In Memoriam: Jane Lieberth, Greenhouse Grower’s Original Editor
December 13, 2020 
Jane Lieberth
Jane Lieberth, the founding Editor of Greenhouse Grower® magazine who was a leading voice in the early years of the booming bedding plant market, has died. Jane passed away on Oct. 24, 2020, at the age of 69. During her 10 years leading the Greenhouse Grower brand, she was a strong and steady advocate for the health and vitality of the ornamental industry. It was her mission to help growers learn about the tools, techniques, and products they needed to enhance their production and build successful, profitable businesses.
Born in Wadsworth, OH, Jane graduated from the University of Dayton. She began her career in agricultural media with Meister Media Worldwide (then Meister Publishing Company) in 1977 as an editor for American Vegetable Grower® magazine. Recognizing the rapid growth of bedding plants and greenhouse production, Jane worked with then-Meister President Richard T. (Dick) Meister and Dr. Will Carlson (Bedding Plants, Inc. and Michigan State University) to launch Greenhouse Grower in 1983. She led the brand until 1993.
Gary T. Fitzgerald, Chairman & CEO of Meister Media Worldwide, the parent company to Greenhouse Grower, worked directly with Jane on the Greenhouse Grower launch.
“Jane was one of a kind. She was determined to see that the bedding plant industry would thrive, and she did so,” he said.
During Jane’s leadership tenure at Greenhouse Grower, she presided over market-changing coverage of the California Pack Trials, launched the Medal of Excellence Awards program, and developed Greenhouse Grower into the leading magazine brand in the industry. She was also a proponent of recognizing the contributions of women in the greenhouse industry.
Jane’s contributions to the success of Greenhouse Grower and Meister Media Worldwide over the past four decades cannot be overestimated. We invited some of her colleagues to share their memories of Jane.
“Jane never stopped – in fact, she was a bit of a pain in the rear end – and truly earned her nickname of ‘Jane the Pain.’ I can say that with pride because she was my pain, and I suppose in truth I was hers as well.
“Jane had been with the Meister organization for some time, but she was the first editor of the newly minted magazine called Greenhouse Grower, and as such, she was my ‘boss’ when I joined the Meister group a couple of years later (1984).
“Without doubt, we spent some of our most memorable times roaming up and down the California countryside covering the California Pack Trials, now known as CAST. Our first foray in this new event was in April of 1985, where we reported on new plants from companies like Bodger, Denholm, Goldsmith, and other California giants whose names have since disappeared, and many others that are still with us.
“Over the years, we watched companies and crops evolve and provided information on new crops and mergers with the increasingly curious readers of Greenhouse Grower. We shared many wonderful discussions and became the voice of new crops for Meister Media. Jane’s mantra never varied. Hers was to provide information to the industry and help the industry grow and flourish.
“I was there, and she did!” — Allan Armitage, Greenhouse Grower Contributing Editor
“Jane hired me and we only worked together for five months, but I was fortunate to observe her example in editorial and industry leadership. I had come from a small daily newspaper, which is different than trade journalism. She encouraged me to go after bigger stories, which was my comfort zone, but also shared the importance of taking a leadership role in industry organizations and long-term industry relationships. This was during the 10-year anniversary of Greenhouse Grower, so I gained a past, present, and future perspective in our editorial features. Graduating to write a cover story was a big deal! I thank her for the vote of confidence and seeing my early potential.” — Delilah Onofrey, former Editor of Greenhouse Grower
“Jane Lieberth was whip-smart, high-energy, and very passionate about her work and the floriculture industry in general. Jane brought me onto the editorial staff of Greenhouse Grower just a handful of years after its startup, and it was clear even then that she already had made an indelible mark as the magazine’s founding editor. As such, she was my mentor as much as my boss, and she set me on a course that has taken me through nearly 35 years in ag media. Jane may be gone, but her legacy lives on.” — Jim Sulecki, former Chief Content Officer, Meister Media Worldwide
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