he shipping department has a new building. Until this spring, it shared space with the sales building. But thanks to the growth of the business, the sales building became overcrowded.

To continue operating efficiently and providing the best customer service, Miramar Wholesale Nurseries constructed an office next door to the sales building and moved the shipping department there. Now customers and staff can maneuver easily inside the sales center.

Look for more site changes this fall when MWN says goodbye to the stop sign island that sits in the center of the entrance road, directing traffic toward the sales office.

Cars regularly drive onto the island and take out the sign. To save wear and tear on both, the island is going away and a greeter station will take its place. The station will sit to the side of the road, not in the center, and will be manned during business hours, 7am to 5pm daily. The greeter will answer questions and direct customers to whatever part of the site they need to find.

“Shipping department” is too short a description for all the activity this crew accomplishes. As part of the commercial landscape center, shipping plant materials to clients is only the final step. Much happens before the merchandise leaves the premises.

An entire crew of associates within the shipping department pulls orders for customers. Clients frequently call ahead to place orders over the phone, with what’s known as a will-call order. The order-pulling crew locates the plant materials needed to assemble each order. They verify quantity and variety, and most importantly, MWN’s quality standard. Each plant is then inspected to ensure it is free of weeds, pests and disease. When customers arrive to pick up their plants, they can be confident the order is correct and the plants are of high quality.

The MWN driver team, from left to right: Oscar Salinas, Macario Ramirez, Albino Cuevas-Ortiz, Martin Mesa-Lopez.

The MWN order-pulling crew, clockwise from the top of the stairs: Leon Salinas, Gabriel Avila-Jimenez, Francisco Alvarado-Barrera, Armando Lopez-Ortiz, Jose Antonio Becerra, Francisco Mesa-Salizar, Agustin Sandoval-Torres and Ken Danzer, shipping manager.

Not all customers pick up their orders. Some request that plants be delivered to them. These customers benefit from the same rigorous inspection of each plant. Once the order is ready, the driver team takes over. They coordinate with a dispatcher to ensure timely delivery, not only to clients, but between sites as well. MWN has commercial landscape centers at all three locations: San Diego, San Juan Capistrano and Lake Forest/ Irvine. The drivers work together to expedite the product flow and to make sure customer service remains top-notch. Each truck is equipped with a cellular phone allowing the dispatcher to reach a driver at any time. No one is ever out of touch or unavailable.

“This group has been with us a long time,” said Ken Danzer, shipping manager. “They know the plants, are experienced drivers and are team oriented.”

The shipping department’s goal is customer satisfaction through the timely delivery of quality products. MWN would like to recognize the efforts of this dedicated team of employees who consistently achieve that goal.