Grimes Horticulture Closes Doors After 95 Years in Business

Four partners of Grimes Horticulture

This picture, taken in 2011, shows the four partners that owned Grimes Horticulture, which Gary Grimes founded. Left to Right: Bill Watson, Grimes, Robert Reed, and Rod LeDrew.

After 95 years in business, Grimes Horticulture, based in Concord, OH, has closed its doors as of October 16. Director Gary Grimes announced in an email to horticulture industry friends that the company was closing because of embezzlement, which was too much for the company to financially digest.

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Grimes said further the company managed the timing of the closing carefully and has paid more than 95% of its obligations to vendors. The company will see that plant orders already placed for the current season will be fulfilled. It will also follow up with customers to assist with seed orders they have placed.

Five-Year Partnership Comes to an End

In 2015, Grimes Horticulture and Seeds by Design, a California-based wholesale vegetable and herb seed company with a reputation of creating market trends in a relatively traditional industry, formed a partnership to vet out future vegetable business prospects. The alliance was an important step for both companies to expand and take advantage of their individual strengths to offer growers more options and better varieties than were on the market at the time.

Many of Grimes’ exclusive varieties came from Seeds by Design’s breeding efforts. Those varieties are now available for license and can be purchased from other brokers, according to Patty Buskirk, President of Seeds by Design. Buskirk also says the company has already been contacted by many of Grimes’ previous customers, which the company has referred to other Seeds by Design dealers to fulfill their needs.

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“Grimes and Seeds by Design truly had a unique marketing partnership,” Buskirk says . “It is a sad day when an almost 100-year-old company closes its doors. Life is ever-changing. One very sorrowful aspect overlooked when a long-time business closes is the loss of experience. As the horticultural industry continues to consolidate, we are slowly losing our past employee experiences. I wish everyone at Grimes the best for the future.”

Next Steps

Bill Steen, CEO at Grimes Horticulture, has accepted a new position as General Manager at Fleurizon International. Gary Grimes and President Rod LeDrew plan to assist Grimes Horticulture employees who are still seeking new positions of employment.

“We are extremely proud of our exceptional employees who have been as dedicated and productive as any company could possibly ask for,” Grimes stated in the email.

Grimes Horticulture will respond to emails as it winds down its operations.

“It has been an honor to get to know and work with so many of you in this wonderful industry,” Grimes said in the email. “We sincerely wish the very best to our many valued friends and associates.”

How It All Began

Grimes Horticulture’s roots go back to the H.G. German Seed Co. Gary Grimes purchased the company in 1984 and changed the name to Grimes Seeds in 1989. At the time of the sale, H.G. German Seed had around 2,800 to 3,000 plants and was taking in annual sales of $1 million. H.G. German also conducted extensive field trials to determine the characteristics of all its varieties. Grimes Horticulture carried on this tradition, focusing on field trial performance at its new location in Concord. It hosted an All-American Selections (AAS) Trial site along with other industry variety trials. Two of Grimes Horticulture’s partners, Bill Watson and Rod LeDrew, have both served as judges for the AAS trials. The company also developed the Garden Leader line to promote top-performing cultivars.

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