W.S. Connelly & Company

Dec 7, 2020

Connelly & Company and Tenbarge Seed merge TBS and WSC will begin integrating business operations in December. Connelly & Company and Tenbarge Seed, providers of seed, fertilizer, erosion control and plant protection solutions, recently merged. TBS and WSC will begin integrating business operations in December; however, both companies will maintain their brand equity in the marketplace. “We celebrate this new milestone today as we join these two independently owned companies,” said Kevin Connelly, the WSC vice president. “Our family businesses have worked together for over 20 years. Our teams have trained together. Our executives have served on boards together. We purchase from one another. Combining the commitment we have for our staff and the passion we share for our customers is what will make this partnership successful. Simply put, we are formally merging two incredible family businesses that have been in partnership for over 20 years.” TBS has operated for over 80 years and across three generations in the golf, lawn care and sports turf industries. “Our obsession with customer service led us to look for additional partners in the industry," said Chad Will, the third generation owner of TBS. "WSC is a natural fit for TBS to continue our path towards growth and customer focused solutions. Partnering with another family business allows our customers and staff to have access to broader opportunities. Combining our business strengths will provide our customers a one-stop shop with over seven acres of warehouse space and a family of team members passionately focused on earning our customer’s trust.” PHILADELPHIA – In May of this year, PHS launched Harvest 2020 , a multi-faceted initiative aimed at mobilizing individuals in the Greater Philadelphia region to grow food for themselves and their neighbors. The effort has resulted in more than 10,471 gardeners donating 33,981 pounds of produce to hunger relief organizations throughout the region during the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost 12% of households in the Greater Philadelphia region are food insecure, with that number expected to double as a result of COVID-19. Many food pantries have experienced a 50% increase in demand over the past few months, thereby heightening the need for broad collective action to support the health and well-being of local communities. As part of the Harvest 2020 initiative, PHS: Equipped local gardeners with online education resources on food growing and harvesting Connected gardeners to local retailers and nurseries, many of whom offered home delivery services, no-contact produce pick-up, and the ability to place orders online Created an online library of learning guides for new gardeners to learn to grow, maintain, and harvest a garden of healthy edibles Connected gardeners to each other for mentoring and resources through remote networking opportunities Partnered with community-based nonprofits to support people in underserved communities to grow and share food Mobilized a network of distribution agencies to collect and share produce with local food banks “COVID-19 amplified the need for people to learn to grow fresh and healthy food for themselves and their neighbors,” said Julianne Schrader, PHS’s vice president and chief of Healthy Neighborhoods. “PHS works with gardeners, volunteers, and partner organizations to advance the health and well-being of our region, and their collective support was vital in our neighbors’ lives this growing season.” Several organizations aided in the success of the PHS initiative, including hunger relief organizations such as AmpleHarvest.org, the Chester County Food Bank, Food Connect, Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, SHARE, and Philabundance. PHS also partnered with Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram’s Garden and the Cooperative Gardens Commission’s existing network of experienced gardeners to provide additional education, mentors, and community resources to gardeners. ORLANDO – Massey Services, which ranked No. 23 on Lawn & Landscape's Top 100 list last year, has partnered with Hunter Industries torecycle replaced irrigation controllers to prevent electronic waste. Massey’s Irrigation programfocuses on improving landscape water efficiency by identifying variousmaintenance issues, system design enhancements, and equipment upgrades,including new controllers. The goal of the recycling program is to preventimproper disposal of electronic devices, which can pollute ourenvironment. “Weare delighted to partner with Hunter Industries on this initiative,” said Tony Massey, the president of Massey Services. “Massey Services is committed to protecting our environment and weutilize a variety of sustainability practices for all of our services. Ourrecycling program was championed by our Quality Assurance team and is anotherexample of our commitment to environmental responsibility. “   Priorto the launch of this initiative, Massey Services had already replaced anddisposed of more than 1,500 irrigation controllers in 2020. Replaced irrigationcontrollers will now be shipped to a nonprofit organization that recycleselectronic material to the highest environmental standards. Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association has launched a new workforce development and training program. The Get Ready for Opportunities at Work (GROW) program, provided in partnership with SkillsAdvance Ontario and funded in part by the Government of Canada and Government of Ontario, is a program that will support the recruitment, development and growth of new entrant workers, current workers in the profession and employers. The New Entrant Worker Training program is designed to train eligible new workers to fill in-demand jobs that will enable the landscape and horticulture profession to serve current and future demand. This program recruits, selects eligible candidates, and provides a four-week training program (during the winter of 2021 to prepare for the spring landscape season) that focuses on technical and soft skills training, followed by a paid two-week job placement and continued employment to support the growth of the landscape and horticulture industry. The program is open to individuals who are: 18 years and over;  In a year like no other, we wish you and your family and happy and safe holiday. As we reflect on what we're thankful for, we take a look back at how some companies who've focused on charity and have made an impact in their community. From packing food at the local food bank to revitalizing a women’s shelter to landscape work for leukemia patients, the staff at AgriLawn is always finding ways to give back to the community. Giving back is an annual tradition at KJK LawnCare . Each year, the company provides free lawn maintenance services from April to October to five families in the Omaha, Nebraska, area. At Kemko Lawn Services in Loganville, Georgia, many employees have a strong tie to the military. Owner Michael Boyd is a veteran of the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. Now that he’s done serving his country, his company sets aside time to serve other military families in the area. These stories all appeared in our August 2018 issue. Click here to read it in its entirety.