Stability and strength

There has always been a Worth at Kankakee Nursery, or so the saying goes. There are currently five members of the fourth generation working for the Illinois wholesale grower.

“Being part of a family business is great, regardless of what kind of business it is,” says Steve Worth, sales manager and one of the owners. Steve’s brother Dick Worth is the nursery production manager, and his cousin, Linda Worth Curren, is the company’s controller and credit manager. Steve has a degree in business from Bradley University, and has been with the nursery for more than 30 years.

Steve’s father, Bob Worth, and his uncle Phil were the generation that took Kankakee Nursery to the next level.

“They built the business and really grew it,” Steve says. “It was small when they took over from their father.”

Over its nearly 90 years in business, Kankakee Nursery has grown from 20 acres to 2,700 acres, and from offering a few varieties to 500-plus, with millions of plants in production each year. This year, the nursery is producing about 1,200 acres of nursery stock, and 700 acres of corn. Worth says they rotate between corn and soybeans because those cash crops help cash flow in the winter.

“We’re fortunate enough to have a lot of acres,” he says. “But we don’t have the capacity to produce nursery stock on all of that land. We’re not big enough to use all of that land for nursery production and do it well.”

Kankakee’s employs 150 year-round and brings an additional 50 on board during its peak season.

The nursery’s primary customers are other nurseries, landscape distribution centers, and rewholesalers. Its specialty is 2 inch to 3 inch caliper shade trees. Worth says trees are 52 percent of Kankakee’s business, shrubs are 31 percent. Evergreens and perennials make up the rest. For the last 50 years, trees have been the nursery’s primary business.

“We’re pretty bread and butter in terms of what we grow,” Worth says.

In a move designed to improve self-sufficiency, Kankakee Nursery does its own propagation. Worth says 70 percent of the nursery’s trees are propagated in-house, and the shrub percentage is even higher. However, not everything can be produced effectively in Illinois.

“We don’t have the climate to produce everything we need,” Worth says. “We do rely on outside sources for other varieties.”

Kankakee’s customers range from Illinois throughout the upper Midwest. Worth says the nursery sends product as far west as Colorado and as far east as New York, but the bulk of its business is done in Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa.

“One of our advantages is our geographic location,” Worth says. “Being 60 miles south of Chicago we are in a good situation to get to a lot of major markets.”

Bob Worth is in his early 80s now, and firmly retired. One of the challenges faced by many family businesses is that they have a entrepreneurial leader who struggles to let go of the business he or she spent a large portion of their life building. But when Bob Worth left Kankakee Nursery, he really left.

“He stepped away from the business and let the next generations step up,” Steve Worth says. “Part of that is his personality type, but part of that is knowing that is the way it has to work.”

Another difference between Kankakee and other family-owned businesses is that when Bob Worth stepped aside, he brought in someone from outside the family to lead the company through that difficult time. Making it more unusual, the man tabbed for the job, Michael O’Gorman, is not only outside the family, but outside the horticulture industry, as well. Worth says the hire was a smart one, because it has helped keep the family members working on what they need to do, rather than creating a power struggle. Plus, O’Gorman’s extensive business experience was vital in the difficult environment the nursery was facing.

“We were able to hire him, and he helped us navigate through the tough recession we just got out of,” Worth says.

Over the years, Kankakee has taken a leadership position in both the community and the nursery industry. The company routinely provides college classes, local schools and service groups with donated plants, and never hesitates to take them on tours of the nursery. Bob and Dick Worth are both past presidents of the Illinois Nurseryman Association/Illinois Green Industry Association, and Steve Worth currently sits on the board. In addition, the nursery is a member of both AmericanHort and virtually all Midwestern state green trade associations. Kankakee Nursery is also an active supporter of the Illinois Landscape Contractors’ Association and has been a frequent host of its annual Summer Field Day.