A significant anniversary or birthday usually serves as the impetus for some heavy reflection. It elicits deep thoughts about where you’ve been and where you are going. This is true for companies as well as people.

So it was for Grundy’s Interior Landscaping based in Pottstown, Pa. It’s 25th anniversary
just happened last year. So when we contacted Principal Walt Campbell for this interview, he was chock full of memories of the past and conjectures for the future.

Grundy’s 20 permanent and 15 seasonal employees service the Delaware Valley, including portions of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Interiorscaping makes up the bulk of the business, but exterior, short-term rentals, special events, retail and holiday services are also offered.

In the past, Grundy’s was a distributor and wholesaler as well. The Special Event/Short Term Rental division has been particularly noteworthy in that has provided foliage for more than 100 well-known celebrities – from Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan and Billy Joel to to President Ronald Reagan.

Grundy’s supports allied trade associations, such as IFMA and BOMA; local community associations, such as the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and our own industry Associations.

Currently, Walt Campbell is the Chairman of the 2002-03 Mid-Atlantic Interior Landscape Conference and is a member of the OFA Interior Division Short Course Planning Committee.

What is your favorite job?

We designed a “Rainforest Room” for a client with waterfalls, a Jacuzzi and so on, all surrounded by lush foliage.

What is your favorite plant?

I never met a plant I didn’t love, but my secret passion is ferns, For example, a maiden hair fern reminds me of a beautiful woman, delicate and engaging.

What about containers? What’s the oldest, ugliest one still in your inventory?

Believe it or not, we still have one that goes back even further than the old “Ingrid” pots. It is called a “Shiny Pot” and it has a chrome finish like a bad “57 Chevy bumper.

What is the best part of the past 25 years?

The people, definitely the people. As President of Grundy’s, I have had the pleasure of working with outstanding clients, industry leaders, totally supportive suppliers, and most importantly, a great team of co-workers. They are the best!

If you could have one wish granted for Grundy’s what would that be?

A new facility. Happily the game plan is to have one in the next 2 ½ years.

Any thoughts about where our industry is going?

I predict that in the next future Interiorscape companies will even be further differentiated than they are today. We wear many different hats, including retailing.

And thoughts you would like to pass on?

For those of us at Grundy’s, it all goes back to two credos we try hard to live by:

“Rule No. 1 - The Customer is always right;
Rule No. 2 – Reread Rule No. 1” – Stuart Leonard Dairy Store, Norwalk Ct. carved in granite in there entrance way. My second credo is being proud of yourself, and your clients will be proud to be associated with you. Because of these two rules, the average Grundy’s client has been with us 15 plus years.

Any words of advice to newer companies?

Yes, for success in commercial interior landscaping business – the key is differentiation;

In overall business – you’ve got to plan, plan, plan; for retail success – it’s location, location,

location; and for financial success – it’s knowledge and resources.

This article is reprinted from the September/October 2001 issue of Interiorscape Magazine the leading and oldest magazine in the interiorscaping industry. It is a Brantwood Publication. The article and interview was written and conducted by Barbara Helfman, Management Correspondent for Interiorscape. Barbara also owns her own firm “Topsiders” which is the leading manufacturer of specialized containers in the country. Barbara has been a great supporter of the Mid-Atlantic Conference of PFIA. At various times she has been a speaker and displaying supplier over the 11 years of the conference till present.