Ballantyne

I started in the Trainee Program in February of 2018 at the Matthews location. After my 4th spring season with Pike, I was promoted to manager in May of 2021.

Professionally, I started in the horticulture industry while I was in community college in my hometown of Shelby, NC. I worked for a local nursery until attending UNCC for my bachelor's in management. My connection to horticulture goes further back though, as I helped my grandfather on his farm most of my childhood. This helped me realize I wanted to take this experience and somehow make it a part of my career.

Through my time working with plants, I've learned my favorite area would be shrubs. There is such a variety that allows you to utilize a shrub for every need from privacy screening to small unique specimens in the landscape. Shrubs are something you can build the rest of your landscape upon, or they can be the main feature. I have recently stepped more into houseplants. Wanting to expand my knowledge in an area that many people believe is a difficult one to have success in. Bringing nature indoors is exciting and can make a normal room turn into a tropical oasis.

Leading and developing people would be my favorite part of the job. Over the few years, I've spent with Pike, I've had the benefit of working with and learning from the amazing people that this company consists of. Many have helped me grow as a leader and horticulturist along the way and it's great to be able to turn that around and help others grow and develop in their own way as well.

In my free time, I enjoy playing basketball, hiking, and time with family and friends. Recently, I have been trying my hand at skateboarding and caring for more houseplants. Contrary to popular opinion, orchids are one of the easiest houseplants to grow and understand that troubleshooting is a big part of gardening.

I invite everyone to come to our Ballantyne location, talk with our experienced and knowledgeable team members and learn that having a "green thumb" is a skill everyone can possess. Come experience what makes our store unique, whether it's our associates' knowledge you can learn from to further your horticulture skills, our fresh new plant material we receive weekly, or the ideas our store can inspire you to create in your own space.