Top Workplaces 2025: The Midwest Companies Uses Deep Roots to Cultivate Growth and Consensus
The Midwest Companies ranks 39th among small employers on the Chicago Tribune’s list of Top Workplaces, as evaluated by Energage in Exton, Pennsylvania.
Company History and Expansion
Founded in 1969 by Peter Orum and his wife Irma, the company began on a 5-acre plot. Over more than 50 years, it has expanded its nursery facilities to 700 acres across St. Charles and Virgil, Illinois, as well as Glenn, Michigan.
Business Operations
The Midwest Companies grows and distributes plants to landscape architects and professionals through Midwest Groundcovers. Recently, they added Midwest Trading Horticultural Supplies, which manufactures and sells soil to nurseries and horticulture businesses. Both operate under the family-owned umbrella of The Midwest Companies, now led by Peter’s daughter Christa Orum-Keller and her husband, Craig.
Employee Involvement and Impact
At their nurseries, employees cultivate shrubs, flowers, and other plants used in landscaping projects. The company’s plants have been featured in prominent locations such as Millennium Park’s Lurie Garden in Chicago and various sites throughout the Midwest.
“Defining the company culture is vital to having a successful business and ensuring they find the best employees for the job,” said Christa Orum-Keller.
Strong company culture and steady growth rooted in family leadership drive The Midwest Companies’ ongoing success.
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