Scotts Professional Earns Customer's Top Vendor Honors

MARYSVILLE, OHIO (July 23, 2010) — BFG, a supplier of horticulture and greenhouse grower products, selected The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company's Professional Group as its Vendor of the Year at its recent national sales meeting in Ohio. This year marks the first time that Scotts Professional has received this award from the Burton, Ohio-headquartered BFG.

Scotts competed with 150 other vendors for Vendor of the Year honors. The competition took numerous criteria into consideration, including service—a topic that comes up often when talking with the BFG Supply team.

"In a business climate where differentiation in products, pricing and programs continues to get more difficult, service is one of the areas where a company can still distinguish itself, and Scotts Professional does just that," said Mark Edeburn, vice president, Eastern Sales. "We need to be able to depend on our suppliers to work with our sales force in support of local-level initiatives, and no matter how big or how small the project, our partners at Scotts have always shown a willingness to do whatever it takes to ensure success for both BFG's sales reps and our grower customers."

BFG Sales Representative Cliff Bonner pointed to Scotts Professional's experienced team of technical advisors and Territory Managers as a major advantage.

"I know I can always count on Scotts to come through, whether I need product specifications, application advice, technical assistance or troubleshooting," Cliff said. "Best of all, I don't just get some toll-free number to call or catalog sheet to look at – I get personal service from our territory sales rep, who has years of experience working with Scotts Professional products and usually knows the answer before I'm even done asking the question!"

BFG Supply serves 17 states stretching as far west as North Dakota and as far east as New York, giving the company a significant presence in the leading states within the U.S. floriculture and nursery market. BFG is a full-service distributor of Scotts Professional's products, including Osmocote® controlled release fertilizers and Peters® water soluble fertilizers, along with various plant protection offerings.

"Our progress with BFG is a great example of successful efforts to understand and maximize the business relationship at every level within both of our organizations," said Ted Piatt, senior director of business for Scotts Professional. "Scotts Professional is very honored to receive this award, and we hope to continue this very positive relationship with BFG for many, many years to come."

About Scotts Professional:

Based in Marysville, Ohio, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Professional Group is the world's leading producer and marketer of professional horticulture products for nursery and greenhouse growers. The Company's industry-leading brands include Osmocote® controlled release fertilizers, Peters Professional® and Peters Excel® water soluble fertilizers. For many years, The Scotts Testing Lab has helped thousands of growers learn exactly what their plants need for maximum success. Learn more at www.scottspro.com or by calling customer service at 1-800-492-8255.

About Scotts Miracle-Gro:

With nearly $3 billion in worldwide sales and more than 6,000 associates, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Scotts Company LLC, is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care, with products for professional horticulture as well. The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry.  In the U.S., the Company's Scotts®, Miracle-Gro®, Ortho® and Smith & Hawken brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. In Europe, the Company's brands include Weedol®, Pathclear®, Evergreen®, Levington®, Miracle-Gro®, KB®, Fertiligene® and Substral®. For additional information, visit us at www.scotts.com.