Dr. Bridget K. Behe, Ph.D.
Monday, Jan. 5, 2009 at 1:30-2:30pm
Overland Park Convention Center (Courtyard Level) Meeting Room 4&5Title: Surfs Up! Who's Online Buying and Looking for Information about Gardening?
Description: Americans use their computers for so many things from getting information to making purchases. But how do gardening-consumers use the computer? Recent research at Michigan State provides some insight into how garden center and landscape customers use the Internet for finding information and making gardening-related purchases. This presentation will provide useful information on who’s searching on-line, who’s buying on-line, and how to better connect with your customers through this new window of opportunity.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Bridget K. Behe, Ph.D. is currently a Professor of Horticulture at Michigan State University. She teaches and conducts consumer research on marketing horticultural products, both edible and ornamental. She teaches courses on marketing and management for horticulture majors.
Behe has conducted over 75 consumer & market research projects, written more than 500 articles including "Surfs Up! Gardeners are Looking for Information Online....and Making Purchases" which was published in the summer issue of the WESTERN magazine.
She joined Michigan State’s faculty in August 1997, after serving for eight years as Assistant Professor then Associate Professor at Auburn University in Alabama. She went to Auburn after earning her Ph.D. in horticulture (with an emphasis in marketing) from Penn State University. Before that, she completed her M.S. in horticulture at Ohio State. Behe began her college career by earning simultaneous B.S. degrees from Penn State in horticulture and agricultural education.
Behe speaks to industry groups regionally and nationally each year. She has been a columnist for GMPro magazine for 12 years and also currently is the “Ask the Expert” and the “FlowrMD” for the Flower Promotion Organization. She is a life member of the Penn State Alumni Assn., a member of the American Society for Horticultural Science, Ohio Florists’ Association (serves on the Garden Center Committee), Michigan Nursery & Landscape Assn., she is a member and past-chair of a multi-state USDA project on marketing and economics of ornamental plants (S-1021), and is a Michigan Certified Florist.