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I made my
first plant trip in 1975 with Mr. Jim Paulk. We went in his station wagon
and it lasted 8 days. For 8 days, he talked and I listened.
I had
decided to make Bonnie Plant Farm my career because of what I had heard
all my life living in Bullock County. Bonnie was THE place to work in
Union Springs. That was true then and it is still true today. Mr. Jim
deserves a lot of the credit for this. Much more than he received.
In
1975, we had 2 customers in Knoxville, TN. They paid us about
$8,000. He said we needed at least 25. The next day we rented a cab
and for the next 2 days we visited every store in Knox County
that sold garden seed and plants. In those days, you looked for a store
that dipped their own seed and weighed it in themselves. There was not a
Wal-Mart to be found. We found those 25 stores. That year we got
$50,000 out of Knoxville. In 2005, our sales there were almost $1,000,000
and we still work most of those 25 stores. Mr. Jim had a knack for knowing
who could sell Bonnie plants and who could not. He also had a knack for
getting us into stores. There was never anyone better.
Today
we sell plants in 48 states. It was not my idea to go into 48 states. It
was Mr. Jim’s idea, 30 years ago. We have rented, leased, built or
bought existing greenhouse businesses throughout the country. This was not
my idea either. It was his, in 1975, and he explained to me then how it
could be done and what would happen if we could get it done.
At that
time Mr. Jim had the vision but did not have the means to get this done.
When AFC came into the picture, that quickly changed and we have taken his
ideas and turned this company into what it is today. I should also mention
that it was Mr. Jim who insisted that AFC be the one to take Bonnie
forward. There were others who wanted our company, but it was AFC that Mr.
Jim selected. I wonder where we would be without that important
decision.
Bonnie
has been around since 1918, and throughout those years Bonnie has made a
big difference in hundreds of people’s lives in and around Bullock
County and, in fact, several other places. In fact, several of us
owe all we have to Bonnie Plant Farm and to all the Paulks. Mr. Jim,
his parents and his brothers and sisters were unselfish through the
years and paid people what they were worth instead of the minimum they
could get by with paying. We still run Bonnie Plant Farm their way today.
Mr.
Jim and my Mom were classmates from 1926 until they graduated. He never
failed to ask me about her. I always appreciated that and so did
she. He was a good man and lived a good life and a man that made a
positive difference in many people’s lives. He took care of his wife
until he was absolutely not able.
Some
people live almost their entire lives and hardly ever matter to others.
Mr. Jim’s life mattered. 1920 dash 2005. Mr. Jim did not
waste his dash. |
