Title: Park Seed Well Rooted in Greenwood Economy

Run Date: FOR IMMEDIATE USE

Words: 821

Photo: Digital photos available on request

Park Seed (www.parkseed.com), the cornerstone of the business. Today’s colorful catalogs and Internet site are direct descendents of the original seed list that 16-year-old George W. Park printed on his hand press in 1868. And the original offering of seeds harvested from George’s backyard has grown to an inventory of more than 1,100 varieties of the best seeds available from around the world.

Wayside Gardens (www.waysidegardens.com), America’s premier gardening source. Wayside targets the serious garden enthusiast, offering the newest, hardest-to-find plants and unique accessories from across the globe. Founded in 1920, Wayside Gardens became part of the Park family when it was purchased in 1975.

Park’s Landscapes (www.parkslandscapes.com), just launched as a complete source for landscaping residential or commercial properties. The attractive catalog and website feature trees, shrubs, groundcovers, container plants, and other products, along with sample designs and landscape design tips.

Park Wholesale (www.parkwholesale.com), providing small to medium-sized greenhouse businesses with quality seeds, plants, plugs and supplies to outfit their business—everything a commercial greenhouse needs throughout the year.

People at Park Seed take justifiable pride in the company’s long history, the romantic story of moving to South Carolina for love, and 138 years of uninterrupted involvement by the original Park family. However, the real strength of any company lies not in its past, but in its future. And Park Seed is poised for a future even more amazing than its past.

In 2005, Park undertook one of the most significant changes of its long lifetime when Don Hachenberger, one of the co-founders of the RE/MAX International real estate organization, joined Karen Park Jennings as an owner of Park Seed Company. Hachenberger quickly recognized Park’s potential and welcomed the opportunity to add his entrepreneurial spirit and fresh perspective. Jennings, Chair of the Board, continues the proud tradition started by her grandfather.

As Jennings says, "For years, Park Seed and Wayside Gardens have been the premier brands in the retail mail-order garden industry. And we’ve built a substantial wholesale trade, serving the mid-sized professional grower. Our vision for the future is to continue those traditions while expanding our customer base and strengthening our position through new technologies and strategic partnerships. We expect Park Wholesale to experience substantial growth, with a new website launching this Spring and a major investment in marketing. We also see growth in our retail catalogs with hundreds of new products and additional promotions for new customers—look for us this Spring with ads in Southern Living, Garden How-To, Fine Gardening, Horticulture, and Martha."

Here are some examples of how Park Seed is expanding beyond its traditional comfort zone.

For more than a century, Park Seed relied on mail-order catalogs to bring in business. Today, approximately 40% of Park’s total retail business comes in via the Internet. As with most high-tech processes, the Web presence is constantly evolving. Recent developments include specialized "micro-sites" and strict attention to search engine optimization; that is, when you Google a plant-related topic—say, Tomatoes—Park wants to make sure that the most visible, easiest way for you to buy your Tomato is through a Park-branded site.

As demonstrated by more than 7 million satisfied Park customers, order management and fulfillment are core competencies for the company. A key element of Park’s growth strategy is to establish partnerships with top players in related industries. These partners will extend their horizons by capitalizing on the power of Park/Wayside’s superior horticultural knowledge, fulfillment capabilities, and call center expertise.

The garden shop and trial gardens on the Park Seed campus have always been popular destinations for local and regional gardeners. Plans are underway now to reshape both the physical space and the philosophy of the shop. "We see the Garden Center, the trial gardens, and indeed, our whole facility, becoming a destination for visitors from all over the country," said Chas Fox, president. "Our goal is to involve and delight our customers with a world-class experience. We’re taking the first steps right now, and our friends in Greenwood and surrounding areas will have the fun of watching us—indeed, helping us—evolve toward that goal."

By official government definition, Park Seed Company is a small business. But by any other definition—industry footprint, growth potential, vision, heart—Park Seed is very big business indeed, and proud to be doing business in Greenwood County.

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Photo cut line: The trial gardens at Park Seed Company, located on Highway 254, attract numerous visitors, especially on Field Day during the Festival of Flowers.

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Side bar: Moving to South Carolina for Love

How did gardening entrepreneur George W. Park end up in South Carolina? Mary Barratt, whose family lived in what is now south Greenwood, was a County Home Demonstration Agent in Pickens who wrote Mr. Park asking for some free seeds. He replied that he could not give away his seed, but he could give free advice! Thus began a two-year correspondence that ended with Mr. Park’s coming down to South Carolina, meeting, and marrying Mary Barratt in 1918. The couple tried running the business from Florida, but in the days before air conditioning, found that neither the seeds nor they really enjoyed the heat and humidity. Searching for a place with a more favorable climate, the Parks returned to Mary’s hometown, Greenwood, South Carolina.