Judy Sharpton is the owner of Growing Places Marketing. Since 1994, Growing Places has provided store development services exclusively for independent garden centers and farm markets with a focus on site development, category development, staff development and branding.

Judy has written articles for a number of industry publications and has provided program content to trade groups and individual vendors, including Ball Horticulture and Proven Winners, through Growing Places’ Store School®. She publishes a free monthly newsletter to the garden center industry titled Success Stories that includes retail insights from outside the garden center segment and case studies of real garden center successes.

Judy is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a BA in English and Georgia teacher certification from Georgia State University. She is a LEED Green Associate, Master Gardener, member of Georgia Audubon Society and 100 Miles and the Great Smoky Mountain Association.

Judy tends a personal retreat garden at the edge of 85 acres of salt marsh near Savannah, GA (USDA hardiness zone 8B).

She enjoys gardening, cooking, painting, hiking, fishing and birding with her husband Buddy and their dog Wiley.