Maple Ridge Nursery Career Launch Program

Maple Ridge Nursery

At Maple Ridge Nursery we believe in integrity in all aspects of our business. We put customer service first as we try to deliver the best possible Japanese maple or conifer to our customers. Our mission is to make the world a more beautiful place with Japanese maples and conifers. We believe that there is room in every landscape for a Japanese maple.

Maple Ridge Nursery has been serving the Atlanta area for over 30 years. Over this time, it has evolved into one of the largest growers of Japanese maples and conifers in the United States. At Maple Ridge Nursery, we are obsessed with growth as we aim to grow our reach far beyond the metro Atlanta area. Our goal is to be one of the largest online retailers of Japanese maples and conifers while being the only place in Atlanta people want to go to for their Japanese maples.

Career Launch Program

The goal of the Maple Ridge Nursery Career Launch Program is to get your start in the wonderful world of horticulture. Through this program you will learn the basics of every aspect of the nursery. These skills will help prepare you for a career in horticulture whether that be with us or somewhere else. The Maple Ridge Nursery Career Launch Program is a paid internship program that lasts 3 months with the potential for a full time job offer upon completion. 

Responsibilities

• Weeding
• Applying pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides where applicable
• Daily upkeep of young Japanese maples
• Grafting Japanese maples (seasonal)
• Rooting Conifers (seasonal)
• Labeling trees
• Learn about the different varieties of Japanese Maples and Conifers
• General upkeep of the nursery
• Helping customers pick out a tree
• Watering
• Other Miscellaneous tasks

Necessary Skills and Qualifications

• Must be willing to work outside in both hot and cold conditions
• Must have a desire for the hard work that comes with working with plants
• Basic plant knowledge
• Willingness to learn and work hard
• Basic communication and people skills to deliver quality customer service
• Must be able to work independently as well as with a team

Preferred Skills and Qualifications

• Horticultural experience, education, or a desire to attain such experience
• Customer service skills/experience
• Sales skills/experience
• Experience or willingness working in hot, outdoor environments

Work Environment

The culture at Maple Ridge Nursery is very laid back and easy going. We just want work done quickly and properly. It is not usually a high pace work environment except on busy days like Saturdays. We expect anyone who works at Maple Ridge Nursery to get their work done in a timely manner. As long as you get your work done it will be a pretty laid-back environment. We are all very easy-going people. There will be a schedule every day for different jobs and how long to spend working on them to eliminate any monotony. Each day should be a little different. Most work will probably be independently done, but there will be some collaborative projects. Employees will report to either Michael or Christy. This is outdoor work for the most part so depending on the time of year it can be quite hot or quite cold. We strongly recommend dressing and hydrating appropriately. 

Program Details

The Maple Ridge Nursery Career Launch Program is a 3 month internship program with a performance review at the end of each month. Interns may receive a full time job offer at the end of the program. 

A Japanese maple textbook will be issued to each intern and you will be quizzed weekly on the text. Interns will also be required to write a blog once per month on a myriad of topics concerning Japanese maples.

This is a paid internship with pay being determined by experience. Interns will be required to work 20 hours per week. Interns will work 5 hour days 4 days per week. 

Full Time Position Details

The full time position will be required to work a minimum of 20 hours per week and can work a maximum of 48 hours per week. 1.5x overtime pay will be issued for anymore than 40 hours worked in a week. Employees are only allowed to work a maximum of 8 overtime hours per week.

Full time position will get a pay increase depending on quality of work. Employees will have performance reviews every 3 months. Pay increases will be possible after every performance review but are not guaranteed. Pay increases will range from $.25 to $1.00 per hour. Employees will get one day of Paid Time Off every 3 months. PTO days can be accrued and will never expire.

Employees will still be quizzed weekly on Japanese maple and conifer texts and will be required to maintain the monthly blogs. Full time employees will immediately become integral parts of the Maple Ridge Nursery foundation. 

Location

Decatur, GA

To apply please send a cover letter and resume to japanesemaplesandconifers@gmail.com