Thank You, Delilah

The three of us are working together to do something a little different in the Benchmarks column this month because there’s something significantly different about the magazine we need to share: This is the final issue of Greenhouse Grower edited by Delilah Onofrey.

After serving the greenhouse industry as an editor for 18 years, the last 13 of which she spent as the lead editor of Greenhouse Grower, Delilah has decided she is ready for a career change. She will soon be starting a new job with a leading floriculture breeder.

Advertisement

While we’re obviously disappointed to lose such a talented and experienced colleague as Delilah, we’re excited for her as we recognize the uniqueness of her opportunity and the new challenges she’s pursuing after nearly two decades of service to Meister Media Worldwide, Greenhouse Grower and the greenhouse floriculture industry. We also appreciate the fact the industry will continue to benefit from her experience and ideas in her new role.

Industry Mover & Shaker

As editors in the business media, we strive to make a difference by helping you do your jobs better. But Delilah’s passion for the greenhouse market has driven her to serve as an advocate that has truly helped shape, guide and promote the industry she has reported on.

Top Articles
New Survey on Sustainability in U.S. Floriculture Industry

Delilah has traveled the country and the world representing Greenhouse Grower over the years – from Asia to Europe to Africa – bringing back knowledge to share about new developments, unique new varieties or new production systems growers can put to good use.

She knows seemingly everyone. If you’re planning to walk a trade show with Delilah, you’d better better have some extra time set aside. She can’t go more than 10 feet without someone stopping her to say hello, share some news or pick her brain. People want to know where she’s headed and what’s on her mind.

Delilah is a variety savant. We’re convinced she knows as much (if not more) about the varieties you grow than the breeders who’ve created them. She has helped change the way you read and learn about what happens at California Spring Trials every year. And under her leadership, Greenhouse Grower’s Medal of Excellence and Grower of the Year Awards have become some of the most coveted recognitions in the industry.

Delilah was also a major force in launching America In Bloom 10 years ago to spread the joy of planting to communities across the United States. She continues to be an active participant in her own town’s program, Westlake In Bloom, that carries on America In Bloom’s spirit.

Boss, Mentor & Friend

But it’s Delilah the person – her presence and one-of-a-kind personality, her enthusiasm and free spirit, her ear-to-ear smile and, of course, that hearty laugh – we’ll miss the most. Plants and beautification are her first priority, but astrology, music and cooking are also among her passions. If you’re ever in a car with Delilah, don’t bother challenging her in a game of Name That Tune – she’ll wipe the floor with you. And if you’re one of her 900 or so Facebook friends, you’ve seen photographic evidence of how well her husband, Steve, and three sons, Arden, Tristan and Devlin, eat. Her roasted Italian sausage dish and Moroccan Beef Tagine are enough to make you want to be Facebook friends in hopes she’ll invite you to dinner!

All of us have our favorite Delilah moments, just as many of you in the industry have yours. The three of us have been fortunate enough at one time or another to call Delilah a co-worker, a boss, a mentor and a friend. We’ll miss having Delilah as part of our team.

And a team is exactly what Delilah built in her 18 years at Greenhouse Grower. Our team is committed to carrying on the passion, knowledge and leadership she exuded during her long tenure. The example she set over the years on these pages clearly resonated with you, the reader, and we’ll continue to provide you with the news, information and analysis you need in the spirit Delilah always exhibited.

On behalf of everyone here at Meister Media and all the readers of Greenhouse Grower, we appreciate your many years of commitment, leadership and friendship, Delilah. Good luck as you embark on this next chapter of your career.
Thanks Boss. We’ll miss you.

0