Wal-Mart Veteran Founds Logistics Company

John Orendorff has left his position as DMM at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. to serve as General Manager and equity partner of a newly-formed live goods logistics company, GardenReady Solutions. Over his fifteen years of service at Wal-Mart, Orendorff has identified an unfulfilled need in the live goods industry, and is partnering with an investment group from Texas to address the increasing challenge that growers are having getting product on retail shelves at both the right time and in the right quantities. Garden Ready Solutions will assist live goods growers across the country with the increasing logistical burden of distributing product to an expanding retail market.

Garden Ready’s first cross dock facility will be located in the Dallas/Fort Worth market, with plans of expanding to additional markets throughout the Southwest and beyond in the coming years. Garden Ready’s services will allow growers to deliver smaller quantities of live goods, but on a more frequent basis, to the increasing number of retail units. The result is a fresher, healthier end product for the consumer and increased sales for the grower and the retailer.

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“Garden Ready’s concepts will revolutionize the way product is moved from the greenhouses into the store.” Orendorff went on to explain how his ideas will not only benefit the growers, but will also benefit the retailers. Retailers will no longer have to select vendors based upon their distribution capabilities. As retailers continue to build more and more retail outlets to service a consumer that is demanding the convenience of having a garden center in their neighborhood, Garden Ready will assist the grower in managing the supply chain. The grower will be freed up to do what they do best, which is to grow beautiful product. A live goods buyer will no longer have to make buying decisions based on what company has the logistics capability to handle their business, but instead on what company can provide the highest quality and most innovative products.

“Through my experience in the industry and my years working at Wal-Mart, I have recognized a need to streamline the supply chain in the live goods industry. In other industries, product is delivered through a consolidated distribution center. Live goods present a unique set of problems, but technology and improved racking systems are allowing us to look at more efficient ways to distribute product. I believe this system will revolutionize our industry and give the end consumer what they want: fresher, more diverse plant material in the garden center,” stated Orendorff.

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