 | Bergen's Greenhouses | MN | 1,829,520 | 1,611,720 |
31 | 30 | Dan Schantz Farm | PA | 1,814,381 | 1,814,381 |
32 | 32 | Colorama Wholesale Nursery | CA | 1,791,500 | 1,791,500 |
33 | 33 | Battlefield Farms | VA | 1,785,960 | 1,785,960 |
34 | 35 | Valley Flowers | CA | 1,740,000* | 1,740,000 |
35 | 45 | DeLeon’s Bromeliads | FL | 1,723,939 (13%) | 1,500,939 |
36 | 36 | Hines Growers, Inc. | CA | 1,700,000* | 1,700,000 |
37 | 37 | Young's Plant Farm | AL | 1,645,000 | 1,645,000 |
38 | 38 | Ocean Breeze International | CA | 1,614,000* | 1,614,000 |
39 | 42 | Dewar Nurseries | FL | 1,604,505 | 1,517,385 |
40 | 55 | Westland Floral Company | CA | 1,600,000 | 1,313,280 |
41 | 40 | Post Gardens | MI | 1,527,000 | 1,527,000 |
42 | 41 | Clearwater Nursery | CA | 1,525,000 | 1,525,000 |
43t | NR | Headstart Nursery | CA | 1,500,000 | |
43t | 46 | Kawahara Nurseries | CA | 1,500,000* | 1,500,000* |
45 | 44 | Garden State Growers | NJ | 1,481,040 | 1,502,820 |
46 | 47 | Dan and Jerry’s Greenhouse | MN | 1,445,000 | 1,445,000 |
47 | 58 | Rockwell Farms | NC | 1,440,000 | 1,260,000 |
48 | 56t | Bailey Nurseries | MN | 1,437,480 | 1,306,800 |
49 | 48 | Willoway Nurseries | OH | 1,418,340 | 1,418,340 |
50t | 49t | Kitayama Brothers | CA | 1,400,000 | 1,400,000 |
50t | 49t | Panzer Nursery | OR | 1,400,000 | 1,400,000 |
50t | 49t | Van Wingerden International | NC | 1,400,000 | 1,400,000 |
53 | 56t | Four Star Greenhouses | MI | 1,378,800 | 1,306,800 |
54 | 53 | Heartland Growers | IN | 1,350,840 | 1,320,000 |
55 | 52 | Nash Greenhouses | MI | 1,345,000 | 1,345,000 |
56 | 54 | Aldershot of New Mexico | NM | 1,317,000* | 1,317,000* |
57 | 75t | Welby Gardens Co./Hardy Boy Plants-Hardystarts | CO | 1,130,680 (13%) | 1,000,000 |
58 | 79 | Grower Direct Farms | CT | 1,272,000 | 980,000 |
59t | 59t | Richardson Brothers Greenhouses | IL | 1,200,000 | 1,200,000 |
59t | 59t | Young's Nursery and Greenhouses | TN | 1,200,000 | 1,200,000 |
59t | 73 | Van de Wetering Greenhouses | NY | 1,200,000 | 1,040,000 |
62 | 61t | Pacifica Flowers | CA | 1,176,120 | 1,176,120 |
63 | 69 | Armstrong Growers | CA | 1,156,000 | 1,048,000 |
64 | 63 | Dramm and Echter | CA | 1,125,000 | 1,125,000 |
65t | 65t | Henry Mast Greenhouses/Masterpiece Flower Co. | MI | 1,100,000 | 1,100,000 |
65t | 65t | Hillister Farms | TX | 1,100,000 | 1,100,000 |
65t | 67 | Lucas Greenhouses | NJ | 1,100,000 | 1,095,576 |
68 | 96 | Corso’s Perennials | OH | 1,081,096 | 732,000 |
69 | 68 | Sawyer Nursery | MI | 1,059,076 | 1,059,076 |
70t | 70 | Alex R. Masson | KS | 1,045,440* | 1,045,440* |
70t | 64 | Riverview Flower Farm | FL | 1,045,440 | 1,113,520 |
72 | 72 | Johannes Flowers | CA | 1,043,360* | 1,043,360 |
73 | 74 | Maria Gardens Greenhouses | OH | 1,001,820* | 1,001,820 |
74t | 75t | Color Point | KY | 1,000,000* | 1,000,000 |
74t | 75t | Kent's Bromeliad Nursery | CA | 1,000,000* | 1,000,000* |
74t | NR | The Perennial Farm | MD | 1,000,000 | |
77 | 80 | Farmers' West Flowers and Bouquets | CA | 958,320* | 958,320 |
78 | 81 | Harts Nursery | OR | 940,000 | 940,000 |
79 | 75t | Bob’s Market and Greenhouses | WV | 900,000 | 1,000,000 |
80 | 83 | Petitti Garden Center (Casa Verde) | OH | 895,000 | 895,000 |
81 | 84 | White’s Nursery and Greenhouses | VA | 860,000* | 860,000 |
82 | 85 | Twixwood Nursery | MI | 851,000 | 851,000 |
83t | 86t | B And H Flowers | CA | 850,000 | 850,000 |
83t | 86t | Blue Ridge Growers | VA | 850,000* | 850,000 |
83t | 86t | Kube-Pak | NJ | 850,000 | 850,000 |
86 | 89 | South Central Growers | TN | 802,000 | 801,500 |
87 | 90 | American Color | VA | 784,700 | 784,700 |
88 | 91 | Olive Hill Greenhouses | CA | 760,000 | 760,000 |
89t | 92t | California Pajarosa | CA | 750,000 | 750,000 |
89t | 92t | Plainview Growers | NJ | 750,000 | 750,000 |
91 | 95 | Esbenshades Greenhouse | PA | 740,000 | 740,000 |
92 | 61t | Plants Unlimited | MI | 730,000 | 1,176,120 |
93 | 97t | Knox Nursery | FL | 700,000 | 700,000 |
94 | 99 | Parks Brothers Farm | AR | 675,000 | 675,000 |
95 | 100 | Sedan Floral | KS | 672,604 | 672,604 |
96 | 94 | Myriad Flowers International | CA | 653,400 | 740,520 |
97 | NR | Loop's Nursery And Greenhouse | FL | 650,000 | |
98 | NR | Pleasant View Gardens | NH | 642,016 | |
99 | 82 | Cuthbert Greenhouse | OH | 631,817 | 912,680 |
100 | NR | Ever-Bloom | CA | 625,000 |
Hello To New Growers, Goodbye To Industry Icons
Five long-standing Top 100 operations are conspicuously missing in the rankings this year. Ecke Ranch, which was purchased by Agribio in 2012, was deemed to no longer be a grower operation, and taken off the list. Stacy’s Greenhouses was absorbed by Metrolina Greenhouses last summer when the operation declared bankruptcy and closed its doors. Color Star Growers also claimed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and sold its assets to Color Spot Holdings (No. 1), Altman Plants (No. 2) and Raindrop Partners (not on the list). As mentioned, Hermann Engelmann Greenhouses was sold to Costa Farms. We learned Barcelo Enterprises is now a garden center location under a new name.
Six new names made their way into this year’s Top 100: Bela Flor Nurseries, Loop’s Nursery & Greenhouses, Headstart Nursery, The Perennial Farm, Pleasant View Gardens and Ever-Bloom, Inc., which has graced the Top 100 Growers list in years past.
Bela Flor Nurseries is not only new to the Top 100 Growers list, but also a brand new business. Its Missouri-based greenhouses were previously leased to another operation, but when it combined that business with leased space from Altman Plants, it made an impressive Top 100 debut this year, jumping onto the list at number 28 with 1,873,080 square feet.
Congratulations to all of Greenhouse Grower’s Top 100 Growers!