Smith's Gardentown VP brings tradition, innovation

Michael Fiore, vice president of Smith’s Gardentown, is gaining national recognition for his blend of innovation and tradition at one of Wichita Falls’ most recognizable staples. Fiore has worked at Smith’s since 2015, and recently received the Young Retailer of the Year award.

Fiore will be on the cover of Green Profit magazine as a result of the win, and will be a judge for next year’s award.

Fiore said winning the award as one of thousands of eligible nurseries was a surprise, but that he was grateful for the exposure it would bring to Smith’s and to Wichita Falls.

“I honestly didn’t think I was going to win,” Fiore said. “I was really surprised whenever they called my name.”

“It’s pretty cool because it brings attention to Wichita Falls. Because a lot of people don’t know Wichita Falls, or haven’t heard of us, let alone knowing that there is such a good nursery or garden center in town,” he added.

Fiore is part of the fourth generation of his family to work at Smith's, and returned to the store after getting his degree from Texas A&M. He also spent time abroad, including in Peru where he met his wife, Rosa, with whom he has three children.

Fiore said much of his time outside the store is devoted to his family.

“Anytime I’m not here in the store it’s usually doing something family-wise,” Fiore said.

While family and carrying on Smith’s tradition are important to Fiore, he hasn’t stopped trying to find ways to innovate. Fiore has helped shift Smith’s branding away from traditional media like newspapers into other areas like social media to appeal to a younger audience.

Fiore himself makes and posts informational videos about plants to increase engagement, and said increasing Smith’s customer demographic to include younger generations has been a priority for him.

“That’s been a big part of what I’ve done since I’ve been back here, is just trying to reach the younger crowd,” Fiore said.

That outreach has helped attract customers that didn’t frequent Smiths often before, like college students.

Fiore said seeing the results of his work, from the award to the new customers, was satisfying.

“To see rewards come for hard work, it feels good. And to see that other people recognize what you recognized all along, it is validating and rewarding,” Fiore said.

Fiore can be found filming, managing and helping customers around the store, but said what he enjoys most are customer interactions and the wide array of opportunities the job offers.

“For me the favorite thing I get to do is the customer interactions,” Fiore said, later adding, “I also love the variety of the job. I’m not the type of person that can just sit down and do a desk job. I have to have that ability to have the different things that come along with this.”

Fiore’s work has helped transform Smith’s, and he said he loves seeing how much people enjoy the store.

“I enjoy about this industry that we’re able to bring people and nature together. That we’re able to have a workplace that our customers are generally happy to be here. We get a lot of people that come and say this their happy place and this is where they come when then need to relax and, you know, see some beauty. And that’s all stuff that makes you feel good about your job,” Fiore said.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Smith's Gardentown VP brings tradition, innovation