Smith's gardening expert wins national award
A gardening expert at a longtime family-owned business in Wichita Falls won a national award this week, according to a media release Wednesday.
Michael Fiore of Smith’s Gardentown has been named the garden center industry’s National Young Retailer of the Year by Green Profit magazine. Fiore will be featured on the cover of the magazine's September edition.
More: Smith's Gardentown wins state award
Fiore, vice president at Smith's, went through a lengthy interview process and submitted an original essay to a panel of judges for the award.
He received the award this week in Columbus, Ohio, at the country’s largest trade show. Cultivate '23 was hosted by AmericanHort, a national association for the green industry.
Fiore is the son of owner Katherine Smith and the fourth generation of the Smith family to work in the 74-year-old Wichita Falls garden center at 4940 Seymour Highway.
He started working full-time for Smith’s nine years ago. Fiore has made a name for himself across the country, developing a huge following of fun and educational videos he produces on several social media platforms.
Earlier this year, Smith’s Gardentown was named the Gold Award Winner for the 2023 Texas Garden Retailer Awards, sponsored by the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association.
More: Smith's Gardentown general manager up for national award
Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news, investigative projects and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Smith's Gardentown gardening expert wins national award
