With over 30 years of experience as a grower-retailer at Reems Creek Nursery, a family-owned and operated garden center in North Carolina, Susan brings a wealth of practical knowledge and deep-rooted passion for horticulture and small business operations. Over the years, the business has also included landscape contracting and maintenance services, giving her a well-rounded perspective on both retail and service-based green industry operations.

Susan has played a key role in the transition of Reems Creek Nursery from the first to the second generation and is now actively involved in guiding the early stages of third-generation leadership. Her background in accounting has been instrumental in the company’s success; she began processing payroll and filing payroll tax reports while still in high school.

Her journey in horticulture began in the most personal of ways; her parents started the business in the front yard of her childhood home when she was in grade school. That legacy, and her lifetime of dedication, continues to shape her approach to business, leadership, and mentorship in the green industry.