A Grower Perspective

Today is Thanksgiving Day.  Dave and I have so much to be grateful for in life and in our business at Pleasant Hill Nursery.  We are immensely proud of our nursery.  It has been nearly thirty years in the building process, many of those years were tough.  Some were incredibly stressful.  For those of you in the nursery business, you know this is not an easy way to make a living - especially this year.

I think it is really important to stop for a moment and take stock of our blessings.  Thanksgiving Day seemed like a fitting time to do this.  So please allow me a moment to express our gratitude on behalf of Dave and myself.

It goes without saying that we are very thankful for our customers.  No customers.  No business.  It's as simple as that.   Some of you have been buying from us since the early days.  That says a lot.  We are deeply grateful for your loyalty and support.  So many of you have become friends.  We've shared lots of laughs and stories and advice with each other from the business trenches.  

Vendors. So often in business, those that supply to us are overlooked. From plants, containers, greenhouse materials and office supplies to accounting services, legal advice, bark and soil products and more, our vendors have played a huge role in helping us to be successful. Even in crunch time when we need something fast, you deliver.  We are loyal too.  Many of you have been providing goods and services to us from day one.  Please know your role in our success does not go unnoticed.  We thank you.

We could never have taken this journey in the nursery business without our employees.  We're proud of the longevity of our employee base - many have been a part of the Pleasant Hill Nursery team for more than a decade.  We've watched many go from being single to married life with beautiful children. We have really enjoyed being a part of this amazing progression in your lives.

As owners of Pleasant Hill Nursery, we are very committed to providing our customers with a premium quality plants and really exceptional customer service.  We believe that to be critical.  It's our employees who make that happen.  They care as much as we do and it shows.  We get tremendous positive feedback from our customers and the credit is due to the people who work for us. 

I think it's important to also thank my parents - Mel & Ann Steffenson.  They founded this business.  Pleasant Hill Nursery has come a long way from those first days of sticking cuttings in coffee cans.  I remember my dad on his knees in the dirt potting (literally "canning")  up their first crops.  My parents had such a passion for the plants. My mom passed away 16 years ago and my dad has long-since retired but we never forget where it all began.  We are thankful to them and the vision that they had back in 1980.

So many have played a role in the growth and success of Pleasant Hill Nursery. Dave and I are immensely grateful to everyone and know, without a doubt, that we could not have come this far without the support and efforts of all of you.  So on this Thanksgiving Day, we give thanks.