Burrell Scarlett, the brains behind Evergrow Garden Centre. - PHOTO BY NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
EVERGROW GARDEN Centre did not evolve overnight like some magical plant. It took Burrell Scarlett several years from childhood dreams that were carefully nurtured with determination and the desire to be the best in his chosen endeavour.
At the University of the West Indies, Mr. Scarlett specialised in natural sciences, majoring in botany and chemistry, and worked with the sugar industry as a research plant pathologist before launching on his own. But he also finds time do part-time duties as a track and field coach at Dinthill Technical High School in St. Catherine.
Mr. Scarlett shared his story recently with Senior Gleaner Writer Barbara Ellington:
BE: We see this impressive structure on South Avenue but how did it all begin for you?
BS: While still a student at the University of the West Indies, and working at the Sugar Research Institute, I collected dried floral material and all parts of plants that had an aesthetic appeal. It was at a time when natural dried flowers and floral arrangements were popular. There was a demand locally, so I began to collect them, processing them commercially. I also grew some of it for myself.
I began to wholesale to local flower shops who retailed. The big success was the plume or wild cane (inflorescence) in the early '80s. I also exported a small percentage and that business became a big financial success.
But the demand for that product fell; its popularity went as the industry changed. But the business had another successful product line of dried pressed floral cards, pictures and wall hangings for gift and souvenir shops islandwide. I sold those through distributors. At the end of the '80s I went to work for Content Agricultural Products and was introduced to bio-fermentation and organic fertilisers and subsequently, the exciting landscaping fraternity.
SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES
I took courses locally and at Louisana State University and became a certified landscape artist. I attended seminars and conferences and found the Internet a fantastic tool ... to keep abreast of the current trends in the fraternity.
What also helped was that I had received training by the United States Department of Agriculture in sugar cane pathology. So, my company, Jamaica Dried Floral Products Ltd., was registered and traded as Everlasting Flowers, towards the end of the '80s. It still exists with a slight name change, Jamaica Floral Products Limited, trading as Evergrow Garden Centre.
Evergrow landscaping began with a nursery. We began with residential properties and a few commercial job-by-job contracts. On a trip to Louisiana, Ruddy Daley from Tropiculture (one of our pioneer landscapers) told me Jamaica needed a good landscape maintenance company. I thought about it, returned home, did the research and began slanting my business to industrial maintenance. I now specialise in industrial/landscape maintenance. The company quickly got two lucrative contracts and we and still have those relationships today, providing functional and aesthetic landscaping. We also restore damaged soil, clean up and rehabilitate large areas using grass.
Over the years, that gave us a good financial base. We also worked on jobs for other companies in addition to the long-term sustainable contracts.
By the mid-90s we were a specialised industrial landscape company. My clients are very reliable with payments. We can streamline, forecast, schedule and plan because of that. Contracts were for three years so that was good and we tried not to spread ourselves too thin.
I found that being trained to international standards was key. Their watchwords are environment, health and safety, so competency in these areas is key, you have to be trained and certified by them.
As time went by, I found that sourcing material for landscaping was important, and we bought from overseas through retail suppliers. Investigation showed manufacturers don't sell to end users, but through distributors. And by becoming a distributor one would get products for far less than we were paying otherwise. I set up a local distribution arm through Evergrow Garden Centre, and now the centre has secured distributorship for over 50 landscape product lines from fertilisers, plant mix, tools and equipment, so we now import and distribute landscape/horticultural products.
BE: Do you own the South Avenue location?
BS: Yes, we bought 10 and 12 South Avenue in 2000.
BE: Where are the plant nurseries?
BS: Up to 2000 all processing and growing was done on a half-acre property in Spanish Town until we acquired 15 acres in Bushy Park, also in St. Catherine, where we now grow our plants.
BE: How has business been at the South Avenue location?
BS: We try to make it not just a plant nursery, but a total garden centre, and our aim is to be a one-stop location for all gardening needs. We are achieving that; we cater not just to amateurs and hobbyists but we stock commercial and industrial horticultural supplies, pumps, tanks, water gardens and more.
BE: What has been your biggest challenge so far?
BS: Trained personnel: You have to train everyone in-house because there is no institution offering this kind of specialised training here. The closest are the College of Agriculture (Science and Education) graduates, but what they come in with is basic. I understand that the University of the West Indies has started a course in ornamental horticulture but that's still not enough. The industry is dynamic. Another challenge is to repeat the quality every time.
Growing plants involves a lot of plant growth regulation, and once you have a knowledge of the chemistry, you can manipulate the plant to get vegetative or floral growth so nutrients and other factors are key. It's way beyond peasant farming practices and guesswork. We have managed to be where we are because the technical competence lies within the ownership that stays in touch with what is happening in the sector.
BE: How many persons do you employ and how do you find them?
BS: About 40 full-time staff who have been with us for many years and developed the skills after internal training. They have mastered their craft and are dedicated and willing to learn, some are just high school graduates and their level of technical competence now is equivalent to that of a college graduate. They become their own teachers, we experiment, they know the applications and what results to expect. I am happy with them.
BE: How do you cope with foreign exchange demand since a large part of what you do requires importation?
BS: This was a problem at one time but the dollar is relatively stable now and it's not that difficult to obtain now. We have not had much problem with Government agencies. We have regular audits, we comply and have our certificates. If we comply first, there are no problems. As far as Customs goes, there are the odd incidents but I work closely with my broker to ensure proper classification of products. Hold-ups on the ports can be costly so when you operate a small business like this, it's an advantage to be conversant with all procedures.
BE: Do you have any expansion plans on the horizon and what's your long-term vision for Evergrow Garden Centre?
BS: The vision is to be the premier garden centre of the Caribbean. There is much more to be done here. You have to watch other economies before thinking of branching out regionally although the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) has many exciting possibilities. We couldn't just get up and go; we can spread our wings when the time is right.
BE: Looking back, is this where you set out to be?
BS: My grandmother was a peasant farmer and as a child of six or seven, I would accompany her to the field. I was fascinated by watching plants grow out of the ground. It was my greatest joy and I told myself without knowing what it meant, that I want to be a plant doctor. Without thinking about it, my first job was as a plant pathologist. I am still thrilled by the tranquillity of seeing things grow, seeing satisfied clients and delivering qualified service. I'm not driven by how much I will make but how much I will make customers happy.
BE: Do you think Jamaica's business climate is good?
BS: No, the only sectors that can claim real success are trading and financial and the latter is not real growth, but in paper. This is not good unless we are using the human resources of sunlight through farming and minerals, as well as the service sector to harness capital. These are the drivers of the economy and we are not doing well there.
We are buying more cars and food but the country is running into debt daily with no sign of how we plan to pay for these things, so we have become net consumers who don't earn our way from what we enjoy. It cannot sustain us if we continue; we have to create a business climate in which we utilise our own natural resources.
BE: How about hobbies and vacation time, do you have time for both?
BS: I love outdoor activities - hiking and jogging. I don't have set vacations but when I'm overseas on business, at seminars or conferences, I try to fit in some free days.
BE: How do we tackle the crime problem?
BS: Crime and violence are part of a progression that has got out of control. It began with basic indiscipline that can be traced back to the homes where control is not in place. Parents and guardians have lost it.
This goes through all stages from the home and on the roads where motorists now do so many illegal things and don't pay a penalty. People are allowed to not conform to simple law and order from early in life and it has now gone to other levels such as robbery and killing.
Crime is the result of the indiscipline and also from the fact that people don't see punishment as a surety. It is now beyond the control of political hierarchy. It must be self-driven, and perpetrators have to get an awakening and be made to know that what they are doing is wrong. It will be difficult, because some people have become who they are with years of practice. It is a mammoth task. We shouldn't have to ensure law and order, it should be a practice, people should be willingly complying. Age is no sign of maturity so independence and rights given on this basis is wrong, people have to learn from early to grow to be mature enough to handle independence responsibly or else we will not be rid of this scourge.
BE: What is your wish for Jamaica?
BS: That there is a turnaround. People must become conscious that crime is sinking us and hindering our development in every way. Perpetrators who can be rehabilitated should then be made to learn alternatives to crime.
