Top Workplaces 2025: The Midwest Companies uses its deep roots to cultivate growth and consensus

Top Workplaces 2025: The Midwest Companies

Company Growth and Operations

The Midwest Companies ranks 39th among small employers on the Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces list. Founded in 1969 on a 5-acre plot, it has expanded to 700 acres of nursery facilities spanning St. Charles and Virgil, Illinois, and Glenn, Michigan. The company cultivates and distributes plants for landscape architects and professionals through its division, Midwest Groundcovers.

Recently, the business grew to include Midwest Trading Horticultural Supplies, which produces and sells soil to nurseries and horticultural operations. Both divisions operate under the family-owned umbrella, The Midwest Companies, originally started by Peter Orum and his wife, Irma.

Leadership and Workplace Culture

Today, leadership has passed to Peter's daughter, Christa Orum-Keller, and her husband, Craig. The Chicago Tribune ranking, determined by Energage consultancy in Exton, Pennsylvania, reflects the company’s positive work environment.

Employee Roles and Regional Impact

At the nurseries, employees care for shrubs, flowers, and other plants used in various landscaping projects. Midwest Companies’ plants have been featured in prominent locations such as Millennium Park’s Lurie Garden and other sites throughout the Midwest.

For Orum-Keller, "defining the company culture is vital to having a successful business and ensuring they find the best employees for the job."

Author’s summary: The Midwest Companies leverages its strong family roots and culture to foster growth, maintain a skilled workforce, and make a lasting regional impact in horticulture.

Chicago Tribune — 2025-11-07