The large nursery in Gering has been in operation since 1976, when Ray and Rose Kautz started the business. They handed over the business to their sons, Eric and Mike Kautz, who have been running the Gering Garden Center since 2004. Eric and Mike and their staff have been busy the last few months getting ready for another planting season, and they say their customers will no doubt be impressed once again when they see the enormous variety of plants and other products available at the garden center, which has continued to grow in popularity both locally and regionally over the years.
JEFF FIELDER Editor
GERING – Eric Kautz and his brother, Mike Kautz, are the owners of the Gering Garden Center. They inherited the business from their parents, Ray and Rose Kautz, in 2004. Ray and Rose opened the Gering Garden Center in 1976. Eric and Mike have actually been in business together since 1994, when they started Kautz Botanicals. They combined Kautz Botanicals and the Gering Garden Center in 2004. Eric, 63, graduated from Gering High School in 1978, and Mike, 65, graduated from there in 1975. In this nursery spotlight, Eric answers a number of questions about the Gering Garden Center, and he also offers several gardening tips for people this spring.
Q: How much have you and Mike enjoyed owning and operating the garden center together?
ERIC: “We both really enjoy it. Owning a business has its challenges, but we wouldn’t want to do anything else. It’s a lifestyle that very few people get to do, especially with two brothers owning a business together. We started in 1994 with certified organic tomatoes, which we did for six years, and then we transferred from organic tomatoes to fresh cut flowers, and we still supply two local florists with flowers. Mike and I have disagreements every now and then, but we love each other tremendously and we have so much respect for each other, and we like working together. We both have our own responsibilities for the company, and together we’ve been able to keep this a successful business.”
You can read the entire story in the May 2022 issue of Nspire Today! magazine. A one-year subscription (12 issues) is only $20. You may sign up for a subscription by sending $20 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363, or you may pay with a credit card by calling 308-220-8865.
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