2014 Top 100 List Shows Growers Are Expanding

Top 100 Logo 2013 with sponsorGrower 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

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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.

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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 Rank2013 RankName of OperationState2014 Total Square Footage2013 Total Square Footage
11Color Spot NurseriesCA19,750,00016,400,000
24Altman PlantsCA10,473,2987,339,542
35Costa FarmsFL9,507,300 (4%)6,207,000
42Kurt Weiss GreenhousesNY9,238,2329,774,020
53Rocket FarmsCA8,305,1208,305,120
67Metrolina GreenhousesNC6,900,0005,900,000
76Bell Nursery USAMD6,100,0006,100,000
810Green Circle GrowersOH4,791,6004,704,480
911Aris HorticultureOH4,352,080 (39%)4,352,080
1012The Sun Valley GroupCA4,000,000*4,000,000*
1113Delray Plants Co.FL3,868,1163,868,116
1216SpeedlingFL3,700,0003,490,000
13t14tMid-American GrowersIL3,500,0003,500,000
13t14tMilgro NurseryUT3,500,0003,500,000
1519Ivy AcresNY3,383,9703,253,290
16t20Kerry's Nursery Inc.FL3,000,0003,100,000
16t21Woodburn Nursery and AzaleasOR3,000,0002,850,000
1822Floral Plant GrowersWI2,826,3602,826,360
1917Matsui NurseryCA2,800,0003,438,000
2023Dallas Johnson GreenhousesIA2,600,0002,700,000
2143Olson’s Greenhouse GardensUT2,564,9011,515,141
22t24Bay City FlowersCA2,500,000*2,500,000
22t25Smith GardensWA2,500,0002,350,000
2429Wenke GreenhousesMI2,265,1201,829,520
2528Northwest HorticultureWA2,178,0002,090,880
2627Tagawa Greenhouse EnterprisesCO2,119,904*2,119,904
2726N.G. Heimos Greenhouses Inc.IL2,062,0002,127,200
28NRBela Flor NurseriesMO1,873,080
2934Plant MarketingWI1,841,0001,778,000
3039Bergen's GreenhousesMN1,829,5201,611,720
3130Dan Schantz FarmPA1,814,3811,814,381
3232Colorama Wholesale NurseryCA1,791,5001,791,500
3333Battlefield FarmsVA1,785,9601,785,960
3435Valley FlowersCA1,740,000*1,740,000
3545DeLeon’s BromeliadsFL1,723,939 (13%)1,500,939
3636Hines Growers, Inc.CA1,700,000*1,700,000
3737Young's Plant FarmAL1,645,0001,645,000
3838Ocean Breeze InternationalCA1,614,000*1,614,000
3942Dewar NurseriesFL1,604,5051,517,385
4055Westland Floral CompanyCA1,600,0001,313,280
4140Post GardensMI1,527,0001,527,000
4241Clearwater NurseryCA1,525,0001,525,000
43tNRHeadstart NurseryCA1,500,000
43t46Kawahara NurseriesCA1,500,000*1,500,000*
4544Garden State GrowersNJ1,481,0401,502,820
4647Dan and Jerry’s GreenhouseMN1,445,0001,445,000
4758Rockwell FarmsNC1,440,0001,260,000
4856tBailey NurseriesMN1,437,4801,306,800
4948Willoway NurseriesOH1,418,3401,418,340
50t49tKitayama BrothersCA1,400,0001,400,000
50t49tPanzer NurseryOR1,400,0001,400,000
50t49tVan Wingerden InternationalNC1,400,0001,400,000
5356tFour Star GreenhousesMI1,378,8001,306,800
5453Heartland GrowersIN1,350,8401,320,000
5552Nash GreenhousesMI1,345,0001,345,000
5654Aldershot of New MexicoNM1,317,000*1,317,000*
5775tWelby Gardens Co./Hardy Boy Plants-HardystartsCO1,130,680 (13%)1,000,000
5879Grower Direct FarmsCT1,272,000980,000
59t59tRichardson Brothers GreenhousesIL1,200,0001,200,000
59t59tYoung's Nursery and GreenhousesTN1,200,0001,200,000
59t73Van de Wetering GreenhousesNY1,200,0001,040,000
6261tPacifica FlowersCA1,176,1201,176,120
6369Armstrong GrowersCA1,156,0001,048,000
6463Dramm and EchterCA1,125,0001,125,000
65t65tHenry Mast Greenhouses/Masterpiece Flower Co.MI1,100,0001,100,000
65t65tHillister FarmsTX1,100,0001,100,000
65t67Lucas GreenhousesNJ1,100,0001,095,576
6896Corso’s PerennialsOH1,081,096732,000
6968Sawyer NurseryMI1,059,0761,059,076
70t70Alex R. MassonKS1,045,440*1,045,440*
70t64Riverview Flower FarmFL1,045,4401,113,520
7272Johannes FlowersCA1,043,360*1,043,360
7374Maria Gardens GreenhousesOH1,001,820*1,001,820
74t75tColor PointKY1,000,000*1,000,000
74t75tKent's Bromeliad NurseryCA1,000,000*1,000,000*
74tNRThe Perennial FarmMD1,000,000
7780Farmers' West Flowers and BouquetsCA958,320*958,320
7881Harts NurseryOR940,000940,000
7975tBob’s Market and GreenhousesWV900,0001,000,000
8083Petitti Garden Center (Casa Verde)OH895,000895,000
8184White’s Nursery and GreenhousesVA860,000*860,000
8285Twixwood NurseryMI851,000851,000
83t86tB And H FlowersCA850,000850,000
83t86tBlue Ridge GrowersVA850,000*850,000
83t86tKube-PakNJ850,000850,000
8689South Central GrowersTN802,000801,500
8790American ColorVA784,700784,700
8891Olive Hill GreenhousesCA760,000760,000
89t92tCalifornia PajarosaCA750,000750,000
89t92tPlainview GrowersNJ750,000750,000
9195Esbenshades GreenhousePA740,000740,000
9261tPlants UnlimitedMI730,0001,176,120
9397tKnox NurseryFL700,000700,000
9499Parks Brothers FarmAR675,000675,000
95100Sedan FloralKS672,604672,604
9694Myriad Flowers InternationalCA653,400740,520
97NRLoop's Nursery And GreenhouseFL650,000
98NRPleasant View GardensNH642,016
9982Cuthbert GreenhouseOH631,817912,680
100NREver-BloomCA625,000

 

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!

 

 

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