Big 10: The fruits of their labor

When Target decided to close its garden centers in 2010, Altman Plants faced a challenge. The company was a large supplier for the retail chain, having a production site in Florida dedicated to it, as well as a large amount of facilities in California and Arizona. But Chief Operating Officer Matthew Altman says that change in business forced the company to improve.

“When [Target] did that, it actually kind of galvanized us and forced us to get better at what we do, and be open to changing our business a little bit,” he says. “We didn’t want to reduce our business.”

The company was able to move forward because it could focus even more on its other customers.

“The thing we focus the most on is the customer,” Altman says. “We take it to as high of a level as we can.”

The company is able to meet its customers’ needs by staying flexible and having a willingness to change, such as creating facilities from scratch to support new products or programs, and having a good team of employees in place.

“The best place to find good people is within your own organization, and trying to find people that have talent and give them the tools to grow,” he says.
 

Giving employees the opportunity to grow can range from putting them in the right place in the company, to giving them training, to empowering them to take on an important project, and so on.

“I think you’d be surprised at how many people are within your own company that can do more, or want to do more,” he says.

But the real key to achieving all of this is the desire and ability to work hard.

“The biggest thing in this industry is working hard,” Altman says. “It’s a perishable product we’re dealing with. There’s a lot of joy and satisfaction that comes out of our industry, but it takes a lot of work, and those that are willing to put that work in find the fruit of their labor.”
 

For more: Altman Plants, (760) 744-8191 or www.altmanplants.com