Company Profile

Mission Statement

Fins & Flowers Water Gardens integrates the soothing and relaxing allure of water into our client's living spaces by fusing artistic expression with a sustainable design and installation approach incorporating knowledge, excellent craftsmanship and quality products .  

Introduction

Since 2002, Fins & Flowers Water Gardens has been dedicated to educating consumers while providing quality products and excellent service to  water gardeners and koi pond owners.  Through the years, that commitment has not wavered even as other installers chase the lastest "hot" outdoor living trends instead of staying focused on the water garden market.  Fins & Flowers has established a reputation for being a reliable source of water gardening knowledge and experience with this web site functioning as a means of sharing information with fellow water gardening enthusiasts.

Educational Background 

My personal roots in water gardening developed during my youth as I raised and bred tropical fish and aquarium plants.  I furthered my knowledge base by studying relevant subjects such as Biology, Advanced Biology, Botany, Zoology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science in high school.  My college years then yielded a Bachelors Degree from the Indiana School of Business with majors in Management and Marketing.

Career Background

After seven years in the auto body shop business, including five years of owning and operating a classic car restoration shop, I decided to get away from the chemicals, fumes, dust and other health risks associated with body work and sought an outlet for my love of raising plants and fish.  Fins & Flowers has been the perfect opportunity to work in an outdoor setting while pursuing a profession that demands craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Location

Over the years, Fins & Flowers has outgrown several locations and ultimately ended up finding a home at Ag Plus in New Haven.  Our present location includes 1800 square feet of greenhouse retail and display space, additional outdoor storage area and room for future expansion.  In addition to Fins & Flowers water garden plants and fish, Ag Plus carries a full line of water gardening accessories and supplies such as pumps, liner, filters, skimmers and algae control products.  Ag Plus also carries a full line of home, garden and yard products including fertilizer, mulch, bird seed, pest control products, pet food and much more. 

Design Philosophy

What differentiates Fins & Flowers from our competition is a focus on environmental sustainability.  Your water garden should be designed, built and operated in a way that ensures a minimal impact on the environment.  Areas of primary concern are water consumption and conservation, energy consumption, biotic diversity and the utilization of long lasting quality components.  Thus a Fins & Flowers designed water garden yields a blend of aesthetic form and efficient function that creates an ecosystem closely mimicing nature while requiring less invasive and disruptive maintenance procedures than that of the typical "gravel pit" pond. 

Industry Involvement 

While Fins & Flowers is my business, water gardening is my passion.  And I have begun to share my passion with the entire water gardening community by writing for various publications and web sites.  So far I have been fortunate enough to offer my experiences and observations with readers of the Water Gardeners International Online Journal, the IPPCA's Pond Pulse, Irrigation & Green Industry magazine, the Victoria Adventure web site and various koi and water garden club newsletters.  Through these writing opportunities I have been introduced to many other contractors and water gardening enthusiasts, thus enabling me to continue my personal learning process while striving to make a positive contribution to the water gardening community.

Ten Years & Counting

For Fins & Flowers, the spring of 2012 marks the end of a decade serving water gardening customers in northeastern Indiana. To be honest, my focus in 2002 was more about surviving that first year than thinking ahead to where the business would be ten years down the road. Much has transpired since then and just as the business has struggled, persevered and grown, the same can be said regarding my own personal journey.

So as Fins & Flowers begins a new decade of business activity, it is important to appreciate the common thread that makes both business and personal success possible. Simply put, that thread is the people that I have had the good fortune to work for, interact with and build relationships with over the years. Just as family and friends have offered support on a personal level, the numerous customers that have supported Fins & Flowers are directly responsible for where the business is at today.

With that in mind, it is encouraging to look forward to ten more years of helping people find peace and tranquility in their outdoor living spaces. Valuing personal relationships above profits may not be the approach taken by competitors but without such a goal in place, the next decade could never be as rewarding as the first one.