A change of scenery

In horticulture, it’s common to put in long hours and hard work for your job. Some people travel, some learn a different language, but what else would you do for your company? Would you move your family 5,660 miles (9,109 km) from home? For Matthias Redlefsen, managing director of Benary, and his family, the answer to this was obvious: Yes! Now they are embarking on a two-year learning adventure in the U.S. Here are Matthias’ comments about the start of this life-changing experience.

JC: This summer you moved your family from Germany to California. Why was this move important to do at this time?
MR: The North American market is very important to Benary, and California in particular. Six of the 10 largest U.S. bedding plant growers have their production locations in California. A significant portion of our sales are generated here. A few years ago we decided that we wanted to be closer to our main markets. So in 2011 we bought and built our breeding facility in Watsonville. This enabled us to breed in the U.S., for the U.S. The first generation of new products will be ready to market over the course of the next few years. This is exciting, and I want to be close when that happens.
Another reason is that the U.S. bedding plant industry, with its consolidation at full swing, is ahead of all other markets in the world, especially Europe. So the time here will give me the opportunity to experience first-hand what is yet to happen in other parts of the world.
When I told my wife how much I would need to be in California in the coming years, she spontaneously said, “You are gone so much already. And wouldn’t California be a great experience for our kids (who are 10, 8, 7 and 5 years old) to broaden their horizons? So let’s do this together.” I was blown away, and I am very happy and grateful for her entrepreneurial spirit, even in the family. So from that day on we started to plan our two-year stay in the Bay area.

Matthias Redlefsen and his family in Watsonville, Calif.

JC: Traveling for business is hard enough, but moving to another country has to be very difficult. What has been the biggest challenge for you ?
MR: Actually, most of the bits and pieces have been pretty straightforward. Of course there was a lot to organize, but being German, we are quite fond of organizing anyway.
The biggest challenge was the bureaucracy of the German and the U.S. tax authorities. Especially since we are also the owning family of the company.

JC: It’s only been a short time, but have you seen any benefits of the move already?
MR: Absolutely! Almost every day I am meeting industry players that help me to understand the U.S. market better and better. Also, being in touch with the U.S. staff has helped me greatly. I am learning every day. Another beautiful side effect is that I get the chance to look at the rest of the company from the sideline. It has been 10 years since our generation took over the company. It feels like a good time to step out of the daily routine, change the perspective and challenge some of the existing routines I wasn’t even aware of before we moved here.

JC: Going to school in a different country and learning a different language is a huge change for your kids. How are they holding up?
MR: For us as parents, the most amazing thing to see is how fast the kids are picking up the language. Before we moved here, the only English they knew was the Christmas song “Jingle Bells.” And after less than three weeks, they already started pulling my leg about my bad pronunciation.
Nonetheless, it is a lot for the children. First of all, there are the class dynamics that you always have if you change schools. Second, the school is three hours longer than in Germany, where school finished at lunch. And third, they are the only foreigners in their classes. Since we plan to stay in the U.S. for only 2 years, we decided to put our kids into a public school (which is very good in the area where we live here).
So there is a lot of input, but isn´t that exactly what makes the beauty of an adventure, especially when you are going through this together as a family?

JC: What has surprised you most about this experience?
MR: What struck us most from day one is how open and friendly everyone has been here. Returning from grocery shopping during our first week, I asked our eldest son, Fritz, what he liked most so far. He said, “The people are really kind here. Look, when we went into Safeway, somebody welcomed us with a friendly ‘Hello, nice to see you.’ Later when we left, someone helped us to bag our shopping. In Germany, the only person talking to you, if at all, would be the cashier, telling you, ‘This is $9.99.’”

JC: Benary is an international company with offices all over the world. It must be difficult keeping everyone focused on the same path. What advice would you give other business owners who have multiple locations?
MR: We are a medium-sized family business with sales in over 120 countries and six locations around the world. I guess the biggest challenge is not to build up too much hierarchy and bureaucracy. This is not only costly, but it would kill the spirit of the company. Therefore, communication is king! We have invested a lot into communication technologies, like iPhones, CRM-systems, video conferencing and an internal “Facebook,” which allows all of us to be in direct and informal contact, no matter where you are around the globe. Also, almost everyone at Benary is committed to travel a lot, since nothing beats the personal exchange.

JC: There is a saying, “A little step may be the beginning of a great journey.” Although it’s not such a little step, do you feel that this is the start of a great journey for Benary?
MR: As a family business in its 6th generation, we believe in evolution rather than in revolution. Hence, you need to have a clear understanding of what “tradition” means to you. For us at Benary, tradition does not mean to worship the ashes, but to keep the fire burning. This includes considering change as the norm. If you stop changing, you start dying. Internally we try to live by the claim, “We are a 170-year-old start-up company.” I think that our time here in the U.S. is reflecting exactly that kind of spirit.

JC: Anything else that you’d like to share?
MR: I have to admit that we feel very lucky that we are able to come and stay here. I am lucky because I have a co-managing director, who is based in Germany, looking after the developments there. We are lucky because the market here offers us more opportunities than we can embrace.
We are also lucky because our family situation, especially the age of the children, seems perfect for such an adventure. And last but not least, we are lucky because we have been welcomed by everyone in the U.S. so wholeheartedly. It is starting to feel like home already.