And the Winner is - Altman Plants Garden Compass, Sept/Oct 2003 Ken and Deena Altman had both prepared for careers in social services, but a mutual love of horticulture led them to pursue another dream. What began as a hobby growing cacti and succulents has become one of the top-20 wholesale nurseries in the nation. Together, the Altmans were recently awarded the prestigious Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Retail and Consumer Services in San Diego. While competitors cut costs by bringing cheaper products to the mass market, Altman Plants invested to create more value for customers and the end consumer. Altman Plants pioneered plant branding concepts with its Garden Music perennials and VIVA! herbs. Although Altmans offers the largest and most diverse wholesale cactus and succulent assortment available in the United States, the product line has expanded to include all varieties of plants, supplying to the nation's four largest retailers: Home Depot, Lowe's, Target and Wal-Mart. Altman Plants operates more than 350 acres of greenhouses, shade houses and outdoor fields, with facilities in Northern and Southern California, was well as Arizona and Florida. Ken and Deena took their love of living things and used it to turn a dream into a remarkable reality.