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AT WORK

By Katie Wagner, Staff Writer
Name: Danny R. Hsieh, 30. Hometown: Springfield. Business: Montgomery Gardens. Job title: Co-owner. Job location: 1980 Route 206, Montgomery.
    How did you get this job?
    My father, who is co-owner, gave me this job. He founded the company 26 years ago in Springfield and opened this store in Montgomery three years ago. Over the years, I’ve worked part time in his Springfield store.
    What kind of education and training did you need?
    I’ve grown up around flowers and plants. I actually studied English and political science in college and went to law school. When I came home, I went back to what I know. I’ve just been around it all my life. A lot of people that work here have degrees in horticulture. I didn’t receive any formal training or education. I’ve pretty much learned how to do my job from experience. I was kind of thrown into it. Last year, however, I completed a two-year program through Rutgers University called the New Jersey Agricultural Leadership Development Program. The program was for all classifications of farmers in New Jersey and it really helped me improve my management skills.
    Describe a typical day in your job.
    There is no typical day here. In this industry every day is different, because there’re so many factors that will affect your day, such as the weather. We’re always adjusting our purchasing and how we market ourselves. The products are very sensitive to the weather and so is the marketplace. We have to shift our products. If it’s too hot, we need to do more watering. In the spring and summer, I spend a lot of time outside making sure our team is giving our customers full service. We do quality checks on all our products and make sure our retail end of the store is at its best in terms of appearance. The most important thing is for the team to make sure that everything is in place when we open the doors.
    What do you enjoy most about your job?
    Being able to work with all the plants and the flowers, being outside and communicating with the people we serve every day are what I enjoy most about this job. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing our customers satisfied with what we’ve done. Plants and flowers often improve the quality of life and especially now with the economy down, spending a little bit of money on a plant can brighten the forecast.
    What do you enjoy least?
   There’s really nothing I dislike about it. I love my job.
    What is the key to success in your job?
   Listening to our customers and employees is the key to success. Their feedback molds the direction we move our business.