The Paines eventually built a contemporary wood and stone house that sits on a hill overlooking the greenhouses. The house took time to build because Paine did most of the work himself and he has a fine-tuned attention for detail. His home reveals it as does each plant in the greenhouse. One son, Oliver Paine IV, works as a sales representative in Connecticut and the other, Michael, is a sophomore at Syracuse University. Both of them worked at the family s business as they grew up.
Some families do that very well.
Others do not. We want it to be their choice. Paine s family has been farming for generations. The family farm was part of a land grant from the War of 1812, Paine says. Paine s business is 50 percent wholesale and 50 percent retail.