company-history

About the Owner, Joe Strickland

Why did you start your business?

My family originated in Georgia and settled in the Pierson area when I was young and was just beginning to work. I quickly realized that most of the work I found as a teen was for local fern growers which gave me the opportunity to learn the business from the ground up. I built and operated a fern route that ran to Miami for more than 10 years. While allowing that route to provide the income I needed to support my wife and two daughters, I was approached by Ralph and John Wheeler about starting a new company and fernery operation with them. We started our partnership with 3 & 1/3 acres of fern and gradually grew from there.

Through our efforts, Alpha Fern Company is now producing more than 100 acres of Leatherleaf Fern and other Florida Foliage Varieties.

What makes you different than other similar businesses in your community?

We are, in my opinion, the perfect size. We are not one of the biggest companies and we are not one of the smallest. Being in the middle allows us to provide the utmost attention to each customer and their needs while giving us the same pricing and access level to imported items that the larger growers have. We can gear promotions and create specialized marketing material for each customer's needs rather than asking the customer to modify their processes. More than 50% of our staff has been with the company for 10+ years. From our cutting crew to our sales staff to our production and packing crew, we have experience backing our every move.

What do you like most about your community?

We are a community of fern growers proud of the product we grow. We, as founding members of the Florida Leatherleaf Growers Association, stand behind our product 100%. We would pray that as this country recovers in this rough economic climate, we remember that by supporting American Growers and American Businesses, together we can preserve and rebuild our local economies.