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

His skill to assume creatively and to contemplate how numerous points would have a very long time impression on each the backyard middle 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 satisfy the wants of shoppers.

And his playful persona received Lutey many mates.

“He was at all times so loving, real, at all times made you chortle 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 at present, Lutey’s boss Joe Wojciechowski says.

“I feel the most important merchandise that Joe was instrumental in was how know-how may form our future,” he says. “Aside from that, Joe not solely understood the crops, however the numbers. He was particularly nice at holding stock ranges to the right amount, and at all times displayed product in an interesting matter. He was additionally our go-to-guy for tech assist. As you realize, he was additionally concerned in our business exterior 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 web guestbook at WintFuneralHome.com

In lieu of flowers, memorials could also be made for the longer term schooling 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 take a look at 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, good. However the issues that I’ll miss probably 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 at all times shoot a textual content to say, ‘Nice job, cherished 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 way of a number of business features and organizations, and Joe was excellent at making each particular person really feel welcome and part of one thing.

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

From Lloyd Traven, Peace Tree Farm

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

“He at all times was keen to interact about ‘connecting’ with shoppers, wished to know what you consider reaching shoppers and fellow staff, to make the total 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 serious presence, and he was at all times stunned that I sought out his ideas and observations, and he appreciated it drastically and advised me that. You wished to ensure Joe Lutey was at all times included – whether or not it was a dialog, a bunch 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 typically uncommon.

“He was curious, he was completely current and he at all times knew, although so extremely completed at a younger age, that he was nonetheless very younger and had a lot nonetheless to be taught and achieve – although 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 Brief Course in 2013, however actually bought 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 a lot of panel articles with Greenhouse Grower and different commerce magazines.

“From the very second I met Joe, we had an immediate connection, a mutual feeling that we had already identified one another for years – as if we had gone to nursery college collectively, separated throughout grammar college and now had reconnected, although that state of affairs 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 adjustments, a ardour for encouraging youthful generations to get entangled in gardening and a necessity to present again to the business. I at all times admired Joe’s work ethic, which was to ‘present as much as work looking for your dream job.’ His need to at all times try for the following best factor, to at all times enhance actually resonated with me – it was the type of recommendation I’d have heard from my dad or a seasoned business vet.

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

From Joe Wojciechowski, proprietor of Wojo’s Greenhouse

“We’re all saddened with the lack of Joe. He was at all times completely satisfied and shared a smile and his personal distinctive chuckle. He had a fast wit and preferred to have enjoyable. He loved kids and would at all times have interaction with them after they got here into our middle, particularly his personal four-year-old, Aiden. He would carry him to work many occasions and train him the way to do issues like water crops.”

From Crystal Cady, Sunflower Acres Farm & Backyard:

“Joe was by far and away my best possible buddy, in and out of doors 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 in regards to the business and crops – earlier than I had the chance to satisfy him in particular person. In January 2013 I used to be standing within the Data Middle at Subsequent Degree watching a demo on HootSuite and a tweet from Joe confirmed up on the display screen in regards to the occasion. I appeared across the room, noticed him and knew I needed to introduce myself as a result of I at all times appeared as much as him as a ‘Rock Star’ within the backyard middle and inexperienced business. From that day ahead we turned immediate mates, and that friendship solely grew stronger after we linked once more for lunch on the final OFA Shortcourse in 2013. The connection we made rapidly grew from an acquaintance within the business, to a colleague, to a buddy, to the perfect of friendships with a bond that couldn’t be damaged. We had 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 enthusiastic about all issues crops, retail and, after all, furthering the following technology. Joe got here up with distinctive, inventive concepts that had been vastly completely different than others – be it shows, the way to’s and even when it got here to dreaming up his personal backyard middle. His thirst for data was not like another – at all times gathering new data, concepts and assembly new folks to additional his community and studying of the business. It was this previous summer season 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 Infinite Summer time hydrangea collections – Joe’s favourite.

“Apart from being somebody all of us cherished and admired as a rising star on this business for his abilities and fervour, Joe was a buddy and human being not like another I’ve met in my life. He was good, humorous, sincere, robust, loving, caring, variety, knew simply what to say, at all times encouraging and at all times put others in entrance of himself. Gems like that don’t come round that always in life. Dropping 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 try for these issues he inspired you to try for – however I do know – that if I, if you happen to, don’t maintain pursuing these belongings you love and dream about, Joe can be unhappy. So, if for nobody else in addition to your self, maintain doing and maintain 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 will likely be in a couple 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 following 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 youngsters (Technology Z).

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