AGNORA (Architectural Glass North America) designs and manufactures unique, high quality glass for the elite architecture industry, with clients in major cities across North America. AGNORA’s leaders are quite literally, creative people with a clear vision. AGNORA is ranked among the top 25 SME employers in Canada thanks to the forward thinking management who prioritize the health and wellness and of their employees, and their families.
AGNORA has always focused on active health and wellness, offering physiotherapy and massage, an on-site gym, making bicycles available to employees, and organizing sports events. “If [our employees] are healthy and happy they’ll perform better and their personal lives will be more harmonious,” says Agnora president Richard Wilson.
In 2016, in collaboration with The Growing Connection, Agnora took its commitment to wellness to a new dimension by installing a highly productive organic vegetable garden using 70 units of TGC’s space-and-water efficient Caja. Starting indoors in early Spring, in the lunchroom, herbs and greens were planted and seeds were sown in anticipation of the outdoor growing season. In May, the garden moved outdoors where a variety of crops including carrots, zucchini, salad greens, herbs, peppers, and tomatoes were harvested on a daily basis.
As part of the garden engagement, TGC provided training sessions on soil preparation, planting, summer maintenance, organic pest control, and harvesting. While AGNORA’s vision is innovative and vast, it’s actual investment in the garden has been modest. The garden is now available for years to come, with minimal ongoing operating costs and no moving parts that can break or need repairs. Agnora’s Garden Team is preparing the list of crops for 2017.
Here’s what some of the employees had to say about the garden:
“Robert at The Growing Connection provides a great service and is very accommodating, he provided us with a planting plan. He provided knowledge and advice so we knew where, what and how much to plant as well as when to harvest. He would regularly check in and mentored us after the first planting. He brought all the seed, soil, containers, etc. and worked alongside us. He taught us how to plant! Robert broke the whole experience down into very logical, easy to follow steps. By the time he left, we had the knowledge and understanding to develop and maintain our garden throughout the season. Robert has also been fantastic about answering questions as they come up. He advised us on setting up our water system and addressed other issues as they arose. The result, we ended up with a vegetable jungle! It’s so fun to go “shopping” in our backyard.” – Monica Boyce, HR Manager for AGNORA
“The garden was a way for us to complement our current health & wellness efforts and extend them into a new area with a focus on nutrition and conscious eating. The set up and execution of the garden was smooth and well-managed. TGC provided wonderful support right from the beginning installation, through the season and right to preparing for fall. We felt confident, able, and optimistic about growing all of the plants and the efforts really showed in the results; a beautiful and healthy garden that has provided plenty of fresh produce for our staff.” – Alison Smith, Marketing Manager for AGNORA
“The garden has provided so many benefits for AGNORA. From education, to nutrition to relaxation, TGC has been able to offer a solution that fits in well with our health & wellness initiatives. TGC has educated us on the different types of produce that we can grow right here, locally. We have learned how to garden, how to harvest, and the importance of organic farming. Furthermore, the garden offers a place of respite from a busy or stressful day. It is also a great way for employees to come together, in a peaceful setting, to learn more about one another and share gardening and recipe tips. I can’t recommend TGC enough. It is an incredible opportunity for businesses to provide value to their employees which means they will perform better at work and be happier in their everyday lives.” –Laura Wilson, VP of Administration for AGNORA
“I enjoyed learning how to grow vegetables I hadn’t tried to grow before, and it was wonderful being able to harvest fresh items and eat them immediately – while still warm from the sun! This garden experience has inspired me to expand my garden at home.” – Wendy Sholtz, Customer Service
Read more about our other case studies featuring unique and inspiring gardens.
