Family Grown
The Year Was 1882
Todd Ellefson’s great, great grandfather had just opened the Wight family’s first nursery in Cairo, Georgia. Little did anyone realize that five generations later, the family would continue in what has become a longstanding tradition of commercial cultivation. Today, with Todd at the helm as general manager, Windmill Nursery has blossomed into a regionally recognized nursery serving wholesale buyers across the entire Southeastern U.S.
Situated on just over 400 pristine acres in Franklinton, Louisiana; Windmill offers a wide assortment of shrubs, perennials, trees and ground covers. With 180 greenhouses and shade houses in cultivation, Todd’s goal is to make the nursery the primary plant supplier of every wholesaler they service, “Wholesale buyers can rest assured that no matter what they need, we either have it, or we can have it quickly by accessing our extensive grower network.
Hackney Nursery is Windmill’s sister nursery located in Tallahassee, FL. George Hackney is my cousin. Like I said, it’s a family business.” Serving a host of garden centers, landscape distribution centers and landscape contractors, what sets Windmill apart from other growers is both the diversity of their branded lines as well as the great variation in age/size of the stock offered. On their branded lines, Todd says, “We’re really known for Encore Azaleas and Knockout Roses. Right now, the roses account for the largest total of Windmill’s sales—a beautiful, very healthy line for us.”
For many premium wholesalers looking for finest stock and superior service, there’s simply no better value than Windmill Nursery. “Some of the top-quality, local nurseries we regularly supply are Banting’s Nursery in New Orleans, and we also provide a lot of stock to Clegg’s in Baton Rouge,” Todd added. President, George Hackney and John Wight Jr. (Todd’s grandfather) round out the management team with over 100 years of nursery management experience between them. The company’s leadership takes great pride in the quality of their stock—each carefully selected and among the very finest available. Todd explains, “Since the root systems of our plants are so well established, there is a big difference. Each is rich in color, robust and healthy from the start.”
Todd Ellefson is a dedicated nurseryman. Throughout his career, he has enjoyed memberships in many professional organizations, including the Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association and Washington Parish Farm Bureau. In 2007, Mr. Ellefson was named the Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association’s Young Professional of the Year. Todd has also served as President of the South East Louisiana Nurserymen’s Association and is the current Senator for Louisiana with the American Nursery Landscape Association. This year, he was recognized as the Southern Nurserymen’s Association’s 2009 Young Nurseryman of the Year. Todd Ellefson has been married to his wife Stacy for 13 years. They are the proud parents of 14-year-old Chase, 11-year-old Lexi, 6-year old Riley and Reese, age 4.
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