Monica Collise, Garden Division Manager at Chippers, Inc., has grown up working in gardens. Her family runs a floral business in southern New Hampshire, near Concord, and Monica started helping as early as she could – even running her own small vegetable stand in the summer!

As she grew older, she began to help out more with the flower gar – dens, too. It was of little surprise to anyone around her when she chose to go to college and study an earth sci – ence; although she did stray a bit from the family’s “earth” focus and studied geology instead.

She graduated at a time when there were few jobs around, so she took a position at Twin Farms Resort in Barnard, VT. Shortly after she was hired, the main green – house gardener retired and Monica convinced the owners to let her give it a try. She flourished there, but when she saw Chippers, Inc., was hiring for a Garden Division Manager, she decided to switch positions. She has now been with the company for two years and is going into her third summer as Garden Manager.

“Being a gardener,” she said, “you have to be part scientist, part artist, and part plowman.” And that’s part of what makes her job so special. A garden is an expression of your personality, she noted, so she loves helping her customers by finding the right plants to fit their garden visions.

At Chippers, Monica said, it’s a great deal of fun, not just because she is in her element there, but also because it is a very supportive team environment. The managers pay attention to the different learning styles of the staff, and the company works hard to accommodate those needs. Chippers is focused on helping employees grow individually, making it possible for the whole staff to grow as a company, and for the company to better serve its clients.