Welcome Board Member Beth Gulley

Beth Gulley, CNGA Board Director

Beth Gulley grew up in the family business, Gulley Greenhouse in Fort Collins, where she is now general manager of the wholesale and young plants divisions. Both Beth and her younger sister Jamie, were born shortly after their parents started the business, and the story goes that Beth went from a “bassinette to a wheelbarrow” so she could follow her mother, Jan, while Jan worked with the plants.

Leaving and Returning to Gulley

After graduating from Colorado State University (CSU) with a degree in landscape architecture, Beth joined a Denver-based landscape architecture firm in the mid-2000s. Finding the job a little “too corporate” for her taste, she went back to her roots at Gulley Greenhouse.

“My training at CSU in landscape architecture was a lot about general contracting,” she reflects. “It’s about people in multiple disciplines with different areas of expertise who collaborate to create a design. We coordinate and manage people and processes.” For Beth, these skills are directly transferrable to her position as general manager at Gulley Greenhouse.

Why Join the Board?

For Beth, this is the second time she has served on the CNGA board of directors. Her earlier stint occurred a short time before Glenda Mostek took over as CNGA Executive Director. Beth is drawn to the board, and to work with other board members because she considers the green industry unique in Colorado.

“Competitors are friends,” she says. “We collaborate and share ideas, and I think this is unique. We are friendly competitors.” She says that being part of the board again will further the good feeling she has about collaboration. “I will be able to interact with people in different facets of the industry including nurseries, greenhouses and botanic gardens. It’s a diverse and approachable group. I can learn from them and we accomplish things together.”

“My hope is that while on the board, we can find ways to target the up-and-coming generation by, for example, working more with high schools,” Beth says. “I think there are lots of opportunities to give people a taste of the industry, to excite them and let them see the opportunities.”

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