In Memoriam: Ray Allen, Cofounder Of American Meadows 

In remembrance of Ray Allen, who cofounded American Meadows alongside his wife Chy, and worked tirelessly to spread the joy of wildflowers. Together they helped catalyze what we now know as the meadowscaping movement. 

Ray and his wife Chy founded the Vermont Wildflower Farm in 1981, and subsequently American Meadows in 1998. (See Our Story for more.) Ray truly was a pioneer in many fields. As an accomplished ad executive in New York City and Miami, Ray helped build iconic brands, such as Burger King and Carnival Cruises.

In the 1980s, Ray and Chy followed their dream and moved to the rolling hills of Vermont to start a wildflower farm. In this new venture, Ray applied his advertising expertise to the direct-to-consumer mail-order business, and eventually became a leader in the fledging internet business boom with American Meadows. Ray spoke at one of the first internet retailer conferences on the magic of email marketing, and was even featured in Google's early marketing material on paid search - now an industry standard for digital marketing.  

Around 1987, a young Mike Lizotte walked into the Wildflower Farm looking to do odd jobs. Ray would become a father figure in Mike's life, and Mike would quickly be known as "The Seed Man" for his expert skill at identifying wildflower seeds. When Mike and Ethan bought American Meadows from Ray and Chy Allen, Ray stayed on for a year to teach his magic. He was a gifted writer with a depth of knowledge in writing promotional copy that connected with customers.    

Companies exist because people are willing to take an idea and bet on their ability to turn it into something sustainable. While the American Meadows we know today has grown significantly since Ray's retirement, his pioneering spirit and dedication are an essential element of the success of the company. He truly was an original, and will be missed by all of us who had a chance to know and learn from him.  

Our love and thoughts are with Chy and the entire Allen family.

Selected Articles By Ray Allen

• How To Build A Woodland Wildflower Garden
• The History Of Wildflowers
• Herbal and Medicinal Wildflowers
• The Wild Roses 
• Roses As Wildflowers 
• The Facts About Endangered Plants

News Archives Featuring Ray Allen

• Founder of American Meadows Interviewed In The New York Times During the Rise of Pay-Per-Click Advertising
• Internet Guru Heidi Anderson Profiles American Meadows On Their Success With Digital Advertising
• Google AdWords Profile: How American Meadows Moved Its Retail Catalog Business Online
• American Meadows Founder Knows That Google Is A Gift For Small Retailers
• American Meadows - Industry Leaders In Search Marketing