Member Spotlight: Hoffman Nursery

NCNLA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Hoffman Nursery

Rougemont, N.C.

Senior Director of Sales and Operations

David Hoffman

In business

35 years

NCNLA member

31 years

Number of employees

55

Favorite NCNLA benefits

Green & Growin’ trade show and education, newsletters, Nursery & Landscape Notes, continuing education classes

Five Minutes with Hoffman Nursery

How did you get into the business?

John and Jill Hoffman started the nursery in 1986 to help supply plants for John’s landscaping business. John had always had an interest in grasses, and his enthusiasm for them was fueled by mentors like J.C. Raulston, Kurt Bleumel and Ernst Pagels. Becoming convinced that grasses were going to be popular and profitable, he dropped landscaping to focus on growing grasses and grasslike plants. Since then, he and Jill have grown the business, which now ships to wholesale customers across North America and includes a state-of-the-art greenhouse and production facility, as well as more than 60 cold frames and hot houses.

I grew up working at the nursery on weekends and during summers. I earned a degree in horticulture from North Carolina State University in 2012 and then interned at Stauden Peters Nursery in Kranenburg, Germany. After a year there, I was hired as production coordinator, which was a great opportunity to learn on the job in a cutting-edge facility. I returned home in 2015 and began working at Hoffman as production coordinator and then supervisor. As my duties gradually expanded, I moved through several management positions, and I’m currently running most of the nursery’s day-to-day operations.

What is a typical day like for you and your staff?

A lot of splitting plants! Across the departments, we’re working on producing, managing and shipping high-quality plants. The production team manages mother stock, procuring tissue culture, seed and stock plants for division. They then transplant them into cells and hand them off to the growing department, where our growers focus on integrated pest management, keep grasses cut back, manage water and perform other horticultural tasks. The shipping department checks all the plants before they leave the nursery, and then preps and packs them for shipment. The sales team works directly with customers, helping them choose plants and scheduling orders — they’re busy on the phone and responding

to emails most of the day. Meanwhile, the marketing team creates content so our customers and our team have the most up-to-date info about our plants. I move around among the teams, facilitating communication and bridging projects that involve multiple departments. We like to celebrate with employee lunches and ice cream in the heat of the summer, which helps to create a stronger team.

What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

Getting to know people in the industry. I knew many of them growing up, but there are new people getting into it, and they are excited and ambitious. It’s thrilling to see. I also enjoy solving problems. For example, seed propagation has variation that poses challenges in nursery production. Figuring how to make it work for us and unlocking the secrets to some of those seeds is very exciting. We can produce some niche plants on a larger scale and develop markets that otherwise may not have been tapped.

What is your company best known for?

Young plant production of ornamental and native grasses for the wholesale trade. We’re also very active in promoting plants for the emerging green-infrastructure market.

What have you gained from your involvement in NCNLA?

I have attended the Green & Growin’ trade show for many years, which is invaluable for making and keeping connections. It’s helped us grow our business. The educational resources help our team stay current and learn new techniques. The continuing education credits are important for maintaining everyone’s credentials. We also appreciate the support NCNLA gives to ongoing research at local universities, including NC State.

What issues are you concerned with as a company in the green industry?

Labor, and finding the right people to help grow the company. We have a great team, and they continue to impress us, but we always have positions to fill. We’re also concerned about plastic waste, and we want to grow our business sustainably using better materials and new techniques. Water reliability will also continue to be on our minds as we try to maximize our efficiency and use only what’s necessary.

What advice do you have for someone interested in or just starting out in the industry?

Look for internship opportunities — they’re a great way to get your hands dirty and try out a particular part of the industry. There are so many facets to the industry, that anyone looking can find a fit. Seek out a mentor in the industry who can help you grow professionally and build your network.