NCNLA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Five Minutes with Swift Creek Nursery
Swift Creek Nursery Clayton, NC Vice President Jamie Thomas In business 42 years NCNLA Member 39 years Number of employees 20 Services Wholesale Only Nursery Favorite NCNLA benefits Nursery & Landscape Notes, networking events, Green & Growin’ Marketplace
Pictured (left to right): Lanny, Helen, Christy and Jamie Thomas
How did you get into the business?
My dad, Lanny Thomas, graduated from NCSU in 1970. After graduating he became the Nursery Manger at Holt Lake Nursery in Smithfield. In 1976, he started propagating liriope and mondo grass on a one-acre piece of property behind his house. In December 1977, my dad left Holt Lake Nursery to go out on his own. In January 1978, Swift Creek Nursery officially opened, and I was born. In the early years, Dad did landscaping to help fund the nursery and my mom, Helen, wore many different hats. She was a salesgirl, an office manager and a field worker. It was not uncommon to find her outside on the weekends splitting liriope while I was in the playpen. So, I have literally grown up in the nursery! In our 42 years we have grown from one acre to 24 acres in production and from one employee to 19 full-time employees. Upon graduating from NC State in 2001, I began working at the nursery. In 2006, my wife, Christy, joined the family business, too. My children, Preston and Abby, have come to the office every day. We hope the family business will rub off on them and we can continue into the next generation.
Preston, son of Jamie and Christy Thomas
What’s a typical day like for you and your staff/family?
Dad and I check in with the office to collect all current and new orders for the day. Orders are distributed to the pulling crew to be ready for pickup that day. We pride ourselves on having the orders ready so that our customers do not have to wait. We meet with the foreman and crew to finalize the work schedule for the day, ensuring that we are all communicating and on the same page, then we organize the delivery schedule. We ensure that everyone is on task and that we are producing a high quality product. Running a nursery is challenging so you have to learn how to be a problem solver!
8 | NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES | WINTER 2020
Abby, daughter of Jamie and Christy Thomas
