With a spotlight on C.R. Nelson Wholesale Plant Supply and the people behind the plants
At LandscapeHub, we’ve built technology to make sourcing easier, but the heart of what we do is rooted in relationships. The trust between growers and contractors, between buyers and reps, is what keeps projects moving.
We didn’t build LandscapeHub for the sake of innovation. We built it because we’ve been in your boots, chasing down availability, managing tight timelines, and counting on suppliers to come through. This platform was built by green industry people, for green industry people, and the relationships behind it are what make it work.
Joe Juricic knows this firsthand. As one of the first Market Managers at LandscapeHub, Joe has been boots-on-the-ground from day one, building the supplier network that powers our platform. That means spending time in the yards, getting to know growers, and earning their trust, not just selling tech.
A recent visit to C.R. Nelson Wholesale Plant Supply in Crystal Lake, IL offered the perfect reminder of why this work matters. For decades, C.R. Nelson has delivered dependable evergreens, shade trees, and ornamentals to landscape contractors across Chicagoland. But that reputation wasn’t built overnight, and neither was the relationship behind it.
“We sometimes get lost in building a tech platform,” Joe said, “but at the end of the day, it’s still a relationship business… and Carter’s and my relationship demonstrates that.”
Joe met Carter Nelson seven years ago, just as Carter was launching his nursery and re-wholesale yard in Island Lake, IL. From the start, Joe said, “Carter has been tried and true, the way he conducts himself and his business is genuine.”
That authenticity laid the groundwork for what would become a true partnership. As LandscapeHub grew, so did the collaboration. Carter began using the platform not just to fulfill orders, but to source plant material for his own customers. The relationship evolved, daily calls, shared site visits, tough conversations, big wins, and plenty of laughs over cold drinks.
“We talk every day about orders from his yard out to LandscapeHub customers, and then it turned into using LandscapeHub to supply his customers. We’ve been through good times and some difficult convos, but through it all, we always worked it out, with a smile.”
These are the kinds of partnerships that shape LandscapeHub. When Joe visits a grower, he’s not just tagging trees and checking quality. He’s making sure that what you see on Hub matches what’s in the yard. With years in the green industry under his belt, Joe understands how top-tier suppliers operate, what sets their material apart, and how to represent that accurately to buyers. These visits are about more than quality control, they’re about strengthening the trust and relationships that keep the supply chain moving.
“His reputation precedes him when talking with other industry peers,” Joe said. “That’s a testament to how he operates.”
That’s why we show up. Because real trust is built face to face, not just click to cart. When we say we stand behind every order on LandscapeHub, it’s not just because we’ve seen the inventory, it’s because we know the people behind it.
And we’ll keep putting in the miles. We’ll keep getting our boots dirty. Because at the heart of this platform is something no tech can replace: a genuine respect for the relationships that power this industry.
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