Digging up the Past
Digging up the Past
Donna Donner-Palandro
A third generation Floridian. My father was 20 years in the Air Force, so have lived various places and have traveled ever since whenever the opportunity allows. As an adult I have always settled where the Palm trees were - which includes a couple of years in Hawaii where my daughter, Tiffany was born, south and central Florida and have called Palm Harbor, Florida my home since 1980. At age 15, my working career started off in the Dental Office. My father had a Dental lab so I fell into his path because it was the only business I knew. A few years later, Retail, which includes 10 years with Victoria Secret Stores (The school of great marketing and merchandise display) and nearly 10 years with Home Shopping Network. With HSN, I was with the New Product Development side of the business. Absolutely, looked forward to going to work everyday! I was constantly looking for new products for the buyers to consider for airing on HSN/America’s Store. This is where I want what I have learned in Product choice - to assist Gardeners. To take that knowledge and search for Garden Products/Tools that Gardeners can actually make useful and will really work for you. I am combining a passion with some learned skills. Hopefully, the results, someday will be rewarded by Gardeners everywhere.
About Michael Palandro, my partner in life………….
With a good education and a lot of business savvy, my career has taken me around the world. I’ve had an office in China, London, outside of Paris and all over the United States. Now I work out of my home in Palm Harbor, Florida and it is the best time of my life. Business mergers and Acquisitions just don’t measure up to the satisfaction that I receive from learning about a plant we acquired or how we can grow the business to the next level. Donna has introduced me to the true green side of life. Our library now has an extensive selection of Orchid and Bromeliad books and there hasn’t been too many gardens we’ve missed. The societies that we belong to – we joined for a reason – they have the same passion and wanting to know more that we do.I have found too, that I have had a creative side that was harbored all these years in between signing on the bottom line. It’s now about the nature of learning and from where I now come from – I can dig that or mount it – which ever comes first!
