Bonnie Plants opens Opelika headquarters, partnering with university on scholarships

Auburn University President Jay Gogue and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey joined Bonnie Plants officials Friday as the company held a ribbon-cutting for its new headquarters in Opelika.

Bonnie Plants will fund annual scholarships with Auburn’s Harbert College of Business and the College of Agriculture and support Harbert’s Center for Supply Chain Innovation. The company also plans to recruit interns and full-time positions at the new headquarters.

“From Bonnie’s humble beginnings as a small farm in Union Springs, this relocation signals the next chapter for our growing company,” said Mike Sutterer, president and CEO of Bonnie Plants. “We’re excited about the opportunities for future growth our new headquarters will provide as we form long-lasting community partnerships within Opelika.”

The company’s headquarters was previously located in Union Springs, where it had been since its founding in 1918. The relocation is set to bring 60 new jobs to the area.

Earlier this month, the Bonnie Plants Foundation announced a $1.2 million donation for the establishment a Children’s Garden and Pollinator Garden within the College of Agriculture’s 16-acre Transformation Garden project.