Our Plant Specialists

Steve joined the company in 2004 and serves as president. A 1986 graduate of the University of Florida, Steve combines plant, people, and technology skills in his day-to-day management of the company. He a Florida Certified Pest Control Operator, and is very active in the community. Fun fact – Steve was a professional water skier at Sea World.

Dara is our part-time Chief Financial Officer and has worked with Steve on ventures dating back to 1984. She earned a BS from the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business Administration and an MBA at the University of North Florida. She’s married, and the mom of 2 great kids. She’s also working on becoming a QuickBooks ProAdvisor. Fun Fact – Dara volunteers extensively in the community and serves at the Plant High School Athletic Foundation Treasurer.

Sue is the most senior member of the PLANTZ team and provides support for customers who purchased plants from our commerce site. Sue joined the company in 1997 and has served as a plant care specialist and operations manager. Currently, she dispenses horticultural advice from her remote location in the hills of northern Georgia. Fun fact – Sue hasn’t missed a Daytona 500 in 30 years. 

Keith joined the team in 2009 to help with the holiday rush, and he liked it so much he stayed. An Auburn University grad and former computer teacher, Keith has served as a plant care technician and calls on that knowledge to craft custom plant programs for new customer engagements.  Fun fact – Keith is a freelance photographer, and he’s for hire – weddings, parties, action shots, and special events.  If you need to capture a moment, feel free to call on Keith. 

Laura works closely with customers to ensure that our invoicing is timely and accurate as Office Coordinator.  She served as Executive Assistant to the Pastor and bookkeeper at Holy Trinity Church in Tampa before starting with PLANTZ in September 2014. Laura is bilingual and tells us “andale” if we’re not getting our paperwork completed soon enough. When not playing Office Coordinator, Laura visits her two grown children and volunteers at church.

John joined our team in 2018.  He has over 10 years of management experience and has worked in the industry for over 15.  He currently serves as our operations manager directing the day-to-day activities of our plant care technicians, installation teams, and our Plants by Mail shipping operation.  He has completed the Dale Carnegie course and enjoys helping our team perform at its best.  We think he’s in love with his black Dodge Challenger – and he’s the reigning PLANTZ bowling champion. 

Nicole is our resident plant geek. For three years, she was part of the Citrus Research Center at the University of Florida studying genetic modification and transformation of citrus plants.  In her spare time get this…she likes gardening and baking.

Joe joined PLANTZ in 2018 with prior plant care experience.  His favorite aspect of working with PLANTZ is our famed teamwork when installing and perfecting projects together. He holds a certification for bonsai trees, and he was a wellness coordinator before he came to PLANTZ. Joe is a big reader, an exercise nut, and newlywed to his longtime sweetheart Nanette.

Shannon has worked with plants since she was 10 years old, and her knowledge of all things plants is extensive.  She’s our home girl because she has worked at our location off and on for more than 30 years, even with the previous owners.  In her spare time, she reads murder mysteries and history books. 

Alex’s favorite aspect of plant service is dealing with customers and making their day brighter.  He came to PLANTZ with years of experience so we are glad to have him.  He has also worked for Amazon, and he was a cable guy for 11 years.  Alex spends all his free time with his wife and two kids.

Kim brings 15 years of plant care experience to PLANTZ.  She just loves the plants under her care and says its almost like they greet her and say ‘do it again’.  She does Tai Chi in her spare time along with taking care of her own plants and butterfly gardens.  

For 30 years, Michael has worked in all facets of the plant business for interior and exterior plants and in sales and marketing. He lists his hobbies as cooking, travel, and old movies.

Bree came to PLANTZ with vast experience over the last 18 years caring for trees and plants in tree farms and nurseries. She proverbially ‘spread them out’ with her son of 19 years and her daughter of 4 years old. She’s also a big rock collector.

Tina was raised in a family of farmers and ranchers.  She cares for and creates beautiful plantings while she homeschools two of her four kids, and she supports them when they show livestock, so she’s busy. 

Amanda is a new transplant to Florida from Illinois by way of Arkansas, and she brings 5 years of professional plant knowledge to PLANTZ.  The beach is her safe place. She also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality, and she loves the feeling of growing plants around her as she’s also growing.

Sharyn loves plants and people and she’s a 16 year veteran of plant care in many capacities.  She likes people that like plants. She loves plants so much that her hobbies are gardening and DIY projects in her yard.  She’s definitely a Florida girl too because she has been alligator hunting more than once.

Scott is a native Floridian who has gardened all his life.  He’s a Master Gardener and at one time he was president of his community garden organization in Miramar. In his spare time he (surprise!) gardens, play video games, and takes care of his dog and two cats. 

Larry has taken care of plants in many capacities for more than 40 years. He even owned his own plant care business for 20 of those years.  He said his mother bought him an iguana when he was a child and his dad made a backyard garden for it.  The iguana died and he took over care of the garden … and he was hooked.  

Robbin started her company Passion for Plants five years ago and merged with PLANTZ this year to combine forces and bring fabulous plants and plant arrangements to all of our customers.  She loves to travel and see her grand-babies and take care of her husband David, who is a rancher with more than 100 head of cattle. 

Yajaira worked for PLANTZ then moved to Texas and came back to us four years later. She says she loves the company, caring for our plants, and our customers.  Plants are in her blood because her grandfather worked in a nursery and her dad worked for a landscaping company.  She plays with her rabbits and dogs and dotes on Nelson and their kids in her spare time.

Nelson came to PLANTZ through his wife Yajaira and he attends to exterior plants at our more prominent accounts.  He’s been a plant lover all his life and he believes his mother passed down her green thumb.  In his spare time he plays baseball with his kids and dotes on Yajaira.  He is ‘scared’ of dogs…and cats! 

Chris has worked with plants for an astounding 50 years.  His grandparents and parents were master gardeners and he had kept the family tradition.  He’s got a Geology degree and he’s a paleontology fanatic and one of his favorite fossils is the pecopteris fern.  When he retires he wants to paint and do fine art, so he’s multitalented