By Katrina Marshall
In 1932, during the Great Depression, America’s food supply was at a premium. That’s when, on his 10 acres in Little Chute, Alois Van Zeeland made a commitment to the local community by cultivating the land to provide a harvest of raspberries and strawberries.
The land was later transformed into a plant nursery before landscape services were added, evolving into the Van Zeeland Nursery & Landscape of today. The mantra of this family-owned organization is “making impacts:” on employees, customers and the community. After nearly a century, its legacy continues to grow. In response to community needs amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the business has relocated to a new garden center in the heart of Grand Chute.
“This is an exciting time for Van Zeeland Nursery & Landscape,” says David Lindenstruth, president and owner of Van Zeeland Nursery & Landscape. “We’ve been through a lot of transitions in the past 90 years to continue to be a successful business, but moving to this fantastic location is arguably our biggest transformation yet.”
At its roots, Van Zeeland Nursery & Landscape has adapted to the changing needs of the community. “Honestly, that’s one of the reasons why we think a company can survive and reach a 90-year mark,” says Lexi Woerishofer, who serves as the company’s director of human resources and community engagement, as well as project manager for the move. “When we started crafting this idea, we needed to consider how we could make a better impact on the lives of those we’re going to be around. The site has a lot of key components that tie into this approach.”
New this spring, the 18-acre garden center is twice the size of its original location and adds a much-needed green space to its area of town. Groomed walking paths woven throughout the property connect to the local county trail. Lush display gardens showcase plants that can be used for residential and commercial landscape jobs; a park-grade commercial playground is centrally located on the property; and an outdoor kitchen features a patio with a fire table built by the nursery’s own hardscaping division.
“There aren’t any gates on our facility, so everyone is welcome — even if we’re not open — to walk the trails, see the gardens and be with nature,” Woerishofer says. “Landscaping across the country boomed these past two years because many people took up the hobby, both interior-scaping and exterior-scaping. We’re hoping they can get ideas and feel inspired to put more green in their own yards or communities.”
Woerishofer says the nursery hired many people in anticipation of its move, increasing its staff total to almost 50 — many of whom worked on the actual site landscaping. “When we started to get shipments of trees, they’d be out there potting or building the outdoor kitchen or the playground,” she says. “Seeing their excitement has been great, because we’re not just trying to make an impact on the community; we’re trying to make an impact on our employees, too.”
In addition to a spacious retail building and indoor cafe, nonprofits and groups wishing to gather and host meetings can reserve an adjoining community room free of charge. The nursery also plans to offer a series of hands-on workshops on topics like how to plant succulents and construct porch pots.
“There are a lot of great mental health benefits to being around plants in the fresh air. We want people to feel welcomed, and if they need a spot to grab coffee or a safe place to hang out with their kids, they can do that here,” Woerishofer says. “We want to give back to a community that’s given us so much — to be able to be around for as long as we have been.”
