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Horticulture student wins national award

January 26, 2009

CSU student Drew Guffey was recently named "intern of the year" in an essay contest held by Greenhouse Products News and Nexus. Guffey received $3,000 and will be featured in an upcoming issue of Greenhouse Products News.

Drew Guffey named 'intern of the year'

Colorado State University student Drew Guffey has been named the 2010 Greenhouse Products News/Nexus Intern of the Year. Guffey submitted an essay on his internship experienced at Tagawa Greenhouse Enterprise in Brighton, Colo. which was deemed to be the best among the entries.

“The award means a lot to me, having grown up as the fifth generation in my family that has owned and operated a floral company in western Pennsylvania,” said Guffey. “Getting my name out in the industry on my own has always been a huge goal of mine to accomplish and now I finally feel like I’m doing that.”

'Single best experience I have ever had'

Guffey worked as an intern at Tagawa Greenhouses from January-June 2009, where he performed all duties within the company - from mixing soil to working with the accounting department. In his essay, Guffey, who majored in horticulture with a concentration in floriculture, mentioned, “During this time, my love as well as knowledge about the industry grew tenfold. Today, I consider this internship the single best experience I have ever had.”

As the 2010 GPN/Lexus Intern of the Year, Guffey will receive:

• A $3,000 check courtesy of the Nexus Greenhouse Corp
• His photo on the cover of GPN magazine
• A feature-length profile in the January 2010 issue of GPN magazine
• An expense-paid trip to OFA - an Association of Horticulture Professionals - short course during July in Columbus, Ohio, the major commercial greenhouse event for North America
• A four-day short course registration, compliments of OFA

“Drew came to our program an experienced grower and left as a recognized greenhouse professional,” said Steve Newman, Guffey’s advisor, professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and Extension greenhouse crops specialist.

Guffey is also a member of Pi Alpha Xi, the national honor society of horticulture, and is active in the local chapter. He graduated in December 2009 and is now employed by Tagawa Greenhouses full-time.

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Contact: Jim Beers
E-mail: Jim.Beers@colostate.edu
Phone: (970) 491-6401