Lehigh Valley business Dan Schantz Farm & Greenhouses LLC is looking for a new owner. The Lower Milford Township wholesale greenhouse grower that also has a retail business in southwest Allentown is on the market, Managing Partner Patrick Flanley confirmed Tuesday. The store at 2031 SW 29th St. was listed for $3.1 million in October.
The business dates to 1957, when Dan Schantz bought a family farm in Lower Milford and opened a roadside stand. According to the company website, it is run by an ownership team “with over 250 years of collective greenhouse operations and farming experience” that offers a “continuum of the founding principles of Dan & Mildred Schantz’s commitment to quality, fairness, honesty, and delivering an outstanding delivery experience to all of our customers.”
Flanley said the ownership group decided to retire, partly retire, or simply get out of the business. “We thought it was time,” said Flanley, who has been with the company for 49 years, “and we’re relatively feeling good about the next people that are looking into buying. There are a couple of good people. I wish I could say more at this time.”
Along with the sale, Schantz issued a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification on Tuesday for 120 employees. It includes 71 in Lower Milford, 18 in Plumstead Township, Bucks County, and 31 at the Allentown store. The WARN notice gives an effective date of Dec. 23. Federal law requires employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of a closing or mass layoff. Flanley said he hopes a deal will be completed by the end of the year. He added the new owner will need experienced employees.
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