As one of California’s foremost greenhouses, OC Succulents offers a stunning variety of plants to both our retail and wholesale customers. Today, we’re excited to introduce you to Teresa, the Assistant Manager of our Torrance location, who plays a vital role in bringing these beautiful plants to our clients.
Q: Tell us about yourself and your role at OC Succulents and California Greenhouses.
A: I’m an assistant manager, sales rep, and head cashier at the Torrance location, where we have both retail and wholesale operations. We have a really small crew, and I spend most of my time here taking care of the customers and tending the counter—writing out invoices, helping customers order plants, those sorts of things—but I also help with receiving and fulfilling orders, often working directly with our buyers.
Q: How long have you worked with OC succulents?
A: I’ve been with the company for almost seven years!
Q: What’s the main thing that keeps you with OC Succulents? What do you like most about it?
A: It’s a great family-run business, and the owners are really nice. I started at the Irvine location, where I worked with Chris’ parents after he hired me. They’re just a great group of people! I’m now at the Torrance location, and even though it’s a bit of a commute, I love the people I’m working with and the store atmosphere here, too. It’s smaller than Irvine, a little more intimate. Our customer base is really great also, and I’ve known many of them for as long as I’ve been here. I feel like I’m an integral part of the company, like I make a difference to my customers. I also enjoy plants and working outside, so working here’s truly been a win-win!
Q: Have you always wanted to work in the gardening industry?
A: No! I was a stay-at-home mom homeschooling my kids, but after that was finished, I needed to get back to work. I also knew I didn’t want a standard desk job, though, so I started working in the floral industry doing wedding flowers and other arrangements before eventually coming to OC. I wanted the freedom to work outdoors, and I love plants, so it worked out perfectly.
Q: Are there any unique projects or undertakings of yours that you’re especially proud of?
A: When I came to the Torrance location, sales were a bit slow in the interior. Working with the inventory at Irvine gave me a handle on our products, so I started making sure that Torrance was well-stocked with quality items as well, which I think has really helped a lot. We’ve since been able to add onto our greenhouse, meaning we now have a larger space to carry an even greater selection. Recently, we’ve really pushed to fill our greenhouse with a bunch of new tropicals, which has been super successful in satisfying our local customers’ needs, so I feel pretty good about that!
Q: What do you find yourself helping customers with the most?
A: Well, everyone always wants something unique, so whenever we get an order in with some of those hard-to-come-by selections, I’ll contact the avid plant collectors on my customer list to let them know. If a customer’s after something specific, I’ll reach out to our other locations or to the buyer directly, and we can usually bring it in for them without any problems.
I also visit a lot of my customers’ businesses, shops, and nurseries so I can get a better feel for what they’re looking for. If something new comes into the greenhouse that I think they might be interested in, I’ll send them a picture, give them a call, and see if it’s something I can put aside for them. It’s great that I get to know them in that kind of way, that I can look at a new plant and tell immediately that it’s the missing piece a certain customer’s been after. Everyone has their own style, and I love being able to help them find exactly what they’re looking for.
Q: You talked about floral arranging from previous work. Is that something you bring into your work at OC Succulents when helping clients?
A: Yes! Sometimes I’ll make a succulent arrangement here or there, although I explored that more often when I was at the Irvine location, where I would often make full arrangements for our customers. Even though I don’t do as much arranging, I’m still an artist at heart and always try to give my customers guidance when it comes to plant arrangements and design where I can. That stuff comes easy to me!
