Web-based landscape supply company relocates from Minnesota to Zeeland, adds one job

For Bill Stuart, relocating his growing online landscape supply company and his place of residence from Foley, Minn. to Zeeland was a no-brainer – he needed to be closer to his supplier, Spring Meadow Nursery.

He'd never been to Zeeland before, but he was comfortable with the move because he was familiar with the excellent reputations of suppliers from the West Michigan lakeshore after working for years in his father's greenhouses.

Stuart, 29, and his brother Brian own Shrub Source, an online supplier of Proven Winners shrubs. The web site went live in March and the company has already added a marketing position.

"I can handle everything else myself, but we want to drive more traffic to the site so we needed some expertise in marketing," Stuart says.  

Proven Winners develops new and improved shrubs that are stronger and healthier than older varieties and exhibit superior pest resistance. Stuart offers 75 Proven Winner shrubs through the web site. Right now, he processes the orders, packages the plants and ships them himself. But he says this is only the beginning.

"We may add more shrubs, and add perennials and annuals," he says. "We're also looking for greenhouse space to lease for next spring. We want to bring on a horticulturist and greenhouse workers and upsize some of our product line into bigger containers."

Stuart uses some of the company's proceeds for charity through his Hydrangea for a Cure Campaign to fund multiple sclerosis research. He donates 15 percent of every hydrangea purchase to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in memory of his mom, Kathleen Stuart, who died from the disease last year.

Stuart's wife Melissa, a nurse's assistant who recently earned her license to practice in Michigan, will move to Zeeland in a few weeks.

"We're planning to stay here a while," Stuart says.

Source: Bill Stuart, Shrub Source

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].