Since June, four teams of Delaware North associates have been maintaining produce gardens on the 12th floor terrace of the company’s global headquarters in Buffalo, N.Y., in an effort dubbed “GrowShare.”
Each team began with a 5-foot-wide rectangular planter. From there, teams chose eight vegetables and were provided with the necessary tools to begin planting. Since then, each team has been responsible for watering, nurturing, weeding – and, of course, sharing its harvests.
But the effort also involved a bit of friendly competition, as bragging rights and a prize for best garden were on the line.
An impartial judge (Chief Marketing Officer Todd Merry) recently named the winner, praising the 12th floor team, “Homer’s Emu Farm,” for having the best garden, based on aesthetic value, taste of produce and overall physical organization. Each member of the winning team – Abbigail Binga, Brian Baker, Brian Neff, Brian Lynch, Jen Marble, Andrew Heinen and Nicole Hamm – received a $50 gift card to The Home Depot.
Although the contest is now complete, teams continue to maintain their respective gardens, which include tomatoes, yellow onions, jalapeno peppers and cilantro.