| Providing quality greenhouses, greenhouse equipment, nursery carts and service to help our customers "grow". |
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General Information
Email:
Toll free: 1-800-258-7171
US Mail: PO Box 685 Irmo, SC 29063
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Louis Stacy Winter Story Louis Stacy, a former Navy officer and aviator who flew 85 missions over North Vietnam, is still astounded at the great success of his company. "It's almost like the company has a mind of its own," he says. "It shocks me sometimes." The numbers are relatively shocking: Sales were $1,500 in 1970; they were 24.6 million in 1999. Sales have increased more than eight-fold since 1994 and show no signs of stalling. In fact Stacy believes sales will double again in the next three years. Stacy, 63, had anticipated retiring by now, "but then, about four or five years ago, we bought this farm," he says. "There were very significant increases in demand for perennials. We had started growing those in 1989 and had become a fairly significant supplier," says Stacy. "Our customers wanted us to grow more. We just made a conscientious decision that we would like to grow the company." "It takes almost a lifetime to build a business. You spend years and years laying the foundation for what sometimes seems like almost overnight and rapid growth." Stacy says. "But it's because it takes you a long time to establish your place in the marketplace, and get your name out to the people so that you can get prepared to do all this." Stacy's relationship with the do-it-yourself home center chain, Lowe's, Stacy's leading customer, has been a key to the company's growth. They service over 200 Lowe's stores. They also work with K-Mart, Pikes in Atlanta and 600-800 other independent garden centers. While most sales are within a 250 mile radius, Stacy's product is available in 14 states along the East Coast. Growing publicity is also spreading the word. "It seems to be continuous in the last five or six years, " Says Stacy. He's been featured on South Carolina Educational Television's "Making it Grow!" twice and recently filmed several segments for UNC-TV's "For Your Home" program in North Carolina. Meanwhile, articles in regional, national, and international trade publications attest to the respect Stacy has earned throughout this industry. The company has flowered on the Filbert Landscape as well: Two farms totaling 133.5 acres are fully developed; two others include a 120 acre farm, which is about 65% developed and an additional 110 as-yet-undeveloped acres, Stacy says. "We've been in construction since early 1995," he notes, when sales grew 30-50 percent. Whether it's cars or potted plants, increased efficiency translates into success," something Louis Stacy has produced in abundance. "Our growth has just been phenomenal", he says. "We grow more now in one year than we grew in six or eight before. Still, it's a controlled growth as far as we're concerned." Stacy hasn't lost his sense of adventure in over 30 years of doing business. "It's been a lot of fun," he says.
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