Nursery Supplies Inc. (NSI) is the world's leading manufacturer of plastic containers for the wholesale nursery industry. Originally called Farm Supplies, the company was founded by Theodore J. Guarriello Sr., as an offshoot of a northern New Jersey farmers' cooperative. In its early days, the company marketed such products as bushel baskets, apple crates and seedling trays to what was then called the "truck farm" industry in the Metropolitan New York and Philadelphia areas. Ted Guarriello Sr. had an intuitive marketing sense and led the company to become the country's first producer of plastic containers for the nursery industry. The company grew steadily throughout the early 60s. By 1966, Ted's oldest son, Henry, had become active in the firm, and the company was incorporated under the name Nursery Supplies. By the early 1970s, the nursery industry had grown tremendously and large markets were developing for the company¹s products in areas such as Florida and Southern California where tree growing continued year round. In 1976, the company undertook its first major expansion by opening a plant in Southern California, managed by Ted's youngest son Ted Jr., and his daughter Rita.