Big Grower January 2023 - 11

COVER STORY
should be up and running by March for this spring
season. The facility will be modern, up-to-date and
relatively automated.
" We're setting ourselves up to be a company
that can last and compete into the future as supply
chain changes, as labor market changes and as
products change, " Tyler says.
In the spring, Catoctin Mountain Growers
focuses primarily on annuals, but it's continuing to
grow its perennial portfolio.
" Something we're really leaning into is to offer
more plants, more of a variety, so our customers
are able to get more of what they need at one stop
with us, " Tyler says. " This isn't a novel idea, but
something that we're leaning into more now, going
into 2024. "
In addition to spring crops, the business also
grows fall mums, fall annuals, poinsettias, and
rosemary and lavender plants shaped like trees.
AUGMENTING LABOR
Finding good team members is top-of-mind
for most businesses, and this rings true for
Catoctin Mountain Growers. Tyler says as they
continue expanding, they're always looking to find
employees who can have a productive influence on
the work they do and have the energy and desire
to try new things.
Catoctin has approximately 70 employees, 40 fulltime
and 30 seasonal, who bring a lot of expertise.
" Our employees are very important to us, "
Tyler says. " I've grown up right here, and a
lot of the employees have been here for a
long time. Just this fall we celebrated three
employees' 20-year anniversaries. "
A generous profit-sharing program helps retain
good employees and shows them how important
they are to the business.
Current expansion projects will help the company
last and compete into the future as the supply
chain and labor market change.
" It's very transparent for the employees. We
share with them honestly what our profit number
is, and we have a formula that depending on the
number and depending on the threshold, there's a
piece that's shared with the team, " Tyler explains.
" We try to be very open with that and help to
encourage people that if we work as a group and
make this company more profitable, everybody
directly benefits. "
This bonus program is the same formula for
every level of employee, whether they're at a
starting wage or a senior manager at a higher
wage. Tyler says there are busy weeks for sure, but
they want to make sure there's a good balance of
time where people can decompress and have the
pay be in line with the effort.
Tyler has a labor-centric approach to automation
as well.
" We're growing and trying to grow rapidly
where I say I'd like to have automation augment
the labor that exists, so I don't have to do
that next hire. I'm not firing the existing team
member, but when I add 2 acres or 5 acres or
whatever it is, my team of 70 can still be a team
of 70, " Tyler says. " I have 70 people taking
care of 5 more acres of greenhouse because
automation augments their abilities. It allows
them to do more, it allows them to grow more, it
allows them to produce more. "
Specifically, Tyler is keenly aware of and trying to
work on augmenting the irrigation team.
" On this team, you have to have people who
know plants, they can feel plants, they understand
the biology, understand the science and how to
grow crops, " he says. " The intelligence is there,
JANUARY 2023 11
Big Grower January 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Grower January 2023
