Case Study Golding Landscaping and Plants, Inc. Kenneth and Patricia

Golding spent a career as a husband-and-wife real estate investment partnership in

Washington, DC. When they finally retired to a 25-acre farm in northern Virginia's Fairfax

County, they became ardent amateur gardeners. Kenneth planted shrubs and fruit trees,

and Patricia spent her hours potting all sizes of plants. When the volume of shrubs and

plants reached the point that the Goldings began to think of their hobby in a serious vein,

they built a greenhouse adjacent to their home and installed heating and watering

systems. By 2005, the Goldings realized that their retirement from real estate had really

only led to a second career in the plant and shrub business and they filed for a

Virginia business license. Within a matter of months, they asked their attorney to file

incorporation documents and formed the firm Golding Landscaping and Plants, Inc.

Early in the new business's existence, Kenneth Golding recognized the need for a high-

quality commercial fertilizer that he could blend himself, both for sale and for his own

nursery. His goal was to keep his costs to a minimum while producing a top-notch

product that was especially suited to the northern Virginia climate. Working with

chemists at George Mason University, Golding blended "Golding-Grow." It consists of

four chemical compounds: C-30, C-92, D-21, and E-11. The cost per pound for each

compound is indicated in the following table: Chemical Compound Cost Per Pound ($)

C-30 0.12 C-92 0.09 D-21 0.11 E-11 0.04 The specifications for Golding-Grow are as

follows: Chemical E-11 must comprise at least 15% of the blend. C-92 and C-30 must

together constitute at least 45% of the blend. D-21 and C-92 can together constitute no

more than 30% of the blend. Golding-Grow is packaged and sold in 50-pound bags.

Discussion Questions Formulate an LP problem to determine what blend of the four

chemicals will allow Golding to minimize the cost of a 50-pound bag of the fertilizer.

Solve by using Excel to find the best solution.