Meadows Farm

Meadows Farms, Inc. is one of the largest independently owned nursery and garden centers in the country, with twenty-three retail locations, employing over 750 employees, and a landscpae facility housing 39 designers and sending out over 70 crews a day. A nursery growing operation, cattle company, and a 27-hole public golf course are also under the Meadows Farms umbrella.

Meadows Farms Nurseries is managed from the top down, starting with owner and CEO Bill "The Farmer" Meadows and his wife Betty. Their son Jay Meadows heads up the daily operations as President of the company, with a staff of 17 working from the corporate office located in Chantilly, Virginia. Decisions are made there and passed down through the Vice Presidents, who also serve as regional managers over the nurseries. In this way, the nurseries are all managed in a similiar fashion, with everyone working from the same blueprint.
he Meadows Farms niche is geared to the value-minded consumer, priced well below the local independent garden centers. From the beginning, Meadows determined there were several areas where he could outpace his competitors. In addition to his "Best Price" policy, he provides the types of service that doesn't cost extra - informative signs, pictures, information handouts, carts, and teenagers to help load the cars, while limiting some of the one-on-one attention that the more expensive places try to provide. His appreciation for each and every customer is demonstrated in his requirement that each be thanked four times (by the personnel involved in the transaction as well as drive past a "Thank-You" sign as they leave the nursery.)

Senior Vice President Ted Zurawski oversees all buying in the company, making frequent trips to various parts of the country to shop for the value that has made Meadows' reputation. He is challenged by the need to locate enough plant material to stock more than twenty garden centers with premium products. Likewise, he is committed to the Meadows Farms philosophy of the best plants at the best price. His ability to buy in volume enables him to purchase at the lowest price and pass the savings on to the consumer.

Vice Presidents Ron Meadows, Dave Slack, and Cindy Day act as regional managers, as well as buyers for hard goods, seasonal plants, and mulch, respectively.