CEOs respond to Summit Plastic, Nursery Supplies merger

By Kelli Rodda

Nursery Management caught up with Norm Belliveau, CEO of Summit Plastic Co., and John Collins, CEO of Nursery Supplies, at the OFA Short Course. The show was on the heels of the merger announcement, and the pair explained how the companies plan to move forward.

“We’ll keep our own identities because the approach is different between nursery and greenhouse needs,” Collins said. “But the Nursery Supplies team will learn from Summit’s packaging expertise. We’ll be able to offer our customers a new way to market nursery products.”

The continuity of product design and the cross-communication will bring a lot to the two companies’ customers, Belliveau said.

“We will now offer a broader line of products, and brands or brand owners can go to one place to do business,” Collins added. “It’s not your typical return on investment scenario – it’s more of a market synergy.”

Both companies are now under the same credit agreements with the same United States-based bank, so they will be able to pool their resources. Summit and Nursery Supplies have been owned by the same equity group since 2006.

“We’re not strangers,” Collins said. “We’ve been in board meetings together, and Norm was president of Nursery Supplies from 2007-2008.”

It’s a pairing that has made sense for years, but it wasn’t until now that the logistics were aligned, Belliveau said.

The combined companies have seven facilities total to serve the North American market, and each company’s sales force will cross sell.

“As the green industry market is coming back, there’s a need for immediate delivery, and growing to seven locations gives us the largest footprint in North America,” Collins said.

Nursery Supplies Inc., a manufacturer in the nursery sector of the horticulture industry (tree, shrub, foliage and woody ornamentals), offers a full product line from three distinct processes – blow and injection molded, and thermoformed containers ranging from trade gallon through 250+ gallons. Summit Plastic Company offers customer-focused thermoformed packaging for growing, transporting and merchandising products in the color and perennial sectors.

Nursery Supplies, founded in 1960, has a history of responding to customer needs. Nursery introduced Pot-in-Pot, Dec-Grow- the Grow & Show pot; developed technology permitting the manufacture of Grip-Lip containers; introduced printing on large-format pots; and, created raw material “recipes” allowing greater use of recycled materials – part of the company’s on-going green initiative.

Summit, with an extensive list of innovative solutions for the color and perennial side of the horticulture industry, was the first to introduce color Duo containers across their entire product line. A joint venture between Desch BV and Summit introduced the JanorPot brand of thin-walled, round, thermoformed containers, the industry’s largest offering of round pots. Summit also offers the eco360 line of bio options – rice, corn and wheat.

-- Kelli Rodda