grower supplies gardening accessories tree care reforestation

In 1885, Ashbel Merrel Leonard started a nursery as a hobby in his backyard in Piqua, Ohio. By 1912 he and his sons Parker and Stanley established A. M. Leonard & Sons as a nursery/landscaping service. The business expanded in 1928 when A. M. and his son John started a wholesale horticultural tool company. Following the death of his father in 1941, John became the president of the company making customer service his priority. Each year he mailed out 7,500 pocket-sized catalogs and monitored the purchases of each customer. He kept impeccable notes; when an order was not received from a customer within a year, John would contact the customer personally to ask how his organization might be of better service. Since only the finest quality tools were offered, customers always knew that when they chose to buy something from the Piqua merchandiser, they would receive the best money could buy. In 1964 John Leonard added a partner, Howard Kyle. Like the Leonards, Howard had a strong background in the nursery and mail order business as his family owned Springhill Nursery in Tipp City, Ohio. Howard quickly learned the operation so as to be able to take over the company when John became ill. Howard and his staff of eight expanded the catalog and stuff.