Meet Matt Foertmeyer | OSU HCS Alumnus Class of 2007
Matt Foertmeyer is a grower and owner of Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse, in Ohio. He received his Bachelor of Science (2007) in Horticulture from our department.
Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse operates under a rather unique business model. In Matt's own words "we are a greenhouse solely focused on providing plant material for elementary schools to use as a fundraising program. We work with over 400 schools in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan. This past year our program was able to help schools raise over 3.2 million dollars for their various needs. All in all, since our founding in 1988, the Foertmeyer & Sons fundraising program has raised over 40 million dollars for the schools and groups that we work with. Being able to provide a product that adds value to these schools has really added extra purpose behind what we do every day at Foertmeyer & Sons."
Thankfully, Matt had time to elaborate on what working in the greenhouse industry is really like + some advice for students considering studying horticulture or controlled environment agriculture (CEA)...
HOW’D YOU INITIALLY BECOME INTERESTED IN HORTICULTURE?
I’m one of those individuals (and there are a lot of us in the industry) who grew up in a family run greenhouse business. My parents put up a few small greenhouses on our property in Delaware, OH in 1988. I was five years old at the time. Some of my earliest memories are running around those greenhouses, trying to jump in and help, but more likely just getting in the way. As I got older, I was encouraged to work in the greenhouse as a way to earn a little extra spending money. I think this helped me develop the kind of work ethic that is necessary to thrive in the horticulture industry.
By the time I was fifteen years old I had a structured weekend and after school greenhouse work schedule - I would say this was the time that I started to really develop an interest in commercial greenhouse production. Although, it wasn’t until I was given some growing responsibilities that I realized that horticulture was a real career possibility for me. The science behind plant growth and development really interested me during my high school years.
I started attending The Ohio State University in 2002. My major was initially undecided, but after taking a few intro courses in the horticulture department I realized that Horticulture Crop Science was the correct choice for me. After declaring Crop Science with an emphasis on Greenhouse crops as my major I would say that I started to fall in love with plant production.
I continued to work for my family business throughout college, and even spent my internship in Oeding, Germany working for Westhoffs greenhouse. Being able to work in such a large-scale operation that was still family run opened my eyes to the potential of our family business and sparked an interest in greenhouse automation and technology that I still have today.
HOW DID YOUR TIME IN HCS HELP PREPARE YOU FOR YOUR CAREER?
I really enjoyed my time in the HCS department at OSU. After finishing my internship, I graduated in the Spring of 2007. The few years that I spent on West Campus studying horticulture are definitely the fondest memories I have from college. I think I entered my studies with a bit of a head start over many of my classmates; since I'd been working consistently in a greenhouse for almost five years at that point and was able to relate to much of what I was being taught in a more personal way.
What HCS really did for me was to help me fully grasp the science behind why we produce plants the way we do in this industry. My advisor, Dr. Peg McMahon, was very effective at communicating how what she was teaching would apply to a commercial greenhouse setting. The wealth of experience she brought to the classroom setting was very valuable to me.
WHAT’S THE ROUGH CAREER PATH THAT BROUGHT YOU TO BEING THE OWNER & GROWER AT FOERTMEYER & SONS GREENHOUSE?
As I mentioned earlier, I grew up in the family greenhouse business. I spent a spring as a grower intern in Germany for Westhoff Greenhouse, a massive operation that taught me so much about the importance of automation and efficiency in your operation. Shortly after returning home, I started as a full-time grower with my family’s business, Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse company.
Lynn Miller, our head grower at the time, took me under her wing and taught me what it means to be a professional in this industry. I learned so many foundational skills from her that I still use today. I eventually was promoted to head grower at our operation, and continued in that role as our company grew from a 1.5 acre facility to the 16 acre facility that we are today. I no longer serve as the head grower of our operation, as my role has transitioned to more ownership level responsibilities. In 2020, our company purchased an operation in Swanton, OH. I currently oversee the growing operations at both of our locations.
WHAT’S A NORMAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU AND WHAT DO YOU MOST LOOK FORWARD TO EACH DAY ON THE JOB?
Growing plants continues to be the most enjoyable part of my day. A close second is being given the opportunity to teach others the growing practices I’ve learned throughout my career. I currently travel between our Delaware, OH location and our Swanton, OH location during the busy growing seasons. My role is to assure that our company's growing standards are being followed throughout the business. I also continue to assist in the growing practices at our Delaware location - this could be PGR applications, irrigation, fertigation, scouting, and overall crop scheduling. I don’t get to do this type of work as much as I used to, but I still really enjoy getting my hands dirty and working among the plants.
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH THE D.C. KIPLINGER FLORICULTURE CROP IMPROVEMENT CHAIR COMMITTEE AT OHIO STATE?
I’m a fairly new member of the D.C. Kiplinger Floriculture Crop Improvement Chair Committee at Ohio State. I was asked by several current members to join the group in 2022. As an OSU grad, it's quite the honor to be considered as someone whose perspective on the industry is valuable enough to contribute to such a talented group of individuals. I really appreciate Dr. Michelle Jones’ approach to our committee. She is committed to assuring that the research funded by the Kiplinger Chair continues to produce best practices that are immediately relevant to the greenhouse industry.
WHAT HAVE BEEN A FEW HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR?
I feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to contribute to our industry in the way that I have so far in my career. As a central Ohio native I was involved in the OFA Short Course at a young age. I was eventually given the opportunity to join the OFA Greenhouse Committee, a group of growers responsible for helping OFA develop the type of education taught at the Short Course.
In 2014, as ANLA joined with OFA to become AmericanHort, I was asked to continue my role as part of a new committee of greenhouse growers titled the “Greenhouse Connector Group”. AmericanHort continues to rely on these connector groups as their “boots on the ground” perspective for how the association can better serve our industry. I currently serve as one of the three connector leads for the “Greenhouse Connector Group”. I truly believe in the mission of AmericanHort to assure that our industry is constantly performing better, growing faster, and preparing for the future. I’m very willing to volunteer my time with AmericanHort as I see their leadership as a group of individuals that truly want to see our industry improve. The connections I’ve made and the education I’ve received from AmericanHort has helped me so much in becoming the horticulture professional I am today. I hope I’m not sounding like a paid spokesman for AmericanHort :)
In 2022, I applied to take part in the inaugural class of the “HRI Leadership Academy”. This is a year-long program developed by HRI and AmericanHort to help prepare young leaders in our industry to lead more effectively in the future. I was honored to be accepted to the program and finished my formal time with the program in July 2023. The 14 individuals who took part in this class were educated by The Brevet Group, a business consulting and training firm who have provided solutions to various Fortune 500 companies. The program was very demanding, challenging, and fulfilling for me. It was an experience that I know made me a better leader and professional in this industry.
The Ohio State University means a lot to me, and one of the most enjoyable experiences that I get to have each year is returning to the HCS department as a “guest lecturer”. For the past several years, Dr. Chieri Kubota has asked me to talk to her students about the “Life of a Grower” in this industry. Being able to meet with those students and give back a little to my alma mater is a very satisfying experience.
ANY ADVICE FOR STUDENTS CONSIDERING Greenhouse CAREERS?
I believe it's important to understand the value our industry puts on experience. I wouldn’t be shocked if you polled all greenhouse owners in the United States and found the majority valued experience over education. I’m not anti-education at all, I’m just trying to make the point that if you are able to graduate having a few years of greenhouse or nursery experience under your belt, you will be extremely attractive to any employer looking to hire a bright young professional. Many operations are hesitant to pay new hires a proper salary without that experience on their resume. Working at a greenhouse operation during the summers and weekends while in school will really give you a leg up in finding that first job that pays you properly. You also will have a head start over many young professionals just entering the workforce.
Today, we have a wide variety of academic paths for you to choose from to help you grow your career…