Evergreen Nursery Company Inc. in Wisconsin changes hands

Evergreen Nursery was founded in 1864 by the Pinney Family. It turns 160 years old this year, making it one of the oldest wholesale nurseries in the nation. A family business for 137 years, Ron started in 1982 as a propagator, became Vice President in 1995, then owner in 2001.

Ron is a master plantsman, but it’s his passion for humanity that shines so brightly. Anyone that knows Ron or has talked to him on the phone will tell you that Ron is a knowledgeable man who is passionate about his career, his customers, but first and foremost his family and his employees.

After purchasing the nursery in 2001, Ron spent the next 23 years of his career at Evergreen, 42 years in total, improving plant qualities, designing trays and pots, increasing efficiencies, implementing safety programs and mentoring new growers. All of these and more are Ron’s passions. Safety is so important for his staff and the business, he has put that first before “getting something done faster.”

Ron dedicated his life to the nursery industry. He was a long-standing member of IPPS, a teacher at the local technical college, on numerous plant boards and inducted into the Wisconsin Nursery Association Hall of Fame, just to name a few of his accomplishments. Ron gives back to his community also. He has been an active Lions Club member for numerous years, the bookkeeper for his church and volunteered for numerous charities.

Ron’s wife Kris, who has been an educator for 31+ years, supported Ron in his career at Evergreen Nursery. Together they raised three sons and now have six grandchildren. With their sons and grandchildren spread across the United States, Ron and Kris decided it was time to retire to spend more time with their family.

Ron is leaving Evergreen Nursery in the best health it has been in many years. This is all because of commitment to his passion and his staff. Ron has smart, young growers he has trained and has complete confidence they will continue to grow exceptional liners for customers.

Evergreen Nursery has a strong footprint in the industry; their customers depend on them. Ron had no intention of letting his nursery close or become condominiums. The future of his staff was his priority and keeping the legacy of the 160-year-old nursery alive for many more years to come.

Kevin Gilbert, the new owner of Evergreen Nursery, has grown up right down the road from the nursery all his life. Kevin comes from a family-owned dairy farm that is almost a century old. He knows farming, he knows equipment and he knows long days. Sounds like a perfect fit for a wholesale nursery.

Kevin and his wife Angela have three children, Madelyn, Wyatt and Kailee.

Kevin wants the nursery to continue to grow. He joins the nursery as they are expanding the container area, by putting up nine more greenhouses to handle the increase in production that has been planned for their customers. Ron will be working with Kevin for the next year to make the transition seamless.

Looking ahead, Evergreen Nursery customers, existing and new, can look forward to more availability on all their exceptional evergreens, from the 1-year seedlings, 2-year 18 cell liners, the extremely popular #1 air-pruned container (3-year) and the robust #5 container (5-year).

All the staff at the nursery remain steadfast. Of course, not having their mentor and friend around everyday will take some getting used to, but the commitment to their jobs, and to each other, will not falter. Everyone looks forward to getting to know Kevin better, teaching him the Evergreen Nursery platform with the kindness and patience of the man who originally taught them, graciously taking any new advice and learning new techniques from him.

Customers will still have Vickey and Stacy on the other end of the phone or computer, no changes to the routine. Evergreen Nursery will be around for a long, long time. They hope this gives all their customers a reassurance of being able to supply the liners they have come to depend on for many years and will have more years to come.

Please call, email or fax Vickey or Stacy with any questions, to place your order, or to just catch up and talk. We are honored with the opportunity to serve you.

quality@evergreennurseryco.com; phone 920-743-4464; fax 920-743-9184