Stride for stride

One day, a young boy was walking alongside his father in a field. The boy was amazed by the length of his father’s stride. He was trying to match him stride for stride, but he wasn’t quite able to stretch his short legs to the same extent as his father’s.

Just as the boy watched his father walk, he grew up watching him run a nursery business with the same purpose and determination. His father inspired him through his work ethic and drive. More than 60 years later, the boy is now the second-generation leader of Overdevest Nurseries, and he often reflects on this significant memory of the way his father walked in the field and approached life.

Ed Overdevest is president of Overdevest Nurseries and co-owner alongside his wife, Gail. The nursery grows more than 2,000 varieties of trees, shrubs, vines, perennials and patio plants. They sell to independent garden centers (IGCs) and distributors within a 300+ mile radius of Bridgeton, New Jersey.

Ed’s parents, John and Jean Overdevest, emigrated to the U.S. from The Netherlands in 1949, and John worked at several horticultural businesses before founding John Overdevest Nurseries in 1952. They produced field-grown plants and shipped them balled-and-burlapped (B&B). Ed was one of four children who grew up in the business and started working there when he was around 12 years old.

“At that point, I swore I would never do it because one of my first jobs was pulling weeds in a field nursery,” Ed says. “There were so many weeds before the era of herbicides that on one hot, sunny day, I think I worked four hours and looked back to see I went all of three feet pulling weeds (laughs). So, I figured this wasn’t the life for me, and that stuck in the back of my mind for quite a few years.”

With more time spent working in the field, Ed eventually came to realize that he enjoyed it. He went to school to become an environmental engineer. After two years of studying and looking ahead, he realized that he would be working in an office most of the time, so he decided to switch schools, switch majors and take up horticulture. He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in horticulture and never looked back.

“I’m glad I made the switch and glad to be in this wonderful industry that we have,” Ed says.

After Ed graduated from college in 1975, he joined the family business as an unofficial partner. In 1978, a purchase agreement was arranged so that over the course of 10 years, Ed was able to buy the nursery from his parents. This established a good financing plan for himself and a good retirement strategy for his parents.

“Both my parents were inspirations to me,” Ed says. “They were hard working people and inspired me to live life with a purpose.”

A few years after coming back from college, Ed met Gail while playing ice hockey on a Saturday evening with some friends. Gail was a teacher for the first few years of their marriage, and she took a leave of absence when their first child was born.

During this time, she grew more involved with the nursery and later became a business partner.

“Ed would say I’ve never given up teaching because I’m always trying to teach the customers,” Gail says with a laugh.

She remains highly involved as co-owner and vice president through handling key accounts and other aspects of the business.

“In many ways my life partner is my business partner, and together we’ve been able to move this business forward from where we started to where it is today,” Ed says.

Together Ed and Gail enjoy traveling when they’re not busy at the nursery. They love visiting different countries in Europe and exploring the geographical wonders of the United States. One of their most memorable experiences was rafting on the Colorado River.

“That was pretty challenging even though we had guides,” Gail says. “It was exhilarating, and we really had a good time on that.”

View change as an opportunity

When Ed joined the nursery, they were growing a handful of items as specialty crops. As time went on, they started to expand the business and took on a variety of new items to grow.

The nursery grew in response to market demand and expanded its product line to include around 200 varieties of trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses. Along the way the nursery added production acreage, relocated their main facilities and continued to diversify heavily into new varieties, new product development and innovation.

“Ed has a lot of passion for doing what’s right for our industry,” says Mark Sellew, president of Prides Corner Farms. “His standards of quality are second to none. There’s no one I know with a higher standard for growing high-quality plants.”

Quality has been the nursery’s cornerstone since day one, and the company is a participant in the Veriflora Sustainably Grown program.

Ed and Gail are able to share their standards of quality and other business acumen with their son, Ryan.

“We’re thankful that despite the odds against it, we have a third generation who’s working hand-in-hand with us and will keep it going beyond our days,” Ed says. “It’s tough to start a business, and we’re thankful to my parents for doing that. It’s tough to keep the business going, and we’re thankful to our team for getting it done. It’s tough to go beyond one and two generations to keep the business going, and we’re thankful for the dedication and motivation of our son, Ryan.”

After a six-year career in the world of finance, Ryan came back to the nursery bringing new talent, a new perspective and a renewed sense of energy for the business. Ryan has been with the business for almost eight years, and Ed and Gail are in the process of transitioning succession and ownership to him.

Overdevest Nurseries approaches change not only as a necessity, but as an opportunity. Ed explains that a lot of good comes with change because it is an opportunity to do things better.

“There’s a saying we use here, mainly regarding our drivers on the road,” Ed says. “Reverse is the most dangerous gear in the transmission, and that’s because you can’t really see where you’re going. Neutral, not quite as dangerous, but potentially as bad because a lot of people end up getting in the way and people pass you by. … In a way, this is a metaphor for life as well because the last thing any of us want to do is go backwards, to constantly look in the mirror trying to figure out which way to go in life. The next thing we don’t want to do is just sit there because we’re going to be left behind and passed. The best way to move is forward and change is a part of that. At least, by going forward you’re able to see the change, anticipate the change and adjust accordingly to get the journey done in the most effective way.”

Making a difference

Ed’s mission in life and in business is to make a difference. He has been involved with the local economic development committee, the school board, and has spent more than 30 years on the local planning board. He currently serves on the AmericanHort board of directors.

“He’s always had that mindset of just giving back, of being thankful for the opportunities that he’s had, and now he has the opportunity to make a difference, whether it’s guiding regulations or helping the community with different projects,” Ryan says.

Ed explains that even though nature is typically one of the most challenging aspects of the business, often government regulations are just as challenging.

“The government makes it increasingly difficult for businesses to be successful,” Ed says. “This is why associations and organizations are essential. We wouldn’t have a chance if we didn’t have representation to express our concerns, our point of view and to hold off or push back against regulations that just don't make sense.”

Soon after joining the nursery business, Ed joined the state nursey association. That began a long period of time during which volunteered his way through a variety of different positions, eventually becoming president of the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association (NJNLA) in 1988.

Ed gets inspiration for and advice about running the business through being involved with horticulture organizations and associations. Each of those organizations and associations typically offer events, meetings, webinars and research that provide insight into the industry.

“There’s a lot of good stuff they bring to the table in terms of business management, growing practices, financial planning and more,” Ed says. “There’s a world of knowledge that’s out there available to all of us in the industry, and we’re fortunate to have channels and publications that gather the information and make it available to us.”

Ed has received numerous honors including Young Farmer of the Year, Young Farm Couple, Nurseryman of the Year, Business of the Year, Grower of the Year and several marketing awards.

“He is a guy of very high integrity, incredibly thoughtful, meticulous and committed to the industry and to his own nursery at the highest level,” says Sellew. “I feel very fortunate to call him a good friend. I respect him highly for his commitment to the industry and for doing the right thing every day. That’s Ed Overdevest.”

Ed is also a part of a collaboration with growers, new plant introducers and retailers that form a group called Syn-RG. This group includes five wholesale nurseries: Overdevest Nurseries, Prides Corner Farms, Willoway Nurseries, Saunders Brothers and Sheridan Nurseries.

These nurseries joined together because they share similar philosophies in how they run their business, the product line they each carry and dedication to IGCs.

“We’re competitors, but at the same time we realize that there are opportunities out there,” Ed says. “There are ways that we can better ourselves by collaborating with each other in terms of better growing practices, better marketing and better plant genetics.”

“It’s hard to do marketing and new plant introductions individually even for nurseries our sizes,” says Tom Demaline, president of Willoway Nurseries. “Together we’ve got a lot more horsepower and it made sense for us to work together.”

After consulting with collaborators, the group developed the “Handpicked for You” certification program to provide better choices to the consumer by filtering through the many new varieties that are coming into the industry every year and find those varieties that are truly good for consumers and allow them to be more successful with gardening.

“Ed, myself and Tom were in the EAGL program with Charlie Hall, and we got to know each other well,” says Sellew. “We liked each other. We had similar core values and felt we could do so much more together, share ideas and find new plants for the IGCs. We’ve been together for almost 10 years now.”

Overdevest Nurseries is making a difference for its customers, for its community and for its future. “We have our goals. We have our mission, but we try to go beyond just words,” Ed says. “We try to live what we believe and accomplish what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Leading by example

From an early age, Ed was involved in the YMCA with a program called Operation Challenge, which combined adventure and a love of the wilderness. A former marine led Ed’s group during the summers of his 9th and 10th grade years.

“He was a very positive, encouraging and motivating individual,” Ed says. “He had the ability to lead and to inspire people to get things done. In many ways, he gave me a sense of what leadership was all about, of not only to being able to lead, but to lead by example and to encourage people.”

Ed believes in developing a vision and in getting people to share that vision. He allows people the opportunity to give input along the way. Through Ed’s leadership, he has applied this philosophy to the team’s approach to business.

At Overdevest Nurseries, the team embodies respect. Ed grew up working alongside people from all around the world with different nationalities and heritages. He was able to learn from them and respect them for what they were doing, the way they worked and their perspectives on life.

“We respect our employees,” Ed says. “We encourage them to respect each other and to work together because we accomplish more if we all do our part and work collectively towards a common goal to better not only the company, but to better ourselves individually.”

Since Ed’s parents emigrated from The Netherlands, he can relate to the workers who are a part of the H-2A program because they are also looking for an opportunity and a chance to better their lives and their communities. The nursery has participated in the H-2A program for over 20 years.

“They are family to us,” Ryan says. “We take a lot of pride and admiration to see them progress and be able to support their families back home.”

Ed believes we are all products of our experiences, and adversity makes up a large part of those. In life there are challenges. Being able to withstand those challenges, to live through them, to work through them and to overcome them is certainly character building and a major influence on enduring, overcoming and accomplishing things in life.

“When I was a kid, one of the drivers was delivering a load up in New York City, and I guess got spooked, got turned around and came back,” Ryan says. “That customer needed the product, so dad jumped in the truck and drove it there. … He rolls up his sleeves and gets things done. In the nursery business, the weather is not always kind and there are always challenges. He leads with an even keeled demeanor. Even during the pandemic, it wasn’t crisis mode, it was ‘okay, let’s see what we can do to keep the business operating.’”

Ed’s favorite aspect of the horticulture industry is being in nature and working with the people who are a part of it. He grew up working outside and came to love the horticulture industry for the opportunity to experience each day as nature gives it to us.

“It’s certainly not just me,” Ed explains. “Whatever I might have accomplished in life, it’s part of a family collaboration, an employer and employee collaboration, a peer collaboration, being able to work together to do the best we can to get things done and make a difference.”

Under the leadership of Ed Overdevest, the nursery has overcome many challenges, grown substantially and continues to make a difference in the industry through environmentally conscious growing practices and helping consumers pick the best new plants. Ed continues to move the business forward through his determination, leadership and by walking towards his goals with purposeful strides … just like his father.