Going Green: Northview Nursery Brings Life to Great Bend for Twelve years

Chad Lagerman was thinking about physical therapy and pre-med courses when he got a whiff of the great outdoors. At the time, he was taking classes and enjoying the atmosphere of his after-school job, but it didn’t take him long to switch career gears.

Lagerman is the owner of Northview Nursery, 172 N. U.S. 281, which he opened in March of 1997. He nurtured that outdoorsy feeling while attending Kansas State University and working at Blueville Nursery in Manhattan.  The result was a degree in horticulture landscape design. “Outside is more my style,” Lagerman said. “I find it much more relaxing than sitting in an office.”

After his 1993 graduation, Lagerman worked at a Great Bend nursery and a year later, he went out on his own. “I did freelance work out of my home,” Lagerman recalled. “Then we started construction at our current location in the fall of 1996 and opened March of the following year.”

A Bright Bunch- Northview Nursery’s owner Chad Lagerman and his dog Tess stand surrounded by several of Northview’s staff members. Pictured from left to right are Bernice Deines, Steve Bird, Chad Lagerman, Brenda Holtrop, Tammy Turner, and Pat Knox. Not pictured are Connie Weber, Dave Cortez, Mike Rodrigues, Gene Suppes, Joe Gerritzen, Kelly Meier, and Julie Scott. In addition to this diverse group, Lagerman brings in temporary help during his busiest months. “When spring rolls around, there’s a lot to do around here to prepare for the planting and gardening months,” Lagerman says. “Temp workers are great for businesses like me, because we can help each other.”

While the national economy is forcing layoffs, pay cuts and shorter work-weeks, Lagerman has been adding to his staff. In just the last few months he has added three new employees and a fourth may be on the way. “I hired a fellow student from my K-State days,” Lagerman said. “He has a landscape architecture degree with 4 years experience and will help operate the garden center and do some drafting. We will be able to tackle landscape plans even faster. This may allow some peace and quiet time at my desk,” he laughed. “I don’t get that very often now. More importantly, it will allow me to focus on projects that require my attention.”  Lagerman’s hope is to offer customers the expertise they desire when they walk in the door. Two others have been added to the Northview crew and a horticulture graduate with five years experience may be on the payroll within the next few months after moving from Montana. “We are trying to add key people with experience,” Lagerman noted. “That has been a tough thing to do but anything we can do to help better serve our customers and help the local economy is our primary goal.”

While most economic headlines these days come under the bad-news category, Northview’s growth indicates there is good news out there. “Actually, the economy has helped us,” Lagerman said. “Last year was a good year and this year is shaping up to be another good year.  We are busier than normal. Part of it is fuel prices,” he continued. “People are staying home and enjoying their yards more. They are spending money at home that they might not have spent otherwise. People are realizing they can shop locally and get most of what they need. We hope we are helping the Great Bend economy.”

Northview’s Nest- Northview Nursery is located just outside Great Bend’s city limits on north Highway 281. On the property are thousands of plants available for retail sale as well as décor for outdoor living spaces and other landscaping tools, such as several varieties of rock and mulch. “We built this location about ten years ago,” said owner Chad Lagerman. “We have lots of space for our entire inventory, and it’s a home away from home for me now.”

Northview Nursery has always been at its current North U.S. 281 location but it did have a second site about two miles farther north; Lagerman consolidated three years ago. It currently has 15 full-time and part-time employees.

Services include anything to do with landscaping for commercial and residential customers. Included are stone patios, walkways, flowers, trees, shrubs, fountains, sod and of course design work. The only thing the nursery doesn’t offer is irrigation systems. “We team up with another local company for that,” Lagerman said. “We can provide the complete turnkey package but we subcontract the irrigation. It serves the customer better that way.”

That being said, Lagerman noted that Northview also advises and encourages the do-it-yourselfer. “We get them started on the right foot,” Lagerman said. “We guarantee our plant materials and it is in everybody’s best interest to teach the customers the right way to care for them. Bottom line, everyone is happy when we have living, thriving plants.”

Strategic Stocking- Steve Bird stocks dozens of plants around the yard at Northview Nursery. “Different plants survive better under certain conditions,” he explains. “If the area our customers are planting is in full sun, we need to make sure we’re helping them pick plants that can handle the Kansas weather. Likewise, fully shaded areas require plants with certain traits as well.” Northview’s knowledgeable staff can help take the guess work out of gardening. “We have a very experienced staff,” owner Chad Lagerman says. “Our customers can trust that we know our stuff.”

The new service on the horizon is outdoor kitchens and fireplaces. “Since we do patios, walkways and fountains, it is the next, natural step. With the construction of all the outdoor features we build, this would make a complete outdoor room. “We definitely want to do this. Obviously we are not going to be doing one a week – probably more like a couple per year. It is a matter of timing,” Lagerman added, noting his crew will receive the necessary education and Northview will coordinate with local subcontractors.

The nursery doesn’t charge for landscape designs when the customers award the project to Northview Nursery or if they are going to patronize the business as do-it-yourselfers. Free estimates are part of the package too. “However, if you buy a plan and then later decide to give us the project, we will reimburse the plan fee,” Lagerman added. “It is a good-faith deal. By doing this, we give the customers a choice and ultimately it tends to make our customers much happier.”

Lagerman always suggests that potential customers call at their earliest convenience when they have an idea in mind. “People should go ahead and let us know as early as they can,” he said. “The hardest part of these construction-type projects is the turn-around time. It isn’t a case of call me today and we build it tomorrow.”

Greenhouse Goods- The staff at Northview Nursery is busy preparing for their busy summer season. Trees, flowers, and shrubs are being delivered by the truck load to fill the greenhouses and outdoor stock areas on their property located north of Great Bend on Highway 281. “We have a little bit of everything and a lot of some things,” Lagerman says. “And if we don’t have it, we can usually get it. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff can help our customers find what they’re really looking for.”

Lagerman always encourages individuals and businesses to buy locally for their landscaping projects. When a Great Bend resident travels to Wichita to buy a tree, for example, it can be difficult to get specific answers if there is a problem. There are other issues such as plant hardiness and wind resistance. What might work in Salina or Wichita, may not work here.

“There is a difference between a tree that is alive and a tree that is thriving,” Lagerman noted. “We can look at the tree and give that local service and stand by our work. We buy locally as much as possible. We produce plants here, of course, and work with several other local businesses.

“Obviously, you can’t be everything for everybody,” Lagerman commented. “We try not to fall into that trap. However, we hope to be enough for everyone. This is not just for us. It is for everyone who depends on the local economy.”

Northview Nursery
172 N. Hwy 281
Great Bend, KS 67530
(620)792-7041