  Tara Tischauser and her dad Gayle Suehring. Photo by Todd Johnson, Oklahoma State University Tara Tischauser said she had been very fortunate to work with her dad Gayle Suehring at Guthrie Greenhouses in Guthrie, Okla. The father-daughter team own a 9-acre wholesale growing operation. “We work very well together,” said Tischauser. “His expertise and college degree is in horticulture, and he is an excellent grower.” When Tischauser started working with her dad in 1997, she came to the company with a business degree and very little plant knowledge. “From the beginning he allowed me to make decisions on daily basis that impact how our business operates from year to year,” she said. “He has been open to any suggestions I have made over the years and probably 99 percent of the time agreed with them. I also think it helps being father and daughter, and gives a different perspective and we can see all angles of most situations.” Tischauser said it also helps that her dad is very mechanical, which she is not. “This is great for all of our building projects as well as the maintenance for vehicles, heaters, water systems etc.” she said. “I have a woman’s taste on what looks good. His tastes aren’t quite the same as mine. But this has been great for our marketing. I create our look with pots, trays, labels, our website, advertising and truck wraps that I think will appeal to a larger upscale female market.” Documenting job responsibilities Tischauser said one of the biggest challenges she faces is that her dad has run the operation from the beginning and most of that information is in his head. “For the last three years I have been trying to learn a lot more about those things I haven’t been as involved with in the past,” she said. “More importantly, I am trying to document everything.” Tischauser said many processes have been changed so that production and product ordering is documented better. “Hopefully these efforts will allow my dad to enjoy the time he deserves to take a break from the business and will allow me to feel more at ease in regards to handling the tasks that he had been responsible for handling.” |
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