Our customer stories start with Karen Helsen who made a choice to manage her 40-acre nursery full time, leaving behind her career at the hospital. Read about all the hats she gladly wears each day on Though my own experience was a decade ago, I remember vividly the many “this or that’s” that came with building our home. Page 29 shares the journey for Ryan Hauser who did it himself.

➡ Karen Helsen and her husband Greg own

Nature’s View Nursery in Coopersville,

Michigan.

Young, Beginning, and Small Farmer Feature

Over the years, the Helsen family has turned their hobby into a fulltime business. “My husband started it, and now I manage it,” Karen Helsen said of Nature’s View Nursery in Coopersville, Michigan.

View a highlight reel video at: www.greenstonefcs.com/YBSFSummer21 In 1998, Greg Helsen worked full time as a manager at a wholesale nursery, but he was also interested in growing ornamental nursery stock at home. He and his wife Karen started first growing nursery stock in one location, and then moved to another with more area so they could add poly houses, which are greenhouses with a polythene roof. They eventually bought land and transitioned to their current farm in Coopersville. The same year, the Helsens also had another big change – the arrival of their twin girls, Lauren and Peyton. Karen continued working at Bronson HospitalKalamazoo as the contract manager in the purchasing department, and after the birth of their son, Connor, she made the decision to move to a part-time role. They increased the number of poly houses and added more container plants, and in 2005, they had an opportunity to buy an already-existing arborvitae farm. Commonly called a cedar tree, these trees are used for residential use and in privacy screening. “That’s when I came to work here fulltime,” Karen said. “Of course, with the kids, it was very busy. Our families really pitched in to help us take care of everything.”

Farm home

Currently, the 40-acre farm has 11 poly houses, a stock field of arborvitae, upright juniper, and spruce trees, buildings, and a loading area. They grow flowering shrubs, evergreens, broadleaf evergreens, and more. As a wholesaler instead of direct-toconsumer, they don’t do much consumer marketing for their business. Instead, they focus on their relationships with many wholesale and retail clients in northern Michigan, northern Indiana, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing. “Primarily we sell 70% of our stock to 30% of our customers, and we received a lot of that business through word-ofmouth,” Karen explained. “They know what we grow, we know what they need, and they keep ordering from us.” Like many owners of a small business, Karen has varied responsibilities on the farm. “I wear many hats. I’m the order taker, I do payroll, I do our taxes, I help harvest the plants, I help load trucks,” she said. “But I can’t express this enough – it only works because of our super talented crew. Our nursery manager has been here since inception, and the shortest-

GreenStone was instrumental for getting us going... Now we can selffund through the winter.

term employee has been here for three years. Our employees are invaluable and such a blessing. It’s not mine, and it’s not Greg’s - it’s OUR business - the seven of us.”

Family business

Along with taking care of the kids, their family members have also helped them along the way. At first, the nursery stock was field-planted behind Greg’s parents’ house, and then they moved behind Karen’s parents’ house. “Both our dads – Jerry Moore and Ike Helsen – have passed now, but they were instrumental in helping us,” Karen said. “When the nursery stock was at Ike’s house, he helped sell items at the roadside. My dad was our truck driver for awhile, and I still call our delivery truck my dad’s truck.” Their children, now 23 and 20, also worked on the farm, weeding, potting, planting, and harvesting. Lauren has a nursing degree, Peyton has a degree in interior design, and Connor is studying horticulture at Michigan State University. “We tried to teach them good work ethic, and they turned out to be wonderful human beings in spite of us,” Karen joked. “It’s great to watch them grow, and awesome when they start speaking wisdom and you can learn from them.”

➡ Karen worked with Mitchell Schafer, who is vice president of lending out of GreenStone's Grand

Rapids office.

➡ The Helsens have a 40-acre farm, 11 poly houses, and a stock field of arborvitae, upright juniper, and spruce trees.

Purchasing a dream

When the Helsens decided to expand by purchasing the 40-acre tree farm, they also looked to GreenStone for an operating line of credit. “In our business, it’s very labor-intensive on the front end prepping for harvest. Once