In this issue I would like to share some of my memories of my son, TC (the current general manager) growing up and working at the nursery.
Paul and I got married in 1990 when TC was 9 years old. We lived in Moraga and had our work cut out for us making our blended family work. When TC was 10 (when he could lift a 2 cubic foot bag of soil) he began going into the nursery during holidays and on some weekends. I remember him coming home the first day—rather wide-eyed, saying “Mom, these Berkeley people are different.” From then on, he would continue working at the nursery through high school. TC was a child who saved every penny he earned until high school, when he bought a stereo system and a car.
After graduating from high school, TC played around with junior college. He told me that he definitely did not want to work at the family business. He worked with small children, tried his hand in the sound business and held various other jobs. He kept insisting that he did not want to work at BHN. A few years later, I asked if he could just fill in on a couple of weekends as we were short of staff. He agreed and the rest is history. Those “different Berkeley folks” are now his customers and friends.
Drawing on his horticultural studies at Merritt College and a lot of hard work over the years, TC has brought a fresh perspective on the way the business is run. Currently, we have the best group of employees who work well together and seem to enjoy their comradery. We have wonderful buyers who make a point of finding new and interesting plants and garden merchandise. We feel comfortable retiring and leaving the nursery in TC’s competent hands.
Thank you, TC.
–Jeanne