Remembering Joe Lutey Of Wojo’s Greenhouses

Buddies and colleagues are mourning the demise of Joe Lutey, 32, who died January 21, 2015.

His capability to assume creatively and to think about how varied points would have a very long time impression on each the backyard heart he labored for, Wojo’s Greenhouse, and the business as a complete, made Lutey a sought-after adviser. He participated on a number of advisory boards, from AmericanHort’s retail committee to Greenhouse Grower’s GROW companions’ board.

Many business gamers turned to Joe for perception on how growers and retailers can work collectively to fulfill the wants of shoppers.

And his playful persona gained Lutey many pals.

“He was all the time so loving, real, all the time made you snicker and loved pranking others,” his spouse Jennifer says.

At work, he wore many hats, from retail supervisor to tree and shrub purchaser and hardgoods purchaser. He helped make Wojo’s what it’s right this moment, Lutey’s boss Joe Wojciechowski says.

“I feel the largest merchandise that Joe was instrumental in was how know-how might form our future,” he says. “Apart from that, Joe not solely understood the crops, however the numbers. He was particularly nice at conserving stock ranges to the correct quantity, and all the time displayed product in an interesting matter. He was additionally our go-to-guy for tech assist. As , he was additionally concerned in our business outdoors of day by day work.”

Lutey leaves behind his spouse, Jennifer, their son Aiden, and a big, prolonged household.

The funeral service was held on Monday, January 26, 2015. You’ll be able to signal the net guestbook at WintFuneralHome.com

In lieu of flowers, memorials could also be made for the long run training of Aiden. Wojciechowski is providing to gather donations on behalf of the household. Ship donations to:

 Wojo’s Greenhouse
2570 Oakwood rd.
Ortonville, Mi. 48462
Attn: Jennifer Lutey

If you need to donate, make the try to Jennifer Lutey, Wojciechowski says. “If anyone needs to contact an individual, they will name our greenhouse and ask for Joe W. or Luana at 248-627-6498,” he says.

Tributes From The Trade

From Susie Raker, C. Raker & Sons Greenhouses:

“There are plenty of issues you may say about Joe… humorous, candy, sensible. However the issues that I’ll miss essentially the most are that Joe genuinely cared about folks and his open-heartedness. If I had an article printed in a commerce journal, he would all the time shoot a textual content to say, ‘Nice job, liked the article.’ He genuinely cared about me and my success, and I do know that sentiment is shared by many others within the business. I labored with Joe by means of a number of business features and organizations, and Joe was excellent at making each individual really feel welcome and part of one thing.

“Joe had ardour about two issues, Vegetation (hydrangeas, specifically) and the client’s expertise at retail. Joe had some actually forward-thinking concepts about what the retail backyard heart ought to and might be. He opened my eyes to what the retail expertise might be.”

From Lloyd Traven, Peace Tree Farm

“Joe Lutey was one of many most interesting folks, of any age, I’ve met in a protracted profession in floriculture. Very smart, all the time curious, by no means acted like he felt your observations have been in any means condescending. As an alternative, he listened, and requested inquiries to observe up, in order that he understood what you have been making an attempt to clarify for him – all the time trying to get higher at what he did.

“He all the time was keen to interact about ‘connecting’ with shoppers, needed to know what you consider reaching shoppers and fellow staff, to make the complete expertise satisfying and simpler and simpler. He paid consideration, by no means distracted – he appeared at you, watched your eyes, so he understood what you meant extra than simply by phrase or tone.

“He was conscious that he was regarded by me, and many others, as a ‘younger gun’, one of many sharpest on the market, sure for a significant presence, and he was all the time shocked that I sought out his ideas and observations, and he appreciated it tremendously and informed me that. You needed to ensure Joe Lutey was all the time included – whether or not it was a dialog, a gaggle dialogue, a meal or only a good story or joke. Individuals gravitated towards him, naturally, due to how he handled you in return – and that’s all too usually uncommon.

“He was curious, he was completely current and he all the time knew, regardless that so extremely achieved at a younger age, that he was nonetheless very younger and had a lot nonetheless to be taught and attain – regardless that he was beautifully certified.

“We’re so saddened right here at Peace Tree Farm at such a devastating loss, so early.”

From Stephanie Whitehouse, Peace Tree Farm

“I first met Joe on the final Quick Course in 2013, however actually received to know him personally on the final fall committee assembly for OFA when the transition to AmericanHort was accepted. We later served collectively as Neighborhood Connectors for AmericanHort and teamed up for plenty of panel articles with Greenhouse Grower and different commerce magazines.

“From the very second I met Joe, we had an prompt connection, a mutual feeling that we had already recognized one another for years – as if we had gone to nursery faculty collectively, separated throughout grammar faculty and now had reconnected, regardless that that situation was removed from the reality. We referred to as one another horticulture soul mates as a result of not solely did we’ve the identical favourite flower (hydrangea), we had the identical ideology for the business’s future and the way our technology could make optimistic modifications, a ardour for encouraging youthful generations to get entangled in gardening and a necessity to present again to the business. I all the time admired Joe’s work ethic, which was to ‘present as much as work in search of your dream job.’ His want to all the time attempt for the subsequent best factor, to all the time enhance actually resonated with me – it was the sort of recommendation I might have heard from my dad or a seasoned business vet.

“There’s a handful of individuals my age with whom I commonly brainstorm huge image concepts for the business with all year long; folks whom I love for his or her intelligence, private drive and numerous considering. A horticulture dream group, so to say. Joe was a member of my dream group, and I can’t think about going by means of a spring season, attending Domesticate and getting collectively on the AmericanHort conferences with out his perception, his smile and snicker and his outlook on the long run.”

From Joe Wojciechowski, proprietor of Wojo’s Greenhouse

“We’re all saddened with the lack of Joe. He was all the time pleased and shared a smile and his personal distinctive chuckle. He had a fast wit and appreciated to have enjoyable. He loved youngsters and would all the time interact with them once they got here into our heart, particularly his personal four-year-old, Aiden. He would convey him to work many instances and educate him find out how to do issues like water crops.”

From Crystal Cady, Sunflower Acres Farm & Backyard:

“Joe was by far and away my perfect buddy, in and outdoors of, this nice business all of us love, work and play in. I spent a pair years interacting with Joe on social media – sharing tweets concerning the business and crops – earlier than I had the chance to fulfill him in individual. In January 2013 I used to be standing within the Data Heart at Subsequent Stage watching a demo on HootSuite and a tweet from Joe confirmed up on the display screen concerning the occasion. I appeared across the room, noticed him and knew I needed to introduce myself as a result of I all the time appeared as much as him as a ‘Rock Star’ within the backyard heart and inexperienced business. From that day ahead we grew to become prompt pals, and that friendship solely grew stronger after we related once more for lunch on the final OFA Shortcourse in 2013. The connection we made shortly grew from an acquaintance within the business, to a colleague, to a buddy, to the easiest of friendships with a bond that couldn’t be damaged. We have been one another’s counterparts.

“Joe had so many qualities that make somebody in our business stand out, shine and succeed. He was so pushed and obsessed with all issues crops, retail and, in fact, furthering the subsequent technology. Joe got here up with distinctive, artistic concepts that have been vastly totally different than others – be it shows, find out how to’s and even when it got here to dreaming up his personal backyard heart. His thirst for data was in contrast to another – all the time gathering new data, concepts and assembly new folks to additional his community and studying of the business. It was this previous summer time at Domesticate ’14 when one among his final goals got here true – and I launched him to Dr. Michael Dirr. He and Joe had a two hour lengthy ‘date’ – geeking out on hydrangeas. Dr. Dirr drew him a diagram he’ll always remember,  explaining the breeding of the Limitless Summer season hydrangea collections – Joe’s favourite.

“Apart from being somebody all of us liked and admired as a rising star on this business for his abilities and keenness, Joe was a buddy and human being in contrast to another I’ve met in my life. He was sensible, humorous, trustworthy, robust, loving, caring, type, knew simply what to say, all the time encouraging and all the time put others in entrance of himself. Gems like that don’t come round that always in life. Shedding somebody so nice and so particular to you makes it onerous to need to proceed and go about your day by day life, chase your goals and attempt for these issues he inspired you to attempt for – however I do know – that if I, in the event you, don’t hold pursuing these belongings you love and dream about, Joe could be unhappy. So, if for nobody else apart from your self, hold doing and hold dreaming, for Joe.”

Hyperlinks To Articles Joe Lutey Participated In 

Lutey talks about what new advertising and marketing instruments we needs to be now to succeed in shoppers and the place he thinks the business might be in a number of years.

Lutey explains how Wojo’s Greenhouse considerably elevated its nursery division’s revenue by eliminating end-of-season gross sales.

Lutey shares his opinion on whether or not the subsequent technology will change into plant shoppers as soon as they purchase a home.

Lutey talks about how the inexperienced business can start reaching out to children (Technology Z).

Lutey on how know-how will change how we deal with advertising and marketing sooner or later.