November 11, 2024
Brent Vanderkruk
Brent Vanderkruk takes the family practice to plants and people
By Julia Harmsworth
Brent Vanderkruk has helped Landscape Ontario members through his customer-facing role at NVK Nurseries for over 20 years. Now, he wants to give back in a bigger way.
It was an easy decision for Vanderkruk to pursue horticulture as a career; he grew up in the family business, where he enjoyed working outdoors. He earned a horticulture diploma from the University of Guelph and is now a sales manager at NVK.
NVK has a history of involvement with Landscape Ontario (LO). When he was a kid, Vanderkruk walked the Congress trade show floor each year with his father and grandfather. He helped them give a presentation at the annual Awards of Excellence ceremony to celebrate the nursery’s 100th birthday.
“My grandfather was heavily involved [with LO]. He was a leader in the industry, and someone who always wanted to raise the bar in terms of professionalism and education. And my dad too — he was very much a stewardship kind of guy. He always had a passion for plants,” he said.
He attended the annual Growers Short Course for several years and presented at the Landscape Designers Conference on trending and unusual plants on the market. He participated in a panel discussion at the 2023 Plant Symposium at Congress, where he enjoyed sharing a grower’s perspective.
Further encouragement from the LO community persuaded Vanderkruk to take a seat as co-chair of the Growers Sector Group and he currently represents the sector on the association's Provincial Board of Directors. He hopes to apply the industry insights he’s gained from working with landscapers and horticulturists throughout his career to his role on the board.
“[I want] to serve the members in a different capacity. We’re part of a bigger picture as an industry,” Vanderkruk said. “I really want to be able to serve our members well — our growers sector specifically.”
He also hopes to stretch himself through leaving his comfort zone; he doesn’t like public speaking and isn’t naturally comfortable in group settings. He also sits on the Membership Committee and the Awards Committee.
He said it’s been “humbling” and “energizing” to be around strong-thinking, like-minded people who have such care and passion for the trades. This shared love is his favourite thing about being involved with LO. It’s made for great networking and collaboration opportunities with other members on and off the board.
“When you get a lot of like-minded people talking about plants, you’re able to build on that and build great partnerships,” he said.
Aside from the plants and the people, Vanderkruk loves being a part of a profession that can positively impact the environment. NVK always looks toward the next generation, especially as a family business. They want to steward the land and give their children a better world.
Like his father, Vanderkruk wants to raise the bar on environmental stewardship. He wants to ensure the landscape and horticulture trades continue to do business in a more sustainable way. He wants LO to be a world leader in this field.
Like his grandfather, he wants to promote professionalism. He wants to continue to create more awareness of the trades as a profession through encouraging younger people to get involved and, fittingly, working towards sustainability.
“We have a good foundation, so let’s build that. Let’s build the professionalism of the industry,” he said. “A lot of people don’t even give our industry a second glance, but I think with the environmental impact that horticulture can have, it’s getting noticed and recognized a lot more as a really important profession.”
When he’s not working or heading to the LO head office in Milton, Ont., for a board meeting, Vanderkruk makes time for his family and church, and enjoys walking around the nursery on quiet mornings, looking at the trees, shrubs and perennials.
Brent Vanderkruk has helped Landscape Ontario members through his customer-facing role at NVK Nurseries for over 20 years. Now, he wants to give back in a bigger way.
It was an easy decision for Vanderkruk to pursue horticulture as a career; he grew up in the family business, where he enjoyed working outdoors. He earned a horticulture diploma from the University of Guelph and is now a sales manager at NVK.
NVK has a history of involvement with Landscape Ontario (LO). When he was a kid, Vanderkruk walked the Congress trade show floor each year with his father and grandfather. He helped them give a presentation at the annual Awards of Excellence ceremony to celebrate the nursery’s 100th birthday.
“My grandfather was heavily involved [with LO]. He was a leader in the industry, and someone who always wanted to raise the bar in terms of professionalism and education. And my dad too — he was very much a stewardship kind of guy. He always had a passion for plants,” he said.
His family’s dedication to lifting up the trades, bolstered by encouragement from LO members and staff (whom he now calls friends) gave Vanderkruk the confidence to get more involved. He joined the Golden Horseshoe Chapter Board in his early 20s, where he helped organize the annual chicken roast.“Just being in and around the plants is a fun thing.”
— Brent Vanderkruk
He attended the annual Growers Short Course for several years and presented at the Landscape Designers Conference on trending and unusual plants on the market. He participated in a panel discussion at the 2023 Plant Symposium at Congress, where he enjoyed sharing a grower’s perspective.
Further encouragement from the LO community persuaded Vanderkruk to take a seat as co-chair of the Growers Sector Group and he currently represents the sector on the association's Provincial Board of Directors. He hopes to apply the industry insights he’s gained from working with landscapers and horticulturists throughout his career to his role on the board.
“[I want] to serve the members in a different capacity. We’re part of a bigger picture as an industry,” Vanderkruk said. “I really want to be able to serve our members well — our growers sector specifically.”
He also hopes to stretch himself through leaving his comfort zone; he doesn’t like public speaking and isn’t naturally comfortable in group settings. He also sits on the Membership Committee and the Awards Committee.
He said it’s been “humbling” and “energizing” to be around strong-thinking, like-minded people who have such care and passion for the trades. This shared love is his favourite thing about being involved with LO. It’s made for great networking and collaboration opportunities with other members on and off the board.
“When you get a lot of like-minded people talking about plants, you’re able to build on that and build great partnerships,” he said.
Aside from the plants and the people, Vanderkruk loves being a part of a profession that can positively impact the environment. NVK always looks toward the next generation, especially as a family business. They want to steward the land and give their children a better world.
Like his father, Vanderkruk wants to raise the bar on environmental stewardship. He wants to ensure the landscape and horticulture trades continue to do business in a more sustainable way. He wants LO to be a world leader in this field.
Like his grandfather, he wants to promote professionalism. He wants to continue to create more awareness of the trades as a profession through encouraging younger people to get involved and, fittingly, working towards sustainability.
“We have a good foundation, so let’s build that. Let’s build the professionalism of the industry,” he said. “A lot of people don’t even give our industry a second glance, but I think with the environmental impact that horticulture can have, it’s getting noticed and recognized a lot more as a really important profession.”
When he’s not working or heading to the LO head office in Milton, Ont., for a board meeting, Vanderkruk makes time for his family and church, and enjoys walking around the nursery on quiet mornings, looking at the trees, shrubs and perennials.