For All Green Nursery, being named Wyndham’s Business of the Year in 2024 was recognition of more than four decades of passion, dedication and brilliance.
Starting out as a humble backyard operation in 1979, the Hoppers Crossing nursery has grown into one of Melbourne’s largest garden centres.
While the business now has two locations spanning over 14 acres of landscaping supplies, garden materials, and flourishing plant life, CEO Samuel Fragapane said the operation has lost none of its humility.
“Winning the award was one thing I suppose, but the impact it had internally was great because our staff felt recognised for what they do on a day-to-day basis,” he said.
“It really helped us reflect on what we had done over the 12 months.”
The win was also key to facilitating meaningful relationships with other local firms.
“It drove a lot of opportunities to start having conversations with other businesses, because we were able to showcase our own story on that kind of stage,” Mr Fragapane said.
“When people saw how genuine we were as people and our family model, it resonated with other people in business.”
It’s not hard to appear sincere when you practise what you preach.
“Where there is a staff or customer issue we won’t put that on the back burner and we’ll try our hardest to sort it out,” Mr Fragapane said.
He said sponsoring the Business Resilience Award was the perfect chance to stay involved while stepping out of the spotlight.
“For us it was good to stay connected with something that goes far beyond the awards, and we had discussions about how to still be involved in one way, shape or form.”
Near and dear to the team at All Green Nursery is making sure Wyndham’s agriculture and horticulture industries have a strong future.
“We have a lot of conversations about how we make horticulture, landscaping and farming more attractive for young people to come through, and make those career pathways accessible.
“I am a big advocate for the procurement of local people for local projects in our industries – there are plenty of businesses here that can cater for it.“
With more than 80 members of its team, many of whom are young people just embarking on their careers, All Green Nursery is all about making sure Wyndham’s talent can work in their own backyards.
Entries for this year’s awards are now open and close on Friday June 13. Business Awards Information Sessions will be held on Wednesday May 21, 9am-10:30am, and Wednesday June 4, 1pm-2:30pm.
Whether you’re a small startup, an established enterprise, or a local leader in your industry, the Wyndham Business Awards offer an incredible opportunity to gain recognition and celebrate the impact your business has made.
For more information or to enter go to wyndham.vic.gov.au/services/business-investment/business-awards-special-events/wyndham-business-awards
