Red Oak Greenhouse plans for future growth
Mum’s not the word when it comes to the secret behind Red Oak Greenhouse’s success of more than 140 years.
The secret producing a wide variety of greenhouse crops, said General Manager Bryce Johnson, is growing lifetime partnerships one customer at a time and having a dedicated, knowledgeable labor force.
“We consider our customers partners. We have a customer first mentality in everything we do,” said Johnson. “You have got to have a good team. There is not one person who knows everything, and there is not one person who can do everything; it is a team effort.”
Owned by Russell Johnson and Dennis Bloom, the business produces spring bedding plants, edibles, potted annuals, hanging baskets and plant combinations. Easter lilies, bulbs, mums, foliage and poinsettias round out their produce. It initially began in 1879 as a retail flower shop and greenhouse. In 1967, Howard and his son, Dallas Johnson, purchased the retail flower shop and greenhouse. Russell joined the business in 1970 after returning from serving his country in Vietnam.
In 1980, Russell’s brother, Dallas, left the business to start a new company. In 1987, Russell formed a partnership with Dennis Bloom and they have owned and operated Red Oak Greenhouse ever since. Several years ago, Russell’s sons, Bryce, Mark, and Jordan became part of the family business.
Red Oak Greenhouse operates an 895,000 square foot indoor production facility, which is equipped with the most up-to-date greenhouse industry equipment. However, Bryce said technology can only do so much when it comes to the start to finish production of horticulture.
“The time it takes us to produce a product is often misunderstood,” said Bryce. “We are looking at 12 months to correctly produce a product. We spend a lot of time planning and a lot of time trying to find the right varieties that will make our customers successful, as well as the varieties that are going to last and make our customers successful.”
The product is sold within a 450-mile radius of Red Oak to hardware stores, grocery stores, farm and home stores and wholesale outlets. The greenhouse has its own fleet of vehicles to provide the company with the flexibility to provide the customer service it strives for.
Despite growing up in the greenhouse, Bryce and Mark both branched off on their own before coming back into the family business.
Bryce received his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and a master’s degree in business administration from Drake University. He then went to work for a large management consulting firm. Mark graduated from the University of Iowa, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a law degree. He practiced law in Kansas City before returning to serve as marketing director.
Bryce said his and Mark’s outside-the-industry experience has provided them with a unique perspective to help propel the company into the future. He added that working elsewhere, for someone else, has been beneficial as well.
“We’ve both gone away and done our own things and learned different aspects of the business world. The outside-the-greenhouse education provided us with newfound perspectives on how we can operate in the future,” said Bryce.
Red Oak Greenhouse has approximately 20 acres of indoor production in two different locations. Plans call for the construction of additional six foot wide by 204 foot long greenhouses at its G Avenue location. The former Shopko building on Broadway Avenue was also purchased by the greenhouse. Bryce said it’ll be used as a warehouse for its weekly plant-and flower-based business.
“We feel it is a great area we can use in order to be more efficient and help us continue to work with that side of business,” said Bryce. “We weren’t planning on it but it became available … we thought we could do something with it.”
There are roughly 87 employees at Red Oak Greenhouse year round, some full-time and others, part-time. During the peak season, that number jumps closer to 150, said Bryce. And they are always seeking additional employees as the business continues to expand and grow.
“Twenty years ago when I came here to Red Oak, I had a totally different view on what my life path would be to today. Once you start having kids, and the older you get, you begin to see what is really important,” Bryce said. “It’s more about someone else than it is about you.”