Greenhouse continues to thrive after death of founder

The untimely death of Metrolina Greenhouses founder Tom Van Wingerden at age 63 in December 2009 has not slowed down operations at the $150-million-a-year facility in Huntersville, N.C. Son Abe Van Wingerden told the Charlotte Observer that “Dad was always inventing things, always figuring out new ways of doing things.” This has resulted in the company constantly innovating and staying a leader in the industry.
Abe, who is the company’s head of marketing and sales, told the newspaper that gardening is a recession-friendly industry. He said during tough economic times consumers are more prone to cut back on big-ticket items, which makes gardening even more attractive because they have less money to spend and more free time. This, he said, makes gardening the perfect pursuit. “Weather is really our recession,” said Van Wingerden. “A rainy weekend isn’t good. But when it’s 70 and sunny, that’s our gold mine.”