Cultivating a business

Bill Kurek had been coming here from Broward County for 40 years, and he kept passing the sign that boasted Lake Placid was the caladium capital of the world.

And even though he retired in July 2002, Kurek said to him, "I ought to be able to do something with caladiums."

He wasn't a salesman; he was a project manager for a company which installed fire alarms. "I managed crews that installed systems in high rises and hospitals," he explained.

But he went to the Internet and typed "caladiums."

"I almost fell out of my chair when I realized how much people were paying for caladiums," he said. "I've got to be able to sell bulbs cheaper than this."

And then, his mother called. He told her about his idea. She told him that at Happiness Farms, she could buy a box of mixed bulbs cheaply.

He'd been an eBay seller nearly ever since the cyber company launched in 1994. So Kurek went to Happiness, bought a case of bulbs, and offered them online by the dozen.

In a day, he'd sold the entire box.

He went back to the growers and bought two cases.

Same result. He bought four boxes.

The business outgrew his garage, then filled a small storage bay.

In 2007, Kurek started his own Web site, caladiumbulbs4less.com, where bags of 10, 25, 50 or 100 are sold. About 90 percent of today's business comes through that portal, he said.

"I've scaled back on eBay sales considerably," Kurek said.

One reason for his success: customer service. He guarantees each bulb will grow.

Today, he leases three warehouse bays, and during the off-season, he's planning the next level of expansion. He's looking at a commercial warehouse, capable of housing a shipping department.

"I need room," he said. After all, during the caladium season, he employs a secretary and 10 order packers. And he's barely shipping internationally.

"I don't need the hassle," he said.

Like other caladium dealers, sales falter after the Caladium Festival, and he runs clearance sales.

"I've already got one of the prettiest trash piles in Highlands County," Kurek laughed.

Even so, the business fires up in late October, when he's taking pre-orders for the southern U.S.

It all starts in earnest again during the March planting season. The biggest consumer states are Texas, Florida and Louisiana, but calls also come from the North, the West and Midwest. Caladiums can be grown in Alaska, but the soil gets so cool at night, he recommends that plants remain indoors.

"The phone rings non-stop," Kurek said.

These days, CaladiumBulbs4Less is well known at the post office. On Mondays, he may unload 225 boxes. FedEx handles the heavier, bulk orders.

"I was doing this out of my garage two years ago," Kurek said. "I probably have 400,000 bulbs in gross sales this year. I am definitely a major player in this business now. I guess I just have a knack for this."