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Name: Addy Grootendorst
Major: General Management Business with a minor in Horticulture and Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Coloma, Michigan
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Addy is the founder and CEO of Addy’s Sunflowers, a business that sells quality sunflowers, pumpkins, zinnias and ornamental corn, among other things, in Coloma, Michigan.
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What is your favorite part about MSU? Making new friends, athletic events and how big and beautiful the campus is.
What are you involved in on campus? I am involved in the RISE program (Residential Initiative on the Study of the Environment) and in IM Softball.
Why did you decide to start your own business? I sort of started my business on accident. My dad had grown some sunflowers by the road, and a lady asked if she could buy some, so we let her. I then got the idea to start a roadside stand, and it took off from there.
What is your favorite part about having your own business? My favorite part about the business is making new connections with other flower people. I love meeting all new people and informing people all about sunflowers. I also love being creative and coming up with new and creative ideas to make bouquets.
What is the most challenging aspect of running a business? The most challenging part is sometimes not having enough flowers to fill all of our orders. We have too many orders sometimes, like our supermarkets, weddings, farmers markets florists, etc. It’s also hard when there’s too much or not enough rain. Also we are organic, so sometimes bugs eat the flowers. Also when we get frost, it ruins the flowers.
How hard is it to balance school and work? It has actually been really easy to balance school and work. I haven’t had to really deal with it since I’ve been in college, but in high school, it was fairly easy. I would do my homework in the car while my parents drove to and from making deliveries or market.
What types of flowers and other items do you sell? We mostly sell sunflowers, but our other big things are pumpkins and honey. We have about eight hives. We also sell a variety of flowers like statics, marigolds, zinnias, gladiolas, tulips, daffodils and alliums.
What is your plan for Addy’s Sunflowers in the next few years? I plan to hopefully turn Addy’s Sunflowers into a floral shop and grow most of my flowers. Most florist shops buy their flowers from South America, California and Mexico, and they aren’t the best quality. I want Addy’s Sunflowers to have the best quality flowers around.
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To learn more about Addy’s Sunflowers, visit the business’s Facebook page.