Business
Peachtree Farm and Why It Is Important
Construction begins this summer for the integrative and inclusive Peachtree Farm. Peachtree Farm will serve as a community initiative to provide high-ranking jobs for adults with disabilities and service opportunities for the Peachtree community.
Founder Mike Twiner has been involved with the Georgia special needs community for nearly 20 years as his daughter, Qwen Twiner, has special needs. Twiner has worked with several special needs charities throughout Georgia, and even chaired the Special Olympics of Georgia.
Twiner reflected on the concerns of all parents with disabled children: “What is our child going to do when they graduate from high school that’s productive and meaningful? Where are they going to live that’s safe [where I can feel comfortable with leaving them]? Who’s going to take care of them when I’m gone?”
In order to alleviate these concerns and build hope and better connections in the Peachtree community, Twiner created Peachtree Farm as “a result of that need [and] a community effort to solve these three problems.” These valid concerns are what inspired Peachtree Farm to provide high-ranking jobs for adults with disabilities, and on-site homes with caregivers who will ensure the health of the disabled employees.
The farm will also be a beacon of unity and provide community volunteers with the opportunity to serve and interact with adults who have disabilities.
With hopes for improved interactions between abled and disabled individuals, Twiner believes “the more you interact with people with special needs, the more comfortable you’ll both feel around each other.”
Looking back at the grand scope of mistreatment and oppression of adults with disabilities over the past 60 years, there has been a plethora of initiatives to ensure the abled can gain a better understanding of disabled people (and vice-versa). For instance, family shows such as Sesame Street have been long known for educating all people on the importance of comprehensive discussions revolving around disabilities. Specifically, their See Amazing in All Children initiative introduced an autistic four-year old girl, Julia.
Efforts such as this capture the genuine essence of how important it is to communicate and form relationships with people in the disabled community. To ensure these healthy connections are made, “The Peachtree Farm’s operations will be led by adults with disabilities,” Twiner said.
For the community, Peachtree Farm will also employ adults without disabilities and local high school students “so that they can learn how to work,” he continued, “and [we’ll] teach them what a job is.”
Construction for the farm begins this summer, and Twiner affirmed that, “all the funds necessary are in the bank to complete the Phase One greenhouse, so we’re going to start construction with all necessary assets in place.”
However, Peachtree Farm will still need help from local sponsors as they continue their development.
The first phase of Peachtree Farm will be a 120-foot greenhouse, along with bee apiaries that will pollinate produce and vegetation around the farm. Their apiaries will also serve as a public art project, where local artists will be able to come and paint bee boxes that will be displayed at the apiary. They also project to have a commercial kitchen, office building, warehouse, 15 residential houses for the adults with disabilities, a barn, a service dog training area and a farm animal area.
Sustainable Crops
As a viable part of their greenhouses, Peachtree Farm aims to produce approximately 28,000 lbs. / 14 tons of tomatoes per greenhouse, year-round, along with several other plants that will be sold at their on-site farm stand.
Peachtree Farm’s primary means of producing their tomatoes will be through hydroponic farming and automatic fertilization. Hydroponic farming is truly what will allow the Peachtree Farm to stand apart from their competitors, as their greenhouses allow them to avoid artificial ripening during the winter months.
Twiner’s son, Joe Twiner remarked, “hydroponic tomatoes are on the vine until they’re picked and sold, and so they taste like fresh summer tomatoes in January.”
The greenhouse will hold 72 grow stations, and the grow station is a “bato bucket,” a large plastic tub full of percolate, a lightweight grow material that the plant roots will grow in. With the help of timed lights, the tomatoes will be automatically fertilized, and water will be applied to them on a regular basis.
Following the fertilization process, Twiner highlighted that “it’s [all] a closed system so we’re not wasting any water, [and] we’re not wasting any nutrients.”
“Everything on this farm will be for sale,” he added.
In addition, the rest of the greenhouse and outdoor space will be used for community gardens and outdoor crops, such as shrubbery, oak trees, Japanese maples and other commercially viable crops.
With issues such as climate change on the rise, Peachtree Farm recognizes that the U.S. agricultural emissions totaled up to roughly 629 million metric tons in recent years. To reduce their carbon footprint, Peachtree Farm is exclusive to local restaurants and aims to have only local partners once their greenhouses are up and running.
“We are the ultimate greenhouse. We produce food with a very low carbon footprint,” Twiner said. “There’s no electricity being used, other than for the lights, but all of our products are being recycled [and] put back into the environment.”
The Future of Peachtree Farm
During Phase One of development, they will build small 3- and 4-bedroom cottages with enough room for two adults with disabilities and a caretaker, or three adults with disabilities who may need minor support. “We hope to create 10 jobs for adults with disabilities, and a lot more after that. Our staff will mostly be one full-time employee and community volunteers that will aid with all other aspects of the farm,” Twiner added.
He finally expressed the need for community involvement. “Without the [help of] the community, this project won’t be successful, and so we’ll need volunteers to help with all aspects of the farm.”
In the next two years, Peachtree Farm is projected to be self-sustaining and contain completed greenhouses, residential homes for employees and an office building, along with a full-time staff. It will accomplish all of this while upholding its role as an establishment built for integration and inclusion for all.
Go to peachtreefarm.org to learn more about the farm and how you can help it achieve its mission.
The strategic acquisition strengthens TransPak’s Southeast presence and expands their capabilities in custom packaging for military, aerospace and high-value equipment.
TransPak, a global leader in logistics, packaging and crating services, recently announced the acquisition of Reid Packaging, a long-standing provider of custom packaging solutions based in Peachtree Corners. Both family-owned and operated companies share a deep-rooted commitment to quality craftsmanship, reliability and customer service, making the acquisition a natural fit.
Reid Packaging, founded in 1982, has distinguished itself as the go-to customer industrial packager in the metro Atlanta region, providing corrugated, foam and custom-engineered crating solutions, particularly in the military and aerospace industries.
Under the ownership of Ward Phillips since 2008, the company has grown to become one of the largest packaging facilities in the region, with a 60,000-square-foot site.
The acquisition will allow TransPak to expand its local manufacturing capabilities in the Southeast, while leveraging Reid Packaging’s expertise in specialized and heavy-duty custom crates.
Strategic Atlanta location and enhanced capabilities
The acquisition is part of TransPak’s strategic expansion into the Atlanta market, a critical logistics hub for both the renewable energy and semiconductor industries.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Reid Packaging into the TransPak family,” said Tomas Molet, executive vice president of East and Midwest Operations, TransPak. “With Reid Packaging’s prime location in Peachtree Corners, we are now able to serve customers throughout the Southeast, including direct routes to the Carolinas and beyond. This acquisition strengthens our ability to meet the needs of existing clients, especially those in the semiconductor and renewable energy sectors.”
In addition to the strategic location, the acquisition brings new manufacturing capabilities to TransPak’s East Coast operations. Reid Packaging’s facility is now the largest of TransPak’s locations in the region. Its offerings include enhanced services, such as heavy-duty and triple-wall corrugated packaging, which will enable TransPak to meet the growing demand for custom-designed packaging solutions for fragile, high-value equipment.
Commitment to employees and leadership appointments
A key focus of the acquisition was ensuring a smooth transition for Reid Packaging’s employees.
“We made a commitment to Ward Phillips to take care of the staff, and we’ve delivered on that promise,” said Molet. “All employees were retained, and we’ve introduced benefits they previously didn’t have as part of our commitment to making this a positive transition for everyone involved.”
Amanda Gautney, a longtime member of TransPak’s leadership team, has been appointed as the operations manager for the Peachtree Corners facility. “I’m excited to work with the team at Reid and continue the legacy of this respected company,” said Gautney.
Looking forward in Atlanta
TransPak plans to continue operating under the Reid Packaging name for the immediate future. However, the facility will gradually transition to full integration under the TransPak brand, reflecting the shared values and commitment to quality of both companies.
About TransPak
Headquartered in Silicon Valley, TransPak has been providing innovative and cost-effective design, crating, packaging and global logistics for over 70 years.
As a customer-focused, women- and family-owned company, TransPak combines the agility of a small business with the reliability of a global powerhouse. TransPak lives by the slogan, “We make it happen,” ensuring that high-value, fragile, and oversized goods reach their destinations safely and efficiently.
For more information about TransPak, visit transpak.com.
Leroy Hite, founder of Cutting Edge Firewood, was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from Berry College in August
Berry College recently awarded its annual Distinguished Alumni Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit to Leroy Hite, founder of Cutting Edge Firewood (and Berry College graduate, class of 2008). The annual award recognizes and honors alumni who have demonstrated a range of positive entrepreneurial skills — including a commitment to turning a dream into a reality, the vision to create an enterprise, the courage to assume risks and the ability to make changes and take advantage of new opportunities.
“This award holds a special place in my heart, maybe more than any other I’ve ever received,” said Hite. “Being recognized by my alma mater is incredibly meaningful to me.
My entrepreneurial journey began at Berry College. It’s where that initial spark was ignited, and honestly, I’m not sure I’d be where I am today without it. Berry nurtured my curiosity, drive and resilience — the key ingredients to entrepreneurship.”
Innovative entrepreneurship
Berry College professor and leader of the school’s Entrepreneurship Program, Dr. Paula Englis, said that Hite took every class she offered. And when those ran out, he did directed studies with her.
“He always knew he wanted to run his own business, and the growth and success of his firewood enterprise has been a wonder to watch,” she said.
Hite was nominated by Berry alumni Alison Ritter, class of 1994. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also supported Hite’s nomination.
“As a small business owner myself, I have strong appreciation for and recognize the perseverance it takes to build a business from the ground up,” said Kemp. “Leroy’s innovative approach to the firewood industry, focusing on product quality and customer service, mirrors the entrepreneurial spirit that has long driven Georgia’s economic success.”
The company
When Hite founded Cutting Edge Firewood in 2013, he created the world’s first luxury firewood and cooking wood company. He reinvented everything about the firewood industry, from how firewood is dried and stored to how it’s packaged, shipped and delivered. When the company began, it was just Leroy with a one truck and a trailer. Now Cutting Edge Firewood employs 40, stocks enough inventory to fill its 40,000-square-foot Peachtree Corners warehouse and ships wood to all 50 states.
The wide variety of wood from Cutting Edge undergoes a special drying process to ensure that it’s free from unwanted pests, mold or fungus and provides an unmatched clean and bright burn with pleasant aroma. Their focus on process and the use of hardwoods such as oak, hickory, cherry, apple, pecan and maple ensures their customers receive the highest quality firewood, cooking wood and pizza wood possible.
For more information about Cutting Edge Firewood, visit cuttingedgefirewood.com.
To learn more about the Entrepreneurship Program at Berry College, visit berry.edu/academics/majors/entrepreneurship.
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