Winter 2017

INSIDER
WINTER 2017
Handbags
with a higher
purpose
WHAT’S INSIDE | THIS ISSUE
BRAVING THE COLD
MEET STEVE & NATE
FEATURED PLANT

What Doesn’t Kill Us...
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER SCOTT CARNEY LEARNS THAT OUR
PROTECTED LIFESTYLE HAS MADE HUMANS MORE VULNERABLE
When Scott Carney heard about a
radical fitness trainer from Holland
who claimed to have hiked twothirds
of the way up Mount Everest
wearing shorts, he figured he could
write an interesting story exposing
the man as a charlatan. So he traveled
to Poland to participate in a
training camp that “Ice Man” Wim
Hof was conducting.
The experience turned him from a
skeptic to a believer. The first exercise
Hof gave him was to go stand
in the snow, which he endured for
5 minutes before he had to stop.
“It’s just so cold, he said. “I’m in
my shorts, bare feet, and it’s really
really painful!”
But he learned that by repeating
the excercise on a daily basis, he
could increase his endurance to
the point where he was standing
barefoot in the snow for an hour by
the 5th day.
Carney discovered that modern
man still has the ability to handle
extreme climate by training our
bodies to handle it. The book he
wrote as a result of his experiences,
What Doesn’t Kill Us (Rodale
Press), discusses the health
benefits of this acclimatization and
chronicles the author’s own trek
to just below the summit of Mt.
Kilimanjaro in tennis shoes and
shorts.
Source: National Public Radio
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The author relaxes with a good book...

Papa Zack
We’ve been experiencing a lot of
changes lately. Obviously, we have
been setlling into our new facility
that I mentioned in the last issue.
Not a day goes by when I don’t
smile to myself about how nice our
new place is and how badly we
had outgrown our old offices. It’s
like finally getting rid of your old
family car and stepping into a vehicle
that doesn’t have any check
engine light glowing, it’s still under
warranty and the seats are clean.
On the home front, change is
coming as well. My wife Erin and
I are expecting a daughter, due to
arrive in early March. This will be
our second, and big sister Sarah is
anxiously awaiting a baby sister.
Another change we have been
experiencing is the increase in
business in the coastal areas of
some of our neighboring states.
Some of you reading this may be
newer clients that we’ve started
to serve in places like Charleston
or Charlotte. For all you who have
recently discov-
ered
us, I extend a hearty welcome and
a pledge to provide you with the
kind of attentive service that will
be the highlight of your day.
I know Charlie, one of our superstar
salesmen, has been spending
a lot of time visiting the Carolinas
and getting to know many of
you guys and has made a lot of
friends.
Elsewhere in this newsletter, you
can read about some of the folks
we’ve brought on the team lately.
I feel very optimistic that 2017 is
going to be a tremendous year
for the plant industry, and we’ll be
poised to meet all your needs for
ground cover and sourcing of any
kind of elusive material that you
might have need of.
Until next time,
Zack Kirsch
General Manager
386 754-0161
sales@gsnursery.com
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R. Rivete
The life of a military spouse
is uniquely challenging.
It is understood when you
marry a serviceman or
woman, you are committing
to a life of a thousand
sacrifices—frequent moves,
the loneliness of keeping
home fires burning when
your spouse is deployed,
and a standard of living that
sometimes depends on food
stamps to eke out an existence.
It is tragic that the families
that are most invested in
defending our freedoms are
asked to do so much for so
little financial reward.
Against this
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somber reality strides an entrepreneurial
effort that aims to
raise up the beleaguered service
spouse with an assignment that
affirms her value as well as puts
some money in her bank account.
The company, R. Riveter,
sells handmade fashion handbags
and recruits military wives
across the country to assist in
their manufacture.
The company takes its name
from the WW2 icon Rosie the
Riveter, and is the brainchild of
two army wives, Lisa Bradley
and Cameron Cruse. The core
of their business plan was to
provide a means for military
spouses to participate in the
construction of the bags from
wherever they happen to be

The products are designed to
be high quality and fashionable,
and many component
parts are sourced from repurposed
military gear such
as canvas tents and woolen
blankets. The assembled
parts get sent back to a facility
in North Carolina where
the bags the final construction
is completed. The bags
are sold online through their
website www.rriveter.com,
and also through Amazon.
living. The spouses—known as
“riveters”— are supplied with
the raw materials via U.S. mail
and each one is given a specific
task to perform on their own
schedule. In the words of their
own literature,
It is not uncommon, as a military
spouse, to lead a multifaceted
life that requires the need for
flexibility and control over one’s
schedule and career. This sense
of independence is especially important
to the riveters, who are
also dedicated mothers. Each
riveter finds great value and
freedom in dictating just how
much time is spent working,
in order to spend more time
with their children, families
and communities.
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Featured
Plant
SWEET VIBURNUM
VIBURNUM ODORATISSIMUM
We have a limited supply of 30
gallon specimen Sweet Vibernum
that we are featuring this
issue. They are 5-6 feet tall and
have foliage from top to bottom,
which makes them ideal for a tall
hedge planting.
Sweet Viburnum was once heavily
specified for use in Florida
landscapes, but the popularity
has ebbed in recent history. The
UF IFAS web page describing
the plant says it has fallen out
of favor as a small tree in recent
years, but then it asserts that
“this adaptable tree should be
`rediscovered’ by landscape
architects and others specifying
small trees for urban and suburban
landscapes.”
We’d be very happy to help
spearhead the revival of such a
Usage suggestion (courtesy Evergreen Growers—
Australia)
capable plant that brings us fragrant
blooms every Spring. This plant
does well in North Florida as well as
coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
30 gal: $135.95 $105.00
Prices good through the end of March 2017
“Experience is simply the name we give our
mistakes”
—Oscar Wilde
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386 754-0161

Meet Our Talented Staff:
Steve Kampmeyer
We’ve been honored to bring on board
a veteran of the plant business, Steve
Kampmeyer was a principle for years with
a landscape and irrigation company in
Lake City called Action Irrigation.
How far back does Steve go with G&S?
Steve’s company was the very first customer
our nursery ever had.
Steve is helping us source plant material
for our clients. His deep roots in the
landscape industry are a tremendous
asset in finding the most obscure plants
our clients need and also finding the
best quality and price for high-demand
plant material as well.
Nate Lynn
Spend a few minutes talking to our new
sales associate Nate Lynn and you will
find he can be quite the raconteur. He
seems to know a little bit about a lot of
things, and he’s very skillful at weaving that
knowledge into an entertaining story.
Whatever you do, don’t get him started
talking about movies! While you and
I might think we know a thing or two
about our favorite movies, Nate is
finishing his degree in cinema, with the
goal of becoming a director.
Ben Willems
Ben Willems works closely with Zack in
customer service. He’s been on the job
since December, taking calls, preparing
estimates, sourcing plant material,
and otherwise helping out wherever he
is needed. He previously was working in
the construction business, so he’s been
enjoying the opportunity to expand his
skill set in his position here at G&S.
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www.gsnursery.com

1550 SW Bedenbaugh Ln.
Lake City FL 32025
RIDDLE OF THE MONTH
A cowboy rides into town one Friday
afternoon and finds lodging at the local
saloon. He stays for 5 nights and then rides
out on Sunday in the morning in order to
make it home before sundown.
ANSWER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN:
How can this be possible?
LAST MONTH’S RIDDLE:
The Tyrannosaurus Rex is well known to
have disproportionately small arms. Why
can’t he use them to clap his “hands”?
ANSWER: Because he is extinct!
Amazon
Echo Dot
LAST ISSUE’S WINNERS
Mary Barron
Jennifer de la Mora
Liz Higareda
Send answers to newsletter@gsnursery.com before February 28 2017. All
correct answers will be entered into a drawing to win a prize!