Griffin History

Working with the grower since 1947

Griffin Greenhouse Supplies, Inc, founded in 1947 by Charles J. Griffin, and headquartered in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, is one of the largest horticultural brokers and suppliers in the Nation. Griffin prides itself on being unsurpassed at what we do and is dedicated to providing the very best all-around horticultural products and services to our customers.

Mr. Griffin's vision was to maximize products and services. We hold true to that vision by being the leader, not only in quality products, but also in providing professional, friendly, and customer-driven service through our team members. When Griffin started in 1947, it was a one-man operation with a limited line, bringing supplies to the growers' door, not unlike the old-fashioned peddler. As demand grew, so did Griffin's product line and operations to include delivery service on a daily basis. Our first warehouse was established in Reading, Massachusetts, in 1949 and then moved to its current location in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, in 1969.

In 1964, Charles Griffin passed away, leaving behind a legacy that was purchased by Ken Hyslip, Sr., in 1967. Due to Mr. Griffin's and Mr. Hyslip's hard work, commitment, and vision, we are now sixteen locations strong with branches in Massachusetts, Maine, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Colorado, Oregon, Illinois, two in Connecticut, two in New Jersey, and three in New York.

In November 2012, we launched our SHS Griffin division via acquisition of Syngenta Horticultural Services (a division of Syngenta) and integration with our Griffin Plant Services (GPS Hort) business. Our progressive growth continued with the acquisition of W.H. Milikowski in January 2013 and debut of our retail division shortly thereafter. With these pieces in place, we’re leveraging our strengths to bring Altogether. Better. solutions to professional growers across the country.

Griffin is committed to fostering a supportive and rewarding work environment for our team members; achieving financial goals through growth and effective use of resources and maintaining excellence and value through community leadership.

Today we realize that without our dedicated team and the support of our customers, we might still be that "one-man operation." We have been, and will continue to be, driven by the principles of the company's founder who would always remind us that the products we sell could be purchased at many other companies, but we stand out because "what Griffin sells is quality and service."

Sadly, Ken Hyslip Sr. passed away in 2019. Over the past several years, Mr. Hyslip handed the torch to his three sons: President and CFO Rick Hyslip, COO Craig Hyslip and Executive VP Ken Hyslip, Jr. Ownership is supported by our executive committee, a cross-functional management team representing Sales, Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Purchasing and Operations.