Changing of the Guard at Greenhouse Grower
April 1, 2023 
Many of you are familiar with the changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The King’s Guard protecting Buckingham Palace and St. James Palace swap places with a fresh contingent of military officers, who then become the King’s Guard. It represents the passing of responsibility from one party to another. The time has come for Greenhouse Grower to experience its own change of guard.
After nearly 10 years working on the Greenhouse Grower brand in some capacity, I have embarked on a new adventure by taking a job as Senior Communications Specialist for Prospiant, a greenhouse design and manufacturing company. My feelings about the move are bittersweet. I look forward to the new opportunities and learning experiences that will come with the new job, and I’m excited to see the greenhouse industry from a different perspective.
On the other hand, I will miss the interactions I have had with many of you through my role as editor of Greenhouse Grower. Truly, you are the backbone that makes this industry great, and I’m proud to call many of you my friends. You are innovative and unselfish. You share your knowledge and care about the good of the industry as a whole. You’re resilient and determined. I’ve been inspired by your passion for your work. I will miss hearing your stories and learning from you. I stand in awe of what you accomplish.
I’ve never been one to make an intentional change easily. I’m happy to stay in a job I enjoy with an employer that treats me well. And, if I am honest, there is comfort in clinging to the known versus venturing into the unknown. What I have learned, though, is that comfort for me doesn’t necessarily mean growth. Sometimes you need to shake things up and leave the safety of your comfort zone to grow, with every confidence that the knowledge and growth you gain from the change will leave you with an increased ability to do things in your life you never thought were possible.
I think we have all experienced getting out of our comfort zones and doing things we never thought were possible in some shape or form with the unprecedented events of the past few years. The thing is that once you are out of your comfort zone, it can be very easy to fall back into it and miss out on learning opportunities. If I could encourage you to do one last thing, it would be to not let that happen. Take advantage of opportunities that challenge you, cause you to think differently, seem impossible, or just downright frighten you. I promise you will be better off for it in the long run.
In the meantime, Greenhouse Grower will continue to bring you the best production, variety, technology, and business management news in the greenhouse industry. Senior Editor Brian Sparks and Managing Editor Julie Hullett will keep things running smoothly on the editorial side until a new editor takes over. Business Director Karen Gerome and her team will continue to run the sales side of the brand.
This isn’t goodbye as much as it is an “until next time.” I don’t plan to be a stranger in the industry, and I would still love to keep in touch with you. Please drop me a line to say hello at [email protected]. Finally, I want to say thank you. Thank you to my great co-workers at Meister Media Worldwide. Thank you to each of you who contributed to stories, gave interviews, wrote articles, participated on committees or as panelists, assisted with events, or supported Greenhouse Grower in any way. Thank you to those who have been advisors, examples, and mentors. Thank you to all who have supported and encouraged me in my position as editor. Thank you to those who have become lifelong friends.
My hopes for the greenhouse industry are that it will experience every success, find new avenues for continued growth, make the impossible possible, and have a lot of fun doing it along the way.
Happy growing!
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