About Us * Company History * Map/Directions * Sales Representatives * Employee Directory

Company History

· 1925-1940s

Just four years before the Great Depression, Clyde J. Worth was asked by Lloyd Pottinger to join him in running the Pottinger Nursery on 20 acres of land just north of today’s site. The two young men had been close high school friends and formed a corporation naming it Kankakee Nursery.

It was an interesting time in Kankakee, Illinois. The governor, Len Small, was a “hometown boy” who had promised to bring the state “out of the mud” and indeed, by 1925 nearly 7000 miles of highway had been paved, opening up the area to new commerce. Route 49, known as Governor’s Highway, went all the way to Chicago and Route 1, the Dixie Highway, stretched from Danville to Chicago. Kankakee’s local high school football teams were the best in the state, a beautiful new downtown hotel was planned, and controversy raged over whether the town should be dry.

Meanwhile, Clyde and Lloyd operated the small nursery until 1929 when The Great Depression struck businesses all across the country. Suddenly, the nursery could not support two families. Lloyd moved on to Indianapolis and began a Pottinger Nursery there, while Clyde struggled through the most difficult economic time our country has ever known.

In the 1930s and early 40s, ten employees were added and further help came from Clyde’s sons, Phillip, born in 1926, and Robert, born in 1932, who worked at the nursery as children and teenagers. During this time, Clyde leased land as needed, sometimes as much as 100 acres.

· 1950s-1960s

Kankakee Nursery expanded in 1949 when Clyde bought 20 acres on Waldron Road in Aroma Park in his own name and began operating from that location. Returning home from serving in the U.S. Army in 1950, Phil joined the family business, handling production and land management. Clyde ran Kankakee Nursery until his death in 1954. He was a respected businessman and community stalwart, and was active in many volunteer organizations. Two years later, Bob finished his stint with the U.S. Navy and returned to the family business, taking over the responsibility for sales, shipping and harvesting.

In 1959 Phil and Bob purchased Lloyd Pottinger’s stock and had full ownership and control of the nursery. The following year they bought 240 acres of farm land and five years later added 440 acres. The Worth’s credit those contiguous land acquisitions for the nursery’s successful growth, as they were able to avoid the costly transporting of employees and plant materials.

During the 50s and 60s, Kankakee Nursery created a product line called Wil-Gro to keep the employees busy during the winter and generate revenue. They dipped bare root plants in wax and, with the help of a hydraulic machine, packaged them for sale to garden centers. A decade later, Wil-Gro would fade as the container business expanded.

In 1962, Kankakee Nursery became the first business in the area to promote Hispanics to responsible positions. This policy, coupled with the outstanding Hispanic work ethic and character, has been vital to the success of the nursery.

A major boost for Kankakee came in the mid 1960s when Lady Bird Johnson, then first lady of the United States, put forth her initiative for interstate highway landscaping following The White House Conference for a More Beautiful America. Kankakee was one of the few nurseries in the country which was prepared to supply material to the landscape contractors who were doing the installations across the country. Another benefit of that operation was that the quality, competence and scope of Kankakee Nursery’s operation became known to contractors, municipalities and nurseries all the way west to Colorado, and relationships with them continued beyond the highway beautification program.

Chemical controls for weeds and pests were evolving, with herbicides and pesticides becoming safer and more effective. Advances made in slow-release fertilizers and application equipment helped increase efficiency and productivity.

· 1970s-1980s

The 70s were times of great change for the now flourishing business. For one, transportation systems greatly changed the face of Kankakee’s business. Certain plants that had come from the West by rail car requiring pick up and additional handling now arrived safely, conveniently and cost-effectively by refrigerated trucks. And Kankakee’s deliveries to its customers went right to their door in refrigerated trucks. Refrigerated storage was also a great boon to the industry, allowing bare root plants to be held for a longer time, thus prolonging the shipping season.

Kankakee Nursery’s first refrigerated storage was built in 1971, and around the same time, an old farmhouse was converted into an office. The advent of mechanical diggers and loaders eased the back-breaking work of nurseries around the nation.

Soon three members of the next Worth generation were aboard. Phil’s daughter Linda worked in bookkeeping, and Bob’s sons, Dick and Steve, learned the business working in inventory. When Dick graduated with a degree in ornamental horticulture in 1977 and Steve with a degree in business administration in 1979, they joined the nursery.

Also, around this time, Kankakee started budding its own trees which contributed to significant business growth. Today, Kankakee Nursery buds between 150,000 to 200,000 trees annually. This allows control of the quality of the liners and helps insure availability.

The container operation began in the early 1970s with five acres and eight poly houses. Over the next two decades that number would grow to 50 acres and 120 houses and account for 25% of annual sales. Also in the 70s, Kankakee hired its first salesman to cover the Chicago land territory. A loading dock, a mechanics’ shop and housing for 40 migrant workers were all built. Another refrigerated storage area was built, thus tripling capacity.

The 80s brought further expansion of the nursery and sales staff was added to cover an ever-increasing market area. Kankakee began investing heavily in irrigation and drainage. Sophisticated overhead watering and drip irrigation systems were put into place. Further land purchases were made next to or near the nursery, bringing the total to 2000 acres.

· 1990s-present

The 1990s saw a building boom and a strong consumer economy that created a great demand for fine landscaping. More of America is now emulating the interest in gardening that has been going on in Europe for hundreds of years. University and arboretum research is providing us with trees that are healthier, more uniform and disease resistant. At the end of the century, Kankakee began its pot-in-pot tree production, which today consists of over 15 acres.

When Kankakee Nursery was just a sapling, 90% of trees we sold were American elms. The shape was pleasing, they were easy to transplant and grow and, in 1925, the customers didn’t demand much variety. Until the last couple of decades, the nursery industry dictated what plant materials homeowners and municipalities would have. Today, both the consumers and the plants have changed. Consumers are more educated and knowledgeable about horticulture. The plant material is offered in vast varieties and, because of the changes in technology, the quality is far superior to that of 50 years ago. Cloning, or tissue culture, allows very large quantities of plants to be propagated in small areas and assure uniformity. Architectural trends change, and today the landscaping changes to complement them. Smaller-scaled ornamentals, dwarf shrubs and perennials are growing in popularity. Each year more varieties of trees, shrubs, evergreens and perennials are added to Kankakee’s mix, providing one of the most complete product lines in the industry today.

Kankakee Nursery has taken a leadership position in green industry worker education, training and protection. Since 1985, Kankakee has hosted the INA/Illinois Green Industry Association’s annual two-day apprenticeship program for horticultural students from Illinois community colleges, providing hands-on experience. We provide tours to college classes and to local grade schools. Bob and Dick Worth have both served as president of the INA/IGIA.

The nursery supports and participates in the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association and has been a frequent host to its Summer Field Day. We are also a member of the American Nursery and Landscape association, the International Plant Propagators, and virtually all Midwestern state green trade associations. We are the recipients of the Distinguished Service Award given by the ILCA.

We thank you for taking a few minutes to learn a little about our past and always welcome suggestions on how to serve you better in the present and future.