About our Staff
Sue Klein - Owner Jamie VandenWymelenberg - Greenhouse Grower Jamie joined Klein's at a real turning point in it's history. He was hired by Oscar and Joyce Klein in the spring of 1990. By working hand in hand with Oscar, Jamie was able to learn all facets in operating an already successful greenhouse and many traditional, tried and true techniques for growing high quality product. With Oscar's passing, Jamie had a unique opportunity of not just continuing in the family tradition, but then shaping an operation that in ways has become his own. Current owner, Sue Klein, has given Jamie full autonomy in all aspects running the greenhouse part of the business - a truly unique and envious situation for any grower. As fate would have it, Jamie and Sue knew each other from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where they received their BS in Horticulture and Floriculture, respectively. After graduation, Jamie worked briefly with hydroponic tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers at a facility in Chilton, WI when he heard about the position of head grower at Klein's. Except for a brief stint at Stoughton Garden Center, Jamie has been here ever since. With Madison's ever-growing east side population, Jamie fully realizes Klein's amazing potential and dreams of continued growth and modernization for the future. Jamie's no stranger to the goings-on of a small, family-owned business. While growing up, his family owned a successful grocery store in Wrightstown, WI. This explains much of his work ethic. In addition, coming from a very large family probably explains much of his competitive nature; having been involved in competitive rowing, basketball and archery over the years. Jamie and his wife, Amber, who works at the Forest Products Laboratory here in Madison, own a home on Madison's east side. Their son, Jordan, is currently in high school. In his own garden, Jamie says he enjoys experimenting with all the plans that have made Klein's so famous. He says his containers and mixed plantings are the envy of his neighborhood. Jamie is also a member of the Commercial Flower Growers Association. If you haven't shopped at Klein's in a while, stop see the difference Jamie has made. And if you have any questions, Jamie has all the answers; from plant questions to fertilizing and pest control. He's there seven days a week from April through early June (often 5:00 am to 9:00 pm). Kathy Lehman - Floral Manager Design skills have come naturally for Kathy, beginning with silks and artificials at one of the local craft markets. The combination of this and her extensive knowledge of flowers from her own garden made the transition to fresh design a natural one. Kathy is an expert at using color and texture in her designs and is adept in all styles of design, from traditional to contemporary, from natural to tropical. She loves to experiment with all the newest techniques and materials on the market and hopes you stop in to see some of her creations in our retail cooler. Kathy and her talented staff of designers are available daily, except Sundays, from 8:00-4:00 and Saturdays until 2:00 and specialize in not just the daily events and celebrations, but also wedding and funeral work. Craig Johnson - Assistant Grower and Perennial Manager - Master Gardener Craig was hired as Klein’s first ever Assistant Grower. As our business continued to grow, it became quite clear that our grower could no longer do everything that needed to be done by himself. Craig was essentially hired as our grower’s right hand man, helping with production, ordering, spraying and all the other tasks a grower does. In fact, Craig was our head grower for a brief period. Klein’s was so lucky to have Craig during that period of transition . Shortly thereafter, Craig became our retail manager. But with his heart was in the greenhouse part of the business, rather than management, Craig easily stepped back into the Assistant Grower role, where he remains to this day. Craig says he’s “very satisfied” being our grower’s assistant and sees his role at Klein’s as being an all-around helper ito make everybody else’s job more productive. As you can see, Craig is anything but self-serving. Current duties include managing our perennial and shrub areas. He says he also enjoys delivering sometimes for a change of pace. For the most part, Craig has called Madison home since 1974, having grown up in the Chicago area. He spent some time in northern California where he learned about landscaping. Upon moving back to Madison , Craig continued in landscaping and then worked at a few of the local garden centers. He says he’s enjoyed his experience at Klein’s best because we actually grow our own product, rather than just maintaining it. Craig’s educational background includes a B.A. in City Park Design from Tufts University and graduate work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Landscape Architecture. Craig is also a certified Master Gardener. For the ultimate shopping experience let Craig Johnson be your guide through the world of plants at Klein’s. Rick Halbach Rick joined the Klein’s team in 1991 after earning a BS in Education from the University of Wisconsin and spending many years in retail management at the local Prange’s department stores and at Discount Records on State Street. It’s the combination of retail experience, his love of teaching and a passion for gardening that has made Klein’s the shopping experience it is today. Rick started out in the greenhouses and delivering flowers, before moving into the retail manager position during the mid-1990’s. As manager, Rick made many of the changes you now see at Klein’s, but like many Klein’s workers, his heart belonged to the greenhouse and working with the soil. He left the management position in early 2001. Today Rick serves as delivery supervisor, greenhouse worker, writer and as coordinator of the Klein’s booths at WPT’s Garden Expo each February. He’s also known as Klein’s “container designer extraordinaire.”
Rick grew up in the small town of Johnsburg, WI, just east of Lake Winnebago. There he spent much of his growing up time on his grandparents’ dairy farm helping in the fields by day and then side by side with his grandmother in her huge perennial gardens each evening. In fact, the family farm received a well-earned beautification award during the mid-70’s, due primarily to the extensive and always perfect flower gardens. Throughout Rick’s childhood, he always had his own vegetable garden, both at his parents’ house and on the farm.
Today, Rick and his partner, Dave, own a lovely little cape cod on Madison’s east side, just minutes from Klein’s. Since buying their home in 1986, they have poured their hearts into their home and yard. In fact, their home was featured in a 2003 Wisconsin State Journal article. In addition, Rick has appeared on The Wisconsin Gardener with Shelley Ryan and his writing has turned up in the Wisconsin Garden Journal put out by the Madison Area Master Gardeners.
At work, Rick is known for his nonstop energy and enthusiasm, which some have said is both infectious and exhausting. If you’re able to stop him, you’ll find Rick during the upcoming spring season, working with customers in the retail area, watering and restocking. Test his mind with all your toughest gardening questions. Did we mention that Rick LOVES to talk? Must be the teacher/salesperson in him! After talking with him at Klein’s, it’ll be impossible to leave empty handed.
Jennifer Wadyka - Retail Manager & Floral Designer A bundle of energy is the best way to describe Jennifer. Though Jennifer has worked at Klein’s for 5 years, she was just recently promoted to our retail manager position and the changes she has made in just a few short months is apparent. Jennifer says her priority is always the customer. With years of retail experience, Jennifer has made our retail area very customer friendly with tons of interesting information, new product lines and a new, less cluttered layout. In addition, she has drastically upgraded our computer system for the quick processing of sales transactions and is now instituting a bar code system for even faster service. Next on her list is a weekend express lane. It’s easy to see how ambitious Jennifer is!! Like everyone at Klein’s, Jennifer, too, is a jack-of-all-trades. She started at Klein’s as a floral designer, having worked “on the production line” at Felly’s Flowers here in Madison. Jennifer is a very creative and talented designer and is, in fact, a certified floral designer. But she’s also a gardener at heart. Joining the Klein’s team has allowed her to express herself in both areas. From the onset, Jennifer has been a key player in both the floral and retail departments. Her design talent has expanded from the vase to designing gorgeous and eye-catching patio containers. Some noted examples include those at Johnny Delmonico’s near the Square and those at the Encore Senior Living facility. At home Jennifer says she loves to grow flowers, of course, but her passion is actually the vegetable garden. She says she loves to experiment each year with many of the new varieties we grow here at Klein’s and that her real pride is her homemade salsa. She says that her love for gardening comes from both her mom and her dad, who themselves are passionate gardeners. In fact, she and her dad have a yearly contest to see who can make the best salsa. Jennifer graduated from Sun Prairie High School in 1994 continues to pursue her degree in horticulture at Madison Area Technical College. One of Jennifer’s goals at Klein’s is to continue to expand our product line of organic fertilizers and especially pest control. She’s proud to introduce and tell you about our new Indoor Pharm line (pharmsolutions.com) and products from Messina Wildlife Management (messinawildlife.com) and Organic Laboratories (www.organiclabs.com). (See the ‘New Product Spotlight’ section for more details on these product lines.) Visit Klein’s and let Jennifer’s infectious laugh, outgoing personality and bubbly demeanor add to your spring shopping experience. Her sense of fun has rubbed off on all of us! If you’re a longtime Klein’s shopper, you’ll immediately notice her magic touch. Marcia Williams - Greenhouse Assistant Starting with Klein’s in 1989, Marcia is currently our longest employed associate. Marcia says that working at Klein’s not only keeps her busy, but young and fit. You’d never guess her a septuagenarian by watching her work at the greenhouse. On the sales floor Marcia enjoys working with customers--answering their many questions and keeping our annuals area neat and well-stocked. Beginning in late winter, Marcia has been our main transplanter; transplanting thousands of seedlings and plugs each day into the cell packs you see in our retail area. In addition, Marcia helps with other planting and some watering when it gets busy. During the holidays Marcia helps prep orders for our daily deliveries. Like everyone else at Klein’s, she’s a jack of all trades. Klein’s would not be the great place to work it is today without the smiling face of Marcia Williams! Barb Sparks Is the love for gardening nature or nurture? In Barb’s case, she says the latter is certainly the case, for nobody in her family has a green thumb. Neither of her parents, nor any of her six siblings would be considered a gardener by nature, though she says that her grandmother had a talent for growing African violets. After moving to Appleton, WI from Detroit, MI, Barb says her mother attempted a family vegetable garden with considerable success. After graduating from Appleton West in 1972, Barb moved to Madison to attend the UW. She says that while living in Sellery Hall on campus her interest in plants surfaced. She enjoyed shopping for houseplants at the nearby Choles Floral on University Avenue. After a few years at the university, Barb ultimately received an associate degree in clothing and textiles from Madison Area Technical College. Not surprisingly some of her current hobbies include sewing, quilting and decorating her home. Barb and her husband, Will, built their lovely DeForest home approximately 18 years ago. Her extensive gardens, which evolved from a completely barren lot, can now be described as an urban woodland. One of the very first things she and Will did was to plant over 125 trees and shrubs. Many have now matured to the point where they have created the perfect woodland hideaway. She says they designed their garden to be viewed from their home looking out, blocking the view of the neighbors, rather than the typical landscaping around the foundation, surrounded by extensive lawns. In fact, Barb says if Will could have it his way, the entire lawn would be garden with no grass. Barb says she’s very lucky to have a partner who shares in her love of gardening. Will enjoys the mechanics of gardening--building new flower beds and enlarging and improving the old beds. Barb’s interest is in the plants themselves. Perennials have historically been her forte. But she says working at Klein’s has opened her eyes to the wonderful world of annuals. Barb especially loves all the tropicals now available. Favorites include: dipladenia, mandevilla, duranta and especially hibiscus. Her favorite perennials are those that are somewhat unique with striking foliage--those that stand out in their woodland setting, including: hostas, lungwort (pulmonaria), heuchera, tiarella, astilbe and grasses. Barb says she approaches gardening in a realistic, rather than idealistic way, through trial and error. At work, Barb is the eternal student. She enjoys learning about gardening from both her coworkers and customers alike, listening to the barrage of questions and answers each day. At the end of the day, Barb, like most of her coworkers, finds it hard to leave work empty-handed, needing to learn first hand about all those new perennials and annuals Klein’s carries. Maybe Will will get his wish regarding the lawn. Time will tell. Jim Neefe - Driver Jim joined Klein’s in April of 2006 after a 36 year career as a Madison middle school geography and history teacher at Whitehorse Middle school here on Madison’s east side. In fact, two of his current coworkers at Klein’s were previous students of his at Whitehorse. Because of his passion for geography, maps and gardening, Jim knew immediately that floral delivery as a retirement job and working at a greenhouse were a match made in heaven. At his interview, Jim said upfront that he was THE person for the job and Klein’s would lose out big time were he not hired. He was right. His expertise and outgoing demeanor have been a perfect match for us, too. Jim says that his passion for gardening stems from his grandfather and that he started gardening with grandpa at age four! He says that his grandfather was both a fruit and vegetable gardener as well as a flower gardener. He especially loved wildflowers, a particular interest that has been passed on to Jim. Jim says that his grandfather taught him about wildflowers in their natural settings and not just in the home garden. Jim says that to this day he can find the rarest of Wisconsin wildflowers because of the things his grandfather taught him. He also says that his own garden reflects his passion for wildflowers. He says his weed-free beds give one the impression of being natural, when, in fact, they are quite thought out and manicured. Jim says he especially loves collecting daylilies and has a nice collection of perennial asters. Favorite annuals include zinnias, gladiolas and moss roses--one of his grandfather’s favorites. Jim’s other passions include canoeing, travel and internet trivia, of which he’s an apparent master. Jim has been president of Mad City Paddlers (madcitypaddlers.org) for the past three years. Mad City Paddlers is a group of canoe and kayak enthusiasts with over 240 members and organizes 60+ rowing trips each year from April through November and throughout the north-central Midwest. Their most well-known trip is the unique January 1 paddle on Lake Columbia in Portage. The 60+ degree water is kept ice-free by the huge power plant located there. Jim’s many travels have taken him to some of the world’s most exotic locations, most recently to Australia and New Zealand, where he visited every botanical garden within reach. In all his travels, he says the best climate to grow roses is on the island of Tasmania off the southern coast of Australia. Other travel destinations have included: Peru and the Amazon, West Africa (i.e. Liberia, Senegal and the Sahara) and much of the Caribbean. In his work at Klein’s, Jim prides himself in being challenged. He says that he enjoys figuring out incomplete and inaccurate addresses in planning his daily routes. He also wants to bring us into the 21st century with GPS technology and by utilizing some of the map web sites in making our daily deliveries. Watch for these changes in the future because Jim says he’s planning on delivering for Klein’s for many years to come. Gordie Dunn - Driver It was destiny that Gordie eventually work at Klein’s. Even before retirement in 1999 from Rhone/Poulenc (now Danisco), where he worked as a production supervisor, we had heard that Gordie was interested in working at Klein’s after his retirement. Gordie was no stranger to Klein’s; both his daughter, Karen, and sister- and brother-in-law (Marcia and LeRoy Williams) were already working at Klein’s. LeRoy was about to retire as one of our delivery drivers so move was easy and logical. And Gordie has been one of our dependable drivers ever since. An easy-going, laid back temperament, an outgoing personality and his knowledge of Madison makes him the perfect floral delivery person. In addition, with his love of gardening, delivering allows him to explore the area’s neighborhoods and see other people’s gardens. Gordie says enjoys Dane County’s gorgeous countryside on beautiful spring days--although he says he’s not a fan of the long drives to those farthest reaches of Oregon or Verona on snowy days, only to find out the recipient of the delivery isn’t home anyway. Gordie is a local boy, having grown up in rural Columbia County. He and his wife, Ruth, currently live in Poynette, where together they are involved in the Poynette Historical Society. They are extremely interested in the history of the people and places of our area. Both being of some Irish descent, they have made trips to the Emerald Isle and are planning to make more in the future. Ruth is a retired nurse from St. Mary’s Hospital. Daughter, Karen, is a librarian at the Steenbock Library on the UW campus and son, Bill, lives with his family in Verona where he works at Epic Healthcare Systems. In addition to driving, Gordie oftentimes helps out in the greenhouse (if he has time--see above) in the spring and enjoys talking with people and helping out at our big Garden Expo at the Alliant Energy Center each February. With everything else on his resume, Gordie is also a certified Master Gardener. Ann Schlimgen Ann joined the Klein’s team as seasonal part-time help in April of 2006. Even though her introduction to working at a garden center occurred at the onset of the busy season, circumstances that make even our diehard employees cringe, Ann’s even and peaceful demeanor pacifies both coworkers and customers alike. During the most frenzied of moments, Ann can remain calm and focused. Her sense of humor lightens the most stressful of atmospheres. Her organizational skills and thorough follow-through makes life easier for everyone around her. Ann is a local girl--yes, of the Rowley-Schlimgen and Schlimgen Ave. clan. Anyone who grew up in Madison will surely recognize both. Ann grew up in what is now Governor Nelson State Park on the northwest side of Lake Mendota. She graduated from Waunakee High School in 1982. After high school, Ann attended Edgewood College where she earned a B.S. in Business Management and then MATC where she received an associate degree in Occupational Therapy. She has worked in nursing homes in both Sun Prairie and Stoughton. A love of flowers, nature and her sister brought Ann to Klein’s. She lists favorite flowers as stargazer lilies, geraniums, coneflowers, coral bells and all the new hydrangeas on the market. Her sister, an east sider and a Klein’s customer herself, encouraged Ann to apply for a retail position. On paper, Ann seems a bit overqualified, having been involved with the UW Extension, Olbrich Gardens, Dane County Parks and prairie restoration at Holy Wisdom Monastery (St. Benedict’s Center). In addition, Ann is currently on her way to becoming a Master Gardener. But Ann’s outgoing personality and a deep desire to learn have made Ann and Klein’s a perfect pairing. Ann and her husband, John, currently live in Sun Prairie, along with their furry family: Bud, Felix, Lacey and Scout. She says that one of her personal goals is to landscape her own yard. Working at Klein’s is like being a kid in a candy store for her. She says she’s amazed by the wonderful quality of and care put into the Klein’s product. In addition to gardening, Ann enjoys kayaking, stamping, playing piano, reading and spending time with family and friends. Speaking of fun. . .The crazy springtime rush is certainly made much more tolerable for the Klein’s staff due to the fact that John’s family owns Schoep’s Ice Cream--a Madison institution. Ice cream bars are never in short supply on those hot spring days in the greenhouse. Ann is certainly a keeper! Marion Prucha Marion grew up in Texas, explaining much of her love for peppers: chile peppers in particular. Where she grew up, chile piquins, the mother of all hot peppers, grew wild. In fact, the piquins we sell at Klein’s are offspring of those very plants. And because she and Kent enjoy cooking ethnic dishes, her desire to learn more about the vegetables and herbs in those dishes has continued to blossom. And luckily she has brought this knowledge to Klein’s and is wanting to share that knowledge with the customer. Since starting at Klein’s, Marion has encouraged us to grow some of our now most sought after vegetables and herbs including the piquin, pimiento and Anaheim peppers, epazote and much more and she continues to offer ideas about how we can improve and expand our vegetable selection in the future. Another one of Marion’s many ideas was to offer our customers tried and true recipes from her own collection, using many of the unique vegetables we sell at Klein’s. With Madison’s growing Asian and Latin American populations, we’re hoping our vegetable selections will reflect their cuisines. Most of Marion’s previous work experience has been in landscape design and horticulture, though she does have experience as a bedding plants manager in Laguna Hills, CA before her move to Wisconsin. She holds a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Oregon. In addition to working at Klein’s, Marion has volunteered at Olbrich Gardens. Her husband, Kent, is employed with Trek bicycles in Waterloo and is a biking enthusiast. At home, he enjoys brewing his own beer using hops grown in their own garden. Growing her own produce organically is also very important to Marion. She says she’s had some great success and that her experience has contributed greatly to this success. It’s this experience that Marion wants to share with the Klein shopper. She not only loves to talk about vegetables, but also annuals, perennials and design ideas. Stop by Klein’s and take advantage of Marion’s helpful nature when faced with your next gardening dilemma. Mark Anderson Nearly two years later, the obsession worsens and yes, Mark does talk about working at Klein’s forever. In addition to working seasonally at Klein’s, Mark has worked for 25 years at the Walgreen’s Distribution Center in Windsor, where he accounts for and documents returned medications from the retail outlets. Mark says that his love of gardening stems from his mother, who had a gorgeous rose garden as he was growing up here on Madison’s east side. Even with his many green thumbs, he says he has not had the success with roses that his mother had. During his high school years at LaFollette, Mark did some volunteer work with the Department of Natural Resources. His interest in nature continued to blossom through his work in forests and area trout streams. In fact, Mark toyed with a career in forest management during a brief stint at Madison Area Technical College. Mark says his love of nature evolved into a passion for gardening after being diagnosed with a hereditary back problem in the spring of 1998. He says he knew he had an interest in gardening immediately after he and Carmen bought their lovely DeForest home in the early 90’s. Until his diagnosis, however, Mark’s passion had been directed toward competing in marathons and triathlons. His new limitations redirected his energy. We now flip the page to today and witness the redirection of that energy and the evolution of passion into obsession. After much labor, Mark and Carmen’s garden is an ongoing masterpiece of design and color. Their garden incorporates elements of all facets of design, using height, texture, light and motion. Mark’s gardens sprawl and fill most niches of their rather large lot, giving the feeling of walking from room to room, each room having a different theme. Themes include an Italian garden, an Asian garden, a tropical garden, a shade garden and various seating areas throughout the yard. Mark is especially proud of his water features, including a pond that has taken four years to achieve perfection. Mark and Carmen are members of the Windsor Area Garden Club , whose main event is a garden tour held each July throughout the Windsor and DeForest area. This is the perfect opportunity for everyone to view their sanctuary. Mark also works at Klein’s, of course, primarily in the springtime. After a full day at Walgreens, Mark still finds the energy to put in a few hours transplanting, restocking and helping customers. Mark thrives on increasing his plant knowledge, seeing all that is new at the garden center and partaking in that dangerous employee discount, a means by which Mark’s obsession is fed. Catie Fischer Karel Peterson Karel came to Klein‟s in 2000 after nearly 20 years of owning and operating Schultz‟s Floral and Greenhouses in nearby Columbus. Karel says her business was very similar to ours here at Klein‟s, therefore, making the transition for her very natural and easy. Schultz‟s, like us, grew garden plants for spring and summer sales, poinsettias for Christmas and had a floral department that operated year round. And like here, Karel did it all at Schultz‟s--design, greenhouse and retail. Karel says that after all these years she continues to love all facets of this business and can‟t imagine it not being a part of her life. Her real passion is floral design, but she also loves gardening of all kinds and especially container gardening. . .essentially floral design for the deck and patio. Karel traces her love for gardening to an idyllic childhood on a dairy farm in rural Portage where she and here four siblings helped, not only in the fields, but in their family‟s extensive flower and vegetable gardens. Karel says that in reality both of her parents were gardeners. For her father, it was the farm fields and the crops and for her mother, it was tending the flowers and vegetables. In fact, Karel‟s eighty-plus year old mother still maintains the family homestead and continues to garden and can vegetables to this day. Karel says that canning has always been an important part of her family experience. As a child she says they raised pickles for sale at the local cannery. The extra money was used to buy appliances and items for the home. As part of 4-H, the kids entered produce and canned goods at the county fair. Frank Nachtigal It’s rare as an employer that out of the blue the right person at the right time crosses our path and we know immediately that this is the one we’ve been looking for. The perspective employee standing in front of us has the right personality, the right amount of experience, the right schedule and , above all, the perfect attitude for the given job. This scene almost didn’t happen when Jen Simon applied for a position at Klein’s in late winter of 2008. Jen had applied for an open retail position unaware that we were also seeking greenhouse and sales floor help. Jen had made it clear she wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of having to work at the registers. By chance, the retail manager mentioned to the greenhouse staff that a most delightful applicant had come in for an interview, but wasn’t looking for retail work. And by chance, we had just decided that we needed some extra help in the greenhouse for transplanting and the upcoming spring season. The rest is history. Klein’s hired Jen pretty much on the spot! The fact that Rose Jenkins works at Klein’s (and has since 2002) is an amazing story. Early on in Rose’s interview for our employee profile, it became clear that the fates had discussed the path of this life in great detail--if one believes in such a thing. Coincidence that she works at Klein’s? Not likely. Planning on Rose’s part? Perhaps, to a degree. The mere fact that her name is Rose makes for a great starting point in telling her tale. |
