Flower Show Exhibit To Depict ‘ The Other Side Of Holland ’
Swarthmore Group Chairman To Deliver Keynote Address At 2017 Commencement
Flower Show Exhibit To Depict ‘ The Other Side Of Holland ’
“ We hope the public will find our exhibit exciting and learn something from it that they can use at home .”
Chuck Feld
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Bulbs , bulbs , bulbs , and more bulbs .
There will be bulbs everywhere as guests walk through the 2017 Philadelphia International Flower Show , so many bulbs visitors will get tired of looking at them .
Why so many bulbs ? Because the show ’ s theme is “ Holland : Flowering the World ” and people associate Holland with bulbs , especially tulip bulbs .
And that is where the idea for the theme of Williamson ’ s exhibit came from .
“ Although you think of bulbs when you think of Holland ,” said Chuck Feld , Flower Show exhibit supervisor . “ What many don ’ t realize is that while Holland is the world leader in breeding new cultivars of bulbs , it also breeds annuals , woody plants , and perennials . And , this is what our exhibit is going to highlight .”
Williamson ’ s exhibit , entitled “ The Other Side of Holland ,” will highlight new cultivars of perennials introduced from Holland and educate visitors on how plants are bred , propagated , introduced into the trade , and highlight new perennials in the market today .
The exhibit , which will be located in the main exhibit area , will feature a garden of newly introduced perennials cultivars from Holland in flowing masses . Because the exhibit emphasizes education , there will be descriptions of the plants and their uses .
Visitors will walk on a path through the garden to a greenhouse that features a demonstration of how the new plants are bred and propagated with cuttings . Students will be on hand to answer questions and provide a list of all the perennials used in the exhibit and how they can be used in their gardens at home . A personal checklist will ensure guests do not miss any of the plants included in the exhibit .
The exhibit ’ s educational materials will include panels with such topics as : “ The Other Side of Holland ,” “ Did you Know that Plants are Patented ?,” “ Tissue Culture ,” “ Plant Breeding ,” and “ Gregor Mendel : The Father of Genetics .”
Feld says this exhibit is one of the most ambitious and educational exhibits they have ever put together and that should help get some extra points since it is judged in the education category .
“ We usually follow the KISS strategy — Keep it Simple Stupid — but this year we got away from keeping it simple ; we are making it pretty complicated .
“ We hope the public will find it exciting and learn something from it that they can use at home .”
Gathering the new cultivars kept Feld and the horticulture seniors busy . Feld contacted a representative of the Cooperative Netherlands Bulb Centre in Lelystad , The Netherlands , the leading authority of new plants in the Netherlands . The rep got Feld in touch with perennial suppliers in the United States ,
A group of horticulture students , hard at work covering newly arrived plants in mulch to protect them from the cold of winter for their Philadelphia Flower Show exhibit .
giving the students experience in working with international perennial suppliers and growers .
They got the perennials from Creek Hill Nursery in Leola , one of the area ’ s leaders of new plant varieties from around the world , and Star Roses and Plants , of West Grove , a leading breeder who has introduced many unique and notable woody ornamental and perennial plants to the industry .
The students are going to work hard at getting the perennials to bloom at just the right time for the exhibit , which is a tricky feat because it requires fooling them into experiencing a winter before they will bloom .
The senior horticulture students are receiving help with their exhibit from carpenters , who are building two cypress benches for the greenhouse , and machinists , who are making plastic , engraved plant labels cut in the shape of tulips .
Ross Deitrich , Williamson ’ s creative director , is making educational panels and the brochure , and Anne Frantum , communications instructor , is lending her grammar expertise as proofreader .
Exhibit funding came from the Hoxie Harrison Smith Foundation , the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union , and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society .
Donations of printed panels are being provided by KC Signs , brochures are being provided by Precision Print / Safeguard Business Systems and Wendy Jones , and plant lists are being provided by Professional Duplicating .
The show runs from Saturday , March 11 , to Sunday , March 19 , at the Pennsylvania Convention Center , 12th and Arch Sts ., Philadelphia . For more information visit www . theflowershow . com .
James E . Nevels
Swarthmore Group Chairman To Deliver Keynote Address At 2017 Commencement
James E . Nevels , founder and chairman of the investment and financial advisory firm The Swarthmore Group in Philadelphia , will deliver the keynote address at Williamson College of the Trades ’ Commencement at 2 p . m ., Friday , June 2 .
Nevels will inspire the Class of 2017 as they receive associate in specialized technology degrees or craftsman diplomas and are sent into the world of work .
In 1991 , Nevels , who was born in Greensboro , Ala ., in a working-class family , founded The Swarthmore Group , which has grown to become one of the largest minority-owned investment advisory firms in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . This growth came about from the Group ’ s commitment to professional trust and concrete investment results .
Nevels , who has more than 36 years experience in the securities and investment industry , is also lead independent director of the Hershey Company ’ s board of directors ( chairman from 2009-2015 ); and on the boards of First Data , WestRock , and Alcoa Corp .
He has served as chair and board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia ; and on the boards of the Hershey Trust Company , the Milton Hershey School , the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation , MMG Insurance Co .,
The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy , Tasty Baking Co ., the Pro Football Hall of Fame , and many others .
Nevels was appointed by President George Bush to a 3-year term , from 2004-2007 , on the Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp ., and served as chairman from 2005-2007 .
In 2001 , he was appointed by Pennsylvania ’ s governor as chairman of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission and served through September 2007 , overseeing the turnaround of the Philadelphia School System , then the ninth largest school district in the country .
In 1998 , he was appointed as a member of the 3-person board of control of the Chester-Upland School District to administer the $ 65 million budget of the financially distressed school district . Through his efforts , the quality of education offered by the school district improved .
Nevels is an honors ( cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa ) graduate of Bucknell
University with an A . B . degree in political science and philosophy ; an M . B . A . degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ; and a J . D . degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School . He also has four honorary degrees .
Among his numerous awards and honors are : the New York Stock Exchange ’ s Governance Services Inaugural Leadership Awards Non-executive Chairman of the Year Nomination ( 2014 ), the National Association of Corporate Directors ’ Directorship 100 Awards Honoree ( 2014 ), the American Jewish Committee ’ s Civic Achievement Award ( 2005 ), Bucknell University ’ s Humanitarian Service Alumni Award ( 2009 ), the Emma Sloat Rendell Education Award ( 2007 ), the Thurgood Marshal Scholarship Fund Award of Excellence ( 2005 ), the Musser Excellence in Leadership Award ( 2004 ), Philadelphia Tribune ’ s “ One of Philadelphia ’ s Most Influential African Americans ” ( 2004 ), and the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia ’ s Atlas Award ( 2003 ).