Connecting Students to the Greenhouse Industry Through Internships
(Clockwise from top left) AFE Program Manager Candice Musgrave with Alana Wood at Pure Beauty Farms; Dr. Kim Williams, Wood, and Tim Kepner of Pure Beauty Farms; Wood’s office space at Pure Beauty Farms during her internship. | American Floral Endowment (AFE)
One of the most distinctive aspects of the Vic & Margaret Ball Internship Program is the opportunity for faculty advisors to visit their students on-site during their internships. With travel expenses covered by American Floral Endowment (AFE), these visits let advisors see their students in action, while students gain the opportunity to walk their professors through their daily responsibilities and learning experiences.
This summer, AFE Program Manager Candice Musgrove had the chance to join Dr. Kimberly Williams, Professor of Greenhouse Management at Kansas State University, for a visit to Pure Beauty Farms in Miami, FL, where Alana Wood was completing her internship.
Alana is one of nine undergraduates participating in our Vic & Margaret Ball and Mosmiller Internship Programs this year. Together, these programs connect students with hands-on opportunities at commercial greenhouses, nurseries, and floral businesses nationwide, allowing them to bridge the gap between the classroom and the industry.
Visiting Intern Alana Wood at Pure Beauty Farms — By Candice Musgrove
Earlier this summer, I had the pleasure of traveling to Miami, FL, to visit American Floral Endowment intern Alana Wood, a K-State student who was accepted into AFE’s Vic & Margaret Ball Internship Program. I joined her horticulture professor, Dr. Kim Williams, on the trip, who offered wonderful insight and encouragement. Dr. Williams has a long history of supporting AFE interns through visits like this, making her presence especially meaningful.
“This was one of the most rewarding internship visits I have ever made,” says Dr. Kim Williams. “Not only did I learn a great deal that informs my own teaching and research, but Alana performed exceptionally during her internship and made us all — K-State and the Ball Internship Program — look good.”
During the visit, we explored two exceptional horticultural businesses: Pure Beauty Farms and Island Tropical Foliage. This trip was not only an opportunity to see the vibrant plant industry in action but also a chance to strengthen connections, build new relationships, and witness the dedication, teamwork, and innovation that keep these companies thriving.
Our first stop was Pure Beauty Farms, a sprawling 300-acre facility where Alana has been gaining invaluable hands-on experience with a wide range of floriculture crops that are marketed by their primary customer, Home Depot. The scale of the operation was inspiring, from vast greenhouses overflowing with lush greenery to the well-organized shipping areas preparing plants for customers across the region. Pure Beauty Farms grows a wide range of annuals, perennials, and succulents, and has extensive tropical plant production. Home Depot has been a cornerstone customer since the late 1980s, supporting steady growth and enabling the farm to expand its reach throughout Florida and beyond.
We spent nearly five hours with one of the owners, Tim Kepner, who generously gave his time to tour us around the operation with Alana. We saw her excellent housing provided by Pure Beauty Farms, met the HR team who have embraced her like family, and spoke with supervisors who praised her hard work and dedication.
“I could not have been more impressed with the operation, their facilities, their leadership, and their employees,” says Williams. “I am grateful to the entire crew at Pure Beauty Plants for providing such a fantastic summer internship experience.”
To read about the rest of Kim’s report on the trip, click here.
To learn more and apply for AFE’s paid internship programs, click here.
Lastly, industry organizations looking to host interns can get in touch with AFE Program Manager Candice Musgrove at [email protected].
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