Founded: 1969 by Charles H. Parkerson.

Acreage: 180 acres in production on 210 acres of owned and leased land at four locations.

Crops: 6-inch seasonal color and woody and perennial crops in 1-, 3-, 5-, 7- and 15-gallon containers.

Employees: 110, which goes down to about 80 in winter. Top management personnel include Dale Saunders, secretary treasurer and sales manager, Bill Daughtry, vice president of operation and support, and Dave Smith, vice president of production.

For more: Lancaster Farms Inc., 5800 Knotts Neck Road, Suffolk, VA 23435-1899; (757) 484-4421; fax (757) 686-8637; charlie@LancasterFarms.com.

Past Parkerson awards

1974 - Southern Nursery Association David E. Laird Award.

1976 - First president of the Southern Region International Plant Propagators' Society.

1976 - Tidewater, Va., Horticulturist of the Year.

1983 - Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association Nurseryman of the Year.

1985 - Southern Nursery Association Slater Wight Memorial Award.

1987 - Entrepreneur of the Year in Virginia Agriculture.

1987 - Virginia Tech University Distinguished Alumni Service Award.

1988 - Virginia Outstanding Conservation Farmer.

1990 - IPPS Sidney B. Meadows Award of Merit.

1993 - IPPS Southern Region Fellow.

1994 - Virginia Tech Ut Prosim Society