Buzz Sierke's grandfather in the greenhouse
“My father and grandfather established the import and export company, which they called Trans-Sphere Trading Corporation,” tells Buzz. “It started with the importing of peat moss from Germany which they sold to local nurseries. As my father and grandfather were friends with many of the nursery people, they saw and anticipated efficient solutions where the nurseries had problems. For example, in the nurseries burlap was used as a kind of shade cover, yet this fabric didn’t last very long. That’s how they came up with the idea to import reed mats from Austria.”
The Gothic Arch Greenhouse, flagship of the company
Unfortunately the elder Mr. Sierke suffered a heart attack and he couldn’t travel any more. He didn’t want to stop working, so he and his son (W. H. ‘Bill’ Sierke Sr.) invented something that they could manufacture and market themselves - the Gothic Arch Greenhouse prefabricated kit. “That basically got the ball rolling in our becoming a serious supplier of greenhouses,” says Buzz.
Now this line of energy efficient prefabricated and classically designed greenhouses is the flagship of Gothic Arch Greenhouses, and it occupies almost 25% percent of the business. And as backyard farming is gaining popularity, business is going well for Gothic Arch Greenhouses.
Yet the company, located in Mobile Alabama is supplying a lot more than only these Gothic Arch Greenhouse kits. “We supply everything from basic high tunnels to multi-acre environmental controlled polycarbonate, acrylic and glass greenhouse structures. We also carry a wide range of horticulture and greenhouse equipment and supplies.”
Gothic Arch Greenhouses works in cooperation with many sources of greenhouse suppliers all around the world, so they can offer a turn-key project to their customers. “We have evolved into a position more akin to a consultant and coordinator, bringing a lot of players and resources to the table to make for successful projects.”
Buzz, now 63 years old - “Yet I feel like 40, maybe 41” - is passionate about his being in a third generation position with his family horticulture supply business. He is really concerned about the future. “As an industry, how can we move horticulture and greenhouse production to a higher level of best management practices toward a more natural and organic, energy-efficient, sustainable level? As an industry, we have much work to do. How do we effectively feed the exploding human population 30 to 40 years from now and beyond, while providing a safer more eco-friendly food supply?,” he wonders.
With this question in mind, Buzz is trying to work as sustainably as possible. “That’s also the focus of a new project that we are working on in Eastern Europe. The project is still in a very early stage, but there are plans to build a big organic and possibly aquaponics greenhouse. It will produce fish and vegetables without fertilizers, so the environmental impact is kept to a minimum. Also we will work with integrated pest management practices and strive to use renewable energy sources and recyclable material as much as possible.”
“We have to start being responsible and take into consideration the next generation. When there has been a hurricane a lot of people come together to help each other, but we shouldn’t wait for a crisis to join hands. Horticulture is everywhere; in food, flowers, it’s all around us. We have to make greenhouses and greenhouse production as sustainable as possible, for example with Combined Heat and Power and with hydroponic and aquaponic systems. If we manage to make these innovative systems the status quo, I think that will be taking a big step in the right direction.”
For more information
Gothic Arch Greenhouses
William H. "Buzz" Sierke, President & Consultant
PO Box 1564
Mobile, Alabama 36633
Toll-Free: 800-531-4769
Local: 251-471-5238
Fax: 251-471-5465
[email protected]
www.gothicarchgreenhouses.com
