Ассоциация садоводов Вирджинии объединилась с группой тепличных производителей

Two statewide horticulture industry trade groups have joined forces. The Henrico-based Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association announced late last week that it has acquired the Virginia Greenhouse Growers Association. As part of the July 1 deal, VGGA’s all volunteer-based workforce, services and members will be brought under the VNLA name. Founded in 1932 and headquartered at 8100 Three Chopt Road and operating across the state, VNLA represents thousands of nurseries, landscapers, garden centers, green industry suppliers and other similarly green-focused businesses. Companies, individuals, students and educational faculty members can all be members of the association. The VGGA was founded in 1954, similarly representing horticulture and floriculture businesses across the state. Adding VGGA’s members brings VNLA’s membership count to around 3,500, said Nicole McAllister, who joined VNLA as executive director in January. Of the impetus behind the acquisition, McAllister noted that with VNLA and VGGA having similar missions and some volunteer overlap, there was a “lot of work being duplicated” across the two organizations in recent years. Many of VGGA’s members also previously belonged to VNLA separately. McAllister said another reason for the deal was to cut costs for horticultural businesses and educators in Virginia. VNLA’s membership dues remain the same following the acquisition. As a larger organization with more membership dues flowing in, VNLA had some more resources to put toward beefing up VGGA’s existing offerings, which include career and technical education programming (CTE) certification and lobbying the General Assembly on behalf of the horticulture industry. “Conversations started a couple of months ago, and it was just that VNLA has more of an infrastructure for the programming that the VGGA does with CTE and the Department of Education,” McAllister said. “I think the VGGA just saw that they could really leverage the momentum that we have established.” McAllister added that this sort of combination is not unique, as she is seeing a trend of horticultural trade associations throughout the U.S. beginning to consolidate and pool resources. “This decision was made with our members’ future in mind. Joining VNLA gives greenhouse growers a larger network, a stronger voice, and new opportunities while preserving the relationships and values that have always made VGGA special,” said VGGA President Jason McAulliffe in a prepared statement. McAllister said that priorities for VNLA moving forward include workforce and economic development in the horticulture sector, noting that today’s multibillion-dollar greenhouse and horticulture industry looks different than what many think of when they think of a greenhouse. “There’s folks coming in and doing the ‘agroponics’ and those types of things, especially in the southwest of Virginia. So, there’s a much broader area of greenhouses than traditionally what a greenhouse was,” she said. “How we can position Virginia as the state to be for horticulture … we really have rallied around those issues.” She added that by adding VGGA’s CTE certification to VNLA, the trade association also hopes to “keep (agriculture) and horticulture in the high schools.” Now under the financial support and purview of VNLA, VGGA’s “money left in the bank” will go toward a newly-created scholarship program that will be run through VNLA’s foundation. McAllister said VNLA is still determining the dollar amount that is available to put toward the new scholarship program. The VNLA operated with $399,000 in revenue and $206,000 in expenses in 2024, according to its most recent available financials filed with the IRS. VNLA has a team of four employees, while VGGA previously had a volunteer leadership team of around five people, now working under the VNLA umbrella. VGGA has not had a physical headquarters in the Richmond area in recent years, though a portion of its volunteers are based in the region.