Reference no: EM132377750 , Length: word count : 3000

Evergreen Memories: A Truly Green Business

Introduction

Evergreen Memories is located in the heart of Northwest Ontario. Surrounded by crystal clear lakes and a beautiful forest, this eco-friendly (green) business is inspired to create and deliver earth-friendly favors and gifts to its customers. In doing so, this company has become a commercial success while also helping to preserve the planet.

The Concept, the Vision, the Mission

The idea of starting Evergreen Memories was born in 1997. The concept was simple: to found a business that offered tree seedlings as an alternative "green favor or gift. In particular, the initial focus was to offer brides the option of providing their wedding guests these green favors. And, thus, behind a little room divider in the ware house of the nursery, employees began packaging these green favors and shipping them to brides who would distribute them to their guests on their wedding day.

The current owner of Evergreen Memories is Margot Woodworth. When she was hired in 2002 to manage the company, the original founder of the company told her, "Evergreen Memories is your baby, go with it and do whatever you think can be done to make this a success: Margot was always very conscious of the importance of preserving and protecting the natural environment. That love and respect for nature was something that was ingrained in her growing up in her native Germany.

Germany has been a leader in promoting green behaviour for many years. Yet, when Margot arrived in Canada 20 years ago, the emphasis on "green" was in its infant stage. In contrast to Germany, Canada appeared to be a "throw away culture to the detriment of the natural environment. Margot believed that every product came from the Earth and would inevitably return to it in one form or another. Her hope was that Canadians would soon realize the importance of preserving the planet for future generations.

So, with her nursery background, Margot began the task of really building this green business. She knew, for example, that billions of dollars annually were being spent on weddings in North America. Margot believed some of those expenditures could be turned into ones that would support a green business - a business committed to the environment and to social responsibility.

With this initial focus, Margot began offering earth-friendly wedding favors, particularly tree seedlings. She also designed seed packages for an alternative favor to give during the winter months and also developed other green options suited for giving on every occasion. She also undertook the design of a professional website that would enable Evergreen Memories to accept customer orders from all across North America.

New Ownership and Business Growth

In 2005 Margot had the opportunity to purchase Evergreen Memories. She was very committed and passionate about the business. The key product line she focused on was the tree seedlings. Margot considered the tree seedlings "a gift of oxygen" since trees clean our air as well as fight global warming and prevent soil erosion.

Margot believed that by the time her customers celebrated their silver wedding anniversaries, their wedding guests would have nurtured small forests that both beautified and protected the planet. In addition to the tree seedlings and packaged seeds being sold for special occasions, Evergreen Memories' products were also being purchased by large companies to be used as promotional gifts.

Margot also believed it was very important to keep her prices low so that everyone could afford to buy and give away these green products. In fact, the prices of Evergreen Memories' products have never changed despite rising costs for heating greenhouses, shipping etc.

As the business has grown the company has been able to give back to its community. Evergreen Memories is a sponsor of school projects, as well as other charity and fundraising events. Margot believes that starting and growing a successful business is very similar to growing a tree from seed. Both endeavors require much care and nurturing.

She sees her business success as inextricably linked to her love and passion for nature and the planet. Ultimately. she has demonstrated in a very tangible way that a green business can be a success: a success both in terms of profitability and the preservation of the planet. The nursery now grows 3.5 million trees a year. And, to date, Evergreen Memories has sold 12 million trees for wedding favors, corporate gifts, and school projects.

Questions

1. As a consumer, would you consider purchasing products from Evergreen Memories? Why or why not?

2. Create a SWOT Analysis for this case.

3. Generate and Analyze Alternatives - what other opportunities do you see for Evergreen Memories in terms of sustaining the growth of its enterprise? Alternatives should be developed along with pros and cons. The alternatives can include anything, even things that may seem outrageous. You just don't have to recommend them.

4. Recommendations - make recommendations for Evergreen Memories from your alternatives above.

5. Conclusion - Report is brought to a logical conclusion (1-3 paragraphs)

Note(s):

Your paper should be written in Times New Roman, 12 pt font and double spaced. It should be a minimum of 5 pages excluding the cover page and the table of contents.

Make sure that you include proper headings for your report: Summary, Purchase Decision, SWOT Analysis, Alternatives, Recommendations, and Conclusion. Don't forget your cover page and a table of contents.