Summary: The guest for this 11th episode of STEM: Insider Tips for Greenhouse Pros is Kris Carlsson. Kris has a background is growing at the wholesale level before coming to Ball FloraPlant, working at Chico Propagators in California growing an A to Z assortment annuals, perennials and a full line of flowering foliage for nurseries and wholesale florists. Over his 11 years at Ball FloraPlant, Kris has had the unique ability to do almost every job at the breeding facility from Trial Grower, Trials Coordinator, Facility Manager for BFP’s breeding location in California, Crop Specific Product Manager and now in his current role as Product Launch and Assortment Manager. He’s led the successful launch of some best-in-class products like Presto Geraniums, EnduraScape Verbena, Little Lucky Lantana, Conga Calibrachoa, Bloomify Lantana, SolarPower and Spotlight Ipomoea, FlameThrower Coleus, Mysty Salvia and more – some winning plant varieties for sure! His wide range of knowledge and experience puts a unique twist on product development and launch. You will no doubt enjoy our discussion about what it takes to ensure successful product introduction in competitive markets like horticulture. Kris and I will get into the different steps in the launch cycle, what he and his team look for when trialing crops around the world, the importance of grower sampling and crop culture recommendations and much, much more. This is an info-packed episode for sure. And be sure to listen closely for Kris’ top picks and favorites in the Ball FloraPlant assortment because with his expertise and experience across breeding, product management and wholesale growing, you can be confident they are truly the best of the best. Links Referenced in Episode: NEW Ball FloraPlant Website: https://www.ballfloraplant.com/ Ball FloraPlant YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallFloraPlant BFP TV (Featuring the one and only Kris Carlsson!): https://www.ballfloraplant.com/BFPTV/ Product Growing Culture: https://www.ballfloraplant.com/Culture/ Current Ball FloraPlant virtual catalog: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2019_BFP/index.aspx Contact Links: Email Guest Kris Carlsson: kcarlsson@ballhort.com Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/ Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/ See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo
