Development & Training
We Want to Help You Grow
Our ongoing training and on-the-job experience provides tremendous opportunities for career advancement within Pike Nurseries or our sister brand, Armstrong Garden Centers. We will partner with you to determine your advancement and career path. Our team is here to help you achieve your career goals.
Management Trainee Program
The Manager Trainee Program is a hands-on experience into the ins and outs of our retail operations. This comprehensive nine week training program provides interactive classes that practice coaching and training associates, store operations, financials, human resources, buying, marketing, visual merchandising presentations and much more. The capstone of the program has trainees giving a presentation to Pike Nurseries' leadership team including the CEO. This program is designed to teach not only our business but the leadership skills needed to become a successful Pike store manager.
New-Hire Orientation Training
- Every Pike associate attends a thorough new-hire orientation to learn about the Pike brand, our customer, and how we live our brand promise to take the guesswork out of gardening for our communities before they start working at the store. Our number one focus each and every day is the customer and we strive to exceed their expectations through local horticulture experise, selection and customer service. This introduction to a career with Pike Nurseries covers a wide range of topics that will inspire and prepare new employees for their first day with our company.
New to Position Training
- Our Pike Nurseries training manager meets one-on-one with management level associates taking on a new role within the company and works individually with them to give them the tools they need to succeed. This training is customized for each associate based on their experience and personal strengths and challenges. We truly dedicate ourselves to giving Associates the tools to succeed.
Horticultural Training
- Pike's "Hort 101" class series is designed to give our associates a well-rounded and thorough education in all aspects of gardening. We offer a five-week series of classes to prepare Pike Associates to pass the Georgia Certifed Plant Professional exam. It is an in-depth education in plant identification, horticultural practices and Georiga landscape design.
Sales Skills Workshop
- Our customer is our number one focus. In this training, we develop our associates' knowledge in the areas of customer service and selling. We uncover the customers' wants and needs and walk through different scenarios to help develop our associate's confidence. This is a very interactive program that will give new associates key selling skills while challenging associates with decades of experience.
New Product Training
- Knowledge is power. Our buyers only bring in the best plants and garden products that work in our unqiue climate and it's important that our associates know the products so they can give our customers accurate information that will allow them to garden without guesswork. New product training is offered in a variety of ways including supplier-partner seminars and training, store meeting product focuses and in-store buyer visits.
Learn to Grow Event
EachFebruary, we create multiple learning seminars along with an internal tradeshow that features our valuable supplier-partners. Associates spend a day learning about new plants and garden related products as well as freshening up knowledge on our current product mix. This high-energy day is filled with dynamic speakers, a global view of the company performance and initiatives, great product knowledge and gives associates a chance to connect with other associates in the company. It truly is a one-of-a-kind event that is designed for our associates.
