ALUM OF THE MONTH: JOHN GOODER, COO OF PLANTPEDDLER INC.
December 13, 2019John Gooder graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Horticulture with a Greenhouse option, minored in Ag Entrepreneurial Studies, in May of 2014. John is from Cresco, IA.
John’s major job responsibilities include being the COO. His main responsibilities range from managing the ship out process at Plantpeddler, hard-goods purchasing for all seasons, and facility maintenance and upkeep. Along with these day to day operations, we have been leading the building process of their recent 100,000 square foot greenhouse and production expansion.
We asked John what he likes most about his job. “I would say that what I enjoy most about my job is that no two days are the same. I know that when I head to work in the morning that each day will have it’s own challenges, successes and opportunities to learn something new. My second joy is the crew of people I get to work with every day. It seems that everyone brings different skills and ideas to work, and being able to put all of our skills together to make the operation run smoothly is a pretty cool.”
Following is the advice John offers to current students: My advice would be to not be afraid to try something new, it may be scary and some people may call you crazy, but you never know what will work until you try it. The most important thing out of this is; don’t forget what works and what doesn’t because it never feels good to make the same mistake twice.